Clark Tower in Winterset Iowa's City Park
A castle in...IOWA???
A hub about a part of Winterset City Park that Peggy W and her mother never got to see.
The crenelated tower of a medieval castle is the last thing you'd expect in the middle of Iowa, right?
But that's exactly what awaits you at the end of a narrow one-way road that begins near the Cutler-Donahoe covered bridge in Winterset, Iowa's City Park.
The sign next to the mouth of the road into the heavily wooded area indicates Clark Tower is "thatta way" but not much else except to caution the 1.5 mile trip should only be attempted by hikers or in compact or mid-size passenger cars. Unless great improvements have been made since 1994, you don't have to go far on that glorified cow path to understand the need for that warning.
In my Wild Weekend in...Iowa? hub, you'll find Winterset was not on the original itinerary for a 3-day trip from Topeka, KS to a Billy Joel-Elton John concert in Ames, Iowa. Also, if the neighbor babysitting my children for the weekend hadn't been a huge John Wayne fan, my friend and I would've whizzed right past the billboard announcing Winterset as the Duke's birthplace and thereby missed one of Iowa's prettiest, friendliest small towns.
But we did detour into Winterset, but by the time we found the Duke's boyhood home, museum and souvenir shop, it was already closed for the day. I don't recall anyone recommending Winterset City Park as an alternative. I'm pretty sure we simply came across it while trying to find our way back to downtown Winterset and the Northside Cafe made famous in Robert James Waller's book "The Bridges of Madison County".
Once in the park, after dutifully oohing and ahhing at the pioneer log cabin and covered bridge that had been moved to the park from their original locations, we were about to leave when we spotted the sign to Clark Memorial Tower.
Keep in mind my friend and I grew up in a state that touts a large ball of twine as a Major Tourist Attraction, and as a child, when my parents took me and my little brother to western Kansas each year to visit the aunts, uncles and cousins, my dad never saw a roadside historical marker he wouldn't stop and read. So my friend and I were conditioned almost from birth to explore obscure local landmarks, no matter how "unimportant" or cheesy.
Despite it being only late afternoon on a sunny Friday in August with many hours of daylight left, once we were deep in the woods and out of sight of the main part of the park, very little sunlight penetrated the canopy of trees overhead. The Headless Horseman from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" could've come charging out of the woods at any time and we would've been momentarily startled...but not surprised.
After deftly avoiding low-hanging branches or getting high-centered on the rocky rutted road, we finally came to a clearing on a promontory that overlooks the Middle River Valley. In such a remote location, the "memorial tower" we expected was maybe a forest fire lookout or a TV transmitting tower, not an enchanting "castle" straight out of Medieval England!
A metal plaque announcing the tower was erected in memory of Caleb and Ruth Clark was the only hint to the reason for its existence. In the next two months, I would visit Clark Tower three more times, and I'm ashamed to admit that nearly twenty years would pass before Peggy W's hub would pique my curiosity enough to find out why such a treasure was dedicated to the couple.
So who were Caleb and Ruth?
Coming down from the top and around the outside.
Ruth Ann Clanton was 17 years old when she married Phineas and Charlotte Clark's 27-yr-old son Caleb in Quincy, Illinois on November 3rd, 1835.
After the births in Quincy of daughters Louis Jane and Rachel Charlotte (always known as "Charlotte"), the little family moved to Buchanan County, Missouri, where third child Sarah Ellen was born in 1840, followed by Nancy Elizabeth (always called "Elizabeth), Sintha Ann and (finally, a son!) Rufus. Another daughter, Mary Adeline, would not only be Caleb and Ruth's first child born in Iowa, but the first white child born in Madison County.
Seven more children - Adam, Joshua, Stephen Miles Denman, Martha, Joel, Caleb Franklin (called "Frank") and Tina Belle - would follow Mary, making a total of fourteen. Sadly, Sintha Ann would die in 1855 at the tender age of 12, baby Adam would be stillborn, and Tina Belle wouldn't live to see her fourth birthday.
The remaining eleven children grew to adulthood, and with the exception of Louisa Jane, all married and raised families of their own, most of whom remained in Madison County. Many of Caleb and Ruth's descendants still live in or near Winterset.
Caleb Clark, a native of Allegany County, New York, was a stonemason who plied his trade for half a century before succombing to a paralytic stroke two weeks before his death at age 86 on November 12, 1894. His funeral was held at the local Church of Christ, which he had helped organize shortly after arriving in the area.
