Zippel Bay State Park on Lake of the Woods near the Canadian border was established in 1959 to open public access to the lake, with development completed in 1967, and remains a year-round destination for recreation. The area’s history reaches back to prehistoric settlement along the nearby Rainy River and Indigenous communities recorded in 1732, before passing through French, British, and then United States control. Named for early settler Wilhelm Zippel, who arrived in 1887 and built a sturgeon fishing business, the bay later supported a small fishing village. Its glacial landscape and rich birdlife, including rare piping plovers, give it ecological importance as well.