Julien Dubuque Monument, Dubuque, Iowa

When Julien Dubuque died in March of 1810 the Mesquakie Indians buried him with tribal honors beneath a log mausoleum at the site of this monument. The Julien Dubuque monument was built in 1897, on a high bluff with commanding views of the Mississippi River. It overlooks the Mines of Spain property in the town that would eventually bear Dubuque's name. The site has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.

When Julien Dubuque was exhumed, several other skeltons were found in the site with him. One skeleton was believed to be that of Dubuque's friend and father-in-law, Peosta, chief of the Mesquakie. The remains of Chief Peosta were reburied in a new grave a short distance from Dubuque's new grave site.

The nearby town of Peosta, Iowa, was named for the chief.It is widely thought that Julien Dubuque was married to Cheif Peosta's daughter, Potosa, although there is no historical record that either confirms or denies their marriage.

Both the Dubuque and the Chief Peosta Monuments are in a parklike setting about two miles south of the city of Dubuque and can be reached by following the signs off U.S. Hwy. #52.

Dubuque Star Brewery

This very interesting old building was for many years the home of Dubuque Star beers, established by Joseph Rhomberg in 1898. The brewery was forced to close twice - first by prohibition and later by floods. About four other beers were later produced here including Pickett's Premium Beer and Rhomberg Beer, but each of them eventually failed.

The city of Dubuque has now accquired the building through eminent domain proceedings as part of the riverfront renovation efforts. A winery is now said to be in the process of taking over the property, but as of our visit in August, 2006, it was empty. Still the historic old buliding is interesting to see. The hospitality room of the brewery was featured in the movie F.I.S.T., as well as the 1981 comedy "Take This Job and Shove It."

Cathedral of St. Raphael, Dubuque, Iowa

If you think of all cathedrals as grand ornate buildings which are always open to the public, you may be dissapointed with the Cathedral of St. Raphael in Dubuque, Iowa. It was an impressive structure, and just a couple of blocks up the street from our hotel, but when we walked up to see it the Cathedral was locked up tight. A sign beside the door said that prospective visitors could make an appointment, but it wasn't high enough on our priority list for that.

This is an active parish, mother church of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. Masses are held once daily and three times on Sunday. It is the oldest Christian church of any denomination in Iowa.

Although we couldn't go inside we did enjoy looking at the cathedral grounds. There is an interesting piece of sculputre in a small garden across the street from and in front of the cathedral.

The Dubuque Shot Tower

The Shot Tower in Dubuque, Iowa, is one of the last standing shot towers in the United States. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The tower was built in 1856 to provide lead shot for the military. Molten lead was poured from the top of the tower, where it passed through a grate. The droplets that fell from the grate had relatively uniform size, and the fall provided enough time for the liquid-metal droplet to form into a sphere before landing in the water below. The water cooled the lead to its solid state, retaining the spherical shape.

The development of newer technology for manufacturing amunition made the tower obsolete. It found a new purpose for a while as a fire lookout post to help protect a nearby lumberyard. Fires had severely damaged the city's lumber industry.

The Shot Tower was abandoned as the lumber industry declined, but in 1976 was designated a historic landmark. Today the Shot Tower is part of the ongoing renovations to the riverfront and it still stands as one of the most recognized symbols of the city.

National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium

The National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, Dubuque, Iowa, is the top attraction in the entire state of Iowa and is the one place you MUST see if you visit Dubuque. Karen and I spent a very enjoyable afternoon here, and wished we had had even more time to explore all there is to see.

The Museum is excellent with all the features and displays you might expect and a few that may surprise you. We particularly enjoyed viewing many of the short films shown in various parts of the museum which graphically illustrate the natural and human history of America's greatest river. The aquarium makes no effort to bring you sharks, jellyfish and other creatures of the ocean, but you will find lots of fish and other creatures that inhabit the Mississppi river and its tributaries.

There is also a large outside viewing area where you can see old boats, machines etc, including a boardwalk around a wetlands area were we spied several birds, turtles, and a muskrat.

Pocahontas County Courthouse, Pocahontas, Iowa

Pocahontas County is one the lesser populated of the 99 counties in the State of Iowa. The estimated population in 2004 was 8,112, which was a decrease of -6.35% from the 2000 census.

This is farm country - the heart of America's Breadbasket, where the corn grows so tall that in late summer if forms great walls of tassel-topped greenery along every county road. All of those roads lead to the Pocahontas County Courthouse, the seat of local government.