"Grandma Clark", as Ruth was known locally, was a native of Indiana and would outlive Caleb by slightly more than six years, dying at the age of 82 in the family home at 814 South Eighth Street, Winterset, on January 10, 1901. Both are buried in the Winterset City Cemetery, as are most of their children and grandchildren.
Too much Twittering, FBing and texting in American History class must be why the submitter of this vid assumed Caleb was the Clark of Lewis and...
But what was the Clarks' claim to fame??
Well, tradition has it that Caleb and wife Ruth, a Clanton by birth, were the first settlers of Madison County. Histories of the county, however, reveal that's technically not true.
The distiction of "first settler" really belongs to a man named Hiram Hurst who arrived in April, 1846, a month before the Clarks and three of Ruth's Clanton brothers (Joel M., Isaac and Charles Wm.) and their families arrived from Buchanan County, Missouri.
Hurst was accompanied by only a team of horses and a dog when he took a claim in Crawford Twp on land now known as the "old Cason farm". He built a hut, cleared enough land to plant a crop of corn, and after it was harvested, returned to Missouri to collect his wife and three sons and their belongings. They would remain in Madison County for approximately five years before removing to Otoe County, Nebraska, where Hurst died in 1889.
It could be argued that Hurst's brief absence after harvesting that first corn crop negated any claim to "first". But first is first, and the rumor that he was a fugitive from an arson charge in Missouri probably had much to do with allowing the Clarks to instead bask in the notoriety of being first. It's lost to time, however, why Ruth's brothers and their families didn't share the distinction. Indeed, in early histories, all four families were lumped together as the "Clanton contingent" on Clanton's Creek near St. Charles.
I can't find a family connection to the land on which it was built, but money and labor for the 25-ft-high limestone "castle" was definitely a family project.
Like his father, son Joshua Clark had been a stone mason, and before his death in 1915 he had cut the steps for the staircase that goes part way around the outside of the ground level up to the second floor of the tower, which is 12 feet in diameter.
In 1926, four of Caleb and Ruth's grandsons - Delbert Clark, Everett Clark, Henry Wilkinson, and Sam Rogers - constructed the medieval tower to their ancestors' memory.
Back in 1994, after we'd already been out to the tower, my friend and I had to look long and hard to find mention of it, let alone its history, in the free tourism brochures readily available all over Winterset in cafes, motels and gas stations.
If it hasn't been erected already, a historical marker telling about the Clarks' contribution to Winterset and Madison County would be a welcome addition to the grounds around the tower.
Also, more out-of-towners might be inclined to make the trek to this unexpected treasure if it were much higher up on the list of attractions on Madison County's website instead of buried in the "You might also enjoy" section toward the bottom.
Books about Madison County and Winterset...
...and the movie that put them on the big screen
Now that you know the history of Clark Tower, will you be more apt to visit it if you have the chance?
More about the places in this hub:
- A Wild Weekend in...IOWA?
What could Elton John, Billy Joel, a cemetery, a 70-something nudist, John Wayne, the Bridges of Madison County, and a tanning salon possibly have in common? Well, they were all part of an unstructured, adventure-packed weekend in IOWA! - John Wayne ~ Winterset, Iowa Birthplace Photos ~ Iconic Western Film Star
We were amazed at the tiny house in which Marion Morrison best known as John Wayne or "The Duke" was born. We learned many details about his youth in this museum setting. Photos of the house and small town of Winterset, Iowa are shown in this hub as - Madison County, Iowa - Madison County, Iowa Chamber of Commerce
Discover Madison County, Iowa - Welcome to the birthplace of John Wayne and home of the historic covered bridges popularized by Robert James Waller's novel The Bridges of Madison County and the feature film starring Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood.
UPDATE - Clark Tower Needs Help ASAP!
4 June 2012, Aric Beemer said:
Clark Tower needs help ASAP as people have written sharpie messages and some are pretty graphic for kids to view. It needs volunteers to come and clean up around the tower and do some repair work. One of the steps going up to the second floor is loose and could cause someone to get hurt.
So if you live anywhere near Winterset (or will be in the area) and are looking for a worthy weekend activity for yourself or your family, please consider cleaning up and/or repairing Clark Tower.
Thanks!
Comments
AUTHORThanks, Nell! It IS an old hub, so it's possible you did read it when it was new, but you've read AND written many hubs since then. ;-} At any rate, I'm glad you found it (again?) and were nice enough to leave a comment.
