Geode State Park

State park in Iowa, United States

40°49′34″N 91°22′49″W / 40.82611°N 91.38028°W / 40.82611; -91.38028Area1,640 acres (6.6 km²)Elevation669 ft (204 m)^[1]Created1937EtymologyNamed for a large geode found thereOperated byIowa Department of Natural Resources

Geode State Park, Civilian Conservation Corps Area

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. Historic district

Built1939Built byCivilian Conservation CorpsArchitectCentral Design Office, AmesMPSCCC Properties in Iowa State Parks MPSNRHP reference No.90001673Added to NRHPNovember 15, 1990

Geode State Park is a state park in Henry County, Iowa bordering Des Moines County. It is managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. While it is named for Iowa's state rock, the geode, few can be found in the park. A display of geodes, with their mysterious crystal formations in their hollow cavities, can be seen at the park office. It is illegal to remove geodes from state parks.

The prime attraction of the 1,640-acre (660 ha) park is Lake Geode, a 187-acre (76 ha) lake built in 1950. Over the years, the lake has become well known for excellent fishing for largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, channel catfish, bullhead, red-eared sunfish.

Geode State Park joined the Iowa park system in 1937. The spot along the Skunk River had long been a local picnicking spot. Originally local groups raised $4,800 to purchase 143 acres (58 ha). The Civilian Conservation Corps moved onto the grounds to begin clearing trees, creating roads and building structures. In 1947, civilian construction workers returned and building resumed. In 1951, the lake, beach and CCC-reminiscent beach house were dedicated. Also opened at the time was an airstrip, making Geode the only park that invited travelers to arrive by private plane. The strip has been closed since.

On Saturday, July 25, 2009, a RAGBRAI participant, Donald D. Myers from Rolla, Missouri, died from injuries sustained in a crash at the bottom of the hill near Geode Lake dam at Geode State Park.^[2]

Some places in the area have been reported to have timber rattlesnakes.

Nearby towns are Burlington, 15 miles (24 km) to the east; New London, 6 miles (9.7 km) north; Danville, 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast; Middletown, 6 miles (9.7 km) east; and Lowell, at the park's southwest corner.

The park can be reached from Middletown on Iowa 79 or from Lowell on County Road J-20.

References

^ "Geode State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. April 30, 1979. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
^ Jared Strong (2009). "Crash near state park kills Missouri RAGBRAI rider". Des Moines Register. Retrieved July 28, 2009. ^{[dead link]}

External links

Media related to Geode State Park at Wikimedia Commons

Geode State Park

Protected areas of Iowa

Federal

National monument	Effigy Mounds
National Historic Site	Herbert Hoover
National Wildlife Refuges	DeSoto Driftless Area Neal Smith Northern Tallgrass Prairie Port Louisa Union Slough Upper Mississippi River

