Caves Have Been Famous For Over Seventy Years
Local attraction first known as Burt's Caves; Dedicated
in 1933
For more than 70 years the Maquoketa Caves has been a
mecca for visitors who have come from far and near to
view its natural wonders. Known first as Burt's
Caves and later as Moorhead Caves, it was visited in the
early days by many parties of young folk who came in
"top buggies" from Davenport or Clinton on "Caves
parties." The distance was so far and the means of
travel so slow that these visitors were forced to remain
overnight in Maquoketa, but nevertheless, such trips
were a popular diversion.
That these great underground passages were, thousands of
years ago, the homes of prehistoric people has been
proven by the discovery of stone, flint, bone and horn
artifacts which have from time to time been washed out
by flood waters. In pioneer days they served as
hiding places for the outlaws which infested the
northern part of our county, particularly for
horsethieves.
The discovery of these caves dates back a century ago
when Jonathan Bear and David Scott were the first white
men to visit this spot. The men, on a hunting
trip, had started at sunset, up a ravine which led from
the Maquoketa river and they had not proceeded far when
they found the trail of deer. Pursuing the animals
up the gorge they discovered that the ravine seemed to
end abruptly in a rock wall, when suddenly the deer
disappeared into a cave. Building a campfire in
front of the cave to prevent the animals escape, the
hunters prepared for the night. When dayligh
appeared they discovered that there was an outlet at the
other end of the cave, and the deer had escaped.
For 40 years the caves were on the Moorhead land until
about 25 years ago when the site was purchased for a
state park by the State Board of Conservation. In
1933 an additional section of land was purchased and the
park was dedicated on October 13, 1933, Gov. Clyde L.
Herring attending to accept it for the State of Iowa.
Features of the park are the natural bridge which would
be wide enough for a roadway, the 17-ton balanced rock
which rests on a space of a few inches, and the variety
of trees, wild flowers, and ferns. New trails and
similar improvements were erected by the CCC camp when
it was located in Maquoketa, and a lodge is now under
construction.
The dedication committee of 1933 which included the
leaders in the movement for enlarging and improving the
park, included Frank E. Ellis, as chairman; Edw.
Luckiesh, J. H. Curtis, H. roy Sanner, George Anacker,
Ralph McNerney, John Blessing, Mrs. Francis Bowen Myatt,
George Francois, John Hullman, Eugene Mohr, Larry
Guenther, Earl Boyer, Frank Purinton, Louise Maiolfi,
Dr. and Mrs. D. N. Loose, and Mrs. Charles von Schrader.
These postcards of the caves are from the David Shedlock
collection
Burt's Caves Postcard
Back of Postcard
Maquoketa Caves Postcard
Back of Postcard
SOURCE: Jackson Sentinal Centennial Edition - 1938
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