A medieval tower IS an odd thing to find in the middle of Iowa, of all places, and yes, it should be advertised much more than it is. But then it's hard for a hard-to-find pile of rocks to compete with Winterset's main attraction, the birthplace of John Wayne. Of course, the Duke's boyhood home will win out every time! ;D
Hi, how did I miss this one? or maybe I read it, and with my memory..lol! anyway, what a great find! and as you said why isn't it advertised more? its not something you expect to see in America, and the history behind it is fascinating! interesting stuff Genee, nell
- AUTHOR
Thank you, appleseed67, for this interesting tidbit! I vaguely remember seeing that plaque on that boulder, but obviously was more fascinated with how a medieval tower came to be in the middle of Corn Country! ;D
JamaGenee,
Another little tidbit about Winterset City Park that may interest you.
Just to the left of the log cabin as you face the front door is
a large boulder about 5 feet high. It has a plaque on it indicating Madison County, of which Winterset is the county seat, is also the home of the original Delicious apple tree.
It was discovered a little south of Winterset by a farmer named Jesse Hiatt in the late 1800's. The story of that discovery and how that single tree is the source of all red
Delicious apple trees in the world is pretty interesting but it is longer than I want to type so any one interested can just Google "Jesse Hiatt Delicious apple".
Yes, you're right, the Tobey family should have considered that! Isn't it funny how similar Scargo tower is to Clark tower? Amazing the interesting "finds" you can come across in a small town!
- AUTHOR
Sparrowlet, your "tower" hub was already on my "must read" list! So I went right over and can now say it's a GREAT hub! Voted it up and awesome, but alas the comment I wrote didn't "take". (That's been happening a lot lately...don't know if it's HP gremlins or I'm not hitting the submit button hard enough...) Anyway... I have to wonder, the tower being so close to the Atlantic and subject to storms, why it wasn't built of stone in the first place!
I wrote the article about the tower in my town, similar to Clark Tower! Here it is!
- AUTHOR
Thanks, Aric! I've added a plea for volunteers to the hub. ;D
This Clark tower needs some help ASAP as people have written sharpie messages and some are pretty graphic for kids to view it needs volunteers to come and clean up around the tower and do some repair work one of the steps going up to the second floor were lose and could cause someone to get hurt.
Awesome hub...with historical elements that i enjoyed a lot about this one..thumbs up from my behalf.
- AUTHOR
You're quite welcome, Sparrowlet! I love little historical nuggets, too. The story behind a monument is usually a lot more interesting than whatever structure was erected in the family's memory! ;D
Awesome! I love little historical nuggets like this! You know, it might not be as odd as it first seems... a similar tower was erected in my town in honor of a local family, but I'm not sure why. I will do a hub on it and let you know! Thanks for the idea!
- AUTHOR
Ciel, thank you for recommending this hub to your friends in Iowa! I didn't see any miniatures of Clark Tower in Winterset but it's not hard to imagine one as a base for a mail box at the end of a driveway.
Had to laugh at your mention of the Salt Museum. I lived in Kansas most of my life, have been to and through Hutchinson many times, but never visited the museum, or any of the other tourist attractions in the Hutch area for that matter.
As for formatting hubs, there's nothing wrong with stream of consciousness as long as it's broken up in easily-readable chunks. The best way to do this "seamlessly" is by using multiple text capsules. I tend to leave the caption box at the top of a text capsule blank and simply bold the first line of text instead...or not, if doing so will make the text look "messy".
Scooting a text capsule to the right and making it gray or blue is the way to make a sidebar for additional info that fits nowhere else. (See how I use this in my "Gardening, Genealogy and a Ghost That Sings" hub.) I also scoot Amazon capsules to the right (as I've done here) to make them noticeable without interrupting the flow of the text.
I should mention it's best to adjust text in text capsules so they align with any "side capsules" to eliminate wide "blank spaces" between chunks of text.
As for photos, if you don't have your own of a place or an event and use someone else's, be sure they aren't copyrighted, which would prevent you from using them. HP (and Google) have gotten very picky about hubbers using non-original photos, but there are many sites where you can find non-copyrighted photos to use freely, but you MUST credit the source. Also, websites of tourism organizations rarely quibble about a hubber using a photo from their site AS LONG AS you include a link to their homepage. They welcome the exposure!
Mainly just play with the capsules till you get the hang of it. Move them around (up or down). Move chunks of text to the next or previous capsule, to a sidebar, or bold or italicize some to make them "pop". The possibilities are *almost* endless. ;D
I think the miniature tower was actually a copy of the Clark Tower that some people had put... at the beginning of their driveway! We were confused for a minute, but realized it couldn't be the real tower. Yes, promotion is good to let people know what is out there that can be visited-- I will pass on this hub to people I know in Iowa-- I think this type of excursion can be so interesting and meaningful. Or maybe just surreal! I haven't seen the mini statues of Liberty in Kansas, but I have been, many times, to the one on Alki Beach, overlooking downtown Seattle. Great view of Seattle. Hmm... I think the Boy Scouts may have had something to do with this one too. I wonder how many of these mini-Liberties are out there?
