Big River Magazine, May-June 2006
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Exploring the Mississippi from the Twin Cities to the Quad Cities May-June 2006 Summer Travel Issue! Time-TravelingTime-Traveling —— 1010 PlacesPlaces ThatThat WillWill TakeTake YouYou BackBack toto thethe 1800s1800s Mudpuppies — Creatures of the River Bottom Restaurant Review: The Norton’s www.big-river.com AT C LLIIA BELLE BBO CRU UU E S AAM UI JJ W EE SSE E A TT S OO TH A S N IN 35th Anniversary of Julia Belle Swain! The Julia Belle Swain Steamboat, all decked out in red, white and blue bunting, provides a sentimental journey on a real steamboat cruising the Mighty Missis- sippi. The picturesque Julia Belle offers back-to-yesteryear public tours, private charters, and special theme cruises on the portion of the Mississippi that Mark Twain called the prettiest. Escape from the hurried world and go back to a more genteel time.The sound of the calliope and the whistle blowing brings back a voice of America’s past. The dining salon and mahogany bar provide meal and beverage service in the gracious manner of a bygone era. Come aboard for a local cruise with great food or just a short refreshing sight- seeing trip. Day trips depart from La Crosse, Wis. to Winona, Minn.; Lansing, Iowa; or Prairie du Chien, Wis. Don’t wait to explore the many possibilities on the beautiful Mississippi! Reservations are required. Call 800-815-1005. For schedules online: www.juliabelle.com Day trips Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Cruises Weddings Company Outings Reunions, etc. 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 2006 / BIG RIVER MAGAZINE 1 C OVERING THE U PPER M ISSISSIPPI SINCE 1993 TM May-June 2006 FEATURES Go Time Traveling — Visit the 14 1800s This Summer Ten historic sites on the river await your ex- 35 ploration. By Pamela Eyden 22 Mississippi Mudpuppies These nocturnal creatures of the river bot- 14 tom are seldom seen. By Allen Blake Sheldon 27 Know Your River — Poolology The Upper Mississippi is a river of pools. By Reggie McLeod 28 Navigating the Mississippi in Art Muscatine Art Center hosts a show of paint- ings featuring canoes, keelboats, towboats and other river subjects. By Pamela Eyden 28 22 Restaurant Review 35 The Norton's Dine off the beaten path in Bay City, Wis. By Marc Hequet Book Review 39 Tales of a River Rat By Reggie McLeod 7 DEPARTMENTS 5 From the Riverbank 53 Advertiser Index Carps, pools and April Fools. Where did I see that ad…? By Reggie McLeod 55 River Calendar 7 River News Hike the woodlands, watch the birds. River dancing, limits on eating Pool 2 bluegills and River People a Dubuque brewery turns to making wine. 60 By Pamela Eyden, Marc Hequet, Mike Ironside Bob Myers, boat builder. Cover: The American Queen, by Robert J. Hurt By Gary Kramer Visit Historic Fulton, Illinois On the Banks of the Mississippi River touch of class • Authentic Dutch Windmill INTERIORS • Heritage Canyon 1800’s Village • Martin House Museum • Great River Bike Trail • Lock & Dam 13 For Memorable Interiors • Great River Road • Lincoln Highway • Historic Downtown • Primary & vacation homes Shopping District • Consultation and/or full service • Dutch Days Festival May 5-6, 2006 • Space planning • National Night Out & Car Show July 29, 2006 • Downtown Sidewalk Sales & Kate Halverson, ASID, CID Community Garage Sales 30 + years experience August 5, 2006 • Fall Festival Minneapolis ~ Lake City, MN October 14 & 15, 2006 • Christmas Walk December 1& 2 www.tocinteriors.com 952.941.3023 Fulton Chamber of Commerce 1-815-589-4545 • www.cityoffulton.us 4BIG RIVER MAGAZINE / May-June 2006 From the Big River™ Big River Magazine (ISSN 1070-8340) is pub- lished six times a year by Open River Press Riverbank with assistance from Riverwise, Inc., 70 1/2 E. Fourth St., PO Box 204, Winona, MN 55987; Reggie McLeod (507) 454-5949; fax: (507) 454-2133; email: [email protected]; Editor/Publisher website: www.big-river.com Reggie McLeod ........editor/publisher Molly McGuire ........managing editor Pamela Eyden ..........news/photo editor CARPS, POOLS AND APRIL FOOLS Marc Hequet ............contributing editor, Twin Cities ver the winter I tend to work tion was from a guy who asked, Maureen J. Cooney ..office/sales too much and not get out- “What’s the DNR?” Kathy Delano ..........sales/design Odoors very much. So, my first He was from a state that had some- Robert Copeland ......bookkeeping/subscriptions early spring excursions always set my thing like the Department of Natural Subscriptions are $27 for one year, $49 for two head spinning with plans