164 PUBLIC PARKS OF IOWA 



popular. Its steep rocky timber covered sides and the long smooth slope 

 at its end, where it sinks down to the valley, afford both restful, pleasant 

 spots for picnics and excellent vantage points for those who find delight 

 and inspiration in the views over hill and valley. 



As one goes up the river from south of Winterset he cannot fail to be 

 impressed with the width of the valley as compared with the size of the 

 stream which occupies it. To be sure the valley is not so large as 

 it is farther down stream, in Warren county, where it is fully a mile 

 across its floor. Still its width here is one-third to one-half mile and 

 much more than that from river to river. The sides here are steeper 

 also and show the presence of rock through most of their height. Farther 

 upstream, however, nearer the Backbone, the valley is narrower and the 

 south wall, at least, is quite steep. Within the loop made by the south- 

 ward bend of the river is a broad high terrace, which slopes down to 

 the river on the south. 



The Backbone itself, a tongue of land nearly a mile long jutting into 

 the northward loop of the river just to the west of this terrace, is, as 

 its name implies, a high ridge bounded on both east and west sides by 

 exceedingly precipitous walls. Near its middle the ridge is so narrow 

 that there is actually only just room for the wagon trail which extends 

 along its summit. From this trail one may see the river meandering 

 across its valley on either hand; on one side flowing in one 

 direction, on the other side in the opposite direction. At its 

 northern end the Backbone broadens out and slopes gently down 

 to the river. At the south end, it rises to the height of 140 feet above 

 the river and here likewise it is broader and the side slopes are less 

 precipitous. The entire ridge is rock built with only a thin veneer of 

 soil and forest mould through which in many places the rock protrudes. 



The nose of the ridge is at present almost bare of timber, except for 

 a rare cedar or some deciduous tree which has been spared. The higher 

 parts of the Backbone are still quite 'heavily timbered with oaks and 

 elmis and hickories, and an occasional white pine or cedar. Just at 

 the crest of the ridge is a fine group of pine with one or two cedars and 

 a few birch trees, their white bark gleaming in fine contrast thorugh 

 the green of the evergreens. On the west side the timber is being cut 

 off and if this stripping process is continued it will not be long before 

 this steep slope is bare and subject to active erosion. 



At the part of the ridge where it is narrowest some enterprising soul 

 years ago tunneled through the soft black shales which underlie the 

 heavy upper limestone ledges and so carried the water from the river on 

 the upstream side of the ridge to the downstream side, thus giving a 

 head of about 12 feet to drive the wheels of his mill. Today the mill 

 is in ruins, only a few fragments of the stone foundation walls are stand- 

 ing, and the tunnel serves as a short cut for cattle and as a storage 

 room for farm implements. It is perhaps two hundred feet long and eight 

 to ten feet high. The shales have fallen down along the walls until 

 these are now 20 to 30 feet apart leaving a flat rock roof spanning the 

 opening between. 



