How a Small, Forgotten Ghost Town Became a Minnesota State Park

We Minnesotans love to get out and explore, especially in one of our many state parks. But one state park in particular has quite an interesting history. If you've never visited, you'll probably want to now.

This particular state park is built on a ghost town!

Haunted Places and Ghost Towns in Minnesota

Minnesota seems to be home to many ghost towns and haunted spots. For example, they say that the small town of Grey Cloud Island is extremely haunted.

READ MORE: Small Town is Possibly the Most Haunted Place in MN

You've also got the St. James Hotel in Red Wing that's supposedly haunted.

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Not to burst anyone's bubble, but my husband and I spent a night there are couple of years ago and didn't experience anything supernatural. It was an amazing place to stay, though!

As for ghost towns, we have plenty of those around the Land of 10,000 Lakes. There are 9 just within 100 miles of Rochester.

READ MORE: 9 Strange Ghost Towns Within 100 Miles of Rochester

Speaking of ghost towns, let's get back to the ghost town that has now become a Minnesota state park.

Banning State Park Was Built on a Minnesota Ghost Town

Banning State Park in Sandstone, Minnesota is one of our many state parks. But this one is unique because it was actually built on a ghost town.

History of Banning State Park

Banning State Park used to be the town of Banning. The MN DNR writes that it was named after "William L. Banning, former president of the St. Paul and Duluth railroad."

The area was first the Banning quarry where many people came to work. Eventually, it also became the town of Banning. WCCO writes that Banning's peak population was just 300 people.

The town was inhabited between 1892 and 1912. It had a bar, motel, boarding house, and some homes. Nothing crazy, but enough for the people who were living and working there.

At some point, everyone packed up and left the town of Banning because of the "lack of high-quality stone and more demand for steel." Banning sat empty for a while until years later when Banning State Park was established thanks to the Recreational Omnibus Bill of 1963.

Today, you can still see some walls from the old buildings in the state park. You can also still see some of the spots where people would work in the quarry. Park manager Clarissa Payne pointed out to WCCO that you can see drill holes in some of the rock.

We have a lot of amazing state parks all around Minnesota but below you can take a peek at the highest-rated state parks in the entire state.