Pikes Peak Overlook Landscape Interpretation

Pikes Peak Overlook Landscape Interpretation (HMV1N)

Location: McGregor, IA 52157 Clayton County
Buy Iowa State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 42° 59.821', W 91° 9.8'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 407 views
Inscription
Across this impressive gorge of the Mississippi River is the mouth of the Wisconsin River. The steeply notched valleys of both rivers are carved into sedimentary bedrock which underlies the level, plateau-like uplands and forms the abrupt, picturesque bluffs along the valley margins. The layered rocks originated as loose sediment on sea floors 450 to 550 million years ago, and over time hardened into strata dominated by dolomite and sandstone. Fossil remains of marine life are seen in rocks throughout the area.

These valleys began to develop over 1 million years ago. The melting of vast ice sheets released enormous volumes of water, sand, and gravel which scoured, filled in, and shaped the valley profiles periodically until about 9,500 years ago. The towns of Bridgeport and Prairie du Chein, Wisconsin, are built on terraces within the valleys that mark two different levels of sediment accumulation during these glacial meltwater floods.

In 1673, a small band of French explorers led by Father Jacques Marquette and mapmaker Louis Jolliet journeyed in two bark canoes down the Wisconsin River to this site, becoming the first Europeans to see Iowa. Lt. Zebulon Pike, for whom this overlook and the Colorado peak were named, evaluated this location for a fort in 1805. The islands and pools seen in the Mississippi valley today are a result of ponding from the lock and dam system built in the 1930s. This valley provides valuable habitat for many species of fish and wildlife, and a dependable avenue of commerce for the region.

Gift of Bruce & Susan Renaud
Details
HM NumberHMV1N
Tags
Placed ByBruce and Susan Renaud
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, September 28th, 2014 at 1:36pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)15T E 649712 N 4762120
Decimal Degrees42.99701667, -91.16333333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 42° 59.821', W 91° 9.8'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds42° 59' 49.26" N, 91° 9' 48.00" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)563
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 112 Pikes Peak Rd, McGregor IA 52157, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?