Red Rock Township near Otley in Marion County, Iowa — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Red Rock Line / Red Rock
November 5, 2023
1. Red Rock Line Marker
Inscription.
Red Rock Line, also, Red Rock. .
Red Rock Line. The Red Rock Line was a boundary separating the Sac and Fox Indian tribes from the white settlers expanding westward. The survey of this line began near this monument, on the red sandstone bluffs north of the Des Moines River, in what is now known as Painted Rocks. The line extended south to the Iowa/Missouri border and north to a point in Hardin County near Steamboat Rock., The Red Rock Line was created by a treaty known as The New Purchase of 1842, which allowed the United States government to purchase 12 million acres of central Iowa for $800,000. The treaty became effective on May 1, 1843, by which time the Indians had to depart the land east of the line. On October 1, 1845, the Sac and Fox departed the area west of the line and the settlers then staked their claims to the land. After a few years several of the Indians returned to Iowa, purchasing some of their former land near the town of Tama.,
Red Rock 1845-1969. Red Rock, the first town in Marion County, was founded by John D. Bedell who established a trading post on the site and platted the town. Additional trading posts were built nearby and this frontier town then became an important river port with several sawmills and gristmills. The town flourished until the railway was located several miles to the north and the nearby red sandstone quarry closed in the late 1890s., Red Rock Cemetery is all that remains of the once booming frontier town of Red Rock. This town, located on the Des Moines River at the base of the bluff 1/4 mile south of the cemetery, was flooded many times throughout its history. The town was considered as a site for Iowa's new capital, replacing Iowa City, until an untimely flood cooled interest in the idea. It was permanently flooded in 1969 when Lake Red Rock was created., The Sac and Fox and later traders and others used the nation's second largest Sycamore tree, just south of Red Rock, as a place to gather. The trunk of the "Treaty Sycamore" can still be seen in the lake.
Red Rock Line
The Red Rock Line was a boundary separating the Sac and Fox Indian tribes from the white settlers expanding westward. The survey of this line began near this monument, on the red sandstone bluffs north of the Des Moines River, in what is now known as Painted Rocks. The line extended south to the Iowa/Missouri border and north to a point in Hardin County near Steamboat Rock.
The Red Rock Line was created by a treaty known as The New Purchase of 1842, which allowed the United States government to purchase 12 million acres of central Iowa for $800,000. The treaty became effective on May 1, 1843, by which time the Indians had to depart the land east of the line. On October 1, 1845, the Sac and Fox departed the area west of the line and the settlers then staked their claims to the land. After a few years several of the Indians returned to Iowa, purchasing some of their former land near the town of Tama.
Red Rock
1845-1969
Red Rock, the first town in Marion County, was founded by John D. Bedell who established a trading post on the site and platted the town. Additional trading posts were built nearby and this frontier town then became an important river port with several sawmills and gristmills. The town flourished until the railway was located several
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miles to the north and the nearby red sandstone quarry closed in the late 1890s.
Red Rock Cemetery is all that remains of the once booming frontier town of Red Rock. This town, located on the Des Moines River at the base of the bluff 1/4 mile south of the cemetery, was flooded many times throughout its history. The town was considered as a site for Iowa's new capital, replacing Iowa City, until an untimely flood cooled interest in the idea. It was permanently flooded in 1969 when Lake Red Rock was created.
The Sac and Fox and later traders and others used the nation's second largest Sycamore tree, just south of Red Rock, as a place to gather. The trunk of the "Treaty Sycamore" can still be seen in the lake.
Erected 2001 by the Painted Rocks Lot Owners Association and many generous friends.
Location. 41° 25.804′ N, 93° 7.235′ W. Marker is near Otley, Iowa, in Marion County. It is in Red Rock Township. Marker is on Hickory Lane, half a mile south of Erbe Drive, on the left when traveling west. Located at Red Rock Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 318 Hickory Ln, Otley IA 50214, United States of America. Touch for directions.
"The original marker for the start point of the Red Rock Line was a large wooden cross on a mound of earth."
November 5, 2023
6. Red Rock Line Monument and Fence Contributors Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on November 21, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 20, 2023. This page has been viewed 70 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 20, 2023.
