Then & Now: A History of Rice County, Faribault & Communities

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Early day Faribault street scene
approximately 850 acres and is located midway
between Faribault and Northfield along the Cannon
River. The Wilderness Park was purchased by Rice
County in 1972. So far development in the Wilderness
Area has consisted of approximately 5 miles of hiking
and cross country ski trail. During the fall of 1975 a
primitive type toilet building and picnic pavilion was
constructed. A bridge across the Cannon River was
dedicated in September, 1976.
The final piece of ground the Rice County Park
system purchased is Hirdler Park. It is located on the
west side of Lake Mazaska in the Village of
Shieldsville. The park was purchased in 1974 and is
planned to serve as a lake access and picnic area.
County landfill
Prior to 1965 Rice County, like most counties in the
United States, was plagued with private and township
dumps plus roadside litter areas, according to Merton
Hoover, Rice County Sanitarian.
The most used area for dumping was owned and
operated by the City of Faribault and was near
completing the area that could be used for dumps
purpose.
In July 1965 a Special Use Permit was isssued by
the Rice County Planning & Zoning Commission to the
Northfield Disposal Service to operate a landfill in
Section 29 of Bridgewater township. The area to be
used was an abandoned gravel pit. In the early days of
landfills gravel holes were used as they are usually in
need of some kind of fill to remove a scar to the earth's
surface. This, however, is not good fill for gravel pits
due to moisture in garbage seeping into the water
strata.
By 1972 the area in the gravel pit had been filled to
normal grade and another landfill site needed to be
acquired. New Minnesota Pollution Control regulations
for landfills required that the country draw a plan
stating where and how solid waste was to be disposed
of in the entire county. A consulting firm was hired and
a plan for both pickup and disposal of solid waste was
drawn up.
A landfill site of 206 acres was purchased in
Bridgewater township, section 33. The consulting
engineer, through the cooperation of county officials,
determined the soil suitable and ground water and rock
formations would not be affected by leachates from
garbage and other solids.
The location of the landfill area determined that a
heavy tonnage road be built to the site. This was done
by the Rice County Highway Department.
The county then purchased an office building, built
a garage, fenced the office area and purchased
necessary equipment to operate a landfill and started
the operation in 1973.
Part of the plan for county service was a container
system for pickup of waste generated in the townships.
Containers of 8 to 10 yard capacity are stationed at
strategic points in each township, thereby shortening
the travel distance by township residents. The number
of containers and the frequency of pickup by a county
truck is governed by routes and need.
The present Rice County Solid Waste program is
estimated to last at least twenty years. In the
meantime programs are being studied in the area of
resource and energy recovery to make better use of
lands and provide energy by burning and generating
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