State

State Parks	Ambrose A. Call Backbone Badger Creek Banner Lakes at Summerset Beeds Lake Bellevue Big Creek Black Hawk Brushy Creek Cedar Rock Clear Lake Dolliver Memorial Elk Rock Elinor Bedell Emerson Bay Fairport Fort Defiance Geode George Wyth Memorial Green Valley Gull Point Honey Creek Lacey-Keosauqua Lake Ahquabi Lake Anita Lake Darling Lake Keomah Lake Macbride Lake Manawa Lake of Three Fires Lake Wapello Ledges Lewis and Clark Lower Gar Maquoketa Caves Marble Beach McIntosh Woods Mines of Spain & E.B. Lyons Mini-Wakan Nine Eagles Okamanpedan Palisades-Kepler Pikes Peak Pikes Point Pilot Knob Pillsbury Point Pine Lake Pleasant Creek Prairie Rose Preparation Canyon Red Haw Rice Lake Rock Creek Springbrook Stone Templar Trapper's Bay Twin Lakes Union Grove Viking Lake Volga River Walnut Woods Wapsipinicon Waubonsie Wildcat Den Wilson Island
State Forests	Backbone Barkley Gifford Holst Loess Hills Pilot Mound Shimek Stephens White Pine Hollow Yellow River
State Preserves	A.F. Miller Ames High Prairie Anderson Prairie Behrens Pond and Woodlands Berry Woods Bird Hill Bixby Bluffton Fir Stand Brush Creek Canyon Brushy Creek Cameron Woods Casey's Paha Catfish Creek Cayler Prairie Cedar Bluffs Cedar Hills Sand Prairie Cheever Lake Clay Prairie Claybanks Forest Cold Water Spring Crossman Prairie Decorah Ice Cave Dinesen Prairie Doolittle Prairie Fallen Rock Fish Farm Mounds Five Ridge Prairie Fleming Woods Fort Atkinson Freda Haffner Kettlehole Gitchie Manitou Hanging Bog Hardin City Woodland Hartley Fort Hayden Prairie Hoffman Prairie Indian Bluffs Primitive Area Indian Fish Trap Iowa's State Preserves System Kalsow Kish-Ke-Kosh Prairie Lamson Woods Liska-Stanek Prairie Little Maquoketa Malanaphy Springs Malchow Mounds Manikowski Prairie Mann Wilderness Area Marietta Sand Prairie Mericle Woods Merrill A. Stainbrook Merritt Forest Montauk Mossy Glen Mount Pisgah Cemetery Mount Talbot Nestor Stiles Prairie Ocheyedan Mound Old State Quarry Palisades-Downs Pecan Grove Pellett Woods Pilot Grove Pilot Knob Retz Woods Roberts Creek Rock Creek Island Rock Island Roggman Boreal Slopes Rolling Thunder Prairie Saint James Lutheran Church Savage Woods Searryl's Cave Sheeder Prairie Silver Lake Fen Silvers-Smith Woods Slinde Mounds Starr's Cave Steele Prairie Stinson Prairie Strasser Woods Sylvan Runkel Toolesboro Mounds Turin Loess Hills Turkey River Mounds White Pine Hollow Williams Prairie Wittrock Indian Village Woodland Mounds Woodman Hollow Woodthrush

County

State Parks (Leased)	Bobwhite Cold Springs Crystal Lake Eagle Lake Echo Valley Frank A. Gotch Heery Woods Lake Cornelia Lake Icaria Kearny Margo Frankel Mill Creek Oak Grove Oakland Mills Pammel Sharon Bluffs Spring Lake Swan Lake Three Mile Lake

Iowa Department of Natural Resources

v t e National Register of Historic Places in Henry County, Iowa
Danville	Geode State Park, Civilian Conservation Corps Area
Lowell	Hugh and Matilda Boyle House and Cemetery Historic District
Mount Pleasant	G. W. S. Allen House Henry Ambler House Dr. J.O. and Catherine Ball House Brazelton House Brazelton House Hotel Budde-Singer Building Camp Harlan-Camp McKean Historic District City Hall George and Margaret Cooper House First National Bank Harlan House Hotel Harlan-Lincoln House Henry County Courthouse Henry County Savings Bank Louisa Building Masonic Temple Theater Masters Building McCandless Building Mount Pleasant Public Library National State Bank Old Main Pleasant Lawn School Historic District Second Baptist Church Timmerman-Burd Building Union Block Zuhn Building
New London	John and Lavina Bangs House McClellan's General Store Peterson Manufacturing Building Smith and Weller Building
Oakland Mills Park	Oakland Mills Bridge
Salem	Bicksler Block Collins-Bond House Cook-Johnson House Joseph A. and Lydia A. Edwards House Farmers Savings Bank Fish Creek Bridge Owen A. and Emma J. Garretson House Holtkamp Round Barn Henderson Lewelling House Lamm-Pollmiller Farmstead District Isaac and Agnes (Bells) Reeves House Paton and Hannah Wilson House
Swedesburg	Charles E. Hult House, Summer Kitchen and Wood Shed John Hultquist House Red Ball Garage Swedesburg Historic Commercial District Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church
Trenton	Benjamin Chapel and Richwoods Cemetery Samuel and Sarah Hulme House
Wayland	Christian K. and Margaret (Rich) Schantz House and Carpentry Shop
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Henry County, Iowa and List of National Historic Landmarks in Iowa