From towering limestone bluffs to lead mines, the Mines of Spain State Recreation Area is an amazing place. It’s also believed to be the oldest European settlement in what is now the state of Iowa.
Back then it belonged to the Spanish Government. They gave early Iowan Julien Dubuque an allotment of land here in the 1790s. While he may have been the first, there were many who followed after.
One family, the Junkermans, homesteaded here in the 1860s. The father, Otto Junkerman, was the first wholesale druggist west of the Mississippi and had a pharmacy in Dubuque. Grapes grown on the homestead were used in creating wines and medicines for the store.
This chapel wasn’t as much a place for a church to gather as it was an all-purpose community room. During prohibition, the chapel was even utilized as a place to store grain for an illegal still nearby.
The Pine Chapel Foot Trail in the Mines of Spain Recreation Area leads to the remains of this early homestead. There are historical markers along the trail describing the history and various buildings.
The house of the homestead was located down a steep slope not far from the chapel. So were several outbuildings such as a cellar. While it's difficult to make out, there is evidence that the stones used in the buildings were quarried nearby.
The trail is a loop that, in addition to beautiful forest, features stairs, wildflowers in the spring and summer, and several quaint bridges over clear woodland streams. This is a beautiful trail, but it’s also a mysterious one. There is evidence of humans here from long before recorded history, and if the rocks could talk it is certain hikers along this path would have many tales to listen to.
The trail is just over a half mile, but there are lots of other trails in this reserve to extend your hike. Magnificent views and even sunken lead mines await once you’ve explored the chapel. Whatever you see while you are here, reflecting on the many different people across many different eras who have made this area their home might just be the highlight of the whole experience.
Have you ever hiked to Pine Chapel? You can learn more about the trail here on Alltrails. For more on Mines of Spain Recreation Area in general, head here.
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