In the early 1900s, Andrew and Maria Gartner moved from St. Paul to a plot of land straddling the current boundary of Itasca State Park. They were one of the few families to persist in the grueling work of creating a successful homestead where they raised their 11 children. Andrew and Maria remained on the homestead until their deaths in the early 1970s.

A number of years passed before Andrew and Maria’s descendants undertook the legal process of establishing ownership rights to the land. During this process the family intentionally set aside the 191 acres north of Highway 113 to become parkland and the remaining 500 acres were put up for public auction, which were purchased by two grandsons and one great-grandson in 1993. Yet, even as the 191 acres were intentionally set aside, it was nearly lost to the park as the State was not in a position to complete the acquisition at that time. Consequently, Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota stepped in to acquire the land and transferred it to the State two years later in 1995 to officially become part of the park.

Today, little indication of any settlement remains on the 191 acres within the park. The land has been reforested and serves as an access point with vehicle parking to hike in to a portion of the North County National Scenic Trail, which is a long-distance hiking trail crossing several states.