Keeping Cool in McGregor. EarthCache
Keeping Cool in McGregor.
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The McGregor area of Clayton
County in northeastern Iowa is known for its rugged bluffs along
the scenic Mississippi Valley and its well-preserved 19th century
architecture. In the days before refrigeration, the town's early
residents made innovative use of the bedrock geology composing
these bluffs.
The 400-foot
descent along the main highway into McGregor passes through
numerous rock outcroppings of 450 to 550 million-year-old
limestones and sandstones to the town's flat valley floor. Of
particular interest to residents during the steamboat era were two
prominent sandstone layers that outcropped in the valley, rock
units now referred to as the St. Peter and Jordan formations.
Residents found that the unusually soft, uniform "sand rock" was
easily excavated with hand tools, and that "caves" or "cellars"
carved into these sandstones provided ideal space and cool
temperatures for refrigeration and storage of river ice.
Most of the cellars were carved into the Jordan Sandstone along
the northern end of Main Street, where hotels, taverns, and
apartment buildings backed into small courtyards framed by the
nearly vertical sandstone bluffs. The cellars varied in size and
were entered via arched doorways. Smaller caves, typically
associated with taverns and apartments, were about 20 feet deep and
housed items ranging from food to ammunition. One building even had
two second-story caves, with one connected to the balcony by a
catwalk. Larger, multi-room caverns were excavated for business
interests, especially breweries. For example, the once-flourishing
J. L. Hagensick Brewery, built in 1845 between McGregor and
Marquette, had four cellars cut into the Jordan Sandstone where
most of its 10,000 barrels of annual production were cooled and
aged.
Most of these historic caverns are now
inaccessible because of the deteriorating effects of time and
weather. As one strolls through McGregor, however, several
sandstone entryways remain visible, reminding us of the interesting
and historic influence of local geology on the lives of the people
who lived there.
The posted coordinates will bring
to an example of one of the dwellings that is still visible
today.
Please note
that this dwelling is on private property. At no time should you
venture onto private property without the land owner's permission.
The information required to receive credit for this earthcache can
be obtained from the sidewalk, just outside the fence.
To receive
credit for this EarthCache:
In an e-mail to me-
1.)
Please estimate the height from the ground of this
'dwelling'.
2.) Why do you think the people of McGregor Iowa went
through the time and effort of creating these 'dwellings'?
And
When you log this
EarthCache-
3.) Please, if you
would like, post a picture of yourself/team with your GPS clearly
visible at coordinates:
N43 01.484 W091
10.560
Additional Hints
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