Pikes Point State Park

Pikes Point State Park is located southwest of Spirit Lake, Iowa, United States. It is a small park on a point of land that projects into West Okoboji Lake. It provides space for picnicking, including a shelter listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a playground, a swimming beach, boating and fishing on the lake.

Pikes Point State Park
Map showing the location of Pikes Point State Park
Map showing the location of Pikes Point State Park
Location of Pikes Point State Park in Iowa
Map showing the location of Pikes Point State Park
Map showing the location of Pikes Point State Park
Pikes Point State Park (the United States)
LocationDickinson, Iowa, United States
Coordinates43°24′55″N 95°09′47″W / 43.41528°N 95.16306°W / 43.41528; -95.16306
Area15 acres (6.1 ha)[1]
Elevation1,444 ft (440 m)[2]
Established1931
Governing bodyIowa Department of Natural Resources
WebsitePikes Point State Park
Pikes Point State Park Shelter and Steps
Arealess than one acre
Built1933
ArchitectCentral Design Office, Ames
Architectural styleRustic
MPSCCC Properties in Iowa State Parks MPS
NRHP reference No.90001675[3]
Added to NRHPNovember 15, 1990

History

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Pikes Point was dedicated as a state park in 1931. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 778 built the shelter, steps, trails, plantings, and the footings for the latrine by March 17, 1934.[4] The park was put under the jurisdiction of Gull Point State Park in 1936.

Park Shelter and Steps

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The picnic shelter is located at the base of a slope to the lake. The Rustic style structure features a back wall and stepped end walls composed of random rubble stone. On the center of the back wall is a fireplace flanked by two stone benches. Four round timber posts with bracing hold up the timber roof supports and shed roof. The roof extends as a 7-foot (2.1 m) overhang in the back. Another fireplace is located there. The patio in back continues to the hillside and ends at a curved stone bench. A set of 29 stone steps ascend the 25-foot (7.6 m) hill south of the shelter. The significance of its architecture is that it was designed to blend into its natural surroundings by means of its material, design, and workmanship.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "A Guide to Iowa State Parks" (PDF). Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  2. ^ "Pikes Point State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. April 30, 1979. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  3. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  4. ^ a b Joyce McKay. "Pikes Point State Park". National Park Service. Retrieved May 31, 2016. with one photo from c. 1990