98 PUBLIC PARKS OF IOWA 



time there. It lias also many recreational advantages and if preserved 

 as a state park with warden to protect it against vandalism would give 

 enjoyment to tens of thousands of the state's population and also pre- 

 serve some of the natural beauty that makes lowans envied by visitors 

 from less fortunate states. 



GEOLOGY OF THE PALISADES. 

 By William Harmon Norton, Geologist. 



The Le Olaire beds reappear at Mt. Vernon and Lisbon, and on the 

 Cedar they outcrop at intervals from the south county line to Ivanhoe 

 bridge. Above this point they front the river in vertical cliffs, locally 

 called the Palisades, nearly to Cedar Springs hotel southeast of Bertram. 

 The outcrops gradually increase in height from the county line until 

 about a quarter of a mile below the hotel where the maximum height of 

 eighty-nine feet above water is reached. From this point (Twp. 82 N., 

 R. VI W., sec. 14, NW qr., NW &) the Le Claire rapidly sinks and, in 

 less than half a mile, disappears beneath the flood plain of the river. 

 From the summit to the base these cliffs are, for the most part, formed 

 of one massive layer undivided by bedding planes and unbroken by 

 lithological alterations. While the road is broadly homogeneous, there 

 are slight variations in hardness and texture, producing cavernous re- 

 cesses in its walls and the irregular relief characteristic of long weath- 

 ered surfaces of this dolomite. Near water level rude and inconstant 

 courses, approximately horizontal, appear in places. Below Ivanhoe 

 bridge bedding becomes more distinct and extensive in the rock, the dip 

 being gentle and somewhat various. Iowa Geological Survey, Vol. IV, 

 pp. 129-0. 



CLEAR LAKE SHOULD BE A STATE PARK. 



From a Letter From Ira W. Jones to Secretary E. R. Harlan About 



Clear Lake. 



I wish to call your attention in this matter to Clear Lake, and before 

 the property has been definitely selected for purchase would like to 

 have the privilege of taking up with your commission a proposition 

 for a state park bordering upon Clear Lake. 



'Considering the great number of tourists that come here from all over 

 the state 'and even out of the state, I do not believe there is another 

 place in the state where the people generally would receive so much 

 benefit from a state park as they would at Clear Lake. 



I would be glad to hear from you regarding this and as to when and 

 where it would be possible to take up the matter with you. 



