Lansing Iowa Toleclaire Along the Mississippi River in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin
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The Mississippi Valley Traveler Travel Guide Lansing Iowa toLeClaire Along the Mississippi River in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin by Dean Klinkenberg Other Guides by the Mississippi Valley Traveler: Quad Cities Travel Guide Driftless Area Travel Guide Watch for more guides to Mississippi River towns by the Mis- sissippi Valley Traveler! © Copyright 2009 by Dean Klinkenberg All photographs by Dean Klinkenberg, except where otherwise credited. Layout and design by Riverwise Inc., Winona, Minnesota. Mississippi Valley Traveler Lansing to LeClaire Travel Guide by Dean Klinkenberg CONTENTS Overview Map . 4 Introduction . .6 History . .12 Name Games . 15 Route Overview . 19 Lansing . .22 County Seat Battle in Allamakee County 25 Wexford . 31 Harpers Ferry . 33 Waukon Junction . 38 Effigy Mounds . 39 Marquette . 40 McGregor . .46 Zebulon Pike . 48 Andrew Clemens . .50 Froelich Side Trip . 59 Clayton . .60 Guttenberg . .63 Millville . 79 North Buena Vista . 81 Balltown . 83 Sherrill . 87 IOWA Sageville . 90 Dubuque . 92 Who Was Julien Dubuque? . 96 Diamond Jo Reynolds . 121 St . Catherine . .123 St . Donatus . .125 Bellevue . 130 Green Island . .140 Sabula . .142 Clinton . .147 Camanche . .164 Folletts . 167 Buffalo Bill Connection . 169 Princeton . 170 LeClaire . 173 Rapids City . 181 Port Byron . 183 Cordova . 186 Albany . 189 ILLINOIS Fulton . .192 Thomson . 199 Savanna . .203 Savanna Army Depot . 206 Hanover . 214 Galena . 219 Mazzuchelli Detour . 247 East Dubuque . 250 Sandy Hook . 255 Kieler . 258 Dickeyville . 260 Why We Fear Clowns . 262 Tennyson . 264 Potosi . 266 Life in Mining Camps . .268 Cassville . 275 WISCONSIN Nelson Dewey . .284 Glen Haven . 288 Tragic 19th Century Murders . 290 Dugway Road Detour . 292 Bagley . .293 Wyalusing . .297 Bridgeport . 300 Prairie du Chien . .302 The Pontoon Bridge . .304 Michel Brisbois . .311 Gays Mills Detour . 327 Lynxville . 328 Ferryville . 332 Regional Information . 338 Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge . 340 Index . 346 OVERVIEW MAP MINNESOTA 35 New Albin• •Victory De Soto 26 • 35 Rush Creek SNA Lansing• •Ferryville X52 •Lynxville Harpers Ferry Waukon Junction • L&D 9 Yellow River • State Forest X52 35 Effigy Mounds National Monument 76 Marquette Prairie du Chien • • sin R McGregor • con Pike’s Peak State Park Wis 340 Wyalusing State Park •Wyalusing 35 WISCONSIN •Bagley Clayton• IOWA X56 •Glen Haven 133 L&D 10 Guttenberg Nelson Dewey State Park • & Stonefield Village 52 Millville C9Y Cassville • • 133 ferry Potosi Tennyson N Buena Vista• •• 61 Balltown• Dickeyville C9Y • Sageville• L&D 11 61 Dubuque•• E Dubuque 52 Galena • ILLINOIS St. Donatus 84 • Blanding’s Landing Bellevue• Hanover Bellevue State Park • Lost Mound Unit UMRWFR IOWA 84 Mississippi Green Island State Wildlife Refuge Palisades 52 State Park Savanna Sabula •• 67 •Thomson L&D 13 Clinton• •Fulton 15 miles Camanche W ap • sip 84 inic on R •Albany Cordova Princeton• • LeClaire Bet 80 Port Byron L&D 14 • • tendorf •Rapids City 67 •Hampton L&D 15 84 • k R Davenport• 92 •E Moline Roc •Ro •Moline ck Island MINNESOTA 35 New Albin• •Victory De Soto 26 • 35 Rush Creek SNA Lansing• •Ferryville X52 •Lynxville Harpers Ferry Waukon Junction • L&D 9 Yellow River • State Forest X52 35 Effigy Mounds National Monument 76 Marquette Prairie du Chien • • sin R McGregor • con Pike’s Peak State Park Wis 340 Wyalusing State Park •Wyalusing 35 WISCONSIN •Bagley Clayton• IOWA X56 •Glen Haven 133 L&D 10 Guttenberg Nelson Dewey State Park • & Stonefield Village 52 Millville C9Y Cassville • • 133 ferry Potosi Tennyson N Buena Vista• •• 61 Balltown• Dickeyville C9Y • Sageville• L&D 11 61 Dubuque•• E Dubuque 52 Galena • ILLINOIS St. Donatus 84 • Blanding’s Landing Bellevue• Hanover Bellevue State Park • Lost Mound Unit UMRWFR IOWA 84 Mississippi Green Island State Wildlife Refuge Palisades 52 State Park Savanna Sabula •• 67 •Thomson L&D 13 Clinton• •Fulton 15 miles Camanche W ap • sip 84 inic on R •Albany Cordova Princeton• • LeClaire Bet 80 Port Byron L&D 14 • • tendorf •Rapids City 67 •Hampton L&D 15 84 • k R Davenport• 92 •E Moline Roc •Ro •Moline ck Island 8 Lansing to LeClaire Guide INTRODUCTION Many areas can claim ownership, rightly, of larger- than-life figures, but the stretch of the Mississippi River from Lansing to LeClaire seems to have more than its fair share of big characters who left a deep mark on an already deep valley: Black Hawk, Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, fiercely independent fur trad- ers, Diamond Jo Reynolds, rugged lead miners, Julien Dubuque, ridiculously wealthy lumber barons, Ulysses S. Grant, mysterious mound builders, and