In the county's 578 square miles there are several other small farm communities in addition to the county seat of Pocahontas. These are: Fonda, Gilmore City, Havelock, Laurens, Palmer, Plover, Rolfe, and Varina. Lots of good hard-working, God-fearing local folks call these communities "Home" and wouldn't think of living anywhere else.

Pocahontas Statue, Pocahontas, Iowa

As you travel along Hwy. 3 on the east end of Pocahontas, be sure to stop and pay your respects to the Powhatan Indian Princess who is the namesake of the city.

The large Pocahontas Statue is just standing there all alone on the side of the road with no interpretative sign or historical marker to tell her story. However, a small plaque near the the tail of her front skirt says that the statue was the 1954 project of Albert J. Shaw and Frank W. Shaw.

I learned that the Shaw family of Pocahontas still maintains the statue, a proud symbol of the town and the county that bears her name. She is said to be the "World's Largest Indian Maiden," standing 25 feet tall and 7 1/2 feet across at the shoulders.

Clinton County Courthouse, Clinton, Iowa

Clinton is a Mississippi River town of about 28,000 people just across the river from Illinois. It is the county seat of Clinton, County, Iowa, Clinton is named in honor of DeWitt Clinton, the seventh Governor of New York State. The town of DeWitt, Iowa is also named for the former New York Governor. Clinton is the center of a small metropolitan area which includes Camanche, Iowa; Fulton, Illinois; and the unincorporated area of East Clinton, Illinois.

Crystal Lake Cave, Dubuque, Iowa

About 3 miles south of Dubuque, off US-52, is Crystal Lake Cave. It is the longest "living" show cavern in the state of Iowa.

The cave was discovered in 1868 when miners drilled 40 feet into the ground searching for lead. They found little of the metal they sought, although rich veins are nearby. But instead in this particular spot they discovered a beautiful cavern. The cave has no known natural entrance, although an occasional bat inside the cave indicates that there must be at least a small natural opening somewhere. In 1932, the late Bernard Markus, (one of the original lead miners), opened the cave to the public, naming it Crystal Lake Cave.

The name is a bit misleading, since the so called "lake" is very small. However, we still enjoyed exploring the cave. There are no large rooms on the tour. Instead you will walk through a maze of narrow passages. I frequently had to duck to keep from hitting my head on the ceiling, and some of the passages required me to turn sideways to negotiate them. This may not be the best cave for people with claustrophobia.Promoters call Crystal Lake Cave a "Matchless wonder." That's an optimistic description since Crystal Lake Cave is surpassed by many other caves I have toured. Still there are several interesting formations and we thought it was worth the visit.

Effigy Mounds National Monument, Iowa

Surveys of northeastern Iowa in the 19th and early 20th centuries documented more than 10,000 earthen mounds of all types. It is thought that most of these were created between 750 and 1,400 years ago by American Indians, or some say by their predecessors. Exactly who built the mounds and what their purpose was is still being debated. The tragedy is that most of the land on which the mounds stood was logged, plowed, and convereted into farmland by early Eurpoean/American settlers. Today fewer than 1,000 (about 10%) of the mounds remain.

Effigy Mounds National Monument was established on October 25, 1949, to protect 206 prehistoric mounds. Thirty-one of these take the form of animal effigies: birds, turtles, lizards, bison and bears. They are in a very picturesque setting, high on bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. It is a place of mystery and wonder.

Fenelon Place Elevator, Dubuque, Iowa

The Fenelon Place Elevator is the cheapest thrill in Dubuque, and it is a "Must" for those who visit the city. For only $2.00 (round trip) you can take a unique ride on "the world's shortest, steepest, scenic railway."

The Elevator was originally built in 1882 by local businessman J.K. Graves, for his personal convenience in traveling from his home to his place of work and back. However, it was soon opened to the public.

The 296 feet of track elevates passengers 189 feet from Fourth Street to Fenelon Place, connecting the downtown area of Dubuque with an older residential area. From the top you will thrill to a magnificent view of the historic Dubuque business district, the Mississippi River and three states - Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois.

At the top, I asked a ticket agent how they could claim to be the "steepest" when the Incline Railway between Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga, Tennessee also claims to be the steepest railway in the world. He explained to me that the Fenelon Place Elevator is the "shortest, steepest" while the Incline Railway in Tennessee is much longer.

The Elevator operates daily from 8 a.m. till 10 p.m.