Flandrau State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, on the Cottonwood River adjacent to the city of New Ulm. Initially called Cottonwood River State Park, it was renamed in 1945 to honor Charles Eugene Flandrau, a leading citizen of early Minnesota who commanded defenses during the Battles of New Ulm in the Dakota War of 1862. The park was originally developed in the 1930s as a job creation project to provide a recreational reservoir. However the dam was repeatedly damaged by floods and was removed in 1995.
Along with the dam, crews from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) built several structures in the National Park Service Rustic style. In a unique twist on the mandate to harmonize with the local environment, the buildings were designed to reflect the ethnic German heritage of New Ulm. The WPA barracks were reused during World War II as Camp New Ulm, housing German prisoners of war. All of these structures are listed as a district on the National Register of Historic Places.
Read more about Flandrau State Park: Cultural History, Recreation
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