Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988
The definitive history of the community of Anamosa, Iowa, USA
The definitive history of the community of Anamosa, Iowa, USA
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A footbridge at the Wapsipinicon Park in fall of<br />
1923. Burton Brown with his children, Gertrude,<br />
Carolyn. Helen and George. (Photo submitted by Mrs.<br />
Roy Folkerts)<br />
picks, shovels, malls and wheelbarrows.<br />
in May, an additional 14 acres was purchased from<br />
Smith. which would be used for the golf course and<br />
country club. The acre used for the club site and golf<br />
course site was set aside from the deed to the state.<br />
Shortly after the purchase, 118 charter country club<br />
members signed up and plans were formulated for the<br />
construction of a clubhouse.<br />
The first board of directors were George L.<br />
Schoonover, Cliff Niles, J.H. Ramsey. A.B. White, T.E.<br />
Watters and H.H. Gee.<br />
The clubhouse, also built by prison labor, was a<br />
three-year project. Rock for the foundation was taken<br />
from the bluffs overlooking the river and the white oak<br />
logs were hauled with horse-drawn bobsleds during the<br />
winter from a timber up the Buffalo creek. according to<br />
Pearson. The club was formally dedicated in June<br />
1924.<br />
In the summer of 1921. a Boy Scout camp was<br />
established by the Rev. James Kearne of St. Patrick<br />
Church, Cedar Rapids. He brought 30 boys for one<br />
week, and a second group the following week. A strict<br />
regimen and discipline went along with the work,<br />
bathing, excercise and play.<br />
A meeting to reorganize Boy Scouts in <strong>Anamosa</strong> was<br />
held in January 1924. A large log Boy Scout cabin,<br />
located near the country club, was built three years<br />
later. under the leadership of Dr. E.R. Rawson.<br />
<strong>Anamosa</strong> physician, who headed the fund drive. The<br />
cabin was used by several thousand Scouts and also by<br />
Camp Fire groups until 1950, when it was torn down<br />
and replaced with a modern camping lodge.<br />
Meanwhile back at the river, the first summer of<br />
1921, a bathing beach had been established. Sunday<br />
activities, however, ‘sparked the ire of certain radicals’<br />
in the community. who felt that on that day only<br />
religious services should be observed, and the practice<br />
of bathing and its related frivoiities could well be<br />
postponed.<br />
One unnamed official. who had led the park<br />
campaign, wrote to the newspaper, in which he<br />
proclaimed, “Sunday is the only day when farmers and<br />
working people (which could have sparked the ire of the<br />
farmers) can get any benefit of the park. No one will be<br />
restricted from holding religious service: however,<br />
there will be no interference with lawful amusement."<br />
In the first part of March 1922, after working on the<br />
roads most of the winter, a crew of workers began<br />
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Country Club at Wapsipinicon Park (Submitted by<br />
<strong>Anamosa</strong> Historical Society)<br />
improvements on the entrance to Horse Thief Cave,<br />
which was to be used for a tourist attraction. Following<br />
the blasting of one of the large boulders at the entrance.<br />
a quantity of broken bones and ashes were discovered<br />
which ultimately drew nationwide attention.<br />
A.D. “Gus” Corcoran, of <strong>Anamosa</strong>, a student of<br />
anthropology, had had his eye on the cave years before<br />
the blasting. He was called in on the discovery. His<br />
records, sent to the State Historical Society over 50<br />
years ago, tells what followed. Portions of these records<br />
from the Charles R. Keyes collection are reprinted<br />
through the courtesy of the Society. Corcoran wrote.<br />
“The Board (conservation) was requested to send an<br />
expert to preserve what might be of interest the<br />
expert failing to appear, Mayor Frank Johnson<br />
requested me to act in that capacity.<br />
“The work was begun March 13, 1922, and<br />
continued four days. There were nine human<br />
skeletons, all buried in sitting posture facing the<br />
entrance, flve with full set of milk teeth, one infant.<br />
one with wisdom teeth just even with the jaw. One large<br />
skeleton near the center of the cave under a mound of<br />
charcoal mostly burned, top of mound 20 inches below<br />
surface. One child. 30 inches, buried with some animal.<br />
not surely identified.’ (Later identified as a wolverine).<br />
One large male near north side of entrance, fairly well<br />
preserved. teeth much worn and entirely devoid of<br />
nerve cavities, base of skull, broad and heavy back, full<br />
and high narrow at top; forehead, very narrow and low;<br />
eye ridges and nose prominent height about 5 foot 3<br />
inches much evidence of cannibalism was found<br />
throughout the cave.<br />
“Four bone awls, very crude, a few stones used for<br />
breaking bones and cracking nuts, and a considerable<br />
number of pieces of pottery were all the domestic<br />
articles found. A great number of mussel shells were in<br />
evidence from top to bottom: nearly five bushels of<br />
animal bones were saved. nearly all broken in small<br />
pieces to get the marrow stalagmite upon the north<br />
wall contained many bones up to the surface I<br />
employed a photographer to take flash pictures of<br />
them, most of them were destroyed by vandals later<br />
on."<br />
Corcoran also reported finding several primitive bone<br />
tools; and pottery shards, arrowheads, flint chips,<br />
buffalo teeth and a large mastadon tusk.<br />
The state gave Corcoran the go-ahead to work for four<br />
days to a depth of four feet, but that was all. This<br />
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