May-June 2007

Home , Apple River Fort, Buffalo Bill Museum

Exploring the Mississippi from the Twin Cities to the Quad Cities May-June 2007

Summer Travel Issue Biking the River on the 10-state Mississippi River Trail

5 Questions to ask when you Rent a Houseboat

Rivertown Festival Calendar

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Great River Steamboat Company, 227 Main Street, La Crosse, WI 54601 (608) 784-4882 Toll-free 1-800-815-1005 www.juliabelle.com May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine

C o v e r i n g t h e U p p e r M i s s i s s i p p i s i n c e 1 9 9 3

May-June 2007 FEATURES 15 River Shipping Snapshot Downbound is down, and upbound is up. Biking the Mississippi River 16 Trail A 3,000-mile bicycle route links Lake Itasca and the Gulf of Mexico. By Marc Hequet 20 Summer Festivals on the River It’s time for music, food, parades and fes- tive fun. 22 Guide to Renting a Houseboat Have you ever thought of exploring the Aaron Steinmann river in the comfort of a houseboat? By Becky Sisco Rattlesnakes on the Bluffs and 26 Backwaters DEPARTMENTS Timber rattlers and massasaugas may rattle some humans, but they have more 5 From the Riverbank to fear from us. Nudity, big fish and secret spots. By Allen Blake Sheldon By Reggie McLeod 30 Chateau Frontenac 7 River News An 1880s resort is transformed in a small Cicadas, fish or spouse, River Bluffs rivertown with a rich history. Resort By Kate Halverson Advertiser Index Taking it to the Bank — 63 Where did I see that ad…? 35 the joys of bank fishing The investment in gear is small, but the 64 River Places rewards are priceless. Army Road in New Albin, Iowa By Rich Brockmann Drive deep into the backwaters. 38 Restaurant Review By Pamela Eyden Buzzard Billy’s Cover: Bicyclers cross the Mississippi on the Sabula- Discover Cajun dining in La Crosse. Savanna bridge. (Branson Hurt) By Reggie McLeod Wild Rose Timberworks Wild Rose Timberworks

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Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 From the Riverbank

Reggie McLeod Editor/Publisher

Nudity, big fish and secret spots

here aren’t really any secret However, last issue’s traditional April places on the river, but there spoof “Too Much Nature?” did not Tare many out-of-the-way places provoke much response, in spite of Big River™ where you will encounter few, if any, the nudity and numerous clues that I people. In our new “River Places” am too embarrassed to point out. The Big River Magazine (ISSN 1070-8340) is published six times a year by Open River Press with column, we will visit some of those real news is often so strange that we assistance from Riverwise, Inc., 70 1/2 E. Fourth places. We feel confident that our apparently need to go to greater ex- St., PO Box 204, Winona, MN 55987; (507) readers appreciate places like New tremes with our April efforts. I will 454-5949; fax: (507) 454-2133; email: [email protected]; Albin’s Army Road enough to take remember that next year. website: www.big-river.com care of them and respect the wildlife My mention of Kentucky coffee Reggie McLeod...... editor/publisher and other people who use them. trees in the March-April issue did Molly McGuire...... managing editor I can’t talk or write about places provoke several responses from read- Pamela Eyden...... news/photo editor like this without recalling Yogi Ber- ers who were quick to tell me where ra’s insightful observation, “Nobody I could find quite a few of the trees Contributing editors goes to Coney Island anymore. It’s too growing in Minnesota, despite my Marc Hequet...... Twin Cities crowded.” claim that they had not crossed the Becky Sisco...... Dubuque, Iowa So, please keep the dog on the border from Iowa. While I appreciate Maureen J. Cooney...office/sales leash and don’t throw any noisy beer their help, I should point out that in Kathy Delano...... sales/design parties. all of the cases but one, the trees had Robert Copeland...... bookkeeping/subscriptions The story about bank fishing will been planted either in town or in an Patricia McGuire...... bills & renewals assistant also take you to some out-of-the-way arboretum. I am looking forward to a Subscriptions are $27 for one year, $49 for two places. My method for finding the hike this summer near the Root River years or $4.95 per single issue. Send subscriptions, single-copy orders and change-of-address hot bank-fishing spots is to look for — in Minnesota, not too far from the requests to Big River, PO Box 204, Winona, MN clusters of those little styrofoam bait Iowa line — to visit a natural grove 55987. cups. I keep a couple of plastic shop- of Kentucky coffee trees. If it is late Second-class postage paid at Winona, MN. ping bags with my tackle, so I can enough in the season, I’ll collect some POSTMASTER: send change-of-address clean up the spot before I leave. That seeds, make some Kentucky coffee requests to Big River, PO Box 204, Winona, MN way I keep the river clean and con- and report the results in this column. 55987. ceal the spot from the next wandering It’s always especially difficult to Big River Magazine, Volume 15, Number 3, copyright May 2007. Reproduction in whole or angler. work on the May-June magazine, be- in part without written permission of the pub- And, speaking of out-of-the-way cause the feature stories set me off lisher is prohibited. places, we have noticed over the years to daydreaming about my summer Printed by W&C Printing, Winona, Minn. that our readers have a particular plans. Every summer I try to do some fondness for stories that include hu- new things on the river and visit man nudity or giant animals. So our some new places. Maybe I’ll see you readers should be happy to find both there. F topics in our River News in this issue.

Contacts (800) 303-8201. For information about stories, columns and River News, contact Reggie McLeod, Pamela Eyden or Molly McGuire ([email protected]). For information about placing an ad in Big River or for information about selling Big River magazines contact Kathy Delano or Maureen J. Cooney ([email protected]). We must receive ads by May 8 to get them into the July-August 2007 magazine.

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine MISSISSIPPI RIVERFRONT CONDOS The Twisted Chicken “Beyond The Ordinary” ❁ Fresh Fish Flown In ❁ Organic & Locally Grown Produce

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Duke Addicks plays Native American Flute at Medicine Wheel,Wyoming. Hear Duke tell the story of why and how Burnt Face made this wheel, on his Eagles Tales CD. Duke Addicks’ Tales Are Now Available On Three CDs: TWO EAGLE TALES: Burnt Face: Centuries ago this young man followed an eagle and built the solar observatory we call the Wyoming Medicine Wheel. Fawn: This young woman survived the Great Flood and married an eagle.They are the ancestors of all of the Dakota Indian people, perhaps of us all. WHO HAUNTS HERE? In the Mississippi River Valley: True ghost stories about hauntings that Duke has investigated. WHO HUNTS ME? Personal ghost stories of a ghost hunter Native American flute and thunderdrum played on all CDs. Available from Duke Addicks www.dukeaddicksstoryteller.com

Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 St. Paul

Minneapolis Prescott Hastings Diamond Bluff Hager City River News Bay City Red Wing Maiden Rock Stockholm Lake City Pepin Reads Landing Nelson Wabasha WISCONSIN Kellogg Alma Look Both Ways Minneiska Buffalo City Fountain City Are fish bothered by heavy towboat MINNESOTA traffic and, if so, which fish and what Winona Trempealeau Onalaska do they do about it? Recent research La Crescent La Crosse on the Upper Mississippi River, Brownsville Stoddard published in the Canadian Journal of Genoa

Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Nov. New Albin Victory Desoto 2006, showed that gizzard shad and pesticides registered in the state, in- Lansing Ferryville freshwater drum, both abundant in cluding atrazine, to see if any should Lynxville Harpers Ferry the river, and shovelnose sturgeon be restricted or banned. Another bill Marquette Prairie du Chien and flathead catfish, which are less would align Minnesota’s maximum McGregor Wyalusing common, were apparently not affect- allowable concentrations of atrazine Clayton Bagley Glen Haven ed by the traffic. On the other hand, in drinking water with federal regu- Guttenberg Cassville the number of redhorse, buffalo fish, lations. Currently, the U.S. Environ- Potosi North Buena Vista Dickeyville channel catfish, sauger and white bass mental Protection Agency limits atra- Dubuque East Dubuque decreased as the traffic in the channel zine to three parts per billion, while Galena increased. Minnesota allows 20 parts per billion. IOWA Elizabeth Bellevue The research paper, “Persistent The difference is due to the fact that Hanover Savanna Disturbance by Commercial Naviga- the Minnesota Department of Health Sabula ILLINOIS tion Alters the Relative Abundance of does not account for the carcinogenic Thomson Clinton Fulton Channel-Dwelling Fishes in a Large potential of atrazine. Camanche Albany River,” by Gutreter, Vallazza and Although atrazine has not been LeClaire Cordova Port Byron Knights, suggested three ways that determined to cause cancer, it is a Bettendorf East Moline Davenport Moline heavy traffic could disturb fish. First, known endocrine system disruptor. Buffalo fish temporarily move away from the University of California-Berkeley re- Muscatine Rock Island turbulence and noise, like channel searcher Tyrone Hayes (see Big River catfish do. Second, fish get killed or March-April 2007) has linked the pes- injured by towboat propellers. Third, ticide to the frog deformities widely Illinois are preparing for a massive heavy traffic might cause fish to aban- found in Minnesota and elsewhere emergence of 17-year cicadas in May don otherwise good habitat. across the country. Hayes says the and June. Unlike the annual cicadas The paper also suggested that al- presence of endocrine disruptors in that come out to sing every summer, tering the channels and side channels the groundwater also has implica- these periodic cicadas emerge only might offset some of the problems. tions for human health and fetal de- every 17 years, usually all at once and For example, the research found more velopment. The EPA is still research- in greater numbers. Some areas may species and greater numbers of fish in ing whether atrazine in drinking see as many as 1.5 million cicadas per the large secondary channels, so re- water affects hormone activity. Endo- acre. habilitation of clogged side channels crine glands and hormones regulate The Ravinia music festival in or creation of new ones in stretches growth, mood, development, sexual Highland Park, near Chicago, of the river where there aren’t any function and reproductive processes. changed its performance dates from would benefit some fish populations. Two years ago, a bill to ban atra- June to July to avoid competing with zine failed in the Minnesota Senate. the cicadas’ loud buzzing, which goes Limiting Atrazine In Wisconsin, atrazine is prohib- on all day. St. Paul — Three bills to tighten regu- ited on 102 areas covering about 1.2 The state of Illinois is sending a lation of the herbicide atrazine were million acres. “Cicada Mobile” to schools, festi- introduced in the Minnesota House In Illinois, research by University vals and farmers markets to educate and Senate this spring. Atrazine is of Chicago economist Don Coursey people about the bugs, which don’t used most often in cornfields. It is one determined that banning the pesti- sting or bite or devour crops like the of the most heavily used herbicides in cide would cost Illinois farmers 161 to locusts people sometimes mistake Minnesota and is frequently found in 577 million dollars the first year. them for, although the 17-year cicadas the state’s groundwater. do make people anxious, perhaps be- One bill would require the Minne- Cicada Summer cause of their big red eyes. sota Department of Health to review Residents, entrepreneurs and public According to Dr. Donald Lewis, recent scientific findings about all agencies in eastern Iowa and northern Iowa State University entomologist,

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 cicada males sing by using strong for waterway construction and reha- muscles to “vibrate two shell-like bilitation projects. (Waterways Journal, Visit Winona, drums on the sides of the abdomen. 2-12-07) Minnesota The resulting high-pitched, rapid clicks resonate through air sacs and A Fishy Dilemma other structures to control sound vol- Vicksburg, Miss. — Weldon Fort- ume and quality. The upward angles ner didn’t have long to make up his of the wings form a megaphone-like mind between what was possibly chamber that further controls the the biggest fish he’d ever snagged, sound.” which was slowly pulling his boat As soon as ground temperatures away from a piling, and the spouse There’s always something new rise to a consistent 64 degrees, the who had been yanked out of the boat to discover in Winona. cicadas tunnel out of the ground, Upcoming Events shed their skins and fly up into the “I looked up at her and I trees, where they begin a period May 4-6 100-mile Garage Sale of eating, singing, mating and lay- looked at the rod, and this May 11-13 Great River Birding Festival ing eggs. Then adults die, the eggs is what I said, ‘I can always June 2-3 Dakota Gathering and Homecoming hatch and the young eat and drop to get another wife, but I may June 13-17 Steamboat Days the ground, where they dig tunnels June 29-July 29 Great River Shakespeare and crawl underground for 17 years, never get another fish like Festival living on the sap of tree roots and this,’” Fortner recalled. “That June 30 WRC Garden Tour slowly growing to maturity. The 17- FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MINNESOTA’S year cicada is one of the longest-lived probably wasn’t the smartest HISTORIC ISLAND CITY AT insects in the world. Only about 118 thing I’ve ever said.” www.visitwinona.com of these big hatches have occurred CALL since the year 1 A.D. while trying to cast off. While she 800.657.4972 or 507.452.0735 Get more information and com- dangled from a rope on the piling, he for a free Visitors Guide pare songs of various cicadas, at the considered his options. Journey Through Time.... University of Michigan Museum of “I looked up at her and I looked at At the Winona County Zoology, Insect Division website. 8 the rod, and this is what I said, ‘I can Historical Society. always get another wife, but I may Barge User Fees never get another fish like this,’” Fort- Washington, D.C. — The Bush Ad- ner recalled. “That probably wasn’t ministration is likely to ask Congress the smartest thing I’ve ever said.” to impose fees on commercial users of Then he turned the boat around the inland and intracoastal waterway to get her before they both took off to system, in addition to the current tax get the fish. of 20 cents a gallon on tow diesel fuel. Lisa Fortner said she never In a February press conference, doubted her husband, but she wasn’t Upcoming Event John Woodley, assistant secretary of going to let him forget his comment the Army and overseer of the Army very quickly, either, especially after June 9 Chocolate, Shakespeare & Corps of Engineers, explained, “The she found out she’d been dangling Champagne existing fuel tax covers only about over 45 feet of water. Immerse yourself in the past in the region’s 10 percent of the total costs that the The Fortners caught an 85-pound largest and finest historical museum. Enjoy award-winning exhibits. Research Winona’s Corps incurs to make barge trans- blue catfish and kept it in a nearby colorful past in the museum’s library and portation possible on the inland wa- pond for a few days before they archives. Visit the museum shop and the terways system. The proposed fee found an aquarium large enough to “previously read” bookstore. would promote the efficient use of the handle it. The big blue’s new home is www.winonahistory.org nation’s overall resources and require a 150,000-gallon aquarium at the Bass 507.454.2723 the commercial interests that benefit Pro Shops in Springfield, Mo. Clar-( Open Monday - Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from federal capital investments on ion-Ledger, 3-18-07) Open weekends noon - 4 p.m. the waterways to carry more of the costs.” Measure for Measure The funds collected would be used La Crosse, Wis. —The Wisconsin and Minnesota departments of natural resources received a million-dollar Visit www.big-river.com for links to Visit Winona and the Winona County grant from the U.S. Environmental information about stories marked Historical Society are located at with the mouse 8. Protection Agency to develop accu- 160 Johnson St., Winona, MN 55987 rate, consistent ways to evaluate the

