Early History of the Land
Ledges State Park as we know it today began to form with the retreat of the Des Moines Lobe Glacier. The melting of that glacier established the Des Moines River and its tributaries over 10,000 years ago. This meltwater carved through the glacial deposits (sediments left behind by the glacier as it grew and retreated over time) and bedrock, shaping the picturesque bluffs, unique scalloped ledges and smooth rock faces characteristic of the park.
Archeological evidence found in the park has shown human use of the land dating back at least 4,000 years. At the time of European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Thakiwaki (Sauk), Meskwaki (Fox), and Dakota (Sioux) peoples. The land’s indigenous inhabitants likely used the land for a wide variety of purposes, including hunting and gathering, cultural and ceremonial practices, travel and trade, shelter and temporary camps, and resource utilization. The land has long served as a center for human interaction with nature and provided a wealth of resources to the region’s inhabitants. Ledges State Park serves to continue the land’s legacy as a hub for people to connect with the natural world.
The Ledges Association
On November 14, 1919, a group of individuals interested in establishing “The Ledges” as a state park spent most of the day touring the grounds, led by Board of Conservation Director Louis Pammel, who highlighted the land’s unique geology and plant diversity. That evening, the group of about 50 gathered at a banquet in Boone, tendered by the Boone Chamber of Commerce in the Elks club room.
Pammel spoke first and stressed the importance of designating unique natural areas such as Ledges as state parks. The second speaker – a Board of Conservation member – focused on the urgency of securing these natural areas before they were destroyed. The third speaker – also a Board of Conservation member – spoke about the history of the land and the need to preserve natural areas like Ledges as they were diminishing quickly from the Iowa landscape. This historical analysis described an Iowa untouched by the plow, uncrowded by invasive species, and inhabited by Native Americans. It was a depiction of untouched resources that most everyone of the day could picture because they had been witness to it.
Secretary of the Ames Commercial Club pledged support, saying, “It is as much our playground as yours, and we want to see its beauties perpetuated and continued as a place where we can go and take our families, have a day of real enjoyment away from the hum of city life and the cares of business.”
The most significant outcome of the meeting was the establishment of The Ledges Association. Fred W. Crary was named Chairman of the Association and was authorized to appoint a committee – within a week – of representatives from different cities and towns to formulate plans for securing a necessary amount of ground to establish the park.
Immediately following the meeting, Crary got to work and held a subsequent meeting on Monday, November 17, 1919 at the Chamber of Commerce to formulate a plan. Although nothing significant came from this meeting, Crary began sending letters in earnest. He wrote letters to various communities asking that local committees form to take charge of the work in their communities.
These committees set to work raising funds and sparking interest in landowners to sell. From late 1919 through 1920, the Ledges Association raised over $16,000 to put toward the purchase of park land. The Association developed a plan for park development that they used to sell the idea of designating The Ledges as a state park, of which the primary point was reforestation. This being a primary goal hints at the likelihood that the entire Ledges area was heavily logged after settlement. Other key points to their plan included establishing good roads, creating a sanctuary for wildlife, and establishing camping and picnic areas.
Land Acquisition for the Park
The original land purchased to be designated as a park consisted of 643.66 acres, which was acquired from January through September of 1921 for a total of $65,079.25.
From 1919 to 1920, $16,248.77 was raised and contributed by local residents and community members for the purpose of land acquisition, and the state appropriated $6,000 in late 1920 to purchase 60 acres. $42,746.32 was then set aside in 1921 by the executive council to purchase the remaining Ledges area after July 1,1921. Additional purchases were made in 1931, 1937, and 1945, expanding the park by just over 214 acres. The remaining acreage was obtained through a mitigation agreement with the federal government when the Saylorville Dam Project was completed in the late 1970s. Today, Ledges State Park encompasses a total of 1,117 acres.
1922 Dam Proposal
Throughout its history as parkland, the Ledges has had its bouts with controversy. Iowa Light & Power Company, out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, proposed building a dam in May 1922 across the Des Moines River just south of the Ledges parkland (referred to as parkland because it was not officially dedicated as a State Park yet).
Many of the same local residents who contributed $16,000 towards purchase of the parkland just two years prior supported the dam, which would flood 150 of the 644-acre park. Those 150 acres were primarily where “The Ledges” were located. Local support was somewhat divided, but an editorial in the Boone News Republican newspaper on February 13, 1923 titled “A Park and a Dam,“ stated “that if it comes to a show down between the park and the dam, ‘we’re all for the dam first.'” The article further stated, rhetorically, “what is the sacrifice of a tree or two to the wonderful opportunity for cheap power for factories and the added pleasure of a water resort.”
