Harvey, IA

This is the Horn's Ferry Bridge (1881), which was Marion County's first river crossing and wagon bridge over the Des Moines River), located just downstream of Red Rock dam, off T15 in Marion County. The bridge was one of the first iron truss bridges in Iowa. Half the bridge was swept away by floods, the other half is now an observation deck.

An added bonus to having the bridge preserved is that the Gladys Black Eagle Preserve is located across the river, making this a prime location for viewing bald eagles. On this winter day in February, 2007, County Conservation staff were holding an eagle viewing.

I dearly love all the shades of blue and white of a winter river, with a touch of brown from the remaining bits of river grass. This is an excellent place for winter paddling, the water rarely freezes adue to the current from the dam. Pelicans, eagles, ducks and geese are in abundance here. I’ve made the trip down to Eveland access on numerous occasions. On land, this is part of the Dragoon Trail, which follows the route of the 1835 expedition that explored the Des Moines River valley and led to the designation of this part of the Wisconsin Territory as a new territory called Iowa.