National Heritage Initiative

St. Croix River Region Heritage Initiative Web Site

What is the Heritage Initiative?

The Heritage Initiative is a broad community project asking our neighbors in Minnesota and Wisconsin’s St. Croix River region if a National Heritage Area would be a good fit in our area. The Initiative seeks to identify shared stories and special places, discuss benefits and challenges, and ultimately decide whether or not to pursue Heritage Area designation.

A National Heritage Area recognizes a region’s important contributions to America’s history and culture and celebrates its stories, conserves its special qualities, and helps promote economic growth.

The potential National Heritage Area boundary map includes Minnesota and Wisconsin counties and communities along the St. Croix and Namekagon rivers, and the other major rivers and lakes that flow into them. Red dots on the map show locations of resources which help to tell the stories of our region.