The Historical Bur Oaks of Shady Oaks

In 1996, as part of Iowa's Sesquicentennial, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources named our stand of namesake trees "The Bur Oaks of Shady Oaks" to the Register of "Famous and Historical Trees." In this publication, William A. Ferris, State Forester, wrote, "If the trees captured in the following pages could talk, they would tell wonderful stories of historic significance before and during the settlement of Iowa by our ancestors."

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The Above Publication Contains the Following Passage Documenting the Historical Significance of the Bur Oaks of Shady Oaks

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The Bur Oaks of Shady Oaks

Nominated by: Mary C. Gift

Shady Oaks is the name of a grove of bur oak trees in Eastern Marshall County. They are 150 to 200 years old and were part of 5,000 acres of the best timber in Marshall County. Today, Shady Oaks is the home of Shady Oaks RV and Mobile Home Park and the Big Treehouse.

The grove has been a witness to the activities of native Americans and early Iowa settlers. Trappers and hunters traveled along the river and stream where the grove is located in search of fur and game. A wagon road lead past Shady Oaks to the Rock Valley Grist Mill that operated from 1849 to 1880. The grove served as a resting place for people waiting for their grain to be ground at the mill.

In the 1850s, the grove was the site of early Methodist revivals and meetings. The first Methodist Mission in the county started in the Rock Valley Mill. Families came and stayed for several days.

From 1862 to 1885, the grove was the site of the first Rock Valley School and Meeting House.

The road was one of the first roads in the area. It became part of the Marengo to Fort Dodge State Road and Western Stagecoach route. In 1913, the road was designated as part of the Lincoln Highway (U.S. 30) in 1927. Shady Oaks Road is the only 3-mile stretch of the original Lincoln Highway named after a historic campground.

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