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine Belvedere Mansion 1008 Park Avenue Galena, Illinois 61036 Open to the public May thru October 2007 Sunday - Friday: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. (815) 777-0747

Whether you’re passing through or planting roots... Taste the difference at our Natural foods grocery store in downtown Winona Everyone can shop, anyone can join Member-Owned since 1972

Experience the beauty of the Upper Mississippi River Valley. See it in our wildlife and fine art prints! •Local Artists •River Art •We Ship •Gift Ideas

We offer a wide selection of well-known artists, 121 W. Second St. • Winona, MN custom framing for your prints, unique gifts and hand-forged damascus knives. 507-452-1815 www.bluff.coop We are on Highway 61, 7 miles north of Winona, at mile marker 37. Monday - Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. 1-800-501-4278 www.piccadillygallery.com Sunday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

10 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 Photo Contest Winner

Leo M. Kearns took this picture of the fish market in Lansing, Iowa, in June 2000 during flood stage on the Mississippi. The building has since burned.

end entries for the July-August issue contest to Big River Or send a print to Photo Editor, Big River, PO Box Sby May 19. If we select your photo to print in these 204, Winona, MN 55987. (We cannot return photographs, pages, we’ll send you three free copies of the magazine. though.) The contest is open to amateurs, professionals, adults and Include your name, address, phone number and a short kids. Email a digital JPEG (.jpg) photo file — high-resolu- description of the photograph — who or what it is, when tion photos only, please — to [email protected]. Write and where it was taken, etc. F “PHOTO CONTEST” in the subject line.

health of the Upper Mississippi River Riverbottoms Protected by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foun- and two other rivers, the Ohio and One hundred fifty-eight acres of dation in northeastern Iowa, near Missouri. It will also allow the EPA bluffs and river bottomland where the Waukon, includes more than three and the states to see how well they’ve Zumbro River enters the Mississippi, miles of shoreline along the Upper met the federal Clean Water Act goal near Kellogg, Minn., was recently Iowa River. The new land provides of protecting and restoring all waters purchased by the Trust for Public canoe access to the river, as well as for fish, fishing, vegetation and recre- Land and transferred to the Minneso- spectacular overlooks and rich habitat ation. ta Department of Natural Resources. for wildlife. The Iowa Department of The funds will help create stan- The land links two units of the Rich- Natural Resources hopes to take over dard measurements. Currently, state ard J. Dorer State Forest and creates the land and manage it together with and federal agencies use different 4,000 acres of contiguous public land, a contiguous 625-acre Pine Creek methods to monitor and measure as well as the largest contiguous block Wildlife Management Area. river conditions. of floodplain forest in the region. The project will also analyze and The woods and marshes along Urban Coyotes evaluate new categories of informa- the river provide critical habitat for Red Wing, Minn. — Coyotes roamed tion collected from 2004 through many species of wildlife and fish. the Upper Mississippi River Valley 2006, including concentrations of pes- The land, which includes nine miles long before there were urban areas, ticides and heavy metals in fish; fish of riverfront, will be open to the pub- but they’re becoming just as adept genetics; and information about mi- lic for hiking, hunting and fishing. at making a living among people as croscopic water plants and animals. The wide, sandy river is popular with raccoons, white-tail deer and Canada The two agencies will also return to canoeists. geese. There are probably more of specific sites along the river to collect The DNR plans to restore native these quick, quiet, well-camouflaged more detailed data about a few bio- trees and other native vegetation, animals in urban areas than anyone logical indicators, such as underwater thereby reducing stream bank erosion imagines. vegetation. and reducing the amount of sediment Red Wing recently decided to trap that flows into the Mississippi River. and kill from 10 to 20 coyotes fre- The 1,235 acres recently purchased quenting a residential area, after one

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 11 of them threatened a puppy standing It is illegal to sell airboats in Wis- Hawks View a few feet from its owner in a back consin and Minnesota, but it’s not il- yard. The owner feared for the safety legal to operate them. Cottages & Lodge of his small children. Deluxe forest cottages high above Bloomington, a Twin Cities suburb, Repatriated Carp the Mississippi, overlooking received more than 100 requests for Macomb, Ill. — Big River Fish Corp., historic Fountain City, Wisconsin help with coyotes in 2006. based in Pearl, Ill., one of the larg- Dubuque, Iowa, launched a pub- est producers of smoked and dried lic education program in response fish in the United States, may soon to increasing sightings of the canny be shipping fresh and frozen Asian canids. carp back to Asia — to China, to be Encounters with coyotes are being specific. The company has been mar- reported more often as cities spread keting the invasive species for the out and as coyotes get more accus- past four years and in 2005 sold more tomed to people. than 2 million pounds of it. A recent In a study of coyotes in urban Chi- trade trip to China found even more cago, now in its sixth year, Stanley buyers. Gehrt, assistant professor of natu- Schafer’s Fish Market, in Fulton, ral resources at Ohio State Univer- Ill., already sells more than 2 mil- www.hawksview.net sity, found that they are more active lion pounds of Asian carp to Asian- [email protected] at night; they live longer than rural American communities in large cit- coyotes, partly because they aren’t ies across the United States and also CALL US TOLL-FREE: hunted in cities; and there may be plans to market the meaty fish to 1-866-293-0803 as many as 2,000 of them in the city China. limits. Four of the five invasive carp spe- ALSO, ASK ABOUT OUR cies commonly called Asian carp 4-BEDROOM BLUFFTOP LODGE Back Off? were imported from the rivers of east- Madison, Wis. — Airboats are noisy ern China. boats with some loud supporters and opponents. Ballast Battles The Wisconsin Department of Nat- Detroit — Late in 2006, the Michigan ural Resources is considering whether legislature passed a law that requires to exempt trappers from a proposed international ships docking at Michi- new airboat noise testing law. The gan ports to keep their ballast water Wisconsin legislature requested the onboard or treat it by a state-ap- exemption. Rescue and law enforce- proved method before discharging it. ment personnel are already exempt. The law is an attempt to stop interna- Currently Wisconsin law requires tional ships from discharging invasive that boat noise not exceed 86 decibels, species along with their ballast water ORGANICALLY GROWN but airboat noise is tested at 300 feet, into the Great Lakes. Invasive spe- while outboard motors are tested at cies such as zebra mussels and round COFFEES 40 inches. At hearings last summer, gobies have caused millions of dollars TEA ESPRESSO citizens complained that airboat noise of damage to the lakes and the Missis- SOUP • SALAD • SANDWICHES • PASTRIES should be tested at the same distance sippi River watershed. Made from scratch using fresh, as standard outboard motors. Fol- Now it appears the law will be organically grown, local lowing the hearings, the DNR recom- challenged on several legal fronts. If ingredients, whenever possible mended changing its testing distance Congress ratifies the proposed United to 100 feet. Nations International Maritime Or- 162 West 2nd Street “The number of airboats is very ganization’s ballast water treaty, it Winona, Minn. small and we don’t get a lot of com- would trump Michigan’s law. An- 507-452-7020 plaints about airboat noise, maybe be- other law, called the Commerce Hours: Tuesday - Friday cause they are used more in the fall Clause, permits the federal govern- 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. when recreational uses are down,” ment to preempt a valid state law if Saturday said Roy Zellmer, Wisconsin DNR it interferes with commerce among 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. boating law administrator. The num- states, tribes or foreign nations. Since Sunday ber of airboats and hovercraft li- many ships would have to retrofit ex- 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. censed in Wisconsin (550) has re- isting equipment, they might claim Closed Mondays mained about the same for more than Michigan’s law damages international 30 years. trade. (Seiche, February 2007)

12 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 The newest invasive species to be deposited in the Great Lakes by way Dry Dock News of international ships’ ballast water After raising more than $750,000 to is a little shrimp, Hemimysis anomala. move a 66-ton antique steam paddle- The half-inch creature is native to wheeler and restore it offsite while rivers in the Ponto-Caspian region building a 35-foot high permanent of Eastern Europe, also home to ze- shelter for it on the grounds of the bra mussels. Unlike the deep-water Buffalo Bill Museum, in LeClaire, shrimps that are native to the Great Iowa, museum curators were told that Lakes, these shrimp inhabit shallow the boat is too fragile to move. areas and shorelines. The Lone Star, a 138-year-old river Scientists predict the shrimp will boat that retired 40 years ago, has be a disruptive force. It is a voracious been severely weakened by dry rot. eater of microscopic animals at the The experts’ best advice now is to ex- bottom of the food chain and will cavate and pour a concrete base un- compete with young fish, although it derneath it, much like digging a base- might also be food for larger fish. The ment under an existing house. The new shrimp was first spotted at Mus- process was scheduled to begin in kegon, Mich., last November. April. A “boat” that never floated, the Ju- More Quad Cities Trails lius C. Wilkie, is a paddlewheel steam- Quad Cities — Bicycle and pedes- boat replica that sits on a concrete trian trails are a source of pride in the pad in a shallow pool of water in Le- Quad Cities, yet new trail plans are vee Park, in Winona, Minn. It was still sprouting. built to replace a real riverboat that Bettendorf, Iowa, plans to build a burned to the ground in 1981. Over riverfront path from the I-74 bridge to the years the Wilkie always seemed to Duck Creek next fall. cost more in upkeep than it brought Buffalo, Iowa, is in the engineering in from rental to wedding parties and phase of its own riverfront trail. organizations. A new group of vol- The Quad Cities Riverway Trail, unteers recently gained control of the consisting of more than 65 miles of boat and began a new round of fund- trails on both sides of the river, may raising. Repairs are scheduled to be- Get Away… be extended 16 miles, from Bettendorf gin this spring. Relax…SAIL! through LeClaire and Princeton. Thirsty Fertilizer Plant Not wanting to be left out of the On Lake Pepin, Lake Superior loop, literally, Moline, Ill., proposes East Dubuque, Ill. — Rentech Energy & Lake Michigan using existing green space to build Midwest Corp. of East Dubuque said a trail connecting the Rock River, it will use local resources — including Learn to Sail Mississippi River and downtown Illinois coal and possibly water from ➤ On the Water - $895 each with South Park, the site of potential the Mississippi River — when it starts Save $450 on groups of 4 redevelopment. running its fertilizer plant on gasified ➤ 3 Day Courses: May - Sept River Action, an environmental, coal rather than natural gas. Rentech nonprofit organization, continues to Energy is one of the nation’s largest Charter play a key role encouraging, planning producers of ammonia fertilizer. Gas- ➤ Bareboat or Captained and finding funds for many trails. ification is a thermochemical process on 25-41' Yachts that breaks coal into its chemical ➤ $ave with Our Frequent RAGBRAI on the River constituents. The U.S. Department of Sailor Program Bellevue, Iowa — Bike riders in the Energy calls it one of the best ways to RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great convert coal into electricity, hydrogen 800-826-7010 Bike Ride Across Iowa) will find and other energy products. sailboats-inc.com themselves in Bellevue at the end of The plant now uses about 2,000 the ride on July 28, seven days after gallons of water per minute to pro- setting off from Rock Rapids. This duce its ammonia and other nitrogen year’s 478-mile route is the flattest of products, but it will use more than any ride so far. Lance Armstrong and twice that amount — up to 4,500 gal- team plan to participate again this lons per minute — once it begins to year. (River News continues on page 48)

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 13 Visit Historic Fulton, Illinois “A vision Born of Heritage”

Authentic Dutch Windmill • Heritage Canyon - 1800’s Village • Historic Downtown Shopping District • Great River Trail • Lock & Dam 13 • National Scenic By-Ways: Lincoln Highway and Great River Road • Martin House Museum • Relax… We’ve Thought of Quality Dining • Ancestral Home of Ronald Reagan Everything… and it’s Included! Upcoming Events • Dutch Days • Hundreds of plans available to May 4 & 5, 2007 choose from! • National Night Out • Turnkey prices from $100 to $165 per July 28, 2007 square foot. • Community Wide Garage Sales • Offering pre-finishing options on August 4, 2007 doors, trim, planking and windows. • Fall Festival October 13 & 14, 2007 • Certified kitchen designers available. • Christmas Walk • We specialize in affordably priced, December 7 & 8, 2007 high quality homes. • Annual Bald Eagle Watch January 5, 2008 Contact Gayle Hartwig (866) 286-1914 or (563) 873-2650 Edgar St., Marquette, IA 52158 Fulton Chamber of Commerce email: [email protected] 1-815-589-4545 • www.cityoffulton.us www.hartlandvisionloghomes.com