The Board of Conservation held a meeting on February 9, 1923 at 10:30am in the Portrait Gallery of the Historical Building in Des Moines to discuss the dam project. Opponents of the dam project included the Board of Conservation, namely Louis Pammel and May McNider. In the February 1923 hearing, Pammel questioned, “… parks are created for scientific, recreational, and historic values. The point is, is the company going to destroy these three values?” McNider answered this rather clearly, stating “I think that if the dam ever goes in there as planned, you might as well say good-bye to the park.”
Rebecca Conard’s book Places of Quiet Beauty addresses the proposed dam issue and provides further insight into the outcome of the conflict:
Shortly after the February 1923 hearing, Representative Criswell of Boone introduced, “largely at the request of the people of Boone County,” a measure designed to give the Executive Council the power to enter into compromise settlements on behalf of the Board of Conservation in order to assess damages against corporations going through state-owned land. Criswell’s bill would have effectively stripped the board of its control over streams whenever the board opposed private development, such as power dams. Criswell and his bill supporters were of the opinion that the Executive Council looked favorably upon granting the power company’s request for a dam that would overflow Ledges State Park, although Pammel attempted to quash the bill in committee, but Criswell nonetheless managed to bring it to the floor of the House for a vote, where it was soundly defeated. The board’s authority was thus upheld, and Ledges was spared the insult of a power dam.
Influential Figures in Early Park History
Carl Fritz Henning
Carl Fritz Henning was the first appointed custodian of Ledges State Park, beginning in 1921. He was 56 years old when he assumed his duties at Ledges.
Henning was born in Germany in 1865 and came with his parents to the United States when he was seven weeks old. In his early days he helped his father run a bakery in Boone, and later took it over after his father’s death. Henning was elected Clerk of Court of the district court of Boone County in 1908 and served two terms. He served as the local weatherman, reporting daily conditions from the park. Henning also kept a journal. The Boone History Center in Boone has kept many volumes of these journals. In addition to journaling and documenting the weather, Henning was proficient in taxidermy, using many of his mounts for educational purposes. Through his experience and knowledge of the outdoors, Henning was a “natural” fit for the custodian role at Ledges.
Henning was one of the best known of Iowa’s park custodians; his thorough knowledge of the outdoors and everything in it, together with his “naturalist” appearance, made him very popular among thousands of park visitors. Ledges holds a special significance for many reasons to many people. Henning’s ability to recognize and promote those connections between the visitors and the resources at the park is what made him so successful and appreciated as a protector and promoter of The Ledges.
Henning always claimed not to be much of a writer or poet. However, he penned several eloquent articles in support of the state designating this area as an official state park prior to the park’s dedication. His articles, tailored to the nature lover, portrayed the unique natural beauty of this area very well.
Henning died September 15, 1941 at the age of 76, just six months after leaving his position of Ledges Custodian. In 1998, the stone shelter in Lower Ledges was moved to a higher elevation to prevent further damage from frequent flooding. When finished in the spring of 1999, the shelter was rededicated as the Carl Fritz Henning Shelter to honor the park’s first custodian.
Louis Pammel
Louis Hermann Pammel, often referred to as the “Father of State Parks” in Iowa, is probably the single most influential figure in history for the creation of the Iowa state parks system. Pammel came to Iowa as the second head of the Botany department of Iowa State College in Ames and quickly became involved in public land preservation because of his position and background. Pammel was the first president of the Board of Conservation in Iowa as well.
Pammel maintained a deep connection with Ledges State Park based on his proximity, living in Ames for much of his adult life. He brought his Botany students out for field trips, and often paid for horse and buggy rides from Ames to Ledges so his family could do their own private botanizing. On behalf of the Board of Conservation, Pammel gave a speech at the Ledges dedication in 1924, where he “presented” the park to the state and promoted a sense of ownership and pride of the park to those in attendance.
In 1928, Pammel compiled a park booklet titled “Ledges State Park (Second Edition).” In the booklet dedicated to Carl Fritz Henning, Pammel provides a description of the park, its resource amenities, and some local history. The booklet also contains articles by guest columnists on geology, wildlife, and local legen[‘]]]ds.
Ada Hayden
Born near Ames in 1884, Ada Hayden was influential in prairie preservation in Iowa. She studied as one of Louis Pammel’s protégés at Iowa State, then going on to earn her Master’s degree at Washington University in St. Louis. Hayden returned to Iowa State to study under Pammel, where she became the first female to earn a doctorate degree at Iowa State. Hayden then taught Botany at Iowa State until her death in 1950. Ada Hayden’s primary career focus was prairie preservation and establishment. The large prairie in upper Ledges, just south of the Oak Woods picnic area, is said to be the oldest restored prairie in the state of Iowa. It was restored to native prairie in 1949, hand seeded, and Ada Hayden herself helped to seed the prairie.
