The remnants of Henry Valiukas' time in St. Paul still dot a hillside overlooking Pig's Eye Lake, the artifacts of a lifelong enthusiasm for art and the outdoors scattered through a piece of land that will now be preserved for posterity.

St. Paul's City Council has agreed to purchase 11 acres of Highwood bluffs and save the area from development as the city's newest park. It will be named after the Lithuanian sculptor who came to St. Paul after a harrowing time during World War II and earned a reputation as a man who would not let one minute of life slip away unsavored.

Henry Park's price tag is $1.75 million. Its acquisition caps years of neighborhood efforts to save the Valiukas property and two other parcels from the march of progress. The money is part of a $2.5 million state grant to help create the National Great River Park, a grand plan among city leaders to recast St. Paul's 17 miles of Mississippi riverfront -- the most of any city -- as a unified environmental, recreational and financial asset.

"It's a really valuable addition to the park system. But it's also really nice that we were able to honor someone who was instrumental in the river corridor issues and in trying to enhance and protect the river corridor," said Tom Dimond, a Highwood resident and former City Council member who has long fought to save the park.

Henry Park would be kept largely as is, with trails guiding visitors through several varieties of trees, many of which Valiukas planted. The trails also would connect visitors to an emerging greenway that runs through eastern St. Paul and includes Battle Creek Regional Park, the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, the Samuel H. Morgan Regional Trail and more.

Valiukas' son said his dad would be proud. The elder Valiukas died in 2003, but Henri Valiukas confirmed many of the stories about his father. He ran from both the Germans and the Russians during World War II, carrying several sets of papers to conceal his identity. His luck ran out, and he was forced to work in a concentration camp, helping move piles of dead bodies.

Relatives were shot and tortured, Henri Valiukas said. His dad survived unsuccessful escape attempts and execution orders. By the time he got to America, it was decided: Love life with everything you have.

"He was never bitter about it," said Henri Valiukas, who lived in the future park as a young boy through high school and now lives in Sedona, Ariz. "He came out of it as a guy who appreciated life and his freedom."

Valiukas' stone carving is present on a number of local buildings, including the Capitol, the St. Paul Cathedral, the Central Library and the James J. Hill House.

As 1970s urban renewal projects claimed many historic building in the Twin Cities, Valiukas also did his best to salvage as many statues, reliefs and carvings as he could from demolition sites, his son said. Many were later sold (the actress Jessica Lange was a major customer), but some likely remain scattered through the property.

Over the years, the land has come perilously close to being developed. Recently, the Arlington, Va.-based Conservation Fund, which has a special account funded in part by the McKnight Foundation for land near the Mississippi River, stepped in and bought the property. It will then be sold to the city.

"I think it's a good deal, and I applaud the landowners for cooperating," said Tom Duffus, the group's state director for Minnesota and Wisconsin. "I think it's a terrific piece of property."

There is no timetable for the park's completion.