Devil's Chair before the fall After the fall

Parks Council offers $2,500 reward
Vandals Toppled Devil's Chair
Town Searching


Star Tribune

A townwide whodunit has become the talk of Taylors Falls, Minn., in the weeks since a tower of basalt known locally as the Devil's Chair collapsed near the St. Croix River.

The rock formation in Interstate State Park was so distinctive that it was emblazoned on town and park signs and featured in at least one large mural along the town's main street.

The tower's collapse has inspired theories about who, and why, said Don Doane, president of a group that volunteers its time to assist at the park.

"Everyone's a little ticked about it," he said. "My feeling is that someone is either getting back at the park or the city for drinking and things in the park. There's been some people in the city who are mad at the city. There are young guys who are absolutely nothing but trouble."

A consultant hired by the state Department of Natural Resources concluded that someone pushed the rock off its base. A criminal investigation by the Chisago County Sheriff's Office continues.

The push to find culprits has so far led to a reward fund of $3,700 for information that leads to an arrest. The Parks and Trails Council of Minnesota, a nonprofit organization based in St. Paul, donated $2,500 to the reward fund, and donations to the Friends of Interstate State Park made up the rest.

The groups say they might use the money to rebuild the Devil's Chair, which stood on the Minnesota side of the river, if the fund goes unclaimed.

Not everyone is convinced that the tower was pushed.

Jim Schoonmaker, a City Council member and local businessman, said he was once on top of the tower, a feat that requires sure footing.

"I had been on top of it a long time ago, and I think that top section was a little wobbly," he said. "And there had been a couple of rockslides not far from that site. I wonder if some of that came down and whacked that thing really hard. I mean, it's possible."

Still, it makes sense to many local residents that someone had something against the town or the park, or just had a destructive sense of adventure. Now people just want to know who it was.

"Since most of them think it's vandalism, they're upset: Why would anyone do that?" said Alan Snyder, a teenager who was scooping ice cream at Schoony's in downtown Taylors Falls. "Finding the person is not going to bring it back. Some people might think that, but for me it's more of just, 'Man, it's gone.' It stinks."

Annie Lindgren, who worked for years as a concessionaire in the tourist boat business that plies the St. Croix River, said she thinks the person who pushed the formation over will eventually start to brag.

"They can't keep a secret. They'll get real smart, and they won't be so smart," she said.

She has seen monuments come and go along the riverbanks. Lost to weather and time are the Serpent's Head and the Pulpit Rock. Now the Devil's Chair is gone, too.

"So after this happened, I called the pilot on the boat and said, 'What are you going to talk about now?' " she said.