Park Dedication
Ledges State Park was officially dedicated on Sunday, November 9, 1924. A Boone News Republican article from November 10, 1924 highlights the occasion. Approximately 2,500 people attended the formal ceremony that included speeches from Louis Pammel and W.C. Ramsay (Secretary of the State).
Civilian Conservation Corps
Ledges State Park had a heavy influence from the CCC. Camp DSP-5, Company 2723 was assigned to work at Ledges (although only after moving twice prior). The camp was not within the confines of Ledges State Park, but rather in the city limits of Boone, near present day intersection of 12th and Argo Streets (near present Boone County Fairgrounds).
Work completed by Company 2723 that still stands today in Ledges includes the Carl Fritz Henning & Oak Woods Shelters, a stone arch bridge over Pea’s Creek, stone steps on many sections of trails, an earthen dam at Lost Lake, Katina Falls along the Lost Lake Trail, an old latrine building in Lower Ledges, a grotto, culverts, and many planted trees. This company also completed some larger projects that did not span the test of time. These include a large greeting lodge in the canyon and a couple foot bridges spanning Pea’s Creek.
Ledges Wildlife Exhibit (Zoo)
Established in the early 1940’s, the Ledges Wildlife Exhibit, or zoo more commonly called, showcased animals that were native to the state of Iowa in an up-close setting. The exhibit allowed visitors to observe these animals and their natural behaviors. The exhibit was home to animals such as timber wolves, coyotes, deer, squirrels, many types of birds & raptors, and even a pair of black bears for a time. The location initially of the exhibit was in the lower part of the park, tucked against the hillside, just north of where the present-day Carl Fritz Henning shelter is located. Remnants of the exhibit can still be found in the forest in the form of rolls of fencing and concrete foundations.
The wolves kept in the exhibit gained significant fame. Fang (female) and her mate Bruno, Scar-leg (female) and her mate Lobo, Nero and Scarlo (another breeding pair), and Silver. Stories exist in both writing and oral history of Carl Fritz Henning and his ability to make the animals of the zoo perform. In a 1940 Des Moines Register article it is written that:
Henning got the wolf pack at the Ledges zoo to howling. ‘Call, Silver,’ the old woodsman sang out to a prairie wolf in a cage nearby. Then Henning gave the coyote cry. Again and again Henning raised his voice, until finally Silver stopped his agitated leaping up the side of the cage, raised his muzzle to the sky and let go a high wail. ‘Listen,’ said Henning. Soon Silver’s cry was answered. Then Scar-leg and Lobo took up the call in a lower, mournful key, breaking from the hoarse bark to chilling howl. Nero and Scarlo, another pair of timber wolves joined the chorus. As the wolf chorus mounted to a frenzy it was joined by a high shriek from the cage of a red-tailed hawk nearby. For several minutes the very earth and sky seemed to vibrate with the dissonant sounds of wild creatures. The wolf song ended more quickly even than it had begun, trailing off in yapping barks as the wolves moved quietly back to their dens once more, their protest finished. ‘How would you like to hear that alone in the woods at night?’ asked Henning.
The exhibit was moved in 1962 from its original location south and out of the river valley. It was located where the present-day Boone Wildlife Research Station is at. When it reopened in August of 1962, it was wildly popular. It was open daily from 9:00am to 7:00pm from May 1st to November 1st of each year. There was no admission fee and attendance was as high as 150,000 annually in the early 1970’s.
The final year of the wildlife exhibit, there were 70 different species of wildlife in the exhibit, and 175 animals total. People especially enjoyed observing the bald eagles, Sandhill cranes, the beaver, the talking crow, and of course the many species of waterfowl. The coyotes, badgers, prairie dogs, bobcat, skunks, and raccoons (lots of youngsters) also were very entertaining.
The exhibit closed in 1981. The reason for the closing is that the Governor called for a hiring freeze and eliminated 8 positions necessary for operations of the facility, an effort to reduce the state budget. At the time of its closing, there were plans again to relocate and expand the exhibit to a different part of Ledges.
Friends of the Ledges, INC.
Any discussion on history of Ledges State Park often falls back on influential persons or groups. These people or groups usually had a significant impact on park development or created meaningful connections with visitors. History is often thought of as in the distant past, and we tend to neglect the history that is happening around us in the present.
The Friends of the Ledges, Inc. formed as a 501(c)3 non-profit group in June of 2006. It was initially formed by a dedicated group of local individuals that enjoyed camping and spending time at the park.
Friends of the Ledges were not the first friends group organized in the state, but are now one of the oldest and most successful. In its first 10 years of existence, Friends of the Ledges has raised nearly $100,000 through fundraisers, membership dues, and grants. These dollars, along with thousands of volunteer hours, have helped complete numerous projects that otherwise would not have gotten completed on state funding alone.