Vision
Homestead Parklands is a St. Croix County park located on Perch Lake in the Town of St. Joseph, Wisconsin. The Friends of Perch Lake was established in 2003 to support ways of learning from the physical characteristics and history of the land and water at Homestead Parklands.
History
The land where Homestead Parklands is now located was once inhabited by the Dakotas of the Sioux Nation followed by the Chippewa of the Ojibwa Nation. The Homestead Act of 1862 brought settlers to the area and among them, the Aggie and Thomas Davidson family. The Davidson’s settled the area in 1890 and farmed where the Ski Club Trail is now located. A local ski club leased the land and hosted international ski meets there from 1938-1941. The Tom Seim family, descendants of the Davidson’s, established a successful picnic and campground area on the land starting in the 1950’s which ran until 1995. In 1996, the Seim family, along with many St. Joseph Township and St. Croix County citizens, worked with the St. Croix County Board of Supervisors to purchase the land and develop the County’s fourth park. Homestead Parklands on Perch Lake was dedicated in 2003. The Friends of Perch Lake was also established to continue the tradition of love for the land.
Mission
In partnership with St. Croix County, the Friends of Perch Lake provides educational opportunities as well as promotes friendly use and ethical responsibility of nature at Homestead Parklands. Operating as a non-profit 501-C3 organization of volunteers, we are dedicated to providing environmental educational and the development of a Learning and Reception Center at Homestead Parklands.