Tumbling Blocks
Motley Trail
14183 Lowery Dr.
Little Falls   Mn  56345

I like the way this pattern shows movement.  The colors just happened naturally by choosing yellow as my first color the other colors just followed.

On Target
NW Trail
McGivern Park
27158 McGivern Drive
Staples MN  56479

This pattern was designed to represent shooting sports.  The center is a clay target with a chip off it.  “Arrows” cross and blocks are “shotgun shells & bullets”.

Katie Benson, with her brother and father, was involved in 4H Shooting sports and high school trap and skeet.

Barn Quilt made by Katie Benson

McGivern Park Campground
McGivern Park marks the end of the designated Crow Wing River Canoe Trail that winds its way through Wadena County. This quaint little park with its mix of hardwoods and pine is also the home of the Staples Sportsmen’s Club and Shooting Range. With its close proximity to the City of Staples, McGivern Park is used often for picnicking and other small gatherings.

​Camper/RV Usage
Smaller camper units but limited campsites available –  no hookups provided

Burning Barn
NW Trail
12077 Airport Rd
Staples MN 56479

The current barn stands on the site of a 100+ year old barn that was destroyed by fire on November 20, 2009.  The colors represent a red barn, orange flames and gray smoke.

Barn Quilt made by Katie Benson.

Streit Star
Southwest Trail
21901 County 22 Clarissa MN  56440

The Streit Star barn quilt was hand painted by Tim and Kim in Lodi Wisconsin and given to us as a Christmas gift.  It looks down on our pig “Wilbur”.  We have only had this hobby farm since October 2013.

Harvest Wreath
Southwest Trail
50214 Tamarack Road, Wadena MN  56482

Harvest Wreath reminds me of a quilt that grandma made that had a similar pattern.

11756 County 32
Bertha MN
Southwest Trail

This barn quilt pattern interested me because it had 34 colors in it

17186 County Rd. 80
Eagle Bend,  MN
Southwest Trail

This quilt pattern was chosen because I like patriotic colors and belong to a group of Quilts of Valor.   Also, three of my brothers served our country.

Crossed Canoes & Oars
Northwest Trail
13491 Old Wadena Circle Staples MN  56479

Old Wadena Park and Campground is on the National Register of Historic Places. The little round hill where the Battle of Partridge River was fought is memorialized as is the Ox Cart trail which forded the Crow Wing River.  It is not only a campground but now also boasts a pavilion for larger gatherings and festivals.  The barn quilt, Crossed Canoes & Oars, which is displayed on the new pavilion, was donated to the Park by Barn Quilts of Central Minnesota and painted by students at the Staples-Motley High School. Besides hosting numerous campers and canoers throughout the season, the park is also the location for the Old Wadena Rendezvous, which is held annually in August, Conservation Days, which is put on by the County Soil and Water Conservation District for elementary age students, many weddings and family reunions, and other events held throughout the year.  There are walking trails, including a footbridge across the Partridge River to the battle site, and informational signs along the way.  The Park also includes an educational Bog Walk, which was constructed by the Old Wadena Society through donations of time, money, and lots and lots of donated sections of dock frames!

Old Wadena, like all other County campgrounds has a hand pump for potable water, wood for campfires, and a handicap accessible outhouse.  Old Wadena is the only park in the County’s 10 Park system which can be reserved for events.

Reservations can be made by contacting the Wadena County Parks Department at 218-631-7604 (certain fees apply).  A reservation form is also on the Parks main webpage.

When you come to visit Old Wadena, expect to be amazed by the peace that inhabits this park, expect to learn its rich history, and expect to relax in the subtle beauty of this natural environment, a treasure on the “little round hill”.

OLD WADENA PARK AND CAMPGROUND – A BRIEF HISTORY

In 1783 the fur traders built the Crow Wing River’s first trading post on “the little round hill” at the mouth of the Partridge River.  The Chippewa word “Wadena” means “little round hill”. Venturing deep into the prized hunting ground of the Sioux, the voyageurs of the famed Northwest Company, found themselves challenged by the proud and gallant Sioux nation in the battle which was part of nearly a century of warfare that was waged between the white man and the Sioux.  While the history books say that the voyageurs won the Battle of Partridge River, it is also noted that nine years passed before the traders returned to the Crow Wing River country.

Then in the mid 19^thcentury the Red River Trails were forged between Minneapolis – St. Paul and the Red River Colony in present day Manitoba. A route blazed in 1844, known as the Woods Trail, forded the Crow Wing River between the mouths of the Partridge and Leaf Rivers.  In the 1850’s the US government began improving the Woods Trail but ultimately only progressed as far as the Crow Wing Crossing.  Augustus Aspinwall platted a townsite there which he named “Wadena”. He established a trading post, a post office, and a ferry, and it became a regular stop for travelers on the Woods Trail. Wadena was named as county seat and Aspinwall anticipated a flood of settlers as soon as the railroad track could be built through the area. However the Panic of 1857 suppressed railroad construction for years, and when the Northern Pacific Railway finally laid track through the area in 1871, they chose a route that was 3 and ½ miles to the south.  What little population had collected in Aspinwall’s town abandoned the site and established a new town of Wadena along the railway.  Later Peter and Angeline Roy established the first farm in the county at the old Wadena townsite where they raised crops and dairy cattle.

401 9th St. NE
Staples MN. 56479
Staples Trail

This barn quilt was made by a sister for her brother.  God, Bless the USA!

Barn Quilt made by: Deb Yoder

A Simpler Life
Southwest Trail
46130 County 11
Bertha MN  56437

Everyone remembers how much simpler life was as a small child learning the basic shapes and colors.  This is the basis for our color choices and the title.

Being a quilter and seeing area barn quilts around the state, I knew I wanted to paint one and display it for everyone to see it as they passed by our farm.  Looking through my quilt block patterns, I found this design. My husband and I liked the simple shapes and decided to do it in basic colors. We are the second-generation family on this farm, so the initial in the middle represents the family roots.

Painted by Rita Gaugert