Page 11 - RAGBRAI2014

Independence

7to Guttenburg
Backbone State Park

On the last day of your ride, you will travel and trails. A museum dedicated to the CCC was
around Backbone State Park, located just south opened in 1990 inside the west gate of the park.
of the town of Strawberry Point. As Iowa’s
very first State Park dedicated in 1919, Back- Backbone State Park was listed on the Na-
bone was named for “Devil’s Backbone,” a tional Register of Historic Places as a Historic
steep narrow ridge of dolomitic limestone. The District in 1991 largely because of the CCC struc-
park currently covers over 2,000 acres of heav- tures throughout the park. Several prehistoric
ily wooded terrain. Backbone is famous not sites have also been identified within the park.
only for its natural beauty and outstanding ge-
ology, but also for its stone structures built in For information about Backbone State Park
the 1930s as part of a New Deal program of recreational attractions, check out the Iowa DNR
President Roosevelt known as the Civil- website: www.iowadnr.gov.
ian Conservation Corps (CCC). At
the park, these CCC structures Devil’s stairway
include dams on the Maquo-
keta River, rustic cabins, a
beach and boat house, an
auditorium, bridges, roads,
picnic shelters, rest rooms,

CCC boathouse at Backbone Lake