St. Cloud State President Earl H. Potter III and St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis sign off on a land swap deal between the city and St. Cloud State. Photo by Nick Lenz ’11
St. Cloud State University and the City of St. Cloud officially closed on a land swap deal for George Friedrich Park with a signing on Friday.
University President Earl H. Potter III and St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis ’89 signed documents at a ceremony at the park giving the city George Friedrich Park in exchange for three pieces of land at the south end of campus.
“This is the right thing to do,” Potter said. “It is a revitalized opportunity to now share this land for an educational and recreational resource for the students and the community of St. Cloud to use.”
President Potter and Mayor Kleis shake hands after the signing of the documents. Photo by Nick Lenz ’11
Former president of the St. Cloud Teachers College, now St. Cloud State, George Selke announced the purchase of the 51 acre park in 1934.
Professor George Friedrich was a driving force behind the purchase, recognizing an opportunity for outdoor education for the college.
Friedrich, the Works Progress Administration, the National Youth Administrations and students planted red and white pine seedlings, built roads and a granite wall, and constructed an elaborate swimming and diving facility in one of the larger quarries. Docks, diving boards, a raft and dressing rooms were built and completed in 1935.
In 1951, the college renamed the quarry park George Friedrich Park, in recognition Friedrich’s dedication.
During the late ’60s and early ’70s, liability and safety concerns peaked due to misuse of the park. Legal changes made the college potentially liable for injuries. The park was closed in 1976 after a high school student was injured.
A view from one of the quarries at George Friedrich Park. Photo by Nick Lenz ’11
Though there were attempts to reopen the park in the 1980s, currently George Friedrich Park remains closed. The university occasionally uses the site for field studies in natural history, biology, ecology and geology.
“I hope to continue using it as a venue for teaching the field geology class,” said Kate Pound, professor of geology. “The bottom line is, I hope that the fresh rock faces are preserved so students and the general public can appreciate the window it provides into the geologic history of the region.”
The official grand opening of the park under new ownership of the city will be at 11:15 a.m. Sept. 8, with a ribbon cutting ceremony. A volunteer clean-up of the park is also planned.
Anyone interested in volunteering should contact the mayor’s office at 320-255-7201.
