Black Hawk State Park is a state park in Sac County,

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

, United States, in the town of Lake View. The park includes land, campgrounds, trails, game preserves, historic structures, and the waters of Black Hawk Lake. Also it is home to the Lake View Water Carnival. This event is held the third full weekend in July every year, and includes many family-friendly activities including a Water Parade. Three sections of the park were listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1991.

History

The State of

acquired the property for the park in several parcels through the efforts of Dr. E.E. Speaker of Lake View, who also served on the State Board of Conservation. with The parcels included a former gravel quarry, a farm on the southeast side of the lake, and the Denison Beach.

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

(CCC) Company VCCC 1776, a veterans unit, constructed the parks amenities. They arrived in November 1933 and left the park on May 16, 1935. Another CCC company trained here in June 1934. Several

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

transient companies worked in the park in 1936 and 1937. VCCC 1776 began working in the Wildlife Preserve Area (Area A) first. They cleaned up the former quarry, created 13 fish rearing ponds, and planted over 3,400 trees by 1935. They completed the picnic shelter, two stone and peeled log latrines, and added camp stoves and barbecue ovens in the Black Hawk Preserve (Area B) between January and April 1935. The large picnic shelter in the Denison Beach Area (Area C) was completed between March and May 1935. The park was opened for visitors by 1936.

National Register of Historic Places

On November 15, 1990 three areas of the park were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Their historic importance is derived from their association with the CCC. The park was part of a larger study of Iowa's state parks called the . Area A focuses on the wildlife preserve that includes the fish rearing ponds, a latrine, and infrastructure such as steps, a bench, and a paved road. Area B includes a picnic shelter, latrine, drinking fountain and incinerator. with Area C is a picnic shelter and latrine building. with The Rustic style was used in the design of the buildings. The significance of this architectural style is that it was designed to blend into its natural surroundings by means of its material, design, and workmanship. Areas A and B are

historic districts A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from cer ...

, while Area C is an individual listing.

References

External links

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Black Hawk State Park
{{authority control State parks of Iowa Protected areas established in 1935 Protected areas of Sac County, Iowa Historic districts in Sac County, Iowa Civilian Conservation Corps in Iowa Rustic architecture in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Sac County, Iowa Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Park buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa