Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-10-01
EXAMINE |OVA'S CRUST
Assistant State Geolosist Leon.
ard Tells Of Northwest
Part Of State
MANY OBJECTS OF INTEREST
One of the Most Picturesque Places
in Iowa is Along the River Near Nc
Gresor-Historic Spots in That Sec
ton of the State Described - The
Mineral Resources.

Des Moines, Oct. Assistant State
Geologist A. G. Leonard, who has just
returned from a summers field work in
Clayton county, has brought with him
many objects of interest in which that
part Of the state abounds.
Near McGregor and opposite the
mouth of the Wisconsin river is a bluff
which rises some $40 feet above the riy-
er. BY steep descent to the north thru
thickets of birch and hill sides abound.
ing in maiden hair fern a narrow gorge
known as the Pictured Rocks is reach
ed. The sides of the canyon are COM
posed of many shades of ST. Peter sand
stone in which reds, yellows and browns
of great variety are found. This sand
stone is soft and easily crushed into
the original sand, and with other colors
found in different localities in Clayton
and Allamakee counties is used most
skillfully in the making of souvenirs.
For many years deaf and dumb man
by the name of Clement spent his en-
tire time in filing bottles with these
colored sands arranged in artistic pat
terms. He became so skillful in this art
that he was able to reproduce an auto
graph or photograph or copy picture.
When he died few years ago the work
was taken up as q matter of town pride
by Mr.. w. S. O'Brien, who is rapidly
becoming skillful in this unique art.
He has presented to the geological sur
lvey the finest bottle he has yet COM
NJ, "a
logical rooms at the capitol. In the case
used in the work are forty-one COM
partments, each containing a different
shade. About thirty appear In the bot
tie presented to the survey.
Claiming is extensively carried on
along the Mississippi at this point and
during the summer thousands OF per-
sons camp along the shores for that
purpose. Pearls of great value are Of
ten found which adds zest to this
sayory occupation and it Is considered
quite the thing to have clam boat
and try your luck" for pearls. Button
factories at Gutenberg. Dubuque and
elsewhere cut the disks from the clam
shells and these disks are shipped east,
where the buttons are completed.
This whole vicinity is full Of hiss
toric interest. At McGregor the In
dams Of pioneer times used to gather
and cross to Prairie du Chen where
in the great old Dousman house they
met the fur traders from the east and
all along the shore may be found the
arrow heads which they made while
waiting for these traders
Just south Of the town may be seen
the remains of old Fort Crawford
memorable in Black Hawks days. 1t
was near here that General Taylor had
his headquarters in beautiful old
mansion owned by Mr.. Lawler. In thia
house Lincoln and jeff Davis first met
and from here General Taylor's daugh-
ter eloped with the future president of
the confederacy.
the Fort Crawford burying ground
which also contains bodies from Fort
Atkinson and which is to be preserved
by the government and made into
park. About two miles south Of Nc
Gregor the Wisconsin empties into the
and 1t was at this point
that Iowa was first seen by white men
when Father Marquette and Joliet came
down the. Wisconsin in the birch bark
canoes. The point opposite the mouth,
known as Pixies Peak, was named for
Colonel Zebulon Pike. who first ex-
plored the upper Mississippi and is
one of the highest points on the river.
1t is in the gorge to the north of this
point that the Pictured Rocks may be
found.