Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1919-01-08
THE BACKBONE"
Rural PARK
IOWA'S BEAUTY SPOT TO BE
DEDICATED TO PUBLIC
USE.
STATE TO BUY LARGE TRACT
State Treasurer HOyt and Local PeO.
pie Bring About Possibility
of Project.

Inc state OFFICIALS, dCtlQS unIer
statute passed by the last General
Assembly have decided to locate the
first rural park in Iowa at and around
what is commonly called the Back
bone, or DEVILS Backbone, in Rich
land township.
John Reilly and E. NJ. Carr, owners
of the 1876 acres of exceptional scenic
grandure, which has been admired by
SO many and about which SO much has
been written, have already contracted
to convey same to the state for $4,000
per acre. But no picture is complete
without a frame, and the Backbone is
one of natures colossal masterpieces
and needs frame Of corresponding
magnitude. At first 1t was believed
that 500 acres would be sufficient, and
a landscape expert was employed by
the state to establish the lines of the
proposed park. This expert worked
for upwards of ten days and every day
the picture frame grew larger and 9TH
er beauty spots in the background call
ed for more land, called for 1000 or
1900 acres to complete the park as ma
ture designed 1t.
II the land can be purchased at from
$50 to $50 per acre, and many assur-
ances have been received that it can
be procured for park purposes at ap-
proximately that price, it is believed
that the state will approve of the pur-
chase Of all the land that can be used
to advantage, used to make the Back
bone Rural Park the most beautiful
natural park in the Mississippi valley.
And every good citizen OF the state,
and every lover Of the beauties of ma
ture in the country, will hope that the
people living in the vicinity, or own
ing property which can be utilized to
make this one of the most fascinating
and beautiful resorts In the state, will
realize the great advantage the estab-
lishment of park here of proper pro-
portions will be to our own people, and
the increased value to surrounding
proPsrtysa and sthat.no selfish or sordid
interest will be allowed to interfere
with the incorporation therein of all
that will make this park the best and
most inviting rural park that may be
established anywhere in the state un-
der this new law, one object of which
Is to preserve the places of scenic
beauty in Iowa.
For more that score of years pub
lie spirited men, not alone of Delaware
and adjoining counties but of distant
parts of the state have been urging
the preservation and dedication in
some way of this scenic region for
public use, but, not until Treasurer Of
State Hoyt threw his forceful person.
ality into the work, was there any tan
gible prospect for the realization of
their hopes and desires. Now all that
is needed is some good team work on
the part of the friends of the project
and the park will exceed the fondest
hopes of those who first proposed it's
establishment.
The following is brief description
of this noted place:
\ Scholarly geologists and noted writ
ers have WED with each other in de-
scribing the charming bit of Iowa to-
biography, located in Delaware County
and widely known as the Backbone"
This noted place has a higher alti-
tude than any other locality in eastern
Iowa. During the glacial period the
Backbone" stood up like an island in
the midst of an ocean of ice. Its sur
face and the surface of the adjacent
valleys are free from any trace Of
Iowan drift.
The view from the highest part of
the ridge down the Maquoketa valley
for twenty-five or thirty miles has few
equals anywhere. 1t is pleasing and
inspiring to see how the gateways Of
the prairies open to let the river come
out.
The .ourist who visits Virginia is
told that he should not return home
until he has seen the Piedmont valley
near Alton, a valley no more inviting
or beautiful to behold than the Maquo-
keta valley when viewed from the
eliminating point of the Backbone"
The Backbone" ridge extends near
ly north and south for distance OF
about 200 rods. The river runs down
on the west side, turns around the
south end and flows back along the
east side.
The narrowest point of the ridge
is about midway between its extremes.
There the summit is restricted to a
few yards, and the cliffs on each side
have a sheer descent of fifty or sixty
feet.
The part Of the ridge where the
stone walls are most precipitous is not
more than 100 feet in height, but up
wards of another 100 feet are add
ed by gradual rise to the
northern end. There the river turns
away and it's waters sparkle as they
flow onward about two hundred feet
below the summit.
From the crest of the ridge the
ground descends abruptly on each
side, and where the cliffs are perpen-
dicular, or nearly so, they are carved
by processes of erosion and secular
decay Unto picturesque columns, tow
ers, castles, battlements and flying
buttresses (See Iowa Geological
Survey, Vol s, page 1922
The charm of these gray stone
(CoDtinued on page fOur)