14 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 Downbound

year total tons tons grain tons other 1990 24,094,235 22,207,872 1,886,363 1991 20,808,592 19,624,170 1,184,422 River Shipping — Upstream1992 is Up,22,280,205 and Downstream 20,906,186 1,374,019 is Down 1993 12,054,867 11,035,992 1,018,875 1994 14,126,833 12,607,069 1,519,764 ess grain is traveling downriver on barges, 1995probably 20,920,301cargo shipped 19,203,900 downstream 1,716,401 through Lock 15. Corn made because increasing ethanol production in the1996 Mid- 20,559,533up 82 percent 18,982,020 of that grain. 1,577,513Animal feed and processed west is consuming increasing quantities of 1997corn. At 17,690,831grains made 16,011,616up half of the 1,679,215cargo other than grain shipped L 1998 18,244,219 16,112,206 2,132,013 the same time, cargo traveling upstream is increasing.1999 In 22,388,342downstream. 20,468,358 Chemical fertilizers 1,919,984 made up 13 percent, and 1990 more than three times as much cargo travelled2000 down- 19,153,142iron ore and 16,532,743scrap metal made 2,620,399 up 10 percent of the other. stream in barges than travelled upstream through2001 Lock 15,500,736Most of the 13,420,295 cargo shipped 2,080,441 downstream, especially 15, at Rock Island, Ill. However, during the last three2002 ship- 19,392,508grain, is loaded 17,248,677 on ships in 2,143,831New Orleans and exported. 2003 15,721,840 13,308,958 2,412,882 ping seasons downstream and upstream traffic was2004 nearly 11,678,932Coal accounted 9,187,904 for 40 percent 2,491,028 of all cargo shipped up- equal. 2005 11,006,014stream; sulphur, 9,131,090 clay and salt 1,874,924 made up 15 percent; and Note the dip in traffic in 1993, when catastrophic2006 flood- 12,577,429chemical fertilizers 10,645,477 made up 1,931,952 12 percent. F ing late in the summer shut down shipping. 298,198,559 266,634,533 31,564,026 total Last year unprocessed grain made up 85 percent of the Information compiled by Mai Nakamura.

Downbound Downbound Shipping at Lock & Dam 15

year total tons grain others 24 1990 24,094,235 22,207,872 1,886,363 Millions tons other 1991 20,808,592 19,624,170 1,184,422 22 tons grain 1992 22,280,205 20,906,186 1,374,019 20 1993 12,054,867 11,035,992 1,018,875 1994 14,126,833 12,607,069 1,519,764 18 1995 20,920,301 19,203,900 1,716,401 16 1996 20,559,533 18,982,020 1,577,513

1997 17,690,831 16,011,616 1,679,215 Upbound14 1998 18,244,219 16,112,206 2,132,013 1999 22,388,342 20,468,358 1,919,984 12year tons all 1990 7,850,659 2000 19,153,142 16,532,743 2,620,399 101991 7,662,810 2001 15,500,736 13,420,295 2,080,441 1992 8,122,430 2002 19,392,508 17,248,677 2,143,831 19938 6,660,305 2003 15,721,840 13,308,958 2,412,882 1994 8,160,896 19956 6,941,203 2004 11,678,932 9,187,904 2,491,028 1996 7,703,674 2005 11,006,014 9,131,090 1,874,924 19974 7,868,623 2006 12,577,429 10,645,477 1,931,952 1998 9,196,082 19992 8,821,418 2000 9,600,136 20010 9,207,995 Upbound 20021990 1991 19929,436,555 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2003 9,297,366 year tons 2004 9,269,558 1990 7,850,659 2005 9,984,993 1991 7,662,810 2006 9,364,639 total 145,149,342 1992 8,122,430 1993 6,660,305 1994 8,160,896 Upbound Shipping at Lock & Dam 15 12 1995 6,941,203

1996 7,703,674 tons all

Millions 10 1997 7,868,623 1998 9,196,082 8 1999 8,821,418 2000 9,600,136 6 2001 9,207,995 4 2002 9,436,555 2003 9,297,366 2 2004 9,269,558 0 2005 9,984,993 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2006 9,364,639

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 15 Biking the Mississippi River Trail

A 3,000-Mile Adventure and Work in Progress

By Marc Hequet

16 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 Opposite and above: Riders pedal between Mississippi Palisades State Park and Savanna, Ill., during the 2006 Grand Illinois Trail and Bike Tour. (Aaron Steinmann)

ark Ackelson marvels at the changes since he first biked Malong the Mississippi River through Iowa, north to south, in 1974. Some of the roads weren’t paved yet, but it was a wonderful trip. People in riverside towns welcomed the 29- year-old, bought him dinner and beer, and helped him fix his bike. The trek is easier now, in part because Ackelson and other river lovers have been working on the Mississippi River Trail, promoting a continuous route for bicycles and others near the river from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of The MRT goes through open country as well as urban landscapes, such as this area in the Twin Cities. Mexico. (© Explore Minnesota Tourism) “It’s about getting people to the river and along the river and linking communities along the river,” said you just talked about linking a trail “What I love about it is the fact Ackelson, now president of the Iowa between Winona and Wabasha it that I feel like I’m doing something Natural Heritage Foundation and doesn’t quite have the same appeal as that really is important for the Ameri- chairman of the nonprofit Mississippi going from headwaters to Gulf.” can people,” explained Terry Eastin, River Trail Inc. Linking 400 communities in 123 who works with Ackelson as execu- “People talk about it as a 3,000- counties and 10 states isn’t easy. But tive director of Mississippi River Trail mile route. It’s really about linking believers are ready to do the hard Inc. in Fayetteville, Ark. “Alternative community to community and people work. The MRT doesn’t own any forms of transportation are going to to the river.” trails or roads, but it works with be critical in upcoming years. People Many areas have trails along groups, clubs and government agen- who use bicycles are not burning fos- the stream, but a continuous route cies to improve and promote the trail. sil fuels, and they’re healthier.” the full length of the world-famous Maps of the trail in all 10 states are Trails “make the river a social as- river gets international attention. “If available on its website. set,” asserted Pat Nunnally, the for-

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 17 trail, especially when they can also find maps to help them plan their outings. A court decision in Illinois, however, placed a speed bump on the road to better signage for the Mis- sissippi River Trail. Many Illinois local governments, spooked by a 1998 court decision, don’t want to put up signs designating bicycle routes. When a bike’s front tire stuck between two planks on a one-lane bridge in Wayne Township, DuPage County, in 1992, the rider sued. He claimed that the township should

The trail starts in the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota and winds among the magnificent bluffs of Wisconsin and Illinois, past historic Galena and through industrial areas in the Quad Cities.

have put a sign on the bridge warn- ing that it wasn’t safe. He lost and lost again on appeal. The Illinois Supreme Court decision upheld for defendants, meaning local governments in Illinois cannot be held accountable for a bicyclist’s injury due to road conditions. The court, however, stated that local governments lose their immunity if some physical indication — such as signs — say that a route is intended for bicycle use. This means that in Illinois — with Bicyclists sometimes share a hilly, curvy trail with other vehicles, as on this stretch of Illinois Highway 84 between Mississippi Palisades State Park and Savanna, Ill. (Aaron Steinmann) 585 riverfront miles — local communities are wary of bike-trail signs, including signs for the for Mississippi mer executive director. In many river University of Minnesota’s Mississippi River Trail. communities, “putting a trail through River Initiative, which helps neigh- “As soon as people hear about li- is a relatively inexpensive and simple borhoods and communities revitalize ability, they stop thinking about ev- design solution to get more people their riverfronts. erything else,” sighed Ed Barsotti, down to the river,” he added. executive director with the League of Trails connect people to the river Show Me a Sign Illinois Bicyclists. and prompt communities to think The Mississippi River Trail already His group has published a guide about their riverfronts, explained exists, much of it along highway to show bikers the way along the Nunnally, an urban planner who shoulders. About 65 percent of the Mississippi. It’s a free 1.4 megabyte served as part-time executive with trail is marked by MRT signs, which download at its website. MRT from 2001 to 2005. He moved is important because following the on because “the project outgrew me.” trail isn’t as easy as following the riv- Making the Links Eastin became MRT’s first full-time erbank. In Iowa, the trail wanders The trail starts in the lakes and for- director. 10 miles inland. People who see the ests of northern Minnesota and winds Nunnally now coordinates the signs may be more likely to use the among the magnificent bluffs of Wis-

18 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 consin and Illinois, past historic Ga- lena and through industrial areas in the Quad Cities. Some stretches in the river valley are flat, but northern Iowa, for example, has some steep hills. The trail usually follows both sides of the river. At the Quad Cities, trail users can cross the river on a bridge or on the Channel Cat water taxi. The new I-74 bridge between Davenport, Iowa, and Moline, Ill., will include a path for walkers and bicyclists, according to Joe Taylor, president and CEO of the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It is not a finite system. It will always continue to change as local communities develop riverfront RiverWay kiosks inform riders along the MRT in the Quad Cities. Here, riders rest in Bettendorf, Iowa. (River Action) trails,” added MRT’s Eastin. When American Trails Inc. hosted the National Trails Symposium in advised, “and don’t give up. Don’t ners, inline skaters, toddlers on train- Quad Cities in October 2006, Pam ever give up.” ing wheels, grandmas with strollers Gluck, executive director of the Red- A national trail must accommodate and big guys walking dachshunds. ding, Calif., -based group, was im- a variety of users. Over-the-road bicy- The Iowa portion of the trail is pressed with the Mississippi River clists want to go at a pretty good clip, mostly on-road, and trail backers Trail. “Keep that big vision in mind 18 or 20 miles per hour, but in some want to move it off-road in stages. in completing the whole trail,” she areas they share the trail with run- (MRT continues on page 41)

njoy a guided tour of a rare and remarkable restoration—made museum of agricultural history and village life Epossible by an unparalleled archive of family photographs and Awhere you will discover a few 19th-century risk records—that puts Villa Louis in a class by itself, truly one of the takers who helped shape Wisconsin’s agricultural most authentically restored Victorian mansions in America. identity.

� Open daily May 5 to October 31, 2007 � Open daily May 26 to September 3 (Labor Day), 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; � A lively round of special events throughout the summer including open weekends only September 8 to October 14, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. the War of 1812 Battle of Prairie du Chien and the Villa Louis � Carriage Classic. Railroad Day, August 18, 2007– All aboard for a celebration � A fine selection of books of railroading and gifts related to the Mississippi River, Villa Louis and Wisconsin history in the museum store.

Villa Louis is located Stonefield is on St. Feriole Island, located on on the banks of the County Mississippi River,in Road VV Prairie du Chien. in Cassville.

For more information about the 2007 season call Villa Louis at (608) 326-2721 or toll free (866) 944-7483 For more information about 2007 season call Stonefield at visit our Web site at www.wisconsinhistory.org/villalouis/ (608) 725-5210 or toll free (866) 944-7483 Email: [email protected] visit our Web site at www.wisconsinhistory.org/stonefield/ Owned and operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society Owned and operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 19 Celebrate Summer — Festivals on the Upper Miss

Taste of Minnesota St. Paul Harriet Island Minneapolis June 29-July 4 Stone Arch Festival of the Arts June 16-17 Prescott Daze, Sept. 7-9 Hastings Rivertown Days, July 20-22 Bay City Daze, June 9 Red Wing River City Days, Aug. 3-5 Maiden Rock Summerfest, June 16 Stockholm Art Fair, July 21 Lake City Waterski Days, June 22-24 Pepin Lighted Boat Parade, July 7 Great River Birding & Nature Festival, Wabasha Riverboat Days, July 27-28 Around Lake Pepin, May 11-13 Kellogg Watermelon Fest, Sept. 6-9 Alma Strawberry Festival, June 23-24 Fountain City Old Time Farm Fest, Sept. 1-3

Winona Steamboat Days, June 13-17 Trempealeau Catfish Days, July 13-15

Onalaska Sunfish Days, May 24-27 MINNESOTA La Crescent Applefest, Sept. 14-17 La Crosse Riverfest, July 4-8

Stoddard Fun Days, July 13-14 WISCONSIN

New Albin Shooky Fink Little League Tourney, July 13-15 Desoto Fish Fly Days, August 18-20 Lansing Fish Days, Aug. 10-12 Ferryville River Bluff Daze, July 28

Driftlesss Area Art Festival, Soldiers Grove, Sept. 15-16

Marquette Independence Day Celebration, July 7-8 Prairie Dog Blues Festival, McGregor Arts & Crafts, May 26-28 Prairie du Chien, July 27-28 Bagley Fourth of July Celebration, July 4

Guttenberg Stars and Stripes River Day, July 7 Cassville Twin-O-Rama, July 21-22 Potosi-Tennyson Catfish Festival, Aug. 10-12

America’s River Festival, Dubuque, June 8-10 Galena River Days, May 26-28 Black Hawk War Commemoration IOWA Apple River Fort, Elizabeth, Bellevue Heritage Days, June 30-July 1 June 23-24 O-Galena! Orienteering Festival Hanover, Sept. 29-30 Savanna Riverfront Jazz Festival, June 22 Thomson Melon Days, Clinton Riverboat Days, July 6-8 Sept. 1-3 Camanche Days, Aug. 9-12 Fulton Dutch Days, May 4-5 LeClaire, Iowa, & Port Byron, Ill. Great River Tugfest, Aug. 11-12 ILLINOIS Bettendorf Old Fashioned Fourth, July 4 Mississippi Valley Bluesfest, Davenport, June 29-July 1 Taste of the Quad Cities, Go to www.big-river.com Moline, June 22-23 for links to these festivals Gumbo Ya-Ya, Rock Island, June 8-9 and more.

