Backbone State Park is Iowa's oldest state park. It is in the valley of the Maquoketa River. It is located about three miles south of Strawberry Point in Delaware County. A dam creates Backbone Lake. Official language(s) English Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Area Ranked 26th - Total 56,272 sq mi (145,743 km²) - Width 310 miles (500 km) - Length 199 miles (320 km) - % water 0. ... The Maquoketa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 130 mi (209 km) long, in eastern Iowa in the United States. ... Strawberry Point is a city located in Clayton County, Iowa. ... Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. ...
It is the largest statepark in the United States, covering a land area about the size of Massachusetts, although more than half the land within is privately owned, including several villages and hamlets and Adirondack Regional Airport.
He wrote to the state government that action was necessary to protect the forests or it would be wasted, which would lead to the drying up of the water needed to keep the Erie Canal in operation.
The park was given state constitutional protection in 1894, so that the state-owned lands within its bounds would be protected forever ("forever wild").
Backbone is named for its narrow and steep ridge of bedrock carved by a loop of the Maquoketa River.
Backbone consists of 2,001 acres and is heavily wooded with a variety of tree species, predominantly oak and maple.
Among the projects completed at Backbone were the dams on the Maquoketa River forming Backbone Lake, a cluster of rustic family cabins, beach and boat house, an auditorium, bridges, roads, picnic shelters, rest rooms and trails.
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