legendary river pilots. This stretch of the Mississippi Valley is replete with small towns and open space. Hop in a canoe and get lost in the backwaters of the Upper Mississippi Wild- life Refuge. Bike along sparsely traveled country roads and tackle a steep climb into the surrounding hills or glide along the flat roads in the flood plain. Enjoy dra- matic views from the popular overlook at Pike’s Peak State Park or challenge yourself with a steep climb at Rush Creek State Natural Area and take in the spec- tacular vistas without the crowds. Visit apple orchards, enjoy fresh produce, or sample a hand-crafted beer at the born-again Potosi Brewery. Step back to the 19th century in Galena or McGregor; celebrate Luxembourg culture in tiny St. Donatus or Introduction 9 German heritage in Guttenberg; connect with voya- geurs and fur traders in Prairie du Chien; celebrate the railroads in Marquette; meditate with the Dominicans in Sinsinawa. Get out; explore; try something new; talk to a stranger. Whatever you do, don’t rush. Sched- ule light, so you can take an extra hour or two hiking, chatting with new friends, or just watching the river. You can go back to running around like a madman when you get home. Don’t Miss On the West Bank • Effigy Mounds National Monument (page 39); • The extraordinary sand art of Andrew Clemens in McGregor (page 50); • The overlook at Pikes Peak State Park (page 51); • National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, Dubuque (page 100). On the East Bank • Mississippi Palisades State Park north of Savanna (page 208); • The historic district of Galena (page 225); • The Potosi Brewery and its museums (and beer; page 271); • Wyalusing State Park (page 298); • Villa Louis, a well-preserved 19th century mansion in Prairie du Chien (page 309); • The overlooks at Rush Creek State Natural Area (page 334). Connecting Both Banks • Take a ride on the Cassville Car Ferry; there aren’t many left (page 280). 10 Lansing to LeClaire Guide 4TIP: If you travel on weekends in summer and fall, you should book accommodations well in advance . Rooms and campsites can be very hard to find at the last minute . However, if you can travel during the week, you will not only have no trouble finding somewhere to stay, but you may pay less and there will be far fewer of your fellow tourists . About This Book This is a travel guide, in case you haven’t noticed. But, unlike many travel guides, this one includes more of the author, me, in the text. Yes, I want you to know about all the terrific attractions in the Upper Missis- sippi Valley, but I also want you to know some of the back story, like why certain places excite me. I have a touch of attitude when it comes to travel. I want to get away from the familiar. I am not a fan of chain stores, malls, mass consumption, or mass mar- keting. If all you want to do on vacation is lie on the beach, sip apple-tinis, and shop at Eddie Bauer; if you buy all your art at the Pottery Barn; if your idea of a nice meal is the grilled chicken platter at TGI Fridays, then this book may not be for you. Sure, you can find national brands along the River Road—if that’s what you need—but why not take a chance and try something that hasn’t been focus-grouped and mass- marketed to the lowest common denominator? Why not sample some local flavor with a hand-crafted beer at the Potosi Brewery, or treat yourself to the homey atmosphere of a bed-and-breakfast? Relax, slow down, hang out, talk to people. That’s my prescription for enjoying travel anywhere, and it will be very rewarding along the Mississippi Valley. Introduction 11 Julien Dubuque Bridge, Dubuque, Iowa. 4TIP: If you want to know more about my experi- ences writing this book, visit my website (www .Mississip- piValleyTraveler .com) . I’ll also be posting information that wouldn’t fit in this volume . About My Picks This book has no advertisements, paid or otherwise. No one paid to get a listing. No one gave me a free meal or free place to stay in exchange for a listing. The recommendations in this book, for better or for worse, are based upon my judgment of what is good, interest- ing, fascinating, or just worthy of your time. Restaurants Look, I can’t possibly eat at every single restaurant that might be good. I don’t have time for it; I can’t afford it; and I don’t want to look like the Stay Puft Marshmal- low Man, again. That’s just the way it goes. Restaurants get on my radar screen through recommendations from locals and visitors. I also pay attention to the places that are always busy. If I don’t eat at a particular restaurant, I stop by anyway to check out the visuals 12 Lansing to LeClaire Guide and to look over a menu. If a restaurant is busy and locals speak highly of it, I’ll put it in the book, even if I don’t get a chance to taste their food personally.