Mille Lacs Kathio State Park

About this park

Mille Lacs Kathio State Park preserves roughly 9,000 years of continuous human history, a record of occupation so significant that the park has been designated a National Historic Landmark, with 19 identified archaeological sites including evidence of copper tool manufacture tied to the ancient "Old Copper Tradition." The park's name itself carries a tangled linguistic history: "Mille Lacs" is French for "1,000 lakes," while "Kathio" descends from a transcription error, when explorer Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut's poor handwriting turned the Mdewakanton Dakota self-designation "Izatys" into the meaningless word that nonetheless stuck permanently to the park. The Mdewakanton Dakota, whose name translates to "Water of the Great Spirit," established permanent villages along Ogechie Lake and the Rum River here centuries before European contact, and Father Louis Hennepin, one of the earliest European explorers to reach Minnesota, lived among them for six months in 1680 at a site on the Rum River within the park's present boundaries. Ojibwe oral tradition recounts a massive three-day "Battle of Kathio" in which Ojibwe forces drove the Dakota from the region, though archaeologists have found no direct evidence supporting a single decisive battle, suggesting instead a more gradual Dakota migration that was likely already underway. A 100-foot observation and fire tower gives visitors a sweeping view across Mille Lacs Lake, the source of the Rum River, which flows through the park and links Ogechie and Shakopee lakes on its roughly 140-mile journey to the Mississippi. The park's cross-country ski trails are frequently cited among the best in Minnesota, and the nearby Mille Lacs Indian Museum, run by the Minnesota Historical Society just two miles north, extends the park's historical interpretation with exhibits spanning the region's history since 1680.