Going Out in Style

A dark subject for today - the last ride. Sometimes around 42N country you may see an atypical funeral procession compared to the more common automotive hearse and line of followers. Sometimes the ride from the service to the cemetery involves horse drawn wagons because the deceased was connected to farming, ranching, or other horse-related occupations.

This horse-drawn hearse was built in the 1890s and used from 1903 to 1913 in the small town of Spillville, Iowa. It was last employed in an official capacity during 2001. An interesting feature of this enclosed glass window wagon is a set of encased ball bearings for moving caskets in and out.

So in the end you could order the following: hitch a dark horse or two to this hearse, put a driver on the seat with a dark duster and stove pipe hat, then roll in a simple wooden casket. This is what people a hundred years ago opted for to travel in style to their final resting place. Its still an option. Know that.

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A Postcard from the Road

What are the odds in finding a 42N postcard these days?  Pretty much zero -unless I create one. So here is a road scene from US Route 151 southbound near Springville, Iowa that I took yesterday and transformed it into a postcard. Sidebar: I am looking into how to create those multi-photo images that make up letters and numerals you see on state greeting cards.

With above average rains for the summer and relaxed state maintenance budgets, Queen Anne's Lace can be seen flourishing in the median along much of the highway. Though considered a noxious weed by the USDA, the Iowa DOT uses the June through August bloomer as a decorative element to slow grass growth. Queen Anne's Lace is considered a carrot growing in a land filled with corn and soybeans. Know that.

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Look in the Sky. Its a Bird. Its a Plane. Its Actually a Brunner Winkle Bird

Look around 42N country and you will find surprises. At the back of a hanger located close to small town Iowa is this modest looking biplane. But this is no ordinary biplane. Its a Brunner Winkle Bird - a what you ask?

A Brunner Winkle Bird is a one of the first few models of non-military biplanes made for recreational use. The company produced some 240 of the Bird models from 1928 to 1931. Because of the plane's reliability and simplicity, Charles Lindbergh taught Anne Morrow Lindbergh to fly in a Bird at the Long Island Aviation Country Club in Hicksville, NY.

Today's hanger tour yielded a restoration work in progress. Someone is performing maintenance on the Bird's engine by removing the pistons for cleaning. While each piston is carefully marked so that parts are not mixed up, an examination of the piston heads reveal layers of carbon buildup. Although cleaning may sound like a daunting task the actual process is straight forward and can lead to a pickup of horsepower for this 90-hp rated engine.

Right now this Bird isn't going anywhere fast. The pistons, overhead cylinder heads and various parts look like they were just pulled. If you were an 80 year old plane you would want someone to keep your engine and working parts in great condition. Once cleaned, repaired, re-assembled and checked out, the engine will be good for more hours of 88-105 mph cruising around our favorite latitude. Know that.

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Timetable for Riding on the City of New Orleans

In 1972, singer Arlo Guthrie put Illinois Central's Chicago-to-New Orleans rail streamliner on the national map with a recording of a song written by Steve Goodman. Riding on the City of New Orleans is basically about the demise of traditional rail passenger service.

Recently 42N found an Illinois Central timetable for passenger service. In 1966, the line ran multiple routes primarily throughout the middle portion of the USA. In addition to the City of New Orleans the IC passenger streamliners included names like the Panama Limited, City of Miami, Green Diamond, Land O'Corn, Chickasaw, Southern Express, Louisiane, Northeastern Limited, Southwestern Limited, No. 108, and the Hawkeye.

Lyrics to the song (found here) describe leaving Chicago on Monday morning with 15 sacks of mail, pulling out of Kankakee, and then running down to the Mississippi Delta. This April 1966 timetable lists the City of New Orleans leaving Kankakee at 8:40 A.M. for all you railroad purests.

Today the train runs as a part of Amtrak and delivers passengers from the Windy City to the Big Easy and back. A modern timetable can be found here. Know that.

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Abandoned Nineteenth-Century Fort in Iowa: Fort Atkinson

A bit north of 42N country, near Decorah and Spillville, Iowa is a bluff that overlooks a river. Here (43.14 N, 91.93 W) in 1840 the feds built a fort to house a garrison of a couple hundred troops needed to patrol the newly created neutral ground (not the neutral zone for all you trekkies) between displaced Winnebago natives (from Wisconsin) and their traditional native enemies. After Fort Atkinsonwas abandoned a small town was established named after the fort. Recently the 42N staff made a quick visit noting to return another time.