20 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 Celebrate Summer — Festivals on the Upper Miss

n small towns, big towns and in-between towns Iyou’ll find festivals all summer long up and down the river. From boats to blues and waterskis to watermelons, the choices will keep you busy. Check out the latest in handmade items at an art fair, enjoy a catfish sandwich (or two). Want to see double? Cassville’s Twin-O-Rama will be a delight. Go to the Big River website for links to the festivals listed on the map. F

Crowds gather at the riverfront at America’s River Fest in Dubuque, Iowa. (Dubuque Convention & Visitors Bureau)

You’ll get the blues day and night at the Prairie Rope pulls across the river stop boat traffic at the Great River Tugfest, between Dog Blues Festival in Prairie du Chien, Wis. (Prairie LeClaire, Iowa, and Port Byron, Ill. (Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau) du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce)

Dancers fill the street at Viva Quad Cities in Bettendorf, Iowa. (Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau)

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 21 Some sandbars and beaches are so popular you’ll never have them to yourself unless you go during the week or in the fall. (Tisha Sandberg) A Floating Adventure — Guide to Renting a Houseboat By Becky Sisco

arley Wildes had never spent “On the last trip we had a water Greg Stirn, who owns S & S House- much time on the river until slide,” he said. “We would go up to boat Rentals in Lansing, Iowa. “Some Hthe summer of 2004, when the top of the boat, slide down in the are amazed by how the river me- he, his wife, and some relatives and water, swim around awhile and go anders with its islands, backwaters friends rented a houseboat. back up. I guess we were being kids.” and beaches.” “We woke up in the morning with Houseboating can be great fun for Others are fascinated by the locks the mist on the river and the eagles both families and groups of friends. and dams, along with the towboats flying down around us,” said the Wa- It can take you out of the hustle and and barges. “At night, the barges terloo, Iowa, man. On that and a sub- bustle of every day life, make you feel shine their spotlights on the sand- sequent trip, he and his companions like a kid again and show you some bars, and that lights up the whole saw pelicans, deer, coyote and the astounding scenery. beach,” said Huck Ehrlich, owner of shells of recently hatched turtles. Many people are surprised by how Huck’s Houseboat Vacations LLC in “You kind of commune with na- clean, clear, and blue the river is, es- La Crosse, Wis. ture,” he said. pecially in the northern reaches of Still others enjoy exploring the The group also partied and played. the Upper Mississippi, according to small towns that dot the riverbanks.

22 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 Groups often rent a boat for a weekend-long party. (Bob Myers)

Learning to dock the boat and fill up with gas are new adventures for many houseboat renters. (Tisha Sandberg)

“A lot of people have commented Fun ’N The Sun Houseboat on the great family time they have Vacations in Alma, Wis. had,” Ehrlich said. “If you travel on “The main thing is to a boat, you are forced to be together. stay away from the wing- I actually had some people who gave dams and stay in the navi- their kids a choice between coming gation channel,” Ehrlich said. “It’s like driving on If you stay in the channel, the road. You stay on the which is marked by buoys, paved area and you don’t drive in the ditch. If you you won’t run into a stay in the channel, which wingdam, just as you won’t is marked by buoys, you won’t run into a wingdam, run into a culvert if you don’t just as you won’t run into a drive in the ditch.” culvert if you don’t drive in the ditch.” back here and going to Disney World. Often people feel a little nervous lowest fees in April, May, early June They chose to come back here.” when they first start out on their own, and October; their mid-range fees in Several companies rent houseboats Stirn said. “But, after a few minutes, late June and most of September; and on the Upper Mississippi between most people start to relax. Ninety per- their highest fees in July, August and Wabasha, Minn., and Guttenberg, cent of the time they respond really over Labor Day weekend. The sea- Iowa. (See sidebar.) well.” son generally runs from mid-April or Those who don’t are people who early May to mid- or late October. Be An Operator don’t catch on to the mechanics of By renting early or late in the sea- You need not have boating experience driving a boat or who struggle with son, you may experience cooler air to take a houseboat vacation. Most making common-sense decisions, he and water temperatures, which are rental companies provide a minimum said. not the best for swimming and sun- of an hour or two of training before However, there are a few things bathing. However, cooler tempera- they send travelers on their way. They you might want to consider before tures can work to your advantage if teach people how to read river charts, renting a houseboat. One could be you like to fish. “It’s a matter of per- drive the boat, avoid wingdams, op- cost. sonal preference,” Jandro said. erate around towboats, pull the boat Also, consider the type of vaca- onto a sandbar, anchor the boat and Rental Strategies tion you want. The river is quieter more. If you need to watch your dollars, and the beaches less crowded in the “Nothing should go wrong, as consider taking your houseboat vaca- off-season. long as you go through the training tion during the spring or fall. Most, if “Some people want the experi- and listen to what the trainer tells not all, rental companies have a three- ence of being on the river and getting you,” said Nikki Jandro, owner of tier pricing system. They charge their away from their cellphones and tele-

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 23 Five Questions to Ask Before Renting a Houseboat 1. How old is the boat? Boats that are more than 10 or 15 years old tend to show wear and are more likely to have mechanical problems. 2. Who can I call if something goes wrong? The rental company should give you the name and telephone number of someone to call if you have a problem. 3. What is your damage policy? If you damage or break something, such as a propeller, you shouldn’t be charged more than the item is worth. 4. How long have you been in business? A houseboat rental company that has been in the business a long time might have a better idea about how to prepare you for your trip. 5. Do you have a cruising limit? Some companies limit the distance you can travel, which may or may not be important to you.

(Tisha Sandberg) visions,” Stirn said. “They want their $3,900, depending on the size of the Some rental companies place lim- kids to find other sources of enter- vessel and amenities. Most rental fa- its on how far you can travel. For in- tainment besides their video games, cilities offer three-day weekend, four- stance, S & S Houseboat Rentals re- such as roasting hot dogs or tending day mid-week, and full-week rentals. stricts travelers to a 67-mile range, to a fire. On the other hand, some On a per-day basis, the mid-week and while Huck’s Houseboat Vacations people cannot live without all the has no restrictions. amenities.” Owners suggested making Houseboats vary in size. The Most houseboats offer full kitch- reservations six to nine smallest are built for two to four peo- ens, a shower, and a flush toilet, as ple, and the largest accommodate as well as bed linens and kitchen gear. months in advance. “Once many as 14. Fun ’N The Sun, for in- In addition, many provide heat, air January first hits, it’s like the stance, has two sizes. Its smaller ves- conditioning, TVs, VCRs, and DVD sels contain two bedrooms and ac- players. Some are outfitted with hot floodgates open.” commodate two to four people, and tubs and water slides. A few are built its other vessels have five bedrooms, with fly bridges, enabling you to op- full-week rentals are cheaper than plus a pull-out sofa, to sleep up to 12. erate the houseboat from the upper weekend cruises. Owners suggested making res- deck. How fast can you travel? Usually 7 ervations six to nine months in ad- These amenities will affect the cost or 8 mph is about the fastest you can vance. “Once January first hits, it’s of your vacation, as well as the type go upstream, because you are going like the floodgates open,” Ehrlich of experience you will have. against the current. When driving said. Renting a houseboat for a long downstream, you generally can speed weekend can range from $800 to up to about 11 or 12 mph. (Houseboat continues on page 43)

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May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 25 No critter on the Mississippi River has been so maligned and persecuted as our rattlesnakes. The timber rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus, and the massasauga, Sistrurus catenatus, were once fairly common in the Upper Mississippi valley, but have declined because of deliberate and incidental killing by humans. During one weekend in the 1800s, more than 400 timber rattlesnakes were killed on a single bluff near Homer, Minn. In the 1930s, the state of Illinois poured concrete into the timber rattlesnake dens at Mississippi Pal- isades State Park, despite the fact that not a single person had been bitten. When the rattlesnakes were destroyed, the park lost some of its wildness. Massasaugas took a big hit during a 1972 study, when biologists K. D. Keen- lyne and J. R. Beer killed 365 adults

The name “massasauga” comes from the Ojibwa words meaning “great river-mouth.”

and their 832 unborn young in the Chippewa River bottoms. That population has never recovered. Until recently, counties offered Timber rattlesnakes blend into their surroundings near a den. bounties to encourage the slaughter of rattlesnakes. Thousands were killed until both species became scarce. As we learn more about rattle- Rattlesnakes along snakes and the importance of the natural world, we have come to appreciate many species we once viewed as un- the Upper Mississippi important or dangerous. Timber rattlesnakes are usually three to five feet long, sulfur yellow with jagged dark bands, a black Timber Rattlers and Massasaugas tail and a tan rattle. Most have a rusty stripe down their backs. Some Photographs and text by Allen Blake Sheldon are nearly black or gray with darker bands. Massasaugas have chunky bodies averaging 1.5 to 2.5 feet long. They are gray or brown with white-edged dark saddles down their backs and alternat-

26 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 A massasauga rests on the railroad tracks in the evening sun. Sometimes called swamp rattlers, massasaugas are chunkier and shorter than timber rattlesnakes, and have blotches instead of bands.

ing smaller blotches along their sides. against the roof of the mouth, swing This habitat is protected in several Their rattles are dark. forward. The sudden strike stabs the places, including Bellevue and Pike’s Don’t be confused by non-venom- fangs into the mouse as contracting Peak state parks and Effigy Mounds ous snakes — including rat snakes, muscles squeeze the venom glands, National Monument. The bluffs con- bull snakes and fox snakes — that squirting venom through the hollow tinue into Minnesota and up to Red take advantage of the rattler’s reputa- fangs into the mouse. Wing, but the snakes are no longer tion by coiling, hissing and buzzing The snake recoils instantly to common there. Rattlesnakes are more their tails against dry leaves. They avoid getting bitten by the mouse. easily found in Wisconsin. Good tim- may look fearsome but are harmless. The venom quickly does its work ber rattlesnake habitat remains along and begins digesting the mouse. The the river, including protected areas Night Ambush snake uses its facial pits to re-locate such as Perrot, Wyalusing, and Nel- Rattlesnakes are venomous pit vipers, the mouse, which it then swallows son Dewey state parks. highly evolved for preying on small whole. Its jaws are connected by elas- Timber rattlesnake dens, often mammals. Timber rattlers sometimes tic ligaments that can stretch apart shared with harmless snakes, are usu- actively hunt, but they usually lie in to accommodate larger prey, which ally located on the southwestern or ambush at night. The rattler uses its includes voles, chipmunks, squirrels, southern exposures of bluffs. A few forked tongue to find an active rodent small rabbits and an occasional bird. rattlesnakes emerge from their dens to trail along the top of a log. The snake bask in the April sun, but most aren’t coils and rests its jaw against the log Timber Rattlers out basking until mid-May. and waits. The rattler’s jaw detects vi- From the Quad Cities to Red Wing, Gravid females remain near the brations of an approaching mouse. Its Minn., the Mississippi River Valley dens all summer, warming their de- pupils, vertical slits by day, are fully holds scattered populations of timber veloping young in sunny, open areas. dilated in the dark. Paired facial pits, rattlesnakes. Encounters aren’t likely Each female gives birth to six to nine located in front of the eyes, sense in- in Illinois. Iowa’s best habitat begins young at the end of August or early frared light, allowing the rattler to north of the Maquoketa River, where September. “see” a warm-blooded target in the steep limestone bluffs are dissected Timber rattlesnake males and non- dark. As the snake’s jaws open wide, by V-shaped valleys, offering numer- gravid females spend the summer its paired fangs, which normally rest ous rocky outcrops and bluff prairies. down in the forests or sometimes in

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 27 The yellowish coloration and rust-colored back stripe help identify this snake as a timber rattler. croplands, where they’re nocturnal in the bottoms, where they hibernate hot weather. Riverbottom Rattlers individually in mammal burrows, In August, male timber rattle- Massasaugas have been found in old tree stumps or crayfish burrows. snakes are on the move looking for Muscatine, Scott, and Clinton coun- When evicted by flood waters in the females, which may explain their ap- ties in Iowa. In Minnesota, the only spring, they crawl onto logs, muskrat pearance on golf courses or other un- documented sightings were near Wa- houses or other dry perches. likely places. After a female mates, basha in 1936, but 60 years later, John Adult massasaugas feed primarily she retains the sperm until spring, Meltzer spotted a courting pair in on voles, mice and shrews. Subadults when she uses it to fertilize her eggs. Houston County. Surveys in 2002 and are less discriminating and will eat When two males meet, they duel 2003 yielded no sightings. In Wiscon- frogs, other snakes, insects, birds and by raising their heads as high as pos- sin, small populations still live in the bird eggs. sible and trying to push each other bottomlands of the Chippewa and The snakes usually court and over. Eventually one of the males Black rivers. breed in the spring, although they crawls away in defeat. The name “massasauga” comes may do so in the fall. Gravid females In late summer, snakes return to from the Ojibwa words meaning often bask on humid, overcast days their home dens. They come out to “great river-mouth.” These rattlers when they won’t get too warm. In late bask on warm days, but settle into live in riverbottoms and adjacent August or early September the female their dens by mid-October. fields. They even spend winter in bears three to 20 young. Like all rat-

