“Pikes Peak is a must. Visit it and you will have a magnificent view of the Mississippi River.” Now Pikes Peak is in Colorado and no-where near the Mississippi River as far as we knew. We stared speechless as our neighbors were relating tourist info. We guess the look on our faces said we had no idea what they were talking about.
This interaction transpired in an RV park in Oelwein, IA visiting neighbors, enjoying the cool weather and learning about places to visit in the area. We soon learned Zebulon Pike explored the upper Mississippi River as well as Colorado. After a good laugh, we added Pikes Peak in Iowa to our list of interesting places.
In 1805 Pike was sent to locate suitable areas for military posts. He selected a hill on the west side of the Mississippi River due to having a spring for water and the ground on top was level. The government agreed that the location was good but decided to build the fort on the east side of the river.
The land which Zeb Pike chose was eventually owned by Alexander McGregor. The tract with the “peak” was given to the federal government and then conveyed to the state of Iowa. In 1936 Iowa established the Pikes Peak State Park.
At this point in its course, the river is wide. This width is not all water though; there are many islands within the boundary. It is also a recreational river at this point. The day we visited the peak, many pleasure boats were transgressing the river.
Looking out over the river we realized just how mighty and majestic the Mississippi is at any given point of its journey.
A day of pleasure
Gathering of Boats
Bridge between Iowa and Wisconsin
The Mighty “Miss”
Enjoying the day and view
