150 PUBLIC PARKS OF IOWA 



winds its way to the great river. A multitude of similar valleys make 

 spots of local interest and charm and the main valley as well with its al- 

 ternating wooded slopes and sandstone cliffs forms a picture hard to ex- 

 cel in all the plains country. From Fort Dodge to Boone the river is 

 winding its course through pile's of glacial debris which are heaped in 

 ever heightening magnitude to their culmination in the Gary moraine 

 near Prase, where they rise two hundred and sixty feet above the stream 

 which flows by their feet. One of the most magnificent stretches of 

 scenery along the river lies between Fraser and Boone, where the inter 

 urban skirts the wall from the river bridge just below Fraser to where it 

 finally reaches the upland above Boone. The winding river flowing be 

 tween its high walls, here bare and boulder strewn, there clothed with 

 forest from water's edge to summit, makes a picture which once seen will 

 never be forgotten, whether the picture be tinted with the glorious green 

 of summer or with the glowing and variegated colors of autumn. Some en- 

 terprising soul has established a little amusement park in the nook be- 

 tween river and bluff close to the bridge by which the interurban crosses 

 the river. This is only a suggestion of the latent possibilities of the 

 region. 



The locality known through central Iowa as The Ledges, a few miles 

 below Moingona, in the little valley of Peese Creek, offers another oppor- 

 tunity for the locating of a public park of rare charm and attractiveness. 

 The massive sandstone walls, vertical or overhanging, with their fringe of 

 verdure, are in striking contrast with the smooth slopes above Boone, but 

 are equally gratifying to the esthetic sense, and the spot has long enjoyed 

 the favor of campers and pleasure seekers from miles about. 



Between Bcone and Des Moines the entire stretch of valley is a natural 

 park and it is difficult to. choose a locality for preferment. The long, nar- 

 row ridge which separates Des Moines and Beaver valleys is already in 

 part a national reservation and it would be well to have even more of th^ 

 river bluff and adjacent bottom lands included, from the point of view of 

 park making, at least. The wide valley of the Beaver, together with the 

 broad river flats opposite its mouth, is of geologic interest from the fact 

 that it represents the original valley of the Des Moines. A spot which 

 has always held a fascination for the writer is the south bluff of Des 

 Moines valley directly opposite the state house. A smooth rounded slopo 

 with a few trees and a picturesque old farmstead stands out amid the sur- 

 rounding timber land like one of nature's own pleasure grounds and offers 

 a perpetual appeal to "come across." 



Another point which is of interest as a geologic phenomenon as well as 

 for its scenic attractiveness is Red Rock bluff, near the village of Red 

 Rock, about thirty miles below Des Moines. The wall of red sandstone 

 which gives its name of the locality rises high above the river and over- 

 looks the broad and fertile valley which separates it from the frowning 

 bluff beyond. Mention might also be made of three high ridges between 

 Harvey and Tracy which stand like sentinels guarding the broad valley at 

 their feet. They are separated from the uplands behind them by a broad 

 sag which has furnished a natural route for the railways which connect 

 the villages near them. They would afford excellent park sites to the 