28 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 tlesnakes, the new-born are equipped Stay Alert with fangs and venom. Massasau- To avoid becoming part of the next Snakes in a Survey gas reach maturity during their third snakebite study, be alert in rattlesnake year. habitat. Wear boots. Don’t stick your Of the nearly 1,300 Minnesota residents who returned a Minnesota De- hand or foot into places that you can- Studies Underway partment of Natural Resources survey, not see. Step up on a log and check only a few (18%) knew that the timber Timber rattlers and massasaugas and the other side before stepping over. rattler is protected by law. their habitats are being studied by Don’t gather firewood after dark. If And people out in the country are state departments of natural resources you see a rattlesnake, let it be. more accepting of rattlesnakes than and other researchers. Researchers Timber rattlesnakes are timid and those in urban and suburban areas. mark captured snakes with tiny pas- not easily riled. Most will lie perfectly “In rural areas, a lot of older sive implant transponder tags (PIT still, relying on camouflage to avoid residents remember seeing cleared tag) underneath their skin. The PIT detection and will not rattle unless bluffs and many snakes. They don’t tag doesn’t help locate the snake, but disturbed. Most will just crawl away like getting startled by the snakes, but a recaptured snake can be identified if given the opportunity. they don’t mind them being there, as by scanning the tag through its skin. To discourage rattlesnakes from long as they stay at a safe distance,” hanging around your yard, remove said Jaime Edwards, nongame wildlife Remaining populations that boards, tin, brush piles or other hid- specialist. “In urban areas, where devel- ing places. Remove grain or other opers are moving out into rattlesnake have been reduced below rodent food. Do not kill the snakes’ habitat, people don’t even want to see any snakes. They tend to be intolerant competition: rodent-eating harmless the threshold of viability of wildlife in general, even deer in their snakes. Drive a rattler out of your yards.” — about 30 to 40 snakes, yard with a broom or by spraying it including four or five mature with a garden hose. The snake will females — will gradually avoid places of such harsh treatment. cluding four or five mature females Call the department of natural re- — will gradually disappear. Even a disappear. sources or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- viable population doesn’t rebound vice and ask about snake relocation. easily, because a female timber rattle- Surgically implanted transmitters are Volunteers sometimes come out and snake doesn’t breed until she is seven placed in a few adults to track their pick up snakes. to nine years old, and then only every movements. If a rattlesnake bites you, don’t risk two to five years. Young rattlers suf- Humans are rarely bitten by rattle- another bite, waste time or increase fer a high mortality rate. snakes. Rattlers probably only bite if your heart rate by killing the snake. Rattlesnake habitat continues to they sense they are in danger. Both A digital photo is useful for identi- be lost as wetlands are filled, houses timber rattlesnakes and massasaugas fication before treatment. Do not try are built on the sides of bluffs and en- are capable of killing an adult human, any of the obsolete first-aid treat- croaching cedars replace open bask- but deaths are very rare. About 25 ments, just get to a medical facility ing sites. percent of bites are actually dry bites, quickly. On the plus side, there are ongoing where no venom is injected. rattlesnake relocation efforts and an Dr. Dan Keyler, a toxicologist at Under (Some) Protection emphasis on education. Great River Hennepin County Medical Center in Timber rattlers and endangered mas- Bluffs State Park has increased secu- Minneapolis and an authority on ven- sasaugas are now protected in Illinois, rity. Timber rattlers are among a mul- omous snakebites, studied rattlesnake Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. But titude of species that benefit when bites in Minnesota from 1982 to 2002. more needs to be done. Even in ref- conservation groups protect bluffs, Timber rattlesnakes bit 15 people, but uges, misguided people sometimes remove invading cedars and restore none of the 15 died and only five bites think they are doing everyone a fa- bluff prairies. were serious enough to require treat- vor by killing a rattlesnake. A study Hopefully, the Upper Mississippi ment with anti-venom. At least six of by Keyler and Barney Oldfield found will never become so tame, so civi- the bites came from snakes that were that the timber rattlesnake population lized, so downright unnatural and pets or otherwise deliberately han- at Great River Bluffs State Park, near boring, that no room is left for these dled. For instance, a musician put a Dakota, Minn., declined 90 percent fascinating reptiles. F rattlesnake around the end of his gui- from 1991 to 2003, due to poaching tar to liven up a country-western gig. and den vandalism. Allen Blake Sheldon’s photographs often appear in Big River. His last story It did. Another bite occurred when Protection is too late for popula- was “Mississippi Mudpuppies,” May- a photographer slipped and fell on tions that are already wiped out. Re- June 2006. his subject. Only five of the 15 people maining populations that have been were not intentionally interacting reduced below the threshold of vi- with the snakes. ability — about 30 to 40 snakes, in-

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 29 Transforming an 1880s River Resort: Chateau Frontenac

This aerial view of Frontenac shows Chateau Frontenac on the riverfront, with the village on a plateau behind it. The bluff at the top of the photograph is Point-No- Point, also called Garrards Bluff. The bluff and the wooded hills around the village are part of Frontenac State Park. Frontenac was named Waconia by the Native Americans, Fort Beauharnois in 1727, Western Landing in 1837, Westervelt in 1854, and Frontenac, in honor of Count Frontenac, in 1859. (Bill Flies)

By Kate Halverson

s you pass through the tiny, pin, a wide stretch of the river. The ing remains of the first European unincorporated town of park includes the highest point in explorers, who were sponsored by a AFrontenac Station, halfway the area, a 450-foot bluff and a spit Frenchman named Count Frontenac between Red Wing and Lake City, of land that steamboat pilots named in 1680. In 1837 James (Bully) Wells Minn., on Highway 61, you see a “Point No Point” because from miles established a trading post here. In small café, a shop or two and a few 1854 two brothers, Brigadier General houses. You’d never know that there’s “Frontenac looks like it did Israel Garrard and Lewis Garrard, another, very different town behind visited the area on a hunting trip. this one. In the late 1800s Old Fronte- in the 1880s on the outside They were so impressed with Fronte- nac was a riverside resort town that although the homes have nac’s idyllic location and beauty that attracted visitors from all over the they brought their families up the country. With its grand old homes, changed on the inside.” river from Cincinnati, eventually pur- shady oaks and stone fences, it is one chasing 4,000 acres, 320 designated of the only preserved Civil War com- away it seems to jut out into the lake. for the village, which they named munities along the Upper Mississippi. When approached from downriver, Westervelt. Today it’s also the site of some ambi- the point recedes as the river makes a By 1867 the industrious Garrard tious renovation. sharp westward bend. family converted a warehouse into Old Frontenac is surrounded by Few traces remain of the early Na- the Lakeside Hotel and a general Frontenac State Park and Lake Pe- tive American inhabitants and noth- store into a theater, bar, and a billiard

30 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 hall known as The Pavilion. Nine other hotel “cottage” buildings expanded the complex between 1870 and 1881. From 1867 to 1937 the levee area was an active commercial, hospitality and resort center, host- ing wealthy visitors from all over the country. It was known as the “New- port of the North.” Old Frontenac and several of its remaining buildings were eventually placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and 1973. But there are many Civil War-era buildings in towns along the river. Bill Flies, a member of Frontenac’s Heritage Preservation Commission, explains why Frontenac is unique: “When we say it is a preserved Civil War community, we mean a community that has not been Pepin House was restored in 1996 and operated as a bed-and-breakfast inn until 2001. Now it is a private home. changed by streets, sidewalks, busi- (Bill Flies) nesses, etc. Other communities have new businesses and have converted their stone streets to asphalt or cement. Basically, Frontenac looks like it did in the 1880s on the outside although the homes have changed on the inside. Other towns have buildings dating back to the Civil War, but they sit on 21st-century roads with 21st-century neighboring buildings. We have attempted to keep the entire village, which is the historic district, preserved, not just a few buildings,” said Flies. That’s an ambitious plan. Bill and Linda Flies have learned a lot about the history of Frontenac as a result of trying to save one piece of property in it. “We started out as seasonal residents, buying a small two-bedroom The porch of what was the Lakeside Hotel looks out on Lake Pepin. (Kate Halverson) stone cottage in 1973,” Linda explained. “The house was built by a used it as a retreat center for many committee was not aware that much clammer, with shells actually incor- decades.) of their 1974 charter was null and porated into the cement walls, and “For ten years the property sat void due to outdated bylaws.” barbed clam racks in the basement for sale as we dreamed about what it The Flieses set about researching and the yard.” could be, hoping a good buyer would their new property. They decided to The Flies and their children en- surface,” added Linda. name it Chateau Frontenac because joyed their cottage with its 100 feet of Finally, with Bill’s two businesses it is truly an estate with many build- lakeshore for 10 years. thriving, they decided to become that ings. They even traveled to Cincinnati “We took a lot of walks over the good buyer themselves. In 1986 they in search of General Garrard’s roots. years, passing by the old Lakeside bought the entire five-acre levee par- “Pronouncing the g with a j sound, Hotel property. After the Method- cel with a thousand feet of lakeshore no one knew who we were talking ist camp closed, we watched it enter and started turning their dreams into about,” Bill said. “We later discovered into even more of a state of disrepair,” reality. “The first thing we did was that the Garrards were known as the said Bill. (The Methodist Church start attending Historic Preservation ‘Gurr-ards.’” The more guttural g had bought the property in 1939 and committee meetings,” said Bill. “The sound led them across the river to the

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 31 The Lakeside Hotel opened in 1867. The stairs to the right linked the resort area Kittle House, in the foreground, was known as Grapevine Cottage when it on the levee with the village above it. In 140 years the hotel went through several provided lodging for resort guests. (Courtesy of Bill Flies) transformations. Plans now call for it to become a condominium. (Courtesy of Bill Flies)

Resort guests bathe at the beach on Lake Pepin in 1890. (Courtesy of Bill Flies) Kittle House was restored in 2006. (Bill Flies)

A panoramic view of the Frontenac Inn resort was taken in 1920 and appeared on a postcard. (Courtesy of Bill Flies)

Garrards’ true Kentucky origins. roof colors were available from mul- property. Eventually, they compiled a com- tiple pictures as the property evolved This white colonial clapboard plete history on all eight buildings through the decades,” said Bill. building was constructed from rem- on the property, a job made easier by nants of a demolished church from the fact that Frontenac is a well-docu- Pepin House Reads Landing, Minn. The former 10- mented historic district. The Flieses started their restoration bedroom dormitory sits 100 feet from “From old pictures we were able work with the Pepin House, which the shoreline and faces a chapel. Its to duplicate veranda posts, rails and was built in 1946 and was the newest spindles. Windows, shutters and and least deteriorated building on the (Frontenac continues on page 46)

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h-oh, there it goes! My bobber disappears. My from things that have nothing to do with fishing tackle: muscles tighten in anticipation as I take up the the winter days at home pouring over detailed river maps Uslack and get ready to set the hook. in search of potential new “hot holes;” the forays trying to There are few things I find locate those new hot spots; more exciting in this world than and, finally, the ecstasy when sitting on the riverbank watch- one of them turns out to be a ing my bobber disappear. Fish- new honey hole that no one ing the backwaters, it could be else has discovered yet. Oh, anything from a small sunfish my! Life is good. to a fierce, six-pound northern. Bank fishing would prob- The folks out in the boats ably be more popular if sometimes seem to look at someone was making a lot of bank fishermen like me with money on it. Boat and tackle disdain, because, after all, how manufacturers do not depend could someone catch fish with- on bank fishermen for their out investing a large chunk livelihood, because bank fish- of hard-earned cash in a nice ermen spend next to noth- boat, motor, electronics and ing for their equipment and lots of fancy tackle? are not taken in by the fads. Well, let me tell you a little About all they buy is new line secret — that old codger sitting for their reels occasionally on the bank watching his bob- and some inexpensive tackle ber may be catching a lot more to replace what has been lost fish than the big-time boys out to dreaded snags. in their stylish boats. Further- Probably the most high- more, he may be enjoying his tech item that a bank fisher- simple fishing experience a man uses is a slip bobber. lot more than the guys in the And thank goodness for slip boats. bobbers, because they enable I’ll always remember that someone sitting on the bank spring day when I was sitting “Oh, my! Life is good.” The author displays a northern pike that to get the bait to where the on a rock on the shore of Lake he caught while fishing on the banks of the Mississippi. fish are — at any depth — and Pepin catching nice crappies, to keep it there. A slip bobber when three guys in a boat came trolling by. I overheard also lets you cast your bait a long distance, thus covering one of the guys saying in a rather loud voice over the more water from your spot on the bank. drone of the motor, “Look at that guy on the bank, he Another tip that I learned many years ago is to keep has the ultimate relaxing experience.” I suspect he would all of my tackle and worms in a small shoulder bag. That have traded places with me in a microsecond, because he way I can roam around with all my stuff, while having knew that I was king of the world that day. my hands free to tend to the fishing. As Martha Stewart Do you remember how excited you were as a kid, would say, “A shoulder bag is a good thing.” standing on a riverbank casting your line and watching I am a big believer in using a small one- or two-inch your bobber in great anticipation? Well, it is just as excit- twister-type tail for bait. I just put one on a little 1/32- or ing for kids of any age, even old retired ones like me. 1/16-ounce jig and tip it with a waxworm or very small Part of the excitement and fun of bank fishing comes piece of night crawler. Add a small bobber, and I’m ready

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36 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 for action. I have found this to be a deadly combination for most types of fish in the backwaters. After I cast it out, I move the bobber a foot or so every few seconds to entice them to bite. The fish usually can’t resist. White, purple and black are my favorite twister tail colors. I occasionally use minnows for bait, but carrying a minnow bucket around kind of cramps my style, so I usually stick with twister tails and worms. One can also find a few spinners in my bag for casting when the spirit moves me. I bank fish the big river any month of the soft- water season, but my favorite time is October and November. When the leaves start turning and there is a nip in the air, I really get the fe- ver. The bugs are gone by then, as are most of the other fishermen, so I usually have the good holes all to myself. Sunfish, crappie, perch and bass all seem to bite in the shallows then, and the fast action helps to keep me warm in the chilly autumn air. The These crappies will make a tasty dinner. (Rich Brockmann) occasional good-sized northern adds to the excitement. I usually bundle up and keep going out until freeze-up. During my fall fishing forays, it is always a special treat to hear and see a large flock of swans flying over. Spring is another favorite time, when “There are few the sunfish are on their beds in the shallows. They are sometimes a little spooky about bit- things I find more ing then, so I just use a plain baited hook with no weight and a very small bobber. They can’t exciting in this world seem to resist the bait gliding slowly through the water towards where they are laying. It is than sitting on the such a thrill when one of those big guys is on the line pulling harder than a two-pound walleye. It riverbank watching doesn’t get any better than that! Another advantage of bank fishing is, if they my bobber aren’t biting at one place, it is quick and easy to jump into the car and drive a few miles to another spot disappear.” where the action may be hot and heavy. I have to admit that part of my satisfaction comes from the simplicity of it all, knowing that I am taking on the fish pretty much on their terms without a lot of high- powered mechanical and electronic equipment. Also, the simple experience of sitting on the bank of the big river is great therapy for one’s soul. It brings a certain peace and harmony into one’s life. I could go on and on about the excitement and joy of bank fishing, but I wonder if I haven’t already revealed too much. So go out and give it a try, but please stay out of my secret holes. F

Rich Brockmann lives in Rochester, Minn., but his heart is by the river near Winona. This is his first story in Big River.