During its offical service the fort saw no armed fights take place either here or in the vicinity.

Fort Atkinson received its orders from Fort Crawford at Prairie du Chien, WI, 50 miles away. In 1849 the garrison was ordered to serve in the Mexican-American War and the fort was abandoned. Today in a building on the northern wall of the fort a museum store is now housed.

The State reclaimed the fort in the 20th century and has transformed it into a preserve. Re-enactment actors periodically camp here and help visitors understand the time period and mission of the Iowa 1st dragoons.

In the fort's powder room interior square air vents where offset aligned with exterior wall vents to keep the powder dry and to prevent any sparks causing direct ignition. Bathroom privies were located a few feet away from this door.

Outside the walls of the fort immediately to the north were stables, housing for married men's family who often followed their spouse, a blacksmith shop and farms. Located about a mile northwest of the fort was a cemetery.

Periodically the site's ground is probed to learn how its inhabitants lived. Pottery, clay pipes, glass bottles, imported china, game pieces and small musical instruments have been found along with a few military items.


If you are looking for forts where fighting took place check out other sites around the country. So far there have been no reported battles at or near the Fort Atkinson.

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Riding on the City of Los Angeles

Located in the 42N's central part of the hawkeye state (Iowa) is the Boone and Scenic Valley rail line found at 42.04°N, 93.89°W. Behind a restored locomotive is the streamliner passenger car, the City of Los Angeles. The car was placed into service during 1936 on the Union Pacific line. Today you can take a ride on the car periodically. 

While this passenger train won't be gone five hundred miles when the day is done, it is something that you can walk through, ride occasionally, and just guess how it felt to commute from coast to coast a half a century ago on the rails. Know that.

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Bily Clock Museum - Smithsonian Quality Handcrafted Clocks from Smalltown USA

Forget everything you associate with small town America. Located in the Iowa "Swiss Alps" is the 386-person town of Spillville in NE Iowa - just north of the 42N heliopause influence (43°12′09″N, 91°57′07″W.) Spillville is noted for being the 1893 summer residence for Czech composer, Antonin Dvorak (who refined his New World Symphony there after composing the work in NYC) and for being the location of the oldest Czech Catholic church in America (St. Wenceslaus - built in 1860.) Spillville also can boast of offering a special collection that is worthy of any of the world's finest museums.

Beginning in the 1910s through the 1940s, the local Bily brothers created large-scaled handcrafted clocks from imported and local woods. Their creations are now on display at the Bily Clock Museum where you can view several clocks and hear how each was inspired and constructed.

Docent Adie Kuhn (above) explained how the farming brothers (left) studied books about America's history, the Bible and other references to create their magnificent towering wooden clocks. She explained how the wood was chosen, ordered and shipped by rail to the Spillville area where the brothers received the raw materials and created extraordinary time pieces in their spare time.

On Thursday, July 2nd Adie stood in front of the brother's 1927 American Pioneer History masterpiece time tower. She explained how each panel displays a different scene from the past such as the westward movement, railroads, Revolutionary War and many other vignettes. Adie recounts how industrialist Henry Ford once offered the Bilys $1 million for the clock. The brothers never sold that clock or any of their other timely creations. When asked whether these clocks should be displayed at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., our docent replied in true 42N fashion, "Shh, we want to keep our treasure in this part of the world." Know that.

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Happy Fourth of July from the American Midwest

While our favorite 42N country recipient of July 4th best wishes was miles away, we found this young patriot trying to cool Hanson's Grove antique seekers. After 30 years of shows on Independence Day, the nearby town of Mt. Vernon also closed its street to vehicles to make room for a score or two of antique and flea market vendors - most of it on the historic Lincoln Highway. It was a day to buy some real history or chow down on holiday food. Know that.

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Pegasus Flys Over 42N Country

Pegsus, the winged horse takes form throughout 42N country and surrounding latitudes. In Duluth, Minnesota (46.79°N 92.1°W) is a Pegasus Mobil Oil design which is located near the aerial bridge area. This red sign is attached to a restaurant building's exterior and at night the glow of neon outlines the iconic logo.

Meanwhile 358 miles away in Galena, Illinois, (42.43°N 90.41°W) a weather vane atop the Flying Horse restaurant points to the way of the wind. Both the Duluth and Galena examples are associated with eateries. Perhaps the potential for eye catching graphics and ideas of flights of fancy lures customers to these restaurants. Know that.

