Address: 1838 IA-86 Wahpeton Iowa 51360 United States
Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ From the earliest days of visitors to the Iowa Great Lakes, the bluff on West Okoboji’s west side seemed to be the highest point in Iowa…or was it? SPOILER: It isn’t—Hawkeye Point near Ocheyedan holds that honor—but that didn’t stop property owners and area promoters from perpetuating the Read More »
Address: 1005 West St Milford Iowa 51351 United States
Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ Floete Mansion Franklin Floete was a successful lumberman in the grandest style, and he demonstrated it to the world when, in 1917, he built a mansion on the west shore of West Lake Okoboji. Owner of more than 20 lumber yards throughout South Dakota and Iowa—including yards in Read More »
Address: 1736 170th Ave Spirit Lake Iowa 51360 United States
Information provided by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources _ Standing on a vista overlooking the expansive Cayler Prairie, it’s easy to imagine bison – the icon of the open prairie – at home on this historic area. The 1,200-acre rolling prairie complex in Dickinson County, a short three miles west of West Okoboji Lake, Read More »
Address: 1704 Edgewood Dr Milford Iowa 51351 United States
Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ Golf at Its Finest The West Okoboji Golf and Country Club was founded in 1917, disappeared after WW II and was reincarnated in 1949 as the Prairie Gold Area Boy Scout Camp. Today, much of the original 9 holes—enlarged to 18 at some point—have been allowed to return Read More »
Address: 564 Sunset Dr Arnolds Park Iowa 51331 United States
Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ LEGACY OF THE ARNOLDS PARK HOTEL Wesley B. Arnold was no dummy. He saw that with planned railroad land coming within yards of his house that overlooked West Okoboji, there would be some opportunity coming to town. When workers began arriving to perform grading and build the trestle Read More »
Address: 2506 Okoboji Blvd West Okoboji Iowa 51351 United States
Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ This small water body is part of the Iowa DNR’s Garlock Slough Wildlife Management Area on both sides of Hwy. 86. In the distance to the north are the Jones Beach area—once a popular resort area originally called Milford Beach — and Pocahontas Point, settled by vacationers from Read More »
Address: 2463 190th St Spirit Lake Iowa 51360 United States
Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed. _ OKOBOJI’S FORGOTTEN TRAPSHOOTING MASTER Trapshooters Fred ‘Dood’ Gilbert and Johnny Jahn…those are familiar names in the area, and deservedly so. But did you know there was another? Charles W. Budd of Des Moines is now largely forgotten, but he was once an unstoppable force among trapshooters in the Read More »
Address: 1868 210th St Milford Iowa 51351 United States
Information provided by The Nature Conservancy _ This area contains geological formations known as kettleholes. Historically, these were formed when giant blocks of ice from glaciers fell off and melted, making large bowl- shaped indentations in the ground. These unique geological formations make this preserve one of the more popular in the state. It often Read More »
Address: 9V7W+HJ Arnolds Park Iowa 51331 United States
Wetland complexes of this size and diversity give us an idea of how the prairie pothole region may have looked and functioned when Euro-American settlers first came to Northwest Iowa. This site is one of the largest Waterfowl Production Areas in the state. This vast complex has lake, marsh and upland areas that are home Read More »
Address: 1501 Okoboji Blvd Milford Iowa 51351 United States
Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ In the days when dancing was all the rage, Terrace Park’s Casino Ballroom claimed to be one of the most popular night spots in northwest Iowa. Opened in 1923—the same opening time at Arnolds Park’s Roof Garden Ballroom, ironically—the Casino offered nightly dancing, a bathhouse for changing into Read More »
Address: 9WRJ+XH Spirit Lake Iowa 51360 United States
Historical information provided by Daughters of the American Revolution _ The family of Joel Howe and his wife and six children were murdered by the Spirit Lake massacre marauders. The cabin was located on the east shore of East Okoboji Lake, about four miles distance from the Gardner site. The marker is placed on the Read More »
Address: 2146 230th Ave Milford Iowa 51351 United States
Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ Until a series of floods came along, Old Town Milford was known for its dam and grist mill. The town was relocated one mile to the north, on the new Milwaukee Railroad line. A series of dams to control water level was repeatedly dynamited over the years by Read More »
