[3] At 6.48 acres (2.62 ha), it is a narrow park that extends along a point of land into West Okoboji Lake adjacent to private summer houses.

Pillsbury Point was the location of the Spirit Lake Massacre (1857) in which forty settlers were killed and four women were taken hostage by the Dakota tribe.

In 1934 Pillsbury Point was re-designated as a state preserve, which were to protect areas of historic or scientific interest rather than recreational purposes.

The historic significance of the overlook is derived from its landscape-based approach to park development, which reached its peak during the 1930s.

The stone benches constructed by the CCC are tucked into the slopes along the shore so as not to intrude on the natural setting.