About Us

VISION: Friends of Perch Lake is a non-profit organization that supports ways of learning from the physical characteristics and history of the land and water at Homestead Parklands.

MISSION: Friends of Perch Lake in partnership with St. Croix County will provide educational opportunities and promote friendly use and ethical responsibility to nature at Homestead Parklands.

HISTORY: The land, where the park is now located, was inhabited by the Dakotas of the Sioux Nation followed by the Chippewa of the Ojibwa Nation. The Homestead Act of 1862 brought settlers and among them, the Aggie and Thomas Davidson family who settled the area in 1890. The Davidson's farmed the area where the Ski Club Trail is located and leased it to the local ski club who hosted international ski meets from 1938-1941. The Tom Seim family, descendants of the Davidson's, established a successful picnic and campground area in the 1950's which ran until 1995. 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 in 1996 and develop the County's fourth park. Homestead Parklands on Perch Lake was dedicated in 2003.

THE FRIENDS OF PERCH LAKE: FOPL is a non-profit 501-C3 organization of volunteers dedicated to providing environmental educational opportunities and the eventual development of a Learning and Reception Center at Homestead Parklands.

Download Proof of Tax Exemption