Jay Cooke State Park celebrates 100th birthday

Jay Cooke State Park south of Duluth is celebrating its 100th birthday this weekend. It is the fifth oldest state park in Minnesota.

The park was established in 1915 when a group of citizens helped secure a 2,350 acre land donation from the Great Northern Power Company, now known as Minnesota Power.

Now the park sprawls across nearly 9,000 acres and features 50 miles of hiking trails. It straddles the St. Louis River as it tumbles over unique slanted rock formations toward Lake Superior. Naturalist Kristine Hiller said the park is best known for its iconic swinging bridge.

"It's a suspension bridge that crosses the river, has been here since 1924," Hiller said. "People like to go bouncing across and have a lot of memories of visiting the park with their family."

The bridge was destroyed in 2012 floods, but was rebuilt the following year. Park visitation plummeted when the bridge was closed, Hiller said. "People think, there's nothing to do, or how do I get to the other side."

The new bridge — the fifth swinging bridge built since the original — opened in late 2013, and the tourists followed. A record 372,000 visited the park in 2014, making it the fourth most visited park in the state.

But Jay Cooke is still not completely recovered from the floods that overtopped the swinging bridge. A few miles of hiking trails still need to be repaired, and a two-mile-long section of State Highway 210 that serves as the park's eastern entrance remains closed. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is rebuilding the highway at a cost of $21.3 million. It plans to reopen the highway in October of next year.