I am guessing the logic of placement depends on the people who live there. Even people in tiny towns in the middle of nowhere can be great thinkers and doers.
I am really impressed with all the info in this hub-- I'm struggling with formatting mine (which tend to be stream of consciousness memories). I want to figure out how to edit them to be like this one: so clear and impelling to read. I will figure it out eventually. Hopefully. Oh, but one question, what could I do for photos of an event where I didn't take photos? Drawings?
Thanks again for some good memories of a strange side-trip. Better than the Giant Thermometer or the World's Largest Gas Station. I did like the Salt Museum.
- AUTHOR
Wow, Ciel, I don't remember a miniature tower near Clark Tower, probably because I was always too busy navigating that twisty-turny road back to it! And as I said elsewhere, the Madison County Tourism people could do a LOT more to promote Clark Tower. A good start would be placing more information about the Clarks and the tower on its website AND in the main part of the park or next to the tower itself.
Funny, you should mention the "World Famous" Ball of Twine! I've seen it twice and was totally UNDERwhelmed both times.
Did you happen to see either of the miniature Statues of Liberty in that part of Kansas? If memory serves, one is directly west of Cawker City, on the south side of the highway. The other is a bit harder to spot, as it's nearly hidden in a stand of trees several yards from the road, a few miles south of Smith Center. (Smith Center, btw, is quite an adventure all by itself!) Can't remember how many SoL replicas there are in all, but they were commissioned and placed in 1976 by the Boys Scouts of America as part of the Bicentennial celebration. They're actually pretty cool, but the logic of putting these two literally in the middle of nowhere escapes me. ;D
Great hub! I think you are the only other person I "know" who has visited Clark Tower. I drove through that area with my family a while back and we always stop at the "Ball of Twine" type attractions on long trips, and of course we had to visit this tower--good name! This was a good detour, although we ran across a miniature tower nearby, and at first we thought it was the Clark Tower. I didn't get nearly as much information out of the visit as you did, so thanks for all the research! I am going to share this one on.
- AUTHOR
@Peggy, yes, meeting there for our slice of pie would be delightful! But at least not until "the corn is as high as an elephant's eye", okay? Iowa winters are not my cup of tea. (How high IS an elephant's eye, anyway?) Darn right the Winterset Chamber of Commerce should be pleased! In case they don't know about the free publicity they're getting, I'm thinking about emailing them a list of links to our hubs. Seriously. ;D
@Melovy, I regret not having a video camera to record the trek back to the tower, so I'm thrilled I was able to make you *almost* feel like you were there with words alone. And that you found the story of the tower "riveting". As for "that poor woman having 14 children" (all single births, no less!), I suspect Ruth and Caleb were NOT a match made in heaven. ;D
Though I think the chances of me ever getting to Winterset to see this tower are very slim, I was riveted by the story of the tower. That poor woman having 14 children!
I also loved the captions on the photos, and the way you described discovering the tower almost made me felt that I was there! A very interesting hub. Voted up.
It would be fun to meet there and have our slice of pie. Haha! The Winterset Chamber of Commerce should be pleased with the publicity we are giving them. :)))
- AUTHOR
CMerritt, being insatiably curious, I'll *have* to look up the Hornbacks now. Will let you know what I find out.
Peggy, as soon as the gremlins in the HP servers allow me to edit this hub, I'll add a link to your John Wayne hub too. Keep getting an error message that "something went wrong" and it won't let me edit. Anyhoo...with all our promoting of the Wonders of Winterset, a comped slice of pie at a cafe on the square wouldn't be out of line, would it? That is, if either one of us EVER get back to Winterset! ;D
I have also linked this hub to my John Wayne birthplace hub which is also in Winterset. Who knows...suddenly Winterset may get many more visitors because of our hubs! :))
very cool....I actually did some research on Iowa before I decided to use it as my setting.
I really got caught up in it..
I used the first name of Cole, because of a John Wayne chactor in one of his movies he starred in...since John Wayne was born in Winterset that led me to do some research from there..also Harlan Spencer was another name I used in my story and Spencer is a town in Iowa..it just kind of got me all caught up in it.
