Time Machine: Indian Isle

As a boy, McGregor native Harry I. Clark explored the forests and islands near his home.

He grew up to become president of the All-Steel Welded Truck Corp. of Rockford, Ill. When he returned to his hometown, he saw the new Effigy Mounds National Monument just north of McGregor and Marquette, which was becoming more popular each year.

Meanwhile, Prairie du Chien, Wis., just across the Mississippi River, had the Fort Crawford museum and Villa Louis tourist attractions.

Prairie du Chien and McGregor were connected by a bridge that had dropped its toll status in 1954.

The potential for a resort was obvious, and Clark knew just where he wanted to build it.

He bought the long, narrow Bergman's Island just across from McGregor, where James McLaughlin and Frank Bergman invited Boy Scouts to plant gardens in 1917. Area families picnicked on the 153-acre island during the summer. It was one of very few privately owned islands on the Upper Mississippi and was not part of any preserve.

Although much closer to Iowa, Bergman's island was officially part of Bridgeport, Wis.

It actually consisted of two islands, one large and one small. The large island had a small, unnamed lake and the small island had the larger Telegraph Lake.

After researching river records as far back as 1875, Clark was sure that the place on which he planned to build the resort was higher than any flood record.

Clark incorporated Bergman's Island for $250,000, changed its name to Indian Isle, and began planning a two-year construction program.

The resort would have 50 cottages with fireplaces and bathrooms and a central lodge with a restaurant. A boat motel, or boatel, with 20 units, a beach on the island's small lake and a swimming pool by the lodge were planned.

His first order of business was to build a couple of ferry boats. Construction of these began on the Wisconsin side of the river. Both boats had steel hulls and powerful marine engines. One was constructed to look like an old-time Mississippi paddle-wheel steamer. It was 64 feet long, held 175 passengers and was propelled by its paddle wheel. The second was smaller, with a convention inboard motor. The boats were constructed by Julius Balk of Guttenberg, who was employed at Clark's Dyersville plant.

At the same time, a well was drilled to supply the island with fresh water. Drillers went down to the Jordan aquifer, 437 feet below the level of the island, and brought in a well that needed no pump.

Clark also ordered his company to build steel docks and metal boats. The small boats were powered by outboard motors and were put into service when the bigger boats were not available for a quick ride.

To accommodate the influx of tourists to Indian Isle, McGregor paved the boat launching slope at the end of Main Street. Inside the Scenic Hotel (now the Alexander) in McGregor, an elaborate kiosk was opened to promote Indian Isle.

Building materials had to be transported by boat and raft to the island. Everything from rocks to an old Ford pickup truck was transported on Clark-built steel rafts.

When the main lodge opened on May 29, 1955, none of the cottages were ready for visitors. Henry J. Quartermont, resort manager, expected them to be ready by mid- or late summer. Resort rules did not allow hunting, but encouraged guests to bring their fishing gear.

Part of the ambience of the quickly popular Indian Isle was American Indian families to lend color to the scene. Wickiups were built on the northern tip of the big island to house the colony of Winnebagos imported from Wisconsin, who lived on the island during the tourist season. They performed native dances and ceremonies each night.

Because Indian Isle was actually on the Wisconsin side of the river, the resort could obtain a liquor license from that state and opened a tap room and a cocktail lounge.

The first time a major flood hit Indian Isle was 1965. A firetruck from the submerged island was transported to the McGregor shore and used to help pump water out of the town's basements. Joe Burgess of Cresco took over the island shortly after that.

In March 1969, a new group of businessmen bought the resort. Among them was John Griser of Cedar Rapids. The new owners planned expansion of docking and marina facilities. The island would be developed for permanent homes, they said.

A grand opening was planned for May 11, but the Mississippi rose again in mid-April. The restaurant and cottages were surrounded by water that didn't begin dropping until April 23.

It took a while before cleanup could begin. The Indian Isle boats remained docked at the McGregor riverfront and the restaurant never opened in the summer of 1970.

The island flooded again in 1971.

A few years later, a group of boaters and skiers, led by Marion attorney Clinton Moyer, hoped to revitalize the resort. They obtained an option to purchase the island, planning to exercise it when all federal regulations were met.

'It's now in the lap of bureaucrats whether or not this gets off the ground,” Moyer told the McGregor town council. 'We have several ideas on how to develop Indian Isle.” One of those was the revival of the boatel idea.

The benefit of being part of Wisconsin at the resort's beginning turned out to be a plug-puller in 1974. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said no to building on an island that had flooded so many times.

It flooded again in 1975.

The investors pulled out and the island's lodge began to deteriorate, its windows shattered by vandals and the inside ransacked.

The people who lived on the island requested that the last symbol of the island's commercial past be burned.