National Register of Historic Places

Decorah Ice Cave

Decorah, Winneshiek County, Iowa
Listed
December 20, 1978
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
78001269

About this property

Decorah Ice Cave State Preserve has one of the largest ice caves in the Midwestern United States. It consists of a 3-acre (1.2 ha) parcel of land at the edge of Barbara Barnhart VanPeenen Memorial Park in the northern portion of the city of Decorah, in Winneshiek County, Iowa. Ice Cave is open to the public as an 'enter at your own risk' attraction. In the late 1990s, the Department of Natural Resources Geological Survey Bureau required a permanent barrier be installed due to some rock movement. Since then, a large rock has fallen and visitors are now only able to comfortably walk into the cave about 10 feet from the entrance. Ice caves are one characteristic of karst topography, along with sinkholes and cave systems, all of which are present in the area, a portion of the Driftless Area of Iowa. From autumn and into early winter the cave is dry. Ice begins to form in January or February near the entrance and continues down to the lower levels. Several inches of ice on the north wall materializes by late May, and generally remains until late August. The cave was given to Decorah in 1954 and remains the property of the city. It was declared a state geological state preserve in 1973. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Location

Decorah, Winneshiek County, Iowa
43.31049, -91.78436

Categories

CONSERVATIONSCIENCE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
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Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
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Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Spotlight
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Nearby Historic Sites

Painter-Bernatz Mill
Industrial
0.2 mi
Decorah Woolen Mill
Civil War
0.4 mi
Miller, Norris, House
Industrial
0.5 mi
Steyer Opera House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Broadway-Phelps Park Historic District
Listed
0.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Decorah Ice Cave listed on the National Register?

Decorah Ice Cave was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 20, 1978.

What type of historic resource is Decorah Ice Cave?

Decorah Ice Cave is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Decorah Ice Cave?

The period of significance for Decorah Ice Cave is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Decorah Ice Cave?

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