Area 4.265 km² | Phone +1 573-655-2280 | |
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Address 32836 State Park Road, La Grange, MO 63448, United States Similar Battle of Athens State Hist, Lewis and Clark State Park, Van Meter State Park, Morris State Park, Crowder State Park | ||
Skatejoring wakonda state park with miss kitty
Wakonda State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Missouri consisting of 1,053.87 acres (4.3 km2) near La Grange in Lewis County.
Contents
HistoryEdit
Wakonda, an Osage Indian word meaning something consecrated or spiritual, was established by the Missouri State Park Board in 1960 on 273 acres (110 ha) transferred from the Missouri Highway Commission. The area is one of the few remaining sand prairie areas to be found along the central and northern Mississippi River. During the Ice Age, glacial movement left large deposits of high quality gravel and sand. Beginning in 1924, the Missouri Highway Commission contracted with private companies to remove the large gravel deposits for use in road surfacing materials. The gravel was very deep, requiring open-pit mining techniques which eventually led to the creation of the six lakes that dot the Wakonda park landscape. By the 1980s, some 26 million tons of sand and gravel had been removed from the area. Additional land purchases by the state, including a 777-acre (314 ha) tract in 1992, created the park's current dimensions.
Activities and amenitiesEdit
The park's lakes are used for fishing, swimming, and small-motor and non-motorized boating. There are two campgrounds with a total of more than 100 campsites and trails for hiking and bicycling.