Address: 20809 Blue Water Dr Spirit Lake Iowa 51360 United States
Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ Triboji Beach/Lazy Lagoon Lazy Lagoon was part of the Triboji development between the Percival family and the Sioux City Tribune, which helped promote investment in the property beginning in 1928. The lagoon was dug as a shelter for boats during rough weather. Businessman Alex Percival had established a Read More »
Address: 74 monument drive Arnolds Park Iowa 51331 United States
Historical information provided by Daughters of the American Revolution and State Historical Society _ Originally from Seneca, New York, the Rowland Gardners, nine members in all, came to the Spirit Lake region by covered wagon in 1856. In 1857, amidst rising tensions between Native Americans and new settlers, 13-year-old Abbie Gardner’s family was killed by Read More »
Address: 1769 260th Ave Spirit Lake Iowa 51360 United States
The oldest YMCA camp in Iowa Camp Foster YMCA is the oldest YMCA camp in Iowa. Under the name Iowa YMCA Camp, Camp Foster was started in 1912 in Iowa Falls by Leonard Paulson. Paulson, Secretary of the Iowa YMCA, enlisted the help of Thomas Foster in finding a permanent site for the camp. In Read More »
Address: 144 Lakeshore Dr. Arnolds Park Iowa 51331 United States
Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ This early photo shows the Central Emporium dance hall with its walkway shortly after the turn of the century. Zoom in and note the Arnolds Park train station to the right. Not long after this, a hotel was built on the grassy area in the foreground. For over Read More »
Address: 816 26th St Milford Iowa 51351 United States
Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ Northwest Iowa was not graced with many ethnic foods, especially Italian. But for locals and tourists alike, Tony’s Drive-In was hard to pass up. Located just north of Milford at the intersection of Highways 86 and 71 in front of the Lakeland Drive-In Theater, Tony and Almeda Compiano Read More »
Address: Jct. Hwy. 9 & 86, 2048 Hwy 9 Spirit Lake Iowa 51360 United States
Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed and Vick’s Corner World _ Now widely known for its Memorial Day/July 4/Labor Day antique and flea markets, Vick’s Corner Works is an Iowa Great Lakes landmark with its bright orange tile roof and eclectic general store and fishing supplies. ________ Vick’s Corner World Vick’s Corner was started in Read More »
This is a wonderful stop to stretch the legs! Elinor Bedell State Park is one of Iowa’s newer (1998) state parks. It is located on the shores of East Lake Okoboji and represents one of the last remaining open spaces in a region that is among Iowa’s most popular tourist destination. The eighty acre park Read More »
Address: 24457 178th St Okoboji Iowa 51355 United States
Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ Parks Marina’s massive complex sits on the curve that in the 1960s was home to a humble restaurant, The Stake-Out. In addition to good food, it offered a unique innovation: A dock telephone to call in your order to have it underway by the time you walked from Read More »
Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ Pioneer Beach on the east shoreline of East Okoboji was, in fact, settled by area pioneers. James and Susan (Yarnes) Pollard came to northwest Iowa in 1865, establishing a farm on East Okoboji. They had three sons, Albert, Charles, and George; Susan’s brother was Consider A. Yarnes who Read More »
Address: 15809 Furman Rd Spirit Lake Iowa 51360 United States
Historical Information by Facebook user Peg ‘Bayerkohler’ Scheppmann _ What can someone do with some swampland adjacent to beautiful West Lake Okoboji? You dig canals and make a harbor, and that’s what developers did in 1970. Today, the canals provide convenient access to West Okoboji for the many beautiful homes constructed since then. _ Images Read More »
Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ WHO REMEMBERS…seeing trains on the rail lines, visiting the local train depots, or driving under the Arnolds Park viaduct? Spirit Lake was served by two rail lines, and that meant two railway stations. The first to arrive in 1882 was the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern, the same Read More »
Address: 1838 Hwy 86 Wahpeton Iowa 51360 United States
Historical information provided by Iowa Lakeside Laboratory ____ Lakeside’s 147-acre campus is located on scenic West Okoboji Lake, on Little Millers Bay. The bay and adjacent natural areas are used as outdoor classrooms for Lakeside’s university courses and Outreach Programs. The campus is open year round, and visitors are welcome to visit during daylight hours. Read More »
