Friends of Minnetonka Parks
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Purgatory Community Preserve

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FRIENDS OF PURGATORY PARK

The Friends of Purgatory Park is a group of regular park visitors passionate about the natural beauty and diversity of wildlife found within the park boundaries. Currently, the Friends are working to restore the prairie remnant (the only prairie remnant in the city) which is located in the southeastern corner of the park and a second area between the park trail and school forest. In addition, the Friends monitor and maintain the bluebird boxes sited throughout the park, working closely with the Bluebird Recovery Program.
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Website
www.mtkaparks.org/purgatory
​Email
FriendsofPurgatory "at" gmail.com

Spring volunteer opportunities

Buckthorn Removal, April 12, 1:30 - 3 pm
Buckthorn Removal, April 26, 1-3 pm
Garlic Mustard Removal, May 7, 10 am-12:30 pm
Please click on this link to register for any or all of these upcoming events.

PURGATORY PARK REMNANT PRAIRIE BUCKTHORN BLITZ
OCTOBER 9, 2021

CURRENT RESTORATION PROJECT - PRAIRIE REMNANT

BEFORE
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AFTER
Beginning in autumn 2021, the Friends of Purgatory started work to restore the prairie remnant which had become degraded from the succession/woody encroachment of native woody plant species—sumac, prickly ash, Eastern red cedar, ash, elm, box elder, and gray dogwood—in addition to invasive woody plants (European buckthorn, Siberian elm, and non-native honeysuckle species). These woody plants (native and non-native/invasive) were shading the existing native forbs and grasses, competing with these prairie species for nutrients and light, and facilitating the decline of the diversity and integrity of the prairie. If no intervention or management of the woody encroachment and invasive plant species had occurred, the prairie and the species it supports would have been lost.

In autumn 2022, City contractors will burn the prairie and following the burn, volunteers will overseed with native wildflower seed. This will increase the number of flowering plants in the prairie, and increase overall diversity.

purgatory community preserve

Purgatory Community Preserve is a 155-acre preserve with a passive recreation focus. Located just south of Excelsior Boulevard (east of Hwy 101), Pugatory is the largest preserve in the city. The Preserve showcases a number of habitats and plant communities including a remnant and restored prairie, flood plain and creek, and a treed ridge dominated by oaks. 

cultural History

Various Native American tribes likely crossed the location of the park for centuries. After the government denied the request to include the Lake Minnetonka area in the 1851 Treaties of Traverse des Sioux and Mendota, the land was opened to settlement and the Dakota lost their rights to hunting, fishing and sacred ceremonies.

From the 1850s to 1960s, the land was used primarily for farming and grazing by white settlers. A trolley along Excelsior Boulevard crossed the northern section of the park and brought Minneapolis residents to the city of Excelsior to enjoy the amusement park and Lake Minnetonka. The red barn is a remnant of the Westburg farm homestead. The Westburg family used the spring in the park to start a bottled water business, later running a grocery store, and finally a pet (aquarium) store.
In the 1960s, neighborhood developments began to fill around the open space of the park. The land was initially kept as open space due to possible expansion of 62 to directly connect diagonally to Highway 7. As this project was tabled, the city began to suggest possible use of the open space. They entertained a golf course, but surrounding neighbors objected and lobbied for a park. Restoration activities restored the prairie starting in the 1990s. Along with the Westburg farm, the park has expanded slightly with a donation of property near the southern section of the park.

Natural history

Purgatory Community Preserve is a beautiful place to visit, no matter the season! 

Featured FAUNA - Butterflies

Purgatory's variety of habitats (prairies, woodlands, and wetlands) offer a diversity of native plants that provide nectar and larval host plants for butterflies. The following is a sampling of butterflies one may observe while visiting the Purgatory. 
Peck's Skipper
Red-spotted Purple
Viceroy
Coral Hairstreak
Delaware Skipper
Banded Hairstreak
Northern Broken Dash
Great Spangled Fritillary
Fiery Skipper
Monarch

BEES

The well-drained sandy soil in Purgatory's prairies provides a multitude of nesting opportunities for native ground-nesting bees that preferentially nest in sand. One particularly rare pollen specialist, the Vervain Mining Bee, nests in bare compacted sand in the prairie and is a pollen specialist of Verbena (vervain). 
Calliopsis cuckoo bee (Holcopasites calliopsidis)
Golden Alexanders Mining Bee (Andrena ziziae)
Orange-legged Sweat Bee (Halictus rubicundus)
Calliopsis mining bee (Calliopsis andreniformis)
Nomadic cuckoo bee (Nomada)
Brown-belted Bumble Bee (Bombus griseocollis)
Vervain Mining Bee (Calliopsis nebraskensis)
Ground cherry fairy bee (Perdita halictoides)
Unequal Cellophane Bee (Colletes inaequalis)
Dunning's Mining Bee (Andrena dunningi)
Epauletted Metallic Sweat Bee (Augochloropsis metallica)
Long-lipped Mining Bee (Andrena barbilabris)
Confusing Sweat Bee (Halictus confusus)
Colorful Willow Mining Bee (Andrena andrenoides)
Black and Gold Bumble Bee (Bombus auricomus)

how purgatory got its name

Purgatory Park is named for Purgatory Creek which was named by white settlers traveling west in covered wagons. The story passed down through the ages is that the covered wagons stopped by the fresh springs near the location of the park. The wagons got stuck in mud and the mosquitoes were so thick and miserable that someone proclaimed, “This is hell.” To which another replied, “No, not hell, but Purgatory!” The name stuck.
Purgatory Creek
© 2023 Friends of Minnetonka Parks.
​Friends of Minnetonka Parks is a 501c3 nonprofit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors.
  • Home
  • Friends
    • Mission
    • Who We Are
    • Volunteerism
    • Contact Us
  • VISIT A PARK
    • Big Willow
    • Cullen
    • Hilloway
    • Jidana
    • Lake Rose
    • Lone Lake
    • Meadow
    • Minnehaha Creek
    • Purgatory
    • Shady Oak
    • Tower Hill
    • Victoria Evergreen
  • Resources
    • Tree Aging App
    • Invasive Plants
    • Newsletter
    • YouTube Videos
  • Events
    • Volunteer Events
    • Education and Social Events