Expand Myre-Big Island State Park
Published 9:02 am Friday, July 18, 2008
What happened to local efforts to expand our state park?
Since state Sen. Helmer Myre in 1947 pushed the state Legislature to approve the purchase of 117-acre Big Island, locals made Myre State Park beautiful through fundraisers. The first addition came at the start. The state paid for the island, but local folks raised the money to buy land split into 17 lots on the shore near Big Island.
Other expansions came in 1963 and 1974. In ’74, a realty company wanted to develop northeast of the park, but local efforts overcame many hurdles to add that land to the park. Sometime close to 1980, the state bought Camp Moraine.
Since then, nothing has been added except a couple of words to the name. In 1990, it became Myre-Big Island State Park. It’s been three decades since locals have expanded their beloved state park.
The expansion of Myre-Big Island State Park should be a community tradition for Albert Lea. If local service clubs are looking for a joint project, one for all the service clubs to come together on, here it is. Wouldn’t it be appropriate to protect the eastern shore across from the park?
Right now, when people hike at the park, they look across the water to the east and see trees and tall grasses. It would decrease the value of the experience to gaze upon houses.
If that opposite shore became part of the park, it would protect a treasured landscape. The park has attracted tourists to Albert Lea for years and years.