The picture kind of flattens the perspective, but we were high-up on a bluff overlooking the Wisconsin River. At night the lights from the little hamlet in the middle right twinkled below us. It was one of the most beautiful campsites we've been in (at night).
As we were leaving we saw the rent-a-goats in their new enclosure chomping away the the dreaded invasive plants. There were probably 50 goats.
One cute little one that came over to see if I would feed it the camera.
We crossed over the Mississippi, from Wisconsin to Iowa, and travelled down the scenic western side of the river.
We were still in the "driftless" area, not affected by glaciation, so there were rugged areas with lots of ups and downs and curvy roads.
There were also charming little towns with populations in the 200 - 300 range.
We saw lots of harvesting activity. I can't tell you how much better it makes me feel to see all that corn being harvested. I didn't realize that corn was harvested so late. Iowa sure has lots of corn!
Is this part of the state at least, the countryside is rolling and we found it quite appealing.
Cheryl Bartz, you'll have to tell us if the rest of Iowa is anything like the Mississippi Valley area.
About half way through our journey today, we passed through Dubuque. Historic Dubuque -- the Key City of Iowa -- formed a part of what became French Louisiana when Joliet and Marquette paddled by in 1673. France ceded Louisiana west of the Mississippi to Spain in 1762, placing this area under Spanish control.
Dubuque is a city of many firsts in Iowa -- the first church and the first murder and public hanging (1834), the First newspaper and the first bank (1836). The town was incorporated in 1836. Dubuque, city and county, had 31,164 inhabitants in 1860.
The Dubuque County Courthouse. I do't know if you can see in the picture, but the top of the cupola is gold leaf. Right next door is the historic jail.
The bridge that crosses the Mississippi from Dubuque to East Dubuque, IL - just at the border of Wisconsin and Illinois.
We have many guides to the Great River Road and one of them has places of interest that are right on the river, or very close. One place that was listed was the Mines of Spain in Dubuque. We could not resist finding out what was at this intriguingly named place.
When we arrived it was about 1 pm, time to eat our lunch. There were picnic tables here, but it was too cold to eat outside, or even in the Airstream, so we ate in the car. As we were finishing, Vern Wilson came up to tell us what a beautiful rig we had and how he only has one more year before he and his new wife hope to be doing some traveling. Right now he is a bus driver for the Dubuque County School Department and had brought a group of 5th graders to the Mines of Spain on a field trip.
The Mines of Spain Nature Center.
The history of this area dates back to 5,000 BC, when early Native Americans inhabited what is now eastern Iowa. In the late 1600, French explorers visit the area and one, Nicholas Perrot taught the Indians how to mine lead here in 1690. In the 1780s, the Meskwaki Indians arrive and establish a village along Catfish Creek, just below present-day Dubuque, and mine the lead that was used during the Revolutionary War. In fact, the British captured the Mines of Spain during the War.
Around 1785, Julien Dubuque, a French-Canadian arrives on the scene and woos Potosa, the daughter of Peosta, a Fox (Meskwaki) Indian chief. Julien Dubuque was known as a charismatic, cultured, and giving person and a clever businessman. He successfully negotiated changing politics and economics for access to the mines and markets. He was outwardly generous and kind to the Meskwaki people who gave him access to their lead mines, which he operated from 1788 until his death in 1810. He knew how to appeal to the Spanish who granted him a claim to the "Mines of Spain" and a significant parcel of the surrounding land. And he came to be trusted as an Indian Agent for the U.S. government. When he died in 1810, the Meskwaki buried him on a bluff overlooking the Mines of Spain. The hey day of lead mining continued until the end of the Civil War and ceased in1950.
In 1980 the Iowa Conservation Commission acquired the property with the assistance of the Iowa National Heritage Foundation and in 1985 the Mines Of Spain State Recreation Area and the Nature Center opened, managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The park is now a place of diverse wildlife and provides hiking and education as a wildlife management area. The Nature Center has some great exhibits on local wildlife.
A cougar/puma/Mountain Lion.
Frederick by the eagle's nest.
Bobcats are the most common wildcat in the U.S. They get their name because of their stumpy tail. Bobcats are nocturnal and males can travel for 25 miles during their night hunts.
The Ring-necked Pheasant was introduced into North America from Asia.
Red foxes are solitary hunters who feed on rodents, rabbits, birds, and other small game. Foxes will also eat fruit and vegetables, fish, frogs, and even worms.
Badgers are built to dig! They move dirt faster than any other mammal, including a person with a shovel. Strong shoulders, sturdy claws, and partial webbing between their front toes allow them to scoop soil out quickly.
Our friend, the beaver.
The River Otter is the largest weasel-like mammal. They live along streams and near lake borders.
We learned that Wood Ducks are called Wood Ducks because they nest in cavities in trees close to water. Unlike other ducks, Wood Ducks have sharp claws for perching in trees.
After leaving the Mines of Spain we quickly travelled to Davenport and crossed the Mississippi again to camp in Rock Island - one of the quad cities of Davenport, Ia, Bettendorf, IA, Moline, IL, and Rock Island.
The bridge from Davenport to Rock Island.
Cheryl Bartz, you'll have to tell us if the rest of Iowa is anything like the Mississippi Valley area.
ReplyDeleteYes, of course, all of Iowa is rolling, rich farm land. It is not flat like Indiana, Illinois, and other Midwest States. This is what makes Iowa the quintessential Midwest State that the others try to emulate, with varying success. It is also a State that exports a lot of people from the farms, which keep getting bigger and many are becoming corporate-owned farms with basically "share croppers" doing the work. Still, you cannot compare its beauty and the nostalgia that so many have for this State. Enjoy!