The park’s centerpiece is a 26-foot statue of Smokey Bear, constructed and unveiled in 1954 as a project of Koochiching County’s Keep Minnesota Green Committee. The town received permission from the U.S. Forest Service to build it. The figure depicts Smokey bare-chested in his signature blue jeans and campaign hat, shovel in hand, flanked by two bear cubs. At the time of its installation it was the largest Smokey Bear statue in the country, a distinction it held for decades before being surpassed by a 30-foot statue in South Dakota.
The Smokey Bear fire prevention campaign grew out of World War II. Wartime fears about enemy attacks igniting uncontrolled wildfires, combined with experienced firefighters being deployed overseas, made forest protection a matter of national concern. The U.S. Forest Service, the Association of State Foresters, and the War Advertising Council launched the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention program and introduced the Smokey Bear campaign in 1944. The statue’s placement in International Falls reflected the region’s deep ties to the logging and timber industry and the importance of fire prevention in the heavily forested Koochiching County landscape.
For many years, locals dressed the statue seasonally, including a scarf and mittens in winter, fishing gear in summer, and an orange vest in fall. In October 2021, the International Falls City Council voted to restrict the statue to its official uniform only.
Beyond the statue, the park includes a basketball court, picnic tables, and a shelter. For decades, the park’s Irving “Pete” Peterson Memorial Band Shell, an art deco-style arched structure originally built around 1940 and refurbished in 1997, served as a centerpiece for community events and summer concerts. On April 7, 2024, a fire broke out shortly after 1:00 p.m. and destroyed the bandshell. Fire investigators later determined the blaze was incendiary in nature.
As of 2025, the city has been gathering public input on the future of the bandshell site, exploring options that include recreating the original structure, building a new multi-use facility, or leaving the area as greenspace.