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 37 n Dini e ju ng ss a Cro C In La Buzzard Billy’s

By Reggie McLeod Photos courtesy of Buzzard Billy’s ost rivertowns would envy the vitality of La Crosse, MWisconsin’s, downtown. Its convention center helps keep several hotels busy. Corporate offices and a variety of retail businesses bring employees and customers downtown every day. Strategically placed parking structures provide a free place to stash the vehicle, while you attend to business and/or pleasure. On summer evenings young and old visitors and locals stroll along the river in beautiful Riverside Park and watch the sun set on the river. After dark a boisterous club scene comes alive and grows live- lier right up until closing time. Smack in the middle of all this, Vintage props and signs create a casual atmosphere. Buzzard Billy’s serves up tasty Cajun fare and cold beer in a lively, casual and fresh, and blackened not too French bread, which has always been atmosphere that matches the mood on much, with seasoning more subtle kind of wimpy. That’s one reason that the street outside. But don’t be misled than she expected. After I sampled it, I almost always get an order of hush by the goofy cacophony of props and I was a little jealous. The fillet hung puppies. The other reason is that they old signs; the 1960s-era trading cards are crispy, slightly sweet and seem to sealed into the tabletops; or the televi- If I’m really hungry and go so well with everything I order. sions up in the corners showing sports I have never eaten dessert here or events. The food proves that there is not facing any demanding brought home leftovers. I always fin- some genuine focus and purpose in intellectual efforts for a ish with a clean plate and a full belly, the kitchen. couple of hours, I’ll order the and that Sunday afternoon was no My companion and I have eaten exception. Our waitress presented a here dozens of times since the Cafe Seafood Pirogue. good case for the New Orleans Bread opened a decade ago, but the last time Pudding, which the menu describes we dropped in was in the middle of a over the edge of the plate. My com- as “A combination of apples, cinna- rainy, blustery Sunday afternoon. We panion even raved about the fresh mon, raisins and chopped pecans, were concerned that our timing might steamed vegetables and rice that came topped with a sugar glaze and a rich result in a so-so meal, but we were with it. Cointreau sabion sauce.” The Gour- wrong. My jealousy quickly faded as I dug met Turtle Cheesecake sounded pretty I ordered one of my favorites, Sea- into my jambalaya. The shrimp and good, too, but I probably won’t get a food Jambalaya with hush puppies crayfish were succulent and fresh. chance to try either one unless I drop and a pint of Downtown Brown, the The generous bowl full of jambalaya by some afternoon just for dessert and house beer. My thirsty companion set- was plenty spicy, which sent me to the coffee. tled on the Blackened Walleye and a beer and hush puppies from time to My test for a new Cajun restau- hearty share of my beer. time. The only thing on the table that rant is the beans and rice, and that’s The walleye was perfect — firm didn’t merit our enthusiasm was the one of my other favorites at Buzzard

38 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 Billy’s, with a side of hush puppies. If Buzzard Billy’s is on his- I’m really hungry and not facing any toric Pearl St., between bar- n Dini e demanding intellectual efforts for a lined Third St. and more ju n s couple of hours, I’ll order the Seafood sanguine Second St., about g ros Pirogue. Named after the tiny skiff a block from Riverside Park. a In La C that a standing pilot poles through A parking structure fills the the bayou, this pirogue is a hollowed block behind it. C out half of a large eggplant, deep-fried I recall listening to coun- and filled with seafood in a creamy, try western bands in this mildly spicy sauce. It’s rich and com- building umpteen years plex, and there’s a lot of it. Pretty soon ago, when it was a biker bar your stomach is aching and your wait- called “The Three Deuces.” ress is standing next to you describing I don’t miss the Deuces, but the desserts. No way! I sure would miss Buzzard The extensive menu features plenty Billy’s. of Cajun items, including Crawfish Since it opened its doors Etoufee, Chicken Czarina and two al- as the American House ligator dishes — an appetizer and a Hotel, in 1867, the build- sandwich. It also includes well-spiced ing housed a series of businesses, in- wedge of cheese that are so popular jerked chicken, steaks, burgers and cluding the Totten Hotel, Humpty at Green Bay Packer games. There is other standard fare, as well as a good Dumpty Cafe and the Ace Hotel and also an ice cream parlor, a bookstore variety of beers and mixed drinks. Restaurant, according to Rob Larson, and numerous gift shops within a The bare brick walls of the dining Buzzard Billy’s general manager. couple of blocks. Boaters can tie up at room and bar make the room noisier He also manages the Starlite the park nearby. Buzzard Billy’s is at than it would otherwise be. Smok- Lounge, a 1950s- and- 1960s-era- 222 Pearl St., La Crosse, Wis., 608-796- ing is permitted in the bar area, but themed martini bar upstairs. 2277. F the high ceilings and good ventilation Across the street is the store that keep the air fairly clean in the rest of boasts the invention of the “cheddar Reggie McLeod is editor of Big River. thejohnd026712LocalPubAD2 place. 1/12/06 5:43head,” PM Pagethose 1hats that look like a large

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40 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 (MRT continued from page 19) Wisconsin E. N. High Ridge Rd. Apple River • • W. Council Hill Rd. • “Trail-building is always a game of CouncilN. Dubuque Rd.Hill Scales Mound 78 patience,” noted Mark Wyatt, ex- Galena •Blackjack Rd. ecutive director of the Iowa Bicycle 20 Coalition. • 20 8 Stockton The stretches of the Iowa trail that State Map Iowa •Elizabeth Blackjack Rd.

are still on highways are safe, said ¿ I Hanover Wyatt. Many segments have traffic Next Map South • counts of only 500 vehicles per day or 84 78 L fewer. Mississippi Neighboring Minnesota demon- Palisades Mississippi �State Park strates the complexity of the trail. It Mount CarrollL •GreaSavanna• • Rivert Lanark has 800 miles of Mississippi River Trl. Trail, on both banks. Forty-five per- River 84 Chadwick atch Rd. •I cent of the trail is on county roads; 25 � 78 � �Sandp Riverview Rd. Sandridge Rd. Mille percent on state and U.S. highways; •Thomson • Trail � Thomson Sand Prairie Trl. 15 percent on state, regional or local Scale10 miles N Coleta trails; 13 percent on local and town- • Illinois Map A GreatFulton River Trl. ship roads; and the rest on state forest •r Trl.

at Rive

and state park roads. Gre O MRT Trail Status Morrison One challenge is raising money for •Albany • 30 Green segments are fully designated, signed � Albany Mounds Historical Site trail maintenance. “We’ve been very � and described in promotional material. 84 Yellow segments are under development. LyndonI successful creating grant programs to � Riders should research the route before they ride. • Cordova construct trails,” said Taylor. “Secur- Red segments may include dangerous areas • 88 � and routing problems. • iver Trl. •Erie Prophetstow ing funds to build trails short-term Purple segments mark adjacent trails. t R S � Grea Hillsdale 78 has been much easier than securing •Port Byron• maintenance funds for trails long- •Rapids City •Hampton 92 term.” Asphalt crumbles after about River Trl. Great Hooppole Great River Trl. • 15 years. • E. Moline Does the trail bring new visitors Rock Island• • 92 Moline •Geneseo who spend money? Tracking the dol- • • Milan Atkinson Andalusia Rd. 80 6 Ridgewood • Illinois City •Oak Grove 92 Taylor• Ridge lars that trail users leave behind in Edgington• 192 a community is difficult. Iowa esti- 150 Orion Reynolds 67 • mates that the trail will add $20 mil- • Sherrard • Cambridge 78 lion to the state’s economy each year. •Andover• Matherville 81 But how can you track how much The MRT maps indicate the status• of each stretch of 74the trail. The northern-most Illinois map is linked money trail users spend? “They don’t online to the rest of the Illinois trail maps. have to check in at a front desk like a hotel user,” admits the Quad Cities’ Taylor. The Mississippi River Trail is a work in progress, but at least the roads are all paved — except for some gravel stretches in Aitkin County, Minn. Hospitality along the trail now is more formal now than when Ack- elson biked the river in 1974. You’ll probably have to buy your own dinner and beer. 8 F

Marc Hequet is a contributing editor for Big River magazine.

Disclosure: MRT is a client of River- wise Inc. publishing company, which produces Big River magazine. River- wise has produced many of the MRT Bikers often share the trail with pedestrians, as here in Dubuque, Iowa. (Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation) trail maps.

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 41 42 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 (Houseboat continued from page 24)

Houseboats are shallow-draft boats, but some people tow canoes for getting into the backwaters and away from the gang. (Bob Myers)

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May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 43 Do you like what you see in Big River? We do custom publishing, too.

The same crew that designs and produces this magazine also designs books, promotional materials, interpretive signs, logos and websites. Let us help with your projects. We can write, edit, design and lay out your documents. We take the same care with each project as we do with our own magazine. Riverwise, Inc. Two companies, one crew Books • Brochures• Business Cards Logos • Newsletters • Websites www.riverwise.com Give us a call about your next project • 800-303-8201 • 507-454-5949

44 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 (Army Road continued from page 64) was used heavily up until the refuge was created. [The Upper Mississippi more of the plants that birds feed on. River National Wildlife and Fish Ref- Partners in the project include the uge was established in 1924.] Then it U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the was abandoned and people moved Army Corps of Engineers, the Iowa away,” recounted Zarwell. Department of Natural Resources, “The road started in the same Audubon’s Upper Mississippi River place, but it used to come out near an Initiative and the Rivers and Bluffs artesian well. There was a pipe that Fall Birding Festival. You cannot stood up out of the ground and peo- drive on the dikes, but you can walk ple would drive out there and reach on them. up to get the water.” Zarwell has a In spring or early summer, walk- photograph of his father standing up ing the road is an acoustic experience in a Model T and reaching up to get a as much as a visual one, especially jug of water. at twilight. Cranes call from several “You can still find the pipe, but directions. Geese honk, frogs croak, you have to reach over the gunwales of your boat to get at it,” Zarwell said. This really is the old river, The road was raised by a foot last the way it was before the year to keep it above surrounding wetlands, but it’s still a bumpy road locks and dams were built in with water all around, so go slow. Be- the 1930s. sides, resident turtles have the right- of-way in the summer. and unseen ducks paddle quickly away through the reeds, their feet End of the Road and wings whirring over the water. Army Road ends at the boat landing, with picnic tables, informational Wild Place kiosks, restrooms and a fishing plat- Ric Zarwell, a board member of the form. Minnesota Slough is a sizable Friends of Pool 9, grew up in New side channel and a gateway to the Albin and remembers the road as vast maze of sloughs and channels just one of the places where he and that make up Reno Bottoms. This friends used to go fishing and looking really is the old river, the way it was for adventure. before the locks and dams were built “Army Road is the best place to get in the 1930s. access to the floodplain forest. I don’t At the end of the road you’ll be know anyplace else like this. It is in a about two miles from the Iowa bluffs class by itself — it’s wild all the way and two miles from the Wisconsin out,” he said. bluffs. That’s a big wide, open space It’s been a favorite place for lo- — enough to make you a little dizzy. cals for many decades — in fact, for Returning to New Albin, if you longer than it’s been called “Army have time to poke around town, you Road.” In the early 1900s it was just a can check out the city park and the low-lying track that led out of town community center, both sources of and through the river bottoms to pride. You can also investigate New Minnesota Slough. Local people used Albin’s reputation as Baseball City. it for hunting and fishing, but wa- There are a few pubs and eater- ter flooded the track whenever river ies in town, not to mention the City water levels rose, which cut people Meat Market and Grocery, an old- off from the river. Before Army Road fashioned grocery store, of the kind was built in the 1960s, Iowans had to they’re not making anymore. It has trailer their boats to Minnesota to put few aisles, but the shelves are packed, in. That was a serious annoyance and and there’s a meat market in the back one of the prime reasons the road that offers a fine selection of home- was built. made smoked meats and fish. Their “There used to be summer homes pork jerky is the best. I haven’t tried along Minnesota Slough, and shan- the fresh cheese curds. F ties along the road. The road itself

