State park trail entry point.

Journey Home

Tales from the pilgrimage.

Fackler’s Grove Cemetery

  • Fackler’s Grove Cemetery — Writing a History

    On the cusp of wilderness between 1833, when Iowa opened for settlement, and 1840, when the City of Solon was platted, people settled in the area. I seek to understand that time period, and it is hard to find reliable information about the views and culture of those immigrants. There are several later histories —… Read more

  • Extracting Value

    Much has changed since Iowa opened to settlement in 1833 after the Black Hawk War. Some things seem unchanged. The brief period between 1836, when Iowa became part of the Wisconsin Territory, and the platting of the City of Solon in 1840 was a time when people saw a grove of trees and decided to… Read more

  • Political Funnel Land

    Monday’s date was written on an almost completed to-do list. I failed to figure out why. I think it was because South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg held two public events in the county seat. At 2:30 p.m. he was hosted by the University of Iowa Democrats at a local bar, and at 7:30 p.m. the… Read more

  • Last Winter as a Township Trustee

    BIG GROVE TOWNSHIP — The Big Grove Township Trustees don’t sell many grave plots. One of our responsibilities is a pioneer cemetery called Fackler’s Grove where no one has been interred for several generations. Oakland Cemetery, near the City of Solon, was expanded with an additional acreage before I was elected to the board of… Read more

  • Letter to the Solon Economist

    If you have been thinking of running for elected office, a slot is open on the ballot in Big Grove Township. Mark Haight is the lone candidate seeking re-election as township trustee for two open seats. Mark has unique skills suitable for being a trustee, so I hope you’ll flip the ballot and vote for… Read more

  • Politics 18 Days Out

    LAKE MACBRIDE— The general election is 18 days away, and how my ballot will shape up is finally clear. This coming week, the two of us will head into Iowa City and vote at the auditor’s office. The down-ticket races and issues have been challenging to make a reasonable decision. In particular, the township trustee… Read more

  • Maintaining a Pioneer Cemetery

    FACKLER’S GROVE— What should be done with an old cemetery? Fackler’s Grove is a pioneer cemetery that has not been used for interment for more than a hundred years. There are that many years of neglect. The remains of George Fackler, the first person to die in the township, are here, along with those of… Read more