Grand Forks Herald, ND
06-29-06
THE PRAIRIE GARDENER: Lady Gibbs' slippers in Itasca
By Darrel Koehler
ITASCA STATE PARK, Minn. - Forget about trekking through a wet bog in Itasca
State Park to view the showy lady's slipper, Minnesota's unique state flower.
Such a place to catch a glimpse of the elusive white and pink moccasin-flowered
orchid was along the Dr. Robert's Trail near the swampy shore of Lake Itasca
below Douglas Lodge.
Now, we've found a better site - the rain garden near the new Mary Gibbs
Mississippi Headwaters Center. A rain garden is a bowl-shaped basin, which
filters and slows storm run-off water from neighboring parking lots and surfaced
areas. Other objectives are to provide a first-line defense to catch sediment,
debris and litter, while providing a shallow wetland zone for marsh-loving plants,
including showy lady's slippers, blue flag (wild iris) and cattails.
There are several clumps of transplanted showy lady's slippers in the rain garden
just below the center, a popular draw for camera-toting tourists. The lady's
slippers were transplanted onto the site, along with the other swamp-loving
plants. Other native orchids in the park include the earlier-blooming yellow lady's
slipper. There are other wildflowers, providing a cavalcade of bloom from now
until the first killing frost.
Itasca Park
At Itasca State Park, near Park Rapids, Minn., the Mississippi River begins its
2,552-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico. Established in 1891 to preserve
remnant stands of old-growth white and red pine and to protect the source of the
mighty river, this 32,000-acre park draws thousands of visitors annually from
throughout the Midwest. The newest addition, which opened late in 2005, is the
Mary Gibbs Center. It provides a cafeteria-restaurant as well as a dining area.
And yes, there is ice cream. There also are restrooms, a gift shop and an inactive
outdoor exhibit outlining the natural and cultural importance of the Mississippi,
including exploration of the river.
Park heroine
Today's Itasca State Park owes its beauty in large part of Mary Gibbs, who had
just turned 24 when she was appointed commissioner of the park in 1903. Her
father had served in the same post until his death. No one could have guessed
that the beautiful, dark-haired Gibbs would face down thugs who threatened to
shoot her on a muddy logging dam site a quarter of a mile from the Mississippi
source. Gibbs later moved to British Columbia, where she married and raised a
family. She reached the age of 104, but never again saw her beloved park. She
died several years ago.
Gibbs' determination more than a century ago to enforce the law as protector of
Itasca resulted in the timber barons backing down and releasing water that was
destroying the park. The dammed up water was needed to transport the
harvested pine logs down river to sawmills. Today, about a quarter of all oldgrowth pines in Minnesota, some dating back 300 years, can be found within
park boundaries.
June roses
What better time to smell the roses than during late June? Shrub roses around
both cities are putting on a very elaborate show this summer, despite summer
heat and dry conditions. Many of the roses are the Canadian series, requiring
little care but offering lots of beauty. A favorite spot is the massive rose bed to
the east of the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
If traveling, there are several rose gardens you can add to your visit list. A
favorite is Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Iowa
State's Griffith Buck was America's pioneer breeder of hardy, disease-resistant
roses. A section is devoted to showing 75 of Buck's landscape roses that
revolutionized how and where to grow roses in our harsh climate.
If Pacific Northwest-bound, visit the International Rose Test Garden in Portland's
Washington Park. The country's oldest public rose test garden, you will see the
All-American Rose Trials. The view of Mount Hood is breathtaking and the rose
aroma overwhelming. Bring your camera.
Signup looms
If you are planning to attend the 83rd annual North Dakota State Horticultural
Society conference held here July 13-15, you have to register by July 5. For
more information, call Steve at (701) 780-8229 or Laura at (701) 772-8207.
There are one- and two-day options for attendance. The registration fee covers
meals, breaks, speakers, tours and door prizes.
Speakers are Steven Dahlberg, White Earth Tribal and Community College;
Richard and Glinda Crawford, who developed a prairie garden at UND; and
Connie Lagerquist, director of horticulture at the International Peace Garden,
Dunseith, N.D.