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 45 (Frontenac continued from page 32)

St. Hubert’s Lodge was built by Israel Garrard in 1856 for a hunting lodge. When the lodge became popular, Garrard built the Lake Side Hotel. Today the lodge is a private residence.

open porch looks out onto forested Three large bedroom suites, one bluffs. A stone road trails back to- with a grand piano, make it difficult ward the site of the area’s first trad- to choose which bedroom one would ing post. have chosen when it was a B & B. The Flieses stripped Pepin House down to its foundation but kept the Kittle House framework intact. Linda ran it as a Next, the Flieses restored the Kit- bed-and-breakfast from 1996 to 2001. tle House, which was originally built “It was very successful, but zoning in 1868 as a family home. They com- restrictions for an expanded completed it in 2006 and plan to sell it as a private home. Kittle House is set The dilapidated but back from the lake about a half a block but directly faces historically significant hotel the water and has views from will be resurrected as a seven- its upper balcony and front stoop. unit condominium. Smaller than the Pepin House, Kittle House has oak mercial plan caused us to simplify millwork, eight-inch crown our plans. Besides, B & B’s are a lot of molding and elm flooring. The work!” Linda said new kitchen has granite coun- The house has been home to ters, a full pantry and a view Bill and Linda since 2001. Walking of the lake. All bathrooms are through the restored Pepin House, modern but feature period one is captivated with the home’s fixtures and hardware. A gas warmth, right from the entry, a large fireplace and two full win- foyer with a cherry and enamel stair- dows grace the living room. A case and maple flooring. A large liv- new garage, expanded drive- ing room/dining area has views of ways, and landscaping com- the river and features comfy seating, plete the update. artwork, books and a well-used fire- “The interiors of the build- place. A simple, classic kitchen be- ings were rather sparse since hind the dining room gives the cook they were 19th-century west- a bird’s-eye view of Lake Pepin. ern frontier appointments,”

46 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 said Bill Flies. “We brought entrance lobby, additional veran- the interiors up to the level das, an exercise area, a commu- of the better homes of the nity gathering room, parking for period, with a lot more today’s “horses,” and an elevator/ millwork, crown mold- staircase system for transporting ings, fireplace mantles, and residents. we used colors from those The Flieses say they plan to periods.” continue living in Pepin House, After the property was although they may live in other rezoned from commercial houses as they finish them. to residential, the Flieses They do not consider themselves demolished a few build- developers. ings to comply with zon- “We’d rather be known as his- ing regulations for more torians, out of love for Frontenac renovation. and the quest to establish as com- Next, they plan to re- plete and accurate a history as store the original Lake- possible,” Bill said. “We believe in side Hotel, which was first heritage preservation. We want to built by the Garrards and preserve the look and feel of the purchased by Celestine 19th century, but with improve- Schaller in 1907. ments that make the project finan- “She renamed it The Frontenac cially sound and desirable for to- Inn and made it famous for deli- day’s uses.” F cious Sunday chicken dinners,” Bill said. Kate Halverson is an author and interior designer. She owns Touch The dilapidated but histori- of Class Interiors, in Minneapolis cally significant hotel will be res- and Lake City, Minn. urrected as a seven-unit condominium. They plan to restore it to its original size, including a two-story carriage house, a large

Winona Cottage, which was not part of the resort, was built by Israel Garrard as a wedding present for his son George. Today it is a private residence. Note the original stone fence surrounding the property.

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 47 (River News continued from page 13) the Mississippi. The renovation will cost about $38 million, which in- gasify coal. The company plans to dig cludes an $8 million grant from the GREAT RIVER new wells to provide additional wa- Vision Iowa program. Officials expect SHAKESPEARE ter, but if a geological survey shows museum attendance to nearly double the area cannot support the new from its current 230,000 visitors per FESTIVAL wells, the company will turn to the year. a professional theatre company river. If so, said company President Also at Ice Harbor, the Durrant in residence at Winona State University John Diesch, regulators will make Group, a Dubuque architectural firm, June 29 - July 29 sure that water intake will pose no plans to build its corporate headquar- Tickets: grsf.org / 507.474.7900 danger to Mississippi wildlife. ters on the site of a vacant foundry at Beth Baranski, member of the Jo East Fifth St. and Ice Harbor Drive, Daviess County Board of Supervi- to be completed by December. Dur- sors, wanted the board to require the rant will use the same footprint as company to report periodically on its the foundry and reuse the building’s carbon-dioxide emissions plan and frames, trusses and columns. to pay for a consultant to study noise Durrant and local investors hope pollution, should there be a com- to expand the project later to create plaint. But the board did not consider at least 320,000 square feet of retail, Baranski’s amendments. commercial and condominium space. Diesch said that, by using “clean The total cost is projected at $63 coal,” the plant will emit far less car- million. bon dioxide than it now does and To accommodate all the activ- will not create more noise than it cur- ity, the City of Dubuque will build a Season rently does. multi-story parking ramp costing $23 Engineers are now designing the million. coal gasification facility, and the permit applications have been filed with Sandy Concerns various agencies. Diesch said he ex- Clayton, Iowa — It may take a while 2007 / Winona, MN pects the facility to be completed by for Pattison Sand Company, LLC, a the end of 2009. mining and quarrying company in Clayton, and regulatory agencies to Dollars for Development settle the agencies’ concerns about Dubuque, Iowa — In April, Dubuque Pattison’s operations on the Missis- won a $3 million federal grant to help sippi River. build a marina for transient boaters “It’s a pretty complicated situa- on the river in front of the Grand tion,” said Scott Gritters, an Iowa De- River Convention Center and Star partment of Natural Resources fish- Brewery. Construction is scheduled to eries biologist. “They’ve got a lot of begin in the summer of 2008. moving parts up there.” This spring the Diamond Jo Casino While excavating a quarry site, began construction on a large new ca- Pattison started to build a water in- sino, which will include more tables take structure that would suck up As You and slot machines than its current fa- 1,000 gallons of river water per min- Like IT cility, as well as a poker room, three ute. That level of water intake could DIRECTED BY PAUL BARNES restaurants, a bowling center and an threaten a walleye spawning area, entertainment/banquet center. The which biologists believe lies upriver $55 million casino is scheduled to from the structure. MacBeth open in the summer of 2008. “But we’ve never documented it,” DIRECTED BY DOUG SCHOLZ-CARLSON The casino is giving its boat and Gritters said. Portside Building to the Dubuque Perhaps more important, the struc- County Historical Society, which op- ture is built on a bed of Higgin’s erates the National Mississippi River eye pearly mussels, an endangered Museum and Aquarium. The society species. will renovate the building to accom- Although Pattison obtained some modate a wide-screen digital movie of the permits it needed for digging theater, called Rivermax, and a Na- the quarry, it did not obtain all it tional Great Rivers Center, where needed, including a permit for the people can learn about rivers beyond water-intake structure.

48 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 Gritters said Pattison and agencies have been trying to work on Campgrounds Open some solutions, but he does not know Brainerd, Minn. — Campgrounds whether the company will be re- along the Mississippi River above quired to remove the intake pipe. Minneapolis will offer full services According to Gritters, the opera- again this year after budget cuts re- tion also raises some air- and water- duced services in 2006. quality concerns. “There is going to The Army Corps of Engineers St. be a lot more going on there yet,” he Paul District said it would open, op- said. erate and take reservations for all six of its Mississippi River Headwaters’ Sackhouse Saved campgrounds in 2007, and all sites St. Paul — The St. Paul Housing and will again have showers, running wa- Redevelopment Authority approved ter, dump stations and fish-cleaning a $9.5 million rehabilitation project facilities. March 14 to convert an abandoned Last year, facing budget shortfalls, grain terminal on the riverfront to a the Corps mulled whether to close restaurant and interpretive center. some campgrounds, but it finally de- A farmers’ cooperative built the cided to open all of the sites with re- “headhouse and sackhouse” struc- duced services. ture in 1931, the first of its kind The St. Paul District’s six camp- in the United States. The six-story grounds in northern Minnesota are headhouse is all that remains of the Gull Lake Dam and Recreation Area Minnesota Farmers Union’s 90-el- near Brainerd; Cross Lake Dam and evator complex. It was designed Recreation Area in Crosslake; Sandy to load grain onto barges, provid- Lake Dam and Recreation Area near ing an attractive alternative to the McGregor; Leech Lake Dam and Rec- rail transport then favored by grain reation Area in Federal Dam; Poke- companies. gama Dam and Recreation Area in Construction of the headhouse Grand Rapids; and Winnibigoshish and sackhouse helped convince Con- Dam and Recreation Area near Deer gress to authorize a nine-foot-deep River. shipping channel. It also countered Campers can reserve Army Corps a key argument against creating a of Engineers campsites by calling 877- lock-and-dam system and nine-foot- 444-6777 (TDD 877-833-6777) or on- deep channel on the Mississippi: line. 8 Why send barges all the way to St. Paul when it had nothing to ship back Trouble on the Bluff downstream? McGregor, Iowa — Developers of the After construction of the head- proposed Highland Bluffs Golf and house and sackhouse, wheat and Water Play Resort on the bluffs above other grain from Minnesota and the McGregor, are selling the troubled Dakotas could be shipped from St. property to buyers in Texas. After Paul, if St. Paul could swipe some of running into trouble on several fronts, the business from the rail yards at Jim Daughtry, managing partner, ap- Minneapolis. parently decided to retire. (Telegraph A farm cooperative had built grain Herald, 4-6-07) elevators along the river in St. Paul in On April 3, the Iowa Depart- 1915, but low river levels foiled Mis- ment of Natural Resources referred sissippi transport, and traffic through a stormwater runoff violation case the new Panama Canal all but halted against the resort to the Iowa Attor- Mississippi River shipping. ney General’s office for legal action. The building’s first floor will house Some runoff continues into Sny the restaurant, and the second floor Magill Creek, a state-protected trout will house the interpretive center and stream. The company hired to pro- an overlook of the Mississippi. Con- vide erosion monitoring and mitiga- struction is scheduled to begin this tion is on the list of liens and is no year and be complete in May of 2008. longer involved in the project. Ac- 8 cording to Concerned Citizens of

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 49 Dakota Good Swan Spots Homecoming La Crosse, Wis. — Tundra swans have flown back over the Upper Winona, Minn. — Dakota Mississippi to their Arctic nesting (Sioux) Indian people from grounds by now, but last fall a record across the United States and number spent a good amount of time Canada will come to Winona on the Upper Miss Refuge during this summer for the fourth an- their southern migration. Aerial bird nual Hdihunipi, or Great Dakota counts on the refuge found 52,070 Gathering and Homecoming. swans on one day. The previous re- The event, held on June 2 and cord was 34,730 in 2005. 3, is inspired by a spirit of rec- (Cynthia Porter) More than 20,000 of the swans onciliation more than 150 years after the Dakota were forced were in Pool 8, which extends from from their river home by the influx of white soldiers and settlers. Dresbach, Minn., to Genoa, Wis. Pool The event is sponsored by the Winona Dakota Unity Alliance, an organization 8 was the site of a drawdown in 2001 formed by community members, along with the City of Winona and Dakota people. and new island building, both of This year’s homecoming will include music, drumming, feasts, entertainment, a moc- which created more food and shelter casin game tournament and an educational encampment. The public is welcome. for the big birds. Refuge biologist Eric Nelson spec- Clayton County, at least five “me- land’s Canal Bridge from Illinois. (Bel- ulated that the restored islands gave chanic’s liens” have been filed against leville News-Democrat, 2-12-07) them better protection from wind the company, River Bluff Resort, LLC. This isn’t Madison’s first surveil- and waves; and the Wisconsin Islands According to the DNR attorney Jon lance system. It uses cameras in pub- area, which was closed to hunting, Tack, some soil stabilization struc- lic and senior housing, and has con- made the birds feel secure enough to tures are in place. tracted with the Housing Authority to stick around. Meanwhile, the developers install cameras in other housing proj- After they pass through the Upper dropped their $10 million “SLAPP” ects in the area. Mississippi River, tundra swans head (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Par- southeast to Chesapeake Bay and ticipation) lawsuit against four mem- Geocaching on the Refuge North Carolina. Pocosin Lakes Na- bers of the Concerned Citizens group. Winona, Minn. — Geocaching, the tional Wildlife Refuge in North Caro- A SLAPP lawsuit is a civil complaint popular activity in which participants lina estimates 20,000 to 30,000 swans or counterclaim filed against private hide objects outdoors so others can winter there. However, it is near the individuals or organizations, alleging find them using their Global Position- site of a proposed Navy outlying that they have damaged a project by ing System (GPS) units, is prohibited landing field. The director of the U.S. their efforts to influence government on the Upper Mississippi River Na- Fish and Wildlife Service, the gover- action on issues of public interest or tional Wildlife and Fish Refuge. So, nor of North Carolina, Audubon and concern. The suit was filed in 2003. in order to allow a geocaching-like several other conservation groups are experience, the refuge staff has devel- contesting building at the site, which Island Showtime oped an alternative game in which would see practice take-offs and Madison, Ill. — Chouteau Island is fans follow clues and get rewards for landings about every 15 minutes and the common name of a three-island discovering answers. low-altitude flights of the noisy Super group in the Mississippi above St. Clues and coordinates are posted Hornet jets. Louis, built after WWII to divert on the refuge website. Players explore large boats away from the dangerous the refuge to solve the clues, write Estrogen Digestion “chain of rocks” by creating a canal down the answers, then return to the It doesn’t take much estrogen in river on the Illinois side of the river. Now refuge office with their tallies to re- water to cause reproductive abnor- it is mostly public property and full ceive a reward for correct answers. malities in fish. Concentrations as low of wildlife. Some people dump trash They are also encouraged to take as a few parts per trillion are respon- there, and river-cleanup volunteers photos of themselves, some of which sible for “intersexual” fish, whose pick up trash each year. Last October, will be posted on the website. gonads contain both ovarian and hunters discovered the body of a stab- You need a GPS unit to play. Clues testicular tissue. After accumulating bing victim on the island. on the site will take players to land- ample evidence in the United States The mayor of Madison, Ill., John marks, features or signs reaching and Europe about the damage done Hamm, has had enough of the das- from Weaver to Winona on both sides to fish and the amounts of estrogen tardly debris. He plans to install a of the river. Students and experienced responsible, researchers are looking network of 22 cameras on the 5,500 geocachers helped test the high-tech for ways to reduce the estrogen that acres to keep and eye on things and scavenger hunt. 8 flows into the river through sewage document vehicles crossing the is- treatment plants.

