Guttenberg Attractions
There are many sites to see and activities to do in Guttenberg.
German Fest
Guttenberg Lock & Dam #10
Guttenberg Gallery
Creativity Center
Lockmaster's House
Kann Imports
Mississippi River Charters
Guttenberg Golf Course
Guttenberg City Swimming Pool
Geocaching
Guttenberg Fish Hatchery
Bottomland Forest Trail for Birders
Adjacent to the DNR South Boat Launch is a 20-minute trail loop through a natural wetland where birders enjoy kildeer, warblers, and great blue herons. This trail has been used by cross country skiers and snow shoe-ers. Other trails include the Big Springs Nature Area and the Buechel Hill Trail. Access this trail from River Park Drive to the South Marina. The turn off to enter the South Marina is near the intersection of South River Park Drive (900 Block South) and Koerner Street. Once you've turned onto the road toward the South Marina, the trail is to your right (south).
Cast Your Line for Bluegill, Northern, or Walleye
Guttenberg is a fisherman's paradise. Anglers of all ages catch catfish, walleye, bass, bluegill, and other river species right from the bank or dock at the Department of Natural Resources Boat Ramp near the intersection of South River Park Drive and Koerner Street. A new fishing pier has been constructed in the downtown immediately south of the Guttenberg Aquarium, the Iowa DNR Handicap Fishing Pier (331 S. River Park Drive). Ice fishing is a popular winter sport at Bussey Lake located north of Lock and Dam 10 just off Great River Road County Route X56 on Marina Road. Fishing licenses, bait and tackle, boat and motor rental and barge fishing are available at several Guttenberg outdoor shops, including Murray's Outdoor Store, The Landing 615, and Pronto Market.
Stroll Guttenberg’s Two-Mile Long Riverwalk
Take time to relax and watch the river roll by at Ingleside Park. The park runs the length of the community on the banks of the Mississippi River. This is an inviting place for picnickers, joggers, fishermen, and residents both young and old. Cook out on one of the grills, or just rest under a shade tree on one of the many park benches running the length of the park. Watch the barges as they lock through Lock and Dam #10. Two mile-long river walk sidewalks enhance the charm of this park. Watch fishermen, ducks and geese, and in the wintertime - Bald Eagles galore!
Launch Your Boat From North or South of Lock and Dam 10
The sandbars and backwaters of the Mississippi River draw many visitors to Guttenberg. Public and private boat ramps, docking facilities, including a handicap accessible fishing dock, are both north and south of the dam. Don't have a boat? Boat rentals are available. For more information on docking, visit the City of Guttenberg's Marina page. Find PDFs of maps of the Mississippi River here.
German Fest
Guttenberg Lock & Dam #10
Guttenberg Gallery
Creativity Center
Lockmaster's House
Kann Imports
Mississippi River Charters
Guttenberg Golf Course
Guttenberg City Swimming Pool
Geocaching
Guttenberg Fish Hatchery
Bottomland Forest Trail for Birders
Adjacent to the DNR South Boat Launch is a 20-minute trail loop through a natural wetland where birders enjoy kildeer, warblers, and great blue herons. This trail has been used by cross country skiers and snow shoe-ers. Other trails include the Big Springs Nature Area and the Buechel Hill Trail. Access this trail from River Park Drive to the South Marina. The turn off to enter the South Marina is near the intersection of South River Park Drive (900 Block South) and Koerner Street. Once you've turned onto the road toward the South Marina, the trail is to your right (south).
Cast Your Line for Bluegill, Northern, or Walleye
Guttenberg is a fisherman's paradise. Anglers of all ages catch catfish, walleye, bass, bluegill, and other river species right from the bank or dock at the Department of Natural Resources Boat Ramp near the intersection of South River Park Drive and Koerner Street. A new fishing pier has been constructed in the downtown immediately south of the Guttenberg Aquarium, the Iowa DNR Handicap Fishing Pier (331 S. River Park Drive). Ice fishing is a popular winter sport at Bussey Lake located north of Lock and Dam 10 just off Great River Road County Route X56 on Marina Road. Fishing licenses, bait and tackle, boat and motor rental and barge fishing are available at several Guttenberg outdoor shops, including Murray's Outdoor Store, The Landing 615, and Pronto Market.
Stroll Guttenberg’s Two-Mile Long Riverwalk
Take time to relax and watch the river roll by at Ingleside Park. The park runs the length of the community on the banks of the Mississippi River. This is an inviting place for picnickers, joggers, fishermen, and residents both young and old. Cook out on one of the grills, or just rest under a shade tree on one of the many park benches running the length of the park. Watch the barges as they lock through Lock and Dam #10. Two mile-long river walk sidewalks enhance the charm of this park. Watch fishermen, ducks and geese, and in the wintertime - Bald Eagles galore!
Launch Your Boat From North or South of Lock and Dam 10
The sandbars and backwaters of the Mississippi River draw many visitors to Guttenberg. Public and private boat ramps, docking facilities, including a handicap accessible fishing dock, are both north and south of the dam. Don't have a boat? Boat rentals are available. For more information on docking, visit the City of Guttenberg's Marina page. Find PDFs of maps of the Mississippi River here.
Historic Guttenberg
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The Western Settlement Society of Cincinnati was a semi-charitable organization founded to aid German immigrants who wished to settle in the American Midwest. In 1844, the Society purchased three hundred acres to the north, and 160 acres to the south, of the Prairie la Porte plat, and the next year acquired the plat as well. Five German families arrived in March 1845, the most determined of an original band of 200 souls, most of whom had remained behind in Burlington, Iowa. By 1851 the town had grown to nearly 300 people, and by 1856 to over 1500, only a few of whom were not German immigrants. The new settlement was appropriately renamed "Guttenberg", and the name was accepted by the State Legislature. Additional streets were laid out, from the south Hermann, Wieland, Lessing, Schiller, Herder and Goethe streets; and, above the original plat, Mozart and Haydn streets. Prairie la Porte survives in county records as the north half of the original town plat.
Guttenberg's most important historic resources represent two broader themes in its history. The first is the remarkable vernacular architecture of an early Iowa immigrant community, with its heavy reliance on use of local native building materials. The second is the variety of commercial and industrial pursuits that brought initial and later long-term prosperity to Guttenberg and enabled the town to fully exploit its location on the Mississippi River. Guttenberg has long been noted for its well preserved pre- and post-Civil War vernacular architecture. Perhaps the most striking feature of Guttenberg's architectural landscape is the large number of limestone structures, the majority dating from before the Civil War and some perhaps built as early as the mid-1840's. They represent a rather extensive use of a locally-available but unwieldy, building material, possibly even in preference to equally-available timber. Examples of stone construction include not only industrial and commercial buildings (where the material's load-bearing and fire-retardant qualities would have been most appreciated) but also houses, large and small. Use of limestone is not unique to Guttenberg it is found in many eastern and central Iowa communities, and as in Guttenberg was most commonly used in the 1845-70 period, but the high proportion and variety of stone structures remaining in Guttenberg sets this community apart from many towns of its age in the state. (excerpts from "Guttenberg Iowa-The Limestone City of Clayton County Its Architecture and History, 1854-1951 by James E Jacobson) |