Melody's Guidebook

Tipsinah Mounds Campground Sheltered by towering oaks and bordered by a softly lapping lake, Tipsinah Mounds Park & Campground is located in the west-central region of Minnesota. A public boat launch, sandy swimming beach, well-built picnic shelters, full camping facilities that include electric, water, sewer, and tenting are available. Clean lighted bath facilities and an on-premise caretaker lend to the well-being and safety of campers. Free internet WIFI is available for your convenience. Nearby is the Tipsinah Mounds 18-hole Golf Course. The area now known as Tipsinah Mounds Campground has been explored for centuries and archaeologists have found bone tools and flint chips dating back to 9000 B.C. Nearly 40 Indian burial mounds can be found east of the entrance road to the park that are believed to have been built from 1000 A.D. to 1600 A.D. Burial mounds in the area were mapped out in the 1960’s and continued to be discovered within the park as late as 1992. The peninsula was a natural shelter for the Ojibwa Indians who lived in this region. The Pomme de Terre River was a natural boundary between Dakota Plains Indians and the Ojibwa who preferred the wooded portions of Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Ojibwa used this area as a summer camp and returned to Eastern Minnesota in the winter.

A beautiful library with a hidden staircase. Thorson Memorial Library recognizes that for many people access to information such as books, newspapers, magazines, movies, computers and the Internet comes primarily from their local library. It is our intent to maintain an atmosphere in which all people of ethnic, age and socio-economic diversity feel welcome. The library is a member of The Regional Viking Library System.

The food at Hans House is amazing - caramel rolls, fluffy pancakes, schnitzel, and home-made sour-dough bread. Eugen (the German chef) is usually available to say hi and you can ask him for something special with a little advance notice.

Spectacular views from the oldest mountains of Minnesota.

The Central Lakes Trail is 55-mile trail that runs through the heart of west-central Minnesota from Osakis to Fergus Falls. The Central Lakes Trail, Minnesota's 23rd State Trail, is built on an abandoned Burlington Northern Railroad corridor purchased by the State of Minnesota in 1992. Douglas and Otter Tail Counties worked with local volunteers and the Minnesota Departments of Transportation and Natural Resources to finance construction of the trail. Federal Inter-Modal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act Funds and State of Minnesota Regional Trail Grant Funds provided the bulk of the 3.2 million dollars needed to construct the 55-mile trail.

Ottertail River is one of the cleanest rivers you will ever paddle on - you can see every pebble on the bottom. We have seen three otters in recent years too!