- AUTHOR
CMerritt, I was aware you use Winterset as a setting for your Cole Hornback story. Interesting that you picked Iowa as a setting. As a native Kansan, I had a hard time picturing any town in Iowa being part of "the West", but of course at one time Iowa was exactly that - a state on the western edge of the United States. As it was in 1856 when my Denham ancestors left it to settle in the yet untamed Kansas Territory. A bit jarring to realize that until Kansas became a state in 1861, disgruntled settlers talked about "going back to the U.S."! In that context, it makes perfect sense that you set a western in Iowa, specifically in Winterset.
For what it's worth, I recently learned a few cousins from another branch came "out West" in the mid-1800s and settled in Winterset, so they may have known the real-life Hornbacks!
- AUTHOR
Robie2, I found the pic of Caleb and Ruth at an Iowa genealogy site. Somehow I think birthing those 14 chillins had more to do with Ruth's sour expression than the fact that in the early days of photography, subjects had to hold their faces perfectly still for several minutes and it was harder to smile that long than not smile. But Caleb, being a founder of a Church of Christ, didn't look like he'd be a barrel of laughs under any circumstances. Thanks for the up and awesome votes!
Sally/Sherri, about 15 years ago to find a genie research buddy who believes in rattling every skeleton we find in our ancestors' closets. Warts and all. It's our experience when history books or self-written histories paint a Dearly Departed as too good to be true, there's a secret (or two) buried somewhere. I really wasn't looking to debunk the Clarks' claim to "first settlers", only to verify the facts in case a descendant of another "first settler" happened to read this hub, and found Hiram Hurst. A rumored arsonist on the lam was too good to leave out. Next, find out what happened to the Clantons and why they didn't share the "first" honor. Thanks for YOUR up and awesome too!
JaneA, yes, it does look like the tower was a family project from start to finish, which is why it's odd I can't find the land it's on was owned by a family member. Can't imagine they just built the thing on land they had no authority to do so. And I agree, it IS a crazy, amazing story! Thanks for reading and commenting! ;D
I have become somewhat a fan of winterset....I used this town as the setting for a western short story called "Cole Hornback"....I referenced the Middle River Valley, Madison County and even the name Hornback was a popular name back then...
I enjoyed reading this hub,
Chris
It sounds like the family built the whole thing themselves (they were stonemasons after all). What a crazy, amazing story!
You really have given Winterset a super gift of history (and new tourism, too!). I was just talking with Robie this morning, listening to some of the story about her grandfather, thinking how history is re-written from the academic version we learned in school every time one tells the previously unknown story of someone in the past. So thank you so much for the truly interesting history lesson. Iowa has become, for me, much, much more than just a place on the map to which I've never been. Up and awesome!
Thanks for taking me along on this wonderful tour of Winterset and the Clark Tower. The photos are fabulous too and I feel like I was right there with you. Where did you get that pic of Clark and Ruth-- they don't exactly look like a fun couple LOL-- great job Jama -- voting this up and awesome
- AUTHOR
christopher, I forgot all about Rapunzel! Yes! Thanks! As for Winterset's tourist board, haven't you heard that Peggy W and I have become their (unofficial) P.R. people?? I have LOTS more pix of the town and the bridges to turn into hubs. lol!
I think the tourist board in Winterset should be very pleased with the write up that you have given to their town and their lovely and romantic tower. Every time I look at the photos, I expect to see Rapunzel lowering her hair.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
- AUTHOR
Tradition has it that before the tower was built, pioneers watched for Indians from that spot. But far as I could find out, Clark Tower has no other use other than as a memorial to the Clarks. However, if my own kids were an example, it IS a great place for children to play out their fantasies about knights defending the king's castle!
So glad that you did this hub about the Clark Tower in Winterset. I agree with you that it should be better publicized. Will link this hub to the ones that I have done regarding Winterset.
From what you found out...this was quite an impressive memorial! Apparently it had no other use? I can just imagine kids playing in it after it was built assuming all kinds of play acting roles!
Voted up, useful and interesting.
- AUTHOR
Thanks, Duchess! Thanks, Arlene! Glad you enjoyed it. Did I mention "Curiosity" should be my middle name? lol! But you're right, Duchess, that I knew from being a genealogist for 25+ years where to look for interesting tidbits to add to what would otherwise have been a photo hub of pix of Clark Tower.
My, my, my. Where have you been? I am glad you are out and about. I have not been to Iowa, so thank you for taking me there with your writing and photographs. You sure know how to make things interesting as you cover a lot of ground. I did bookmark this for "someday." Voted up and everything else.
What a truly interesting find. You must be very good at research. I suppose know where to look for it comes from the work you do in genealogy?
I enjoyed reading the history you found. Good work detective
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