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12,000 Years of Ojibwe History Packed in One Corner

Imagine the end of the last ice age in North America. The generally accepted end of the ice sheets in the upper Midwest (Minnesota in particular) is estimated to be about 12,500 summers ago. Evidence of human activity correlates to this period.

Unexpectedly located at the Northern Lights Casino on the southside of Leech Lake, Minnesota by the town of Walker, is a corner area near the adjoining hotel which is devoted to the history of the Leech Lake Band Of Ojibwe and surrounding land.

One display contains an assortment of tools used by humans as far as 12,000 years ago. Two copper lances (numbers 1 and 5 above - click the photo to see a larger version) are estimated to be between 8,500 and 12,000 years old in what is called the Paleo Period. By comparison other humans are thought to have arrived in Ireland 9,000 years ago (7,000 BC) following its glaciation period. This means that Minnesota hosted human inhabitants before european tribes from the south and east arrived in Ireland. Interesting to say the least.

What is remarkable is the use of copper from Minnesota or nearby Michigan that was tooled to resemble stone worked points. Equally remarkable is that two of these points exist today and are displayed in this case.

The corner museum also displays more modern history and the abundance of wild life in the area. One important exhibit element is the bald eagle. These birds nest around the lake in substantial numbers and are regarded as symbolic and spiritual creatures.

This corner of Ojibwe history and culture should be put on your must see list if you visit the area. While the actual square footage is very small, the amount of information contained in the display cases and shown via a large screen monitor is well worth the effort to locate and study. Know that.

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Welcome to Minnesota Waters - DNR Officers Visit 42N Country

On Tuesday a black, 90-hp Lund boat approached the 42N vessel on Leech Lake, Minnesota. Two Minnesota state conservation officers asked us to reel in and then slid up to our boat. The officers were on the third largest in-land lake in Minnesota to check fishing licenses and live-well contents. The 42N party was, of course, in compliance license-wise and did not have any fish aboard in the live-wells at the time.

The two officers came from Grand Rapids and Park Rapids, Minnesota for a day of lake patrol. Their black dog, Jack was only curious about our boat rather than aggressive.

While the officers' demeanor was polite they carefully checked our licenses and live-well thoroughly.

Had we been hostile about the situation we would have answered to a side arm or taser - not the kind of fishing trip you dream about. Know that.

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Largest Mega-Length Lake Freighter Delights Duluth, Minnesota Audience

Some seven degrees of latitude north of 42N country, the Paul R. Tregurtha makes her way out of Duluth Harbor on June 23rd under the aerial lift bridge. The lake freighter is the longest vessel on the Great Lakes measuring in at 1,013’ 06” - that's 3.37 football fields long! On this day the harbor horn sounded indicating the bridge lifting. That event was followed by the sighting of the departing vessel by people near the canal wall. Within minutes the stupidly-long ship silently glided past the crowd and onto Lake Superior. 

Have you ever wanted to be a guest aboard a 1,000 footer even for just a few days?

Here's your chance. Enter this contest to possibly win a 5-1/2 day voyage on a Great Lakes ship during the summer of 2011. Just think, you could be aboard and waving back to the Duluth crowd while heading for one of 63 commercial ports on the Great Lakes. How cool. Know that.

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Flag Day 2010 Celebrated in the USA

June 14th is Flag Day across the United States including this display in 42N country. Get your flag out of storage and let it fly. Send me photos of you and your flag flying. Know that.

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Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick

A colorful treatment for an abandoned rail station located in Keokuk, Iowa. This station may have seen President Theodore Roosevelt arrive and depart while on any of three historic stops in Keokuk in the early 1900s. Except for rail car storage this area is now off limits to the public. Bully. Know that.

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The Longest Day: D-Day Plus 66 Years

Operation Overlord commenced on June 6, 1944 as Allied forces came ashore in Normandy, France, against Hitler’s Fortress Europe. In 2010 debate still exists over the invasion’s casualty figures with no official number or list available. One estimate is that more than 425,000 Allied and German troops were killed, wounded, or went missing during the battle including more than 209,000 Allied casualties. Roughly 200,000 German troops killed or wounded, the Allies also captured 200,000 soldiers. French civilian casualties during the Battle of Normandy are estimated to be between 15,000 and 20,000.

Today the site of one of the fiercest fights of the invasion, Pointe Du Hoc is under attack of a different kind. The bluff itself is suffering from natural erosion and the stress of up to 500,000 visitors a year. Preservation efforts are currently underway to shore up the bluff and save it for generations.

