“All The Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas
Layin’ In The Sun,
Talkin’ ‘Bout The Things
They Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda Done…
But All Those Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas
All Ran Away And Hid
From One Little Did.”- Shel Silverstien
I was fortunate enough to have a weekend off to celebrate my birthday with friends from out of town recently. To show them a good time, we set out to the Mines of Spain State Recreation Area in Dubuque, Iowa. Dubuque is Iowa’s oldest city and one of the oldest settlements west of the Mississippi River, so I couldn’t think of a better place to get them acquainted with the area. The Mines of Spain received its name because the area was rich in lead ore deposits, called galena, and was mined for hundreds of years first by the Mesquakie Indians and then by Julien Dubuque until 1810. The quarry has since been repurposed as Horseshoe Bluff Trail and give visitors the sense that they are no longer in the Midwest. A child viewing the bluff during our adventure mistakenly called the Mississippi River the ocean when pointing it out to a friend between the bluffs.
As we walked from the Horseshoe Bluff Trailhead toward the bluff itself, we walked passed the 15 acres of wetlands found here. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an acre of wetland can store between 1-1.5 million gallons of floodwater! This means that this area could potentially manage about 22,500,000 gallons of water within its watershed. The Mines of Spain State Recreation Area falls within the Catfish Creek Watershed which encompasses about half of the City of Dubuque with agricultural lands, forest, as well as residential areas.
Catfish Creek Watershed
So when it rains in the Catfish Creek Watershed (see above, thanks to the Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority), we can expect to receive runoff from both urban and agricultural environments which can impact the quality of the creek and ultimately the Mississippi River. As a result, some segments of Catfish Creek have high levels of nitrates as well as E. coli.
As we continue our hike, I’m looking up at an impending 30 foot climb over perilous, ragged rocks at the center of Horseshoe Bluff. A couple friends tell me from the top that it’s not that bad, but my body starts to hyperventilate. I tried explaining how gravity works harder on me and that there were other trails nearby, but that didn’t seem to work.
Once I got to the top, I avoided looking back where I came from in fear that my body would trip on itself and send me to my rocky doom. At the top there was a visible footpath that eventually led to the edge of the horseshoe and may not exactly be part of the official Horseshoe Bluff Trail. Along the edge we could see hundreds of birds; flying overhead and swooping in and out of rock crevices, as if mocking my concern for gravity. This part of the watershed is also home to burr oak trees that are over 250 years old, which means that they managed to survive the steamboat era between 1865 through 1880!
Peer pressure may have initially gotten me to the top, but I was appreciative of what I saw and learned while we were up there. I know that if I would have walked to my car instead, I would have kicked myself for the next week wondering what I missed. The initially terrifying ascent up the rocks provided more than just look into the past, but the view also afforded me some sanity for the week to come.
The Mines of Spain website lets us know, “The Mines of Spain State Recreation Area was dedicated in 1981. It was acquired with the assistance of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (a Mississippi River Network member). The acquisition helped assure the protection of an important piece of Iowa’s historical and natural heritage. In 1993, the area was designated as a National Historic Landmark.”
In order to preserve unique and historical areas like the Mines of Spain, here are some good housekeeping practices to decrease our collective impact downstream:
1. Become a River Citizen!
2. Volunteer
3. Don’t litter, pick up litter
4. Properly apply fertilizer
5. Wash your car at the car wash
6. Properly dispose of household chemicals
7. Pick up pet waste
8. Mulch or bag grass clippings
9. Use minimal amounts of salt during winter
10. Spread the word!
Jessica Zimmerman
Iowa’s 1 Mississippi Outreach Assistant
National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium