The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 75

Rivers of Iowa-No. 9, the Iowa, a Stream the Indians Loved 3 TAi A ninth in a series of pictorial features on Iowa rivers The Sunday Register has been running during the summer. i For sheer beauty, size, historic background and importance of the cities in its the Iowa river is easily one of the greatest in this river-ribboned state. It has, in addition, another claim to distinction the state, itself, was named for the river. The land was first called Iowa in 1836 because of "the extent and beauty of the Iowa river which runs centrally through the District and gives character to most of it." The river, in turn, owed its name to the Ioway Indians, who, like the other tribes who passed this way, loved the river and Called it beautiful.

Photographer John Robinson) T2 4 a An Old Dam near an abandoned mill creates this tranquil pool as the river glides through Eldora, Hardin county seat. Pine Lake State park, covering more than 500 acres, lies along the bank of the Iowa here. Just below Eldora in 1853 a man named John Ellsworth discovered a few grains of gold along the river, creating a brief, but unproductive gold rush. taries in the Hardin county city. The river, which originates in Hancock county's Crystal lake, enters this rock gorge at Alden, west of Iowa Falls, and is contained in it for some 40 miles, through Steamboat Rock, Eldora, Secor and Gif ford, after which -the valley widens somewhat.

One of the River's Loveliest Stretches is in the vicinity of Iowa Falls, where it winds through a gorge whose limestone walls rise in some places more than 70 feet. This bridge, a suspension footbridge leading to the Iowa Baptist Assembly grounds, is one of 10 which span the stream or its tribu JO ft3 s1 I5 v. tv I A In Iowa County the river dawdles through the interesting Amana colonies. This bridge spanning it is on Highway 149, a mile and a half north of Homestead, one of the seven Amana villages. In this vicinity is Amana lake, which in late summer is covered with thousands of American lotus blossoms.

In Marshalltown, the Iowa lazes along between these, tree-covered banks, where anglers may take their ease and an occasional fish. The stream skirts the north edge of the Marshall county seat, which, with a population of more than 19.000. is the largest city on the river. MNNSOTA 'TAL LAKE CPYS (fa til (TO WA -v-Av u- 0 TV The River Tumbles over this dam at Iowa City, where it divides the From Its Source to its juncture with the Mississippi east of Wapello, the Iowa covers 329 wandering miles, falls some 685 feet. Its recorded history; according to the State Historical Society of Iowa, goes back to June 25, 1673, when Joliet and Marquette passed this way.

state university campus, part of which is seen in background. Dome in center is on Old Capitol. In pioneer days steamboats occasionally chuffed up this far, the first one being the Ripple, which docked in 1841. In 1870, however, Congress declared the river unnavigable above Wapello, and such traffic ceased. Today the channel below juncture of the Iowa and the Cedar is full of snags, and railroads and cars handle the traffic.

Indians who dwelt on these banks so long that they gave the river their name are gone exceptfor those on the reservation at Tama. But their history and legends live on. DES MOINES SUNDAY REGISTER OCT. 17, 1948 PAGE 3.