Pointe Du Hoc is a cliff rising west of Normandy’s Omaha beach. American Ranger soldiers under tremendous enemy fire landed on the beach, scaled the cliffs and eventually took out the Nazi howitzers aimed at the landing area.

The price the Rangers paid was steep - the contribution they made to take down tyranny was great. President Ronald Reagan knew how to say it best. Read his 1984 speech on the 40th anniversary ceremony here or watch a composite video here. Know that.

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What's With the Fess Parker Connection?

In the past eight months a series of seemingly random events/things have presented themselves to me in a peculiar manner regarding Fess Parker. 

Last October after travelling the roads of northern Virginia all day we stopped for the night in Winchester before winding back to 42N country in Iowa. In a town filled with George Washington, French Indian War, Revolutionary War and Civil War monuments we found a seafood restaurant to try one more east coast dinner before heading back to the plains. Along with the lobster and crab dinner we ordered a wine from the Fess Parker Winery. That was our first time to see the vineyard product offered anywhere so we just had to try it. Very good. Months later I learned that Winchester, VA was the birthplace for Rebecca Bryan, the wife of Daniel Boone. Fess Parker played the Daniel Boone character on TV during the early 1960s.

In February 2010 while at a local thrift store I found a 78 rpm record of Fess Parker singing the Davy Crockett theme song from the Disney movie series. I posted the record being played as a video on March 20th following the death of Fess Parker.

And so on Monday (Memorial Day 2010) while visiting the Keokuk National Cemetery, we also stopped at a local antique store. Somewhere in the 40-some dealer booth complex I found an official program from the 1966 Tri-State Rodeo in nearby Fort Madison, Iowa. The Tri-State Rodeo, part of the Rodeo Cowboys Association, regularly brought in big star names and entertainment acts for the three day event. While flipping through the program booklet that featured Fess Parker as Daniel Boone on its cover, I found a slip of paper tucked inside. The paper contained Fess Parker's autograph - yes, the real McCoy. He appeared at the rodeo along with the Boonesvilles, a New Christy Minstrels-like singing group.  

I don't know why these Fess-centered coincidences continue to happen but I'll be on the lookout for a coonskip cap or a meeting with Ed "Mingo" Ames.

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World War II Medal of Honor Recipient Buried at Keokuk National Cemetery

Ten service personnel who have Iowa connections were recipients of the country's highest military decoration - the Medal of Honor during World War II. The award celebrates valor in action against an enemy force which is bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States.

At the Keokuk National Cemetery, among the 4,000 war dead, the grave of one soldier carries the special distinction. U.S. Army Private First Class John F. Thorson was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumously) following his sacrifice during World War II. 

Thorson's offical citation reads, "He was an automatic rifleman on 28 October 1944, in the attack on Dagami Leyte, Philippine Islands. A heavily fortified enemy position consisting of pillboxes and supporting trenches held up the advance of his company. His platoon was ordered to out-flank and neutralize the strongpoint. Voluntarily moving well out in front of his group, Pvt. Thorson came upon an enemy fire trench defended by several hostile riflemen and, disregarding the intense fire directed at him, attacked single-handed He was seriously wounded and fell about 6 yards from the trench. Just as the remaining 20 members of the platoon reached him, one of the enemy threw a grenade into their midst. Shouting a warning and making a final effort, Pvt. Thorson rolled onto the grenade and smothered the explosion with his body. He was instantly killed, but his magnificent courage and supreme self-sacrifice prevented the injury and possible death of his comrades, and remain with them as a lasting inspiration."

According to the Iowa Medal of Honors Heros section of the Iowa History web site John Thorson, Sr., accepted his son’s Medal of Honor in a ceremony at Fort Crook, Nebraska, presented by Brig. Gen. Paul X. English of the 7th Division. The Women’s Army Corps band from Fort Des Moines played a concert before the ceremony. A newspaper report about the ceremony reported that, “The father clutched the medal tightly in hands gnarled by a life-time of work on the farm as he walked back across the parade ground after the ceremony.”

A year after the war ended, a Red Cross club in Korea was named in John Thorton's honor, and a U.S. Navy vessel (cargo ship) was also named for him. To locate Pvt. Thorson's grave, visit the cemetery in Keokuk and proceed to section D, grave 71. He is buried in a World War II section. Know that.

