Here in Minnesota, we know how to be the perfect tour guide to out-of-towners. We’ll smile through another trip to Mall of America, take snapshots of our guests in front of the Spoonbridge and encourage visitors to dip their toes into the chilly water of Lake Superior. But once everyone has gone home, we have our own local secrets that not all tourists are privy to – spots like this abandoned World War II-era factory.

Most people don't realize that in the farmland on the outskirts of Rosemount, the ruins of a World War II-era factory still stand.
Kent Landerholm/Flickr
UMore Park - then known as Gopher Ordinance Works - was conceived in the early 1940s.
Bjorn/Flickr
Many families in the area vacated their homes to make way for the project, which spanned 12,000 acres of land.
Ruin Raider/Flickr
Gopher Ordinance Works was intended to be a facility that created gunpowder and other products to aid the military during the war. It began producing the products in early 1945.
Bjorn/Flickr
But the factory wasn't around for long. World War II ended just a few months after it opened.
Ruin Raider/Flickr

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Over 200 buildings that made up Gopher Ordinance works were now unused.
Anthony Auston/Flickr
In 1947, Gopher Ordinance Works was deeded to the University of Minnesota.
Bjorn/Flickr
The University used the grounds for agricultural, medical, and aeronautical experiments. It was officially renamed UMore Park in 2001.
Ruin Raider/Flickr
But don't think you can visit now that it's University property. Trespassing is prohibited.
Ruin Raider/Flickr
But still, those in the know can't help but notice the tall concrete pillars that rise over the flat landscape. This former war factory casts a long shadow from another time.
Ruin Raider/Flickr

The University has plans to begin redevelopment of the area in the coming years, so UMore Park may one day be much easier to visit. But while you likely can’t take your next visitor on a tour of this local secret, you can sure make them feel like a local by teaching them a piece of lesser-known Minnesota history. Do you know of any other hidden spots around the state?

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