During
one of my runs last week, I realized another reason I feel an affinity to the Lime Creek trails. In the woods beyond the Badlands loop are the foundations of the greenhouses and home of my Great-Grandfather Carl. I've heard many stories from my Dad about growing up working and playing at this location. The second house was built around 1919 and that is the foundation that is slowly becoming hidden in the woods.
 |
| Notice the short set of steps leading from the house to the garage level. |
 |
| Those steps are in the center of this shot! |
The greenhouse foundations are lined up just north of the house. Today these are becoming less and less distinguishable as they fill with underbrush and fallen limbs. There is also a rather distinctive root cellar (photos added) still visible in the hillside NW of the site.
 |
| circa 1920's |
Before Dad died, I had a chance to use the balloon tired, trail wheel-chair from the nature center to get him back out to see the ruins.
 |
| My Dad, Eugene, with cousin Ernie, a dog, and sisters Dorothy and Gretchen sitting on the curb. |
 |
| Can you see that curb today? |
 |
| Here I am with my father at the home foundation site. |
 |
| Looking into the root cellar. Apparently now used as a party-room. |
 |
| The top of the root cellar built into the hillside. |
The cement plant purchased the property from Great-Grandma Elsa in 1949. The original Krieger's 20 acres were essentially donated to the Cerro Gordo County Conservation board by North-Western States and Lehigh cement plants in 1976 as part of a 260 acre acquisition. My Grandfather's brother George had moved the greenhouse operations downriver to south-east Mason City. The easily recognizable sign has been there for years and the greenhouses just closed this past year.
My run today was another encouraging one. I wore the heart rate monitor and learned a lot about my perceived exertion at different rates. The overnight rains had soaked in for the most part and left the trails very runnable...quiet and soft. Great to hear the chorus frogs on this first day of spring.
13 miles total included walking the pavement 3/4 mile to and from the trails.
Wow. Quite the changes and history.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's just a quick look at some Krieger history. I also had roots from my mother's side of the family with one of the earliest settlers to what began as Masonic Grove (later becoming Mason City). He walked from this area to Des Moines to file the homestead papers then drove cattle from the Mississippi River to the homestead!
ReplyDelete