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Memorial Day 2010: Keokuk National Cemetery

Iowa's only designated national cemetery is located in Keokuk, at the extreme southeastern tip of the state, on the Mississippi River. The town served as a staging point for upper Midwest Union soldiers massing for transportation south during the Civil War. During that era, Keokuk hospitals were built to serve the wounded from the Union and prisoners from the Confederate States of America (CSA.)

When soldiers of either side died at the medical facilities their bodies were interred at what became the Keokuk National Cemetery - one of twelve original national cemeteries designated by the U.S. Congress.

During this Memorial Day weekend US flags and a couple dozen or so CSA flags were placed at Civil War era soldiers' graves. The cemetery serves as the final resting place for some 4000 soldiers, sailors and air force personnel from other military conflicts (Spanish American War, World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War and Iraq) and peacetime service. Each grave received a US flag also. 

A ceremony honoring all veterans was held yesterday near the Civil War area of the cemetery. Sunday was the original Decoration Day meant to honor Civil War dead, then later changed to a Monday and called Memorial Day to honor the American military fallen from all eras.

Today's warm weather brought people to pay respects to their military family members and friends.

Many visitors walked to a particular grave or along the long rows of identical white marble markers to get a sense of who fought for this country's freedom. 

While the Keokuk National Cemetery represents a formal resting place for the nation's military dead and their spouses there was yet another location nearby that brought the idea of sacrifice and service into immediate focus.

Just a couple of miles to the east of the cemetery is the Mississippi River. A massive bridge spans the river connecting Iowa to Illinois. Under the bridge on the Iowa side is the George M Verity River Museum just a few feet from the mighty Mississippi. Along the rip-rap rocky shore are places where people fish or sit to watch the river.

By the museum I spotted a small vinyl American flag and went to investigate. Anchoring the flag is a square wooden piece of driftwood. On the board, was a message written in pencil from a daughter to her father, who passed away ten days ago on May 21st in Utah.

The daughter's father was a three time World War II ace pilot who served in Europe flying P-51 (Mustang) against Germany. He was shot down twice and was rescued by the French and Belgium underground. He returned to the States following the war, completed college, and went on to invent and improve processes in the commercial sector of construction. He will be buried in Utah.

Whether a grave marker is made of white marble and is part of a dedicated military cemetery or a memorial tribute constructed of simple materials, the sentiment is the same - honor those who protected this country. Know that.

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Slow Day At Mississippi River Lock and Dam No. 11

With temperatures approaching 90 degrees today many people looked for water-based entertainment this weekend.

Being the first really hot weekend of the season there was substantial recreational boat traffic on the Mississippi River at the Port of Dubuque, Iowa below Lock and Dam No. 11.

While a small group of river watchers gathered at the Lock's observation platform they were rewarded with views of people fishing on the Wisconsin side, flying pelicans and floating cormorants during the early afternoon.

A van load of adults from a special needs home departed after reporting no boats had transited the passage way for the hour and a half while they were enjoying a picnic lunch on the platform.

A short time later sirens blared, upriver gates closed, the pool dropped from 15 feet to 8 feet and the downriver gates opened. This allowed two recreational boats to enter the lock, approach the side wall and begin the lift experience.

One boater knew the lock attendant and chatted him up about fixing his pickup truck. Three people in one boat and four in the second made the tally for this particular transit. 

"Taxpayer dollars at work," exclaimed one observer on the platform under her breath as the pool rose and gates opened upriver allowing the two craft to speed off. Know that.

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USAF Transport Lands in Cedar Rapids Ahead of Vice President Visit

An USAF transport plane landed at the 42N's airport today along with a jet fighter escort. Most likely the transport is the advanced security support for Vice President Joe Biden's (D) visit to Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, May 17th. The VP will be in town to join Iowa Governor Chet Culver's (D) re-election announcement tour of the state. The two politicians and other party officials will be at a ceremony in Green Square Park located in downtown Cedar Rapids. Most national politicians visit Iowa and Cedar Rapids in particular during the campaign season. June's 2010 primary also opens the 2012 presidential election season here in Iowa.

Its been well over a decade since the last airshow at the Eastern Iowa Airport. These political trips by high ranking officials allows chance sightings of one of the nation's finest military transport jets and the security detail that protects all. Know that.

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Skylab's Shaky Start - 37 Years Ago

Unmanned Skylab 1 lifted off from Cape Kennedy, Florida 37 years ago on May 14, 1973. Within the first few minutes of launch the last Saturn V rocket configuration shook so much that the third stage laboratory (Skylab) began losing exterior components. Following the craft’s insertion into Earth orbit ground controllers discovered the loss of the micrometeor shield and one of two solar panels.