for the Resources, but they didn’t call it that. years or $4.95 per single issue. Send subscrip- tions, single-copy orders and change-of-address summer. On the last Sunday in March So, a lot of what I had been speaking requests to Big River, PO Box 204, Winona, I was walking in a remote part of the about didn’t make much sense to MN 55987. Trempealeau Refuge with Pam at twi- him. That’s why we spell out Depart- Second-class postage paid at Winona, MN. light as hundreds of Canada geese ment of Natural Resources and other POSTMASTER: send change-of-address and tundra swans were settling into agency and organization names in its requests to Big River, PO Box 204, Winona, the backwaters for the evening. The first use in stories. MN 55987. biggest flock of swans that I have ever This winter I was visiting with Big River Magazine, Volume 14, Number 3, copyright May 2006. Reproduction in whole seen flew over us in a perfect V. I someone who has read Big River for a or in part without written permission of the grabbed the binoculars and counted few years. He asked me to explain publisher is prohibited. Printed on recycled pa- the birds in the shorter arm of the V. pools. “Stories are always referring to per. 105! There were at least 220 birds in this pool or that pool, but you never say what a pool is.” “Stories are always Oops. So in “Poolology” I attempt to referring to this pool or remedy that oversight. I’m sure it’s that pool, but you never not the only thing we’ve overlooked, say what a pool is.” so don’t be shy about holding us ac- countable. And speaking of holding us ac- COMING that flock. Three more flocks of about countable, we always slip a story into IN THE NEAR FUTURE that size flew over us as we hurried the March-April issue that is fun but back to the car. simply isn’t true. This year that was The May-June issue of Big River is the short news item “Real River Peregrine Update always the most exciting one for us, Fare,” about the river cuisine at a fic- because as we are enjoying the first tional restaurant, Scales, in a nonexis- The Blufflands Alliance days of spring, we’re working to tent town, Ouacachita, Iowa. Though launch our readers into some new it is a phony story, it is an attempt to New-fangled Bilge Filters summer adventures. We’re always promote the idea of a river restaurant trying to maintain that fine balance serving some fancy carp dishes. This where we can, at the same time, en- could benefit the river and commer- tertain experienced river rats, casual cial fishermen, as well as diners who river users and people who are just will get the opportunity to enjoy one discovering the river. I remember of the world’s most popular fish. once, years ago, speaking about the Eventually some clever, good-looking river to an elderhostel group. At the restauranteur will seize on the idea. end of my presentation the first ques- Carpe carp and enjoy the spring. F Contacts (800) 303-8201. For information about stories, columns and River News, contact Reggie McLeod, Pamela Eyden or Molly McGuire ([email protected]). For calendar events, contact Kathy Delano 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 calendar events by May 22 to get them into the July-August 2006 magazine. We must receive ads by May 10. May-June 2006 / BIG RIVER MAGAZINE 5 Unique Bakery Coffee Shop Serving Freshness... fresh baked foods • breakfasts lunches • boxed lunches espresso beverages decorated cakes Bakery: 6 a.m. - 5 p.m. Coffee Shop: 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Saturday closing at 3 p.m.) 410 West Third Street in HISTORIC DOWNTOWN RED WING, MINN. 651-388-1589 RIVERFRONT CENTRE 314 Main Street, Red Wing, MN www.riverfrontcentreshops.com * Carlson Wagonlit Travel * Good as Gold * Good Life Nutrition * Great River Nautical Art Gallery * Red Wing Shoe Store & Museum * Shoe Box Deli * White Rock Bank Free Parking... Outdoor patio... Juice and Smoothie bar... Specialty stores... Historical Displays... 6BIG RIVER MAGAZINE / May-June 2006 River News St. Paul Minneapolis Prescott Bird Flu Watch Hastings Diamond Bluff Bay City Washington, D.C. — Birds migrating Red Wing Maiden Rock Stockholm down the Upper Mississippi River Lake City Pepin from Alaska and Canada this fall Reads Landing Nelson Wabasha WISCONSIN could bring the highly pathogenic Kellogg Alma Minneiska Buffalo City H5N1 virus, dubbed bird flu, with MINNESOTA Fountain City them. Preparing for this possibility, Winona Trempealeau the U.S. Department of Agriculture Onalaska has teamed up with the U.S. Fish and La Crescent La Crosse Wildlife Service and the U.S.