50 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 Estrogens from the urine and fe- Twelve artists are leading teams of lows lining the bank, further expos- ces of farm and wild animals enter students to build artworks out of nat- ing the exposed. the river in runoff. Estrogen from hu- ural and manmade materials collected The willows were removed to re- man urine and feces and from birth in river cleanups. Their artworks will duce alleged sexual activity and pro- control pills and other pharmaceuti- be displayed at various sites around vide more sun for nesting turtles, cals enter the river by way of sewage the Quad Cities this summer. Some according to the DNR, which is also treatment plant discharge. will be placed in permanent locations closing a wooded area next to the In a test of seven conventional and others will be exhibited tempo- beach from April 1 to September 15 sewage treatment plants that use mi- rarily at the Figge Art Museum in to prevent sexual activity from mov- crobial digestive processes to break Davenport, starting with an unveiling ing there. down waste, researchers discovered and artists’ reception on May 25 at the Ralph Ovadal, pastor of Pilgrims that the plants remove 96 percent of museum and other locations. Covenant Church in nearby Monroe, the estrogen, but that the remaining Wis., who was convicted of disorderly four percent was still enough to cause No Cover for Nudists conduct for harassing a sunbather harm. Madison, Wis. — The Mazomanie at the beach in 2001, is particularly The solution may be longer sewage beach on the Wisconsin River has pleased about the DNR’s decision. treatment times; engineered wetlands been a clothes-optional beach for “I do hope the day is not far off that remove trace amounts of pollu- more than 50 years. It has survived when Mazo beach is once again fully tion; or growing more of a specific many sieges of controversy by careful restored to its original use as a wild- strain of microbe that completely de- management by the Wisconsin De- life area and available for the enjoy- grades the estrogen in just five days. partment of Natural Resources, which ment of all the citizens of Wisconsin, (Science News, 3-10-07) established rules, such as nudists rather than being a mecca for indi- cannot be visible from the parking lot viduals who have a desire to parade Cleanup Art and there can be no sexual activity on themselves stark naked on public Quad Cities — Junk and stuff found the beach. property in front of children,” Ovadal in and around the river became the Now after nearly 10 years of active said. (La Crosse Tribune, 3-27-07) F raw materials for sculptures in a protest by a determined group of lo- project called “Mississippi Palette.” cal people, the DNR cut down wil-

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52 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 53 TREASURE ON THE MISSISSIPPI Wisconsin

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54 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 Fountain City, Wisconsin Founded 1839

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!RTWORKBY'AIL0OMMERENING !LMA&ISHING&LOAT 58 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 59 River’sRiver’sEDGE Serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Great View & Food • Fun! Docking Available Open 6 AM – 2AM Mon-Sat; 7AM – 2AM, Sun. 10 South Front Street Lansing, IA • 563-538-4497

60 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 McGregor-Marquette,McGregor-Marquette, IowaIowa TwoTwo historichistoric riverriver townstowns withwith endlessendless treasures!treasures! Effigy Mounds National Monument Pikes Peak State Park Spook Cave

*Museums*Boating*Restaurants*Lodging *Antique & Specialty shops *Outdoor Recreation* and much more!

River’sRiver’sEDGE Serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Great View & Food • Fun! Docking Available EAGLES Open 6 AM – 2AM Mon-Sat; 7AM – 2AM, Sun. LANDING Bed & Breakfast 10 South Front Street Lansing, IA • 563-538-4497 and Winery 563-873-2509 82 & 127 North St. • Marquette, IA Free Wine Tasting 10-5 Daily MARQUETTE MAID WINES On the Mississippi River www.halvorson.org/eagleslanding

SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING AT Stauer House Bed & Breakfast 629 Main Street www.mcgreg-marq.org McGregor, IA 52156 1-800-896-0910

May-June 2007 / Big River Magazine 61 The hisToric Home of the Famous Trempealeau HoTel Walnut Burger resTauranT & saloon

• Fine Dining Along the Mississippi River in the historic Village of Trempealeau Serving lunch and dinner daily The Landing...... • Accommodations Kann Imports a Riverfront Inn Luxury suites, Kingfishers Riverside Rooms, gifts of distinction Pines Cottage, and European-style rooms www.kannimports.com (563) 252-1615 • Stars Under the Stars www.thelanding615.com Concert Series starts May 12 800-252-2072 866-252-1120 [email protected] 150 Main Street, Trempealeau, WI • 608-534-6898 www.trempealeauhotel.com • www.walnutburger.com IN GUTTENBERG, IA Performance Marine & Machine, Inc.

455 Jefferson Street Shop: 507-474-7110 Winona, MN 55987 Fax: 507-474-7515

Email: [email protected] www.performancemarineandmachine.com

Setzer Architects commercial • residential licensed in Minnesota and Wisconsin 2000 W. Main St., Red Wing, MN 55066 651-385-2218; e-mail: [email protected] website: www.setzerarchitects.com Steven Setzer, AIA

Eagles Roost Resort ...... 54 Lansing, Iowa ...... 60 Riverboat Twilight ...... 14 Advertiser Index Edina Realty ...... 4 Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum . . . 58 Rivers Edge Restaurant ...... 60 Alma Hotel ...... 56 Elmer’s Toy and Auto Museum . . . 55 LeDuc House-Dakota County Historical Riverwise Publishing ...... 44 Alma Leather ...... 57 Eric Ristey 4 Rivers Realty ...... 36 Society ...... 33 Robert Hurt Landscape Photography 44 Alma, Wis...... 56 Felice Patria ...... 56 Lone Star Steamer ...... 13 Rush Creek Realty ...... 42 Art & Soul Gallery ...... 57 Fountain City, Wis...... 55 Magnolias ...... 52 Sailboat, Inc...... 13 Belvedere Mansion ...... 10 Franciscan Spirituality Center . . . 40 Marquette/McGregor, Iowa. Tourism 61 Sandy Point Condos ...... 6 Best Western Quiet House & Suites Fulton, Illinois ...... 14 McGarrity’s Inn ...... 60 Savanna, Ill...... 4 ...... back cover Galena Cellars ...... 10 McGregor/Marquette, Iowa ...... 61 Signatures Restaurant ...... 49 Big Muddy Ghost Hunter.Org . . . 42 Golden Frog Restaurant ...... 55 McGregor’s Landing Bed & Bath . . 61 Smith Brothers Landing ...... 59 Big River Magazine ...... 54 Gordian’s Knot LLC ...... 2 Mill City Museum ...... 51 Smith Family Farm ...... 55 Big River Room Restaurant ...... 47 Great Dakota Gathering ...... 52 Minneapolis Queen Riverboat . . . 40 Stauer House Bed & Bath . . . . . 61 Bird-Song.com, Inc...... 6 Great River Cafe ...... 59 Minnesota Marine Art Museum . . . . . 36 Stonefield Village Wisconsin State His- Blue Heron Coffeehouse ...... 12 Great River Houseboats ...... 25 Mississippi River Canoe Challenge . 45 torical Site ...... 19 Bluff Country Co-op ...... 10 Great River Organic Milling . . . . 55 Mississippi River Explorer Cruises . . 1 Stoney Creek Inn ...... 65 BNOX ...... 58 Great River Rumble ...... 51 Mississippi River Pearl ...... 56 Traxx Restaurant ...... 57 Bridges Golf Course ...... 34 Great River Shakespeare Festival . . 48 Muscatine, Iowa CVB ...... 40 Twisted Chicken, The ...... 6 Buffalo Traders ...... 56 Grumpsters Log Cabin Getaway . . 61 National Mississippi River Museum & Upper Mississippi River Adventures . 54 Buzzard Billy’s & Starlite Lounge . . 46 Hansen’s Harbor ...... 8 Aquarium ...... 43 Villa Louis Wis. State Historical Site . 19 Cassville Amoco Piccadilly . . . . 54 Harbor View Cafe ...... 59 Natural Gait, The ...... 65 Visit Winona ...... 9 Cassville Car Ferry ...... 54 Hartland Visions Log Homes ...... 14 Newt Marine ...... 42 W & C Printing Company . . . . . 36 Cassville, Wis. Tourism ...... 54 Hawks View Cottages & Lodges . . 12 Onalaska Bike Trail ...... 46 Water Lily Gifts ...... 56 Cassville Wis...... 54 House for Sale ...... 33 On-Deck ...... 59 Waterways Journal ...... 4 Century 21 Pepin Office ...... 59 Island City Harbor ...... 4 Padelford Packet Boat Co...... 65 Wenonah Canoe/Current Designs . . 25 Chestnut Mountain Resort . . . . . 1 Jefferson Pub & Grill ...... 52 Paper Moon ...... 61 Wild Rose Timberworks ...... 4 Country Stop of Pepin ...... 58 John Deere Pavilion ...... 39 Pendleton’s Boutique & More . . . 52 Wings Over Alma ...... 56 Dan’s Pepin Marina ...... 58 Julia Belle Swain . . . . inside front cover Pepin, Wis...... 58-59 Winona, Minn...... 52 Dockside Mercantile ...... 58 Kate & Gracie’s Restaurant . . . . 56 Piccadilly Gallery ...... 10 Winona County Historical Society . . . . 9 Duke Addicks Storyteller ...... 6 Lake City, Minn. Tourism . . . . . 53 Pickle Factory ...... 58 Yellow Bird Art Shop ...... 60 Eagle Valley Realty ...... 55 Lake Pepin Inn ...... 59 Pieces of the Past ...... 52 Eagles Landing B&B and Winery . . . . 61 Lansing Fish Days ...... 60 River City Vacation Rentals . . . . 25 river Places Army Road: Wild All the Way Out New Albin, Iowa

By Pamela Eyden

rmy Road is a two-mile-long, gravel trail out into the Mississippi River floodplains and Abackwaters. It crosses acres of wetlands, one large slough and many small ones, then threads its way through a floodplain forest, and ends at a parking lot, boat ramp and fishing platform. If you are pulling a boat, the landing is just the beginning of your adventure into Reno Bottoms’ maze of backwaters. Other- wise, the landing is not the point — getting to it is most of the fun. Army Road extends east of the little town of New Albin, Iowa, population 527, which is, literally, a stone’s toss from Minnesota. To get to Army Road, turn east off Highway 26, the Great River Road, onto Ross Street in the center of town near the Community Center. Ross Street becomes Elm Street after you zig and zag past the bank. In a few blocks, you’ll reach the edge of a plateau overlooking the great wilds of the river floodplain. Next to a big U.S. Fish & Wildlife sign announc- ing Pool Slough, is a parking area and an overlook with a spotting scope. There’s a lot to see here, right from the beginning. Local people and birders know the road as a great place to spot birds and wildlife, including otter, bea- ver, deer, turtles, muskrats and frogs. A mother bear and cub were spotted crossing the road two years ago. Tallies show more than 150 bird species were spotted there last year. Sandhill cranes nest in the wetlands adjacent to the road; their bugling calls can be heard Army Road takes you through bottomland forests from New Albin to the New Albin for miles. Bald eagles soar overhead, looking for fish; Landing, in the heart of the Reno Bottoms. (detail from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife two giant nests are visible from the boat landing. Red- Service Pool 9 Map) winged blackbirds, prothonotary warblers, kingfishers, herons and geese — the diverse mix of river habitats attracts all the river birds. In spring or early summer, walking the Migratory birds flood the area in the fall. But there road is an acoustic experience as much as aren’t nearly as many as there once were. Higher water caused by the locks and dams have drowned out a visual one, especially at twilight. Cranes places that used to be rich in arrowhead, wild celery, call from several directions. Geese honk, wild rice and other plants that birds depend on for food. frogs croak, and unseen ducks paddle To try and correct that, biologists, birders and engineers joined forces to build dikes to surround 52 acres quickly away through the reeds, their feet of wetlands near town on the upstream side of Army and wings whirring over the water. Road, with pumps to adjust water levels to encourage

(Army Road continues on page 45)

64 Big River Magazine / May-June 2007 Mississippi River Cruises

Noon & 2 p.m.Tues.-Sun. in June, July & Aug. Lunch, Dinner & Sunday Brunch Cruises Also, live theater on U of M Showboat Buy Tickets Online www.RiverRides.com

Harriet Island * St. Paul, Minnesota 651-227-1100 or 1-800-543-3908

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Welcome to the Northwoods.

Complimentary expanded continental breakfast Northwoods Traveler Program • Northwoods Conference center Extended Stay Cottages • Premier suites

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