Without the shield and substantial loss of electrical generating capacity, Skylab began to heat up internally and posed a problem for the crew’s arrival in a few days. High temperatures inside the spacecraft, it was theorized could have produced poisonous toxins, and lead to loss of equipment and supplies.

Scientists, engineers, astronauts and management took ten days to study the problem, come up with a fix, and train the three man crew. The mission launch of astronauts Pete Conrad, Joe Kerwin and Paul Weitz took place on May 25th to repair the ailing station and begin a new chapter in extended earth orbit stay. Once in orbit the crew deployed a parasol to shade the lab’s exterior. The remaining stuck solar panel was dislodged by the crew after snipping a metal band that held the collapsed panel in place. Following the initial repair drama the crew stayed in orbit for 28 days setting endurance records.


Skylab’s launch was an exciting new chapter in the American space program following the close of the Apollo moon missions. After the last three-man crew vacated Skylab in early 1974 the US conducted the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project joint mission with the Soviets in 1975 utilizing the last remaining Saturn IB rocket.

Six years later NASA rolled out the Space Shuttle program to continue earth orbit exploration. The unmanned Skylab vehicle eventually fell out of orbit and was mostly destroyed during re-entry with some pieces surviving on July 11, 1979 - long enough to strike Australia. Years later Russia revealed that it had constructed its own space shuttle, the Buran to among other things capture the vacated Skylab and return it to the Soviet Union for analysis.

As the Space Shuttle program winds down there is much debate politically, economically and scientifically about the direction of American manned space exploration.

One thing is sure; Skylab’s contributions directly enhanced the International Space Station’s mission (along with the Soviet Mir program) and undoubtedly will lead to long range space exploration vehicles and living habitats – be it in earth orbit, the surface of the moon or one day on Mars. Know that.

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V-E Day Plus 65 Years

On May 8th, 1945 Germany surrendered to the Allies thus ending World War II in Europe. A few days earlier General George Patton and the U.S. Third Army halted his eastern advance at Pilsen, Czechoslovakia.

Sixty-five years after the surrender let us not forget the sacrifice millions of soldiers and civilians made in defence of Europe during World War II. These people helped preserve freedom for millions today. We say thank you in our small way.

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Palisades Hotel Comes to an End

On Monday, May 3, 2010 the century old plus Palisades Hotel (near Mount Vernon, Iowa) was no more than a memory. Demolition crews took down the aging structure in just three hours after months of planning. Officials from FEMA, Iowa DOT and the State Archaeological office were present to supervise the deconstruction.

The structure was built in the 1880s and was known as the Cedar Springs Hotel. Its original guests were railroad employees working on a nearby quarry. At the end of its existence the hotel's walls, floors, roof and interior material were trucked away to Site Number 1 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for an unceremonious burial in what is locally known as Mount Trashmore.

Property owner, Patrica Biderman, whose grandfather, Adoph Biderman purchased the hotel in 1914 was present to see the landmark come down. "I will miss the old lady. It was a fun place growing up."

About 30 minutes before the hotel was finally leveled, I went to get the Cedar River view of the property before it all came down. Pat sat on the seat of one of the swings to watch the activity. I suspect it was some place she used to play many years ago.

A cloud of demolition dust was temporarily lighted for a few seconds before disappearing - perhaps indicating a last dramatic visual before 120 years plus of history was plowed down.

At exactly 10:00 A.M. the Link-Belt excavator took down the last major structure of the hotel, leaving nothing but a pile of rubble where once a historic hotel stood. Special payload covered trucks hauled away debris Monday and Tuesday to finally complete the project save for the regrading of the site and access area.

Palisades Hotel was the place to go long before the convenience of getting there was possible. The hotel stood 20 years or so before the Lincoln Highway was built nearby and many more years before modern State Highway 30 came even closer. Better roads and more reliable cars made visiting other sites around the region more accessible, and eventually helped lead the hotel into retirement in the 1950s.

The demolition of the Palisades Hotel (aka Cedar Springs Hotel, Upper Palisades Hotel, Palisades Hotel, Biderman Hotel, and Old Dutch Inn) marks the end of an era when this site served as a gathering place for legions of students, families and relaxation seekers including poet Carl Sandburg and vaudevillians the Cherry Sisters nearly a hundred years ago. Know that.

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