Prairie Flowers

  19. Native Prairie in the Region
- Chippewa Prairie

From Milan travel northwest on TH 59 about 3 miles northwest of Milan, then take the county line gravel road west 2 miles to the preserve. Chippewa Prairie’s 1,102 acres represent a small remnant of the once vast northern tall grass prairie ecosystem. For hundreds of years, the area was home to the Dakota Indians who camped along the river, harvesting wild plants and following the vast herds of buffalo, elk, white- tailed deer and migrating waterfowl. The first permanent European settlers began arriving in the 1870s attracted by the rich prairie soil. Along the river, at present-day Chippewa Prairie, the boulder-strewn terraces and steep ravines proved too difficult to plow. Here the prairie continued to bloom, interrupted mainly by grazing livestock and seasonal mowing. Adjacent to the Chippewa Prairie is Lac qui Parle State Wildlife Management Area and up river is the Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge. Together, these three natural areas host a large array of wildlife.