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MINES OF SPAIN Julien Dubuque Monument The area known as the Mines of Spain State Recreation Area is a 1380-acre area of land located south of Dubuque. This land was acquired by the state in December 1980 and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1993. Archaeological research provides evidence of prehistoric Indian occupation in the Dubuque area for at least 6000 years. Ancient mounds, village sites, shelters, trading post sites and campsites decorate the landscape. The earliest known inhabitants of the Mines of Spain are the Mesquakie (Fox) Indians. It is estimated that the Mesquakie Indians settled in the Dubuque area in the 1700ís. In 1764 they began mining lead and the process of log furnace smelting at the Mines of Spain. In 1780 the Mesquakie established the village of Kettle Chief near the mouth of Catfish Creek. The Indians were successful in this area until 1830 when they abandoned their village at Kettle Chief. They would return periodically to hunt and mine, but never reestablished. The Indians were permanently forced out in 1833 when the Blackhawk War Treaty opened the Mines of Spain land to non-Indian cultures. They eventually sold their Iowa land to the government in 1842 and resettled in Kansas, only to move again to Oklahoma.
Julien Dubuque Monument
This area is important historically in the Indian-French fur trading culture and the first record of lead mining by a French trader, Nicholas Perrot, in 1690. In 1788 Julien Dubuque was granted rights by the Mesquakie Indians to mine their land for lead. Dubuque settled close to the village of Kettle Chief just south of where the Julien Dubuque Monument now stands. It was here that Dubuque founded the first Euro-American settlement in what is now Iowa. Spanish influence was growing throughout the new land and Dubuque, concerned about the legality of his grant from the Indians, petitioned the Spanish governor seeking permanent possession of the land. In 1796 Dubuque's petition was granted and he named his 189 square mile area of land "The Mines of Spain" in honor of this Spanish governor. Dubuque eventually married Potosa, daughter of Peosta, the chief of the Mesquakie Indians. Dubuque died in March of 1810 and when he died the Mesquakie buried him with tribal honors beneath a log mausoleum at the site of the current monument. The Julien Dubuque monument was built in 1897 and sits high above the Mississippi River. It overlooks the Mines of Spain property in the town that would eventually bear his name.
The
Mines of Spain area offers a variety of fascinating geologic and biological features.
There are interesting landforms, plant communities, and animal types. Much of this area is wooded Mississippi River Bluff Land.
Although much of the original timber along the river was logged,
portions of the Mines of Spain were left untouched and now contain native plant
communities in which there are bur oak trees over 250 years old.
This area has been designated one of Iowa's "Watchable Wildlife
Areas" due to the presence of rare species such as the bobcat, red-shouldered
hawk, flying squirrel, and the bald eagle. The Mississippi River bottomland is
part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, which
spans from Minnesota to Illinois. This
area is set aside for use by migratory birds, native wildlife and fish. This
area also offers a 15-acre wetland with two floating trails as well as a wildlife
observation blind. Large areas of man-made prairies as well as native plant
communities are available for hiking. There are five individual nature walks
within the park, adding to a total of 14 miles of hiking trails. The setting of the Mines of Spain area is influenced by many factors, the Mississippi River being the largest. The river is one of the most distinct physical features of the Mid-continent. At the Mines of Spain the river valley is located 200 feet below the surrounding uplands and is bounded by steep bluffs of Ordovician dolomite. Another significant feature is the Silurian Escarpment, which forms a visual boundary to the southwest. This wooded bluff line denotes the edge of the outcrop of Silurian age rocks in Iowa. Its elevation above the Mississippi floor increases the relief in this area well over 500 feet. On the Illinois border to the east is the Sinsinewa Mound, which is an isolated erosional remnant of the same Silurian rocks that were once continuous over the whole area. These features can be observed from the higher elevation areas at the Mines of Spain.
Exercises for Julien Dubuque Monument |
