Fort Atkinson State Park
Fort Atkinson was established as a federal military outpost in 1840 to contain the Winnebago Indians within the Neutral Ground and prevent them from returning to their homeland in Wisconsin. The major buildings were built between 1842 and 1845 using limestone quarried nearby. The fort was abandoned in 1849 and in 1853 was auctioned to private owners. The state acquired the fort in 1921.
The northeastern Iowa landscape is part of the region designated as the Paleozoic Plateau, and has been exposed to weathering and erosion longer than any other region of the state. The topography here is rugged and the area is referred to popularly as "Little Switzerland." The preserve is geologically significant as the location of the Fort Atkinson Limestone Member of the Ordovician age Maquoketa Shale. These beds of sedimentary rock were created by deposits left about 430 million years ago when the region was part of a marine environment. A regional variation of Maquoketa Shale was identified by Samuel Calvin in 1906 and designated the "Fort Atkinson Member." The location selected by Calvin as the place where the character of this particular rock formation was most typically exposed was the quarry west of the fort buildings in the town of Fort Atkinson. *Excerpts form A Regional Guide to Iowa Landforms by Jean Prior.
Fort Atkinson has a yearly "rendezvous" with buckskinners (camping & trading in the 1830's style) and the Fort Atkinson Ghost battalion. Black power shooting events, knife & tomahawk throwing challenges may occur during the day. Trade goods are displayed for trade by participating buckskinners. A historic museum is housed in the old barracks and hospital.
Facilities for the preserve include drinking water, portable toilets and designated parking. See the Introduction for general use of state preserves.
