On October 3, 1887 the City of Mankato purchased 120 acres for $13,088 at the confluence of the Blue Earth and Minnesota Rivers to create Mankato's first park. Sibley Park was named for Henry Hastings Sibley (later Minnesota's first Governor) who as early as 1840 had camped on the mound and later had a fur trading postnorthwest of the mound. Today Ott's cabin stands at this site. It was built in 1857 by George Ott and moved to this site in 1931.
The land has great historical significance. In 1852 Parsons King Johnson and Henry Jackson, early settlers of Blue Earth County, spent their first night on the mound and considered the land for a townsite. They decided against it due to high water marks onthe trees that showed evidence of flooding, which proved later to be a problem. It was also near the site of Camp Lincoln, where 300 condemned Dakota men were imprisoned after the Dakota Conflict of 1862.
(Continued on other side)
(Continued from other side)
By December 1887, the city added land to the park by purchasing the nearby Southern Minnesota Stock and Fairgrounds, which included an oval horse and bicycle racetrack, grandstand and judging stand. By 1907, Sibley Park added a bear cage, and a small-scale zoo was established. More land was added in 1920along with bison and many other animals. In 1932, Sibley Park's zoo added an inseparable pair: Mutt, a lonely lion, and Jeff, a dog. A dam was built in 1934 to create a lake and swimming hole, but after flooding in 1951, the dam was destroyed. Another tragicflood occurred in 1965, which killed many of the zoo animals and left Sibley Park unrecognizable.
Today Sibley Park offers many wonderful amenities to visitors including a petting zoo, ball diamonds, band shell, picnic areas and beautiful gardens. It still remains one of the most beautiful parks in the area.
Researched and written by the Blue Earth County Historical Society, 2006.
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