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ELDORA CEDAR FALLS
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Hartman Reserve Nature Center
Located between Cedar Falls and Waterloo, role in the Nature Center’s educational opportuni-
and just 2 miles east of the University of North- ties to inform visitors, students, and researchers
ern Iowa campus, is the Hartman Reserve Nature about northeastern Iowa’s prehistoric past.
Center. In 1938, the local YMCA along with John
C. Hartman purchased 56 acres of forested land, Side-notched arrow point
designated as Camp Hartman Reserve, to use for recovered from the Black
camping and other outdoor programs. The Black Medicine site (13BH164).
Hawk County Conservation Board purchased Point is 17 mm long, 9 mm
the property and officially created the Hartman wide, and has a mass of actual
size
Reserve Nature Center in 1976. The current 0.2 g.
340-acre park consists of heavy woods, restored
prairies, extensive floodplain, and valley bluffs on
the south side of the Cedar River. From 2008 un-
til 2012, archaeological investigations along the
bluff line uncovered prehistoric ceramics, lithic
material, evidence of fire pits, and structural post
molds. Recorded as site 13BH164, the site is in-
terpreted as a seasonal camp and activities here Lane Farm Cord Impressed
may have included nut boiling or maple syrup vessel, recovered from
processing. This site and the Hartman Archaeol- excavations at Hartman
ogy Research Program continues to play a pivotal Reserve.