Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
CATFISH CREEK
CATFISH CREEK. A minor tributary of the MISSISSIPPI RIVER, Catfish Creek rises west and southwest of Dubuque, Iowa. The Middle Fork flows under and then parallel to U.S. Highway 20. The remaining forks of the creek are all south of Highway 52. Swiss Valley Park, maintained by Dubuque County, is on the main fork. The section of the creek in Swiss Valley is a designated trout stream. (1) The portion running through the Mines of Spain State Recreation Area has increased in popularity for “quiet water activities” such as canoeing, kayaking, water-based eco-tours and wildlife watching.
In the late 1700s, the MESKWAKIES located a village near the mouth of Catfish Creek and mined LEAD in the area. In 1788 they allowed Julien DUBUQUE to live along the stream and operate the mines. Near the mouth of the stream, his settlement included a smelter and blacksmith shop.
On the evening of June 4, 1876, a downpour of rain caused Catfish Creek to surge out of its banks to a depth of perhaps twenty-feet and a width of hundreds of feet. The village of ROCKDALE suffered the loss of two stores, several houses, a hotel, saloon, post office, and blacksmith shop. Reports stated that forty-two people died with survivors found in tree tops.
The Catfish Creek Watershed is a 46,300 acre watershed consisting of the City of Dubuque, the City of Asbury, and the City of Peosta. There are five sub-watersheds within the Catfish Creek Watershed. These include: the North Fork, Middle Fork, South Fork, Granger Creek, and the main stem of Catfish Creek. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has labeled Upper Catfish Creek a cold-water Class "B"(CW) stream from the Swiss Valley Park Campgrounds and south approximately 3 miles. This stream has brown trout naturally reproducing within it--one of only thirty such streams in Iowa. Along with the urban area the stream impacts, the creek meanders through the three important natural resources within the watershed, Swiss Valley Park, the Swiss Valley Nature Preserve, and the Mines of Spain State Park. These areas are managed by both the Dubuque County Conservation Board and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and attract over 380,000 users annually. (2)
The North Fork of the creek has been proposed for a trail/park. Landowners and residents working with the Upper Catfish Creek Watershed Project have begun conservation practices and other changes to improve their farming operations, land, and creek. In 2007 a $7,500 grant was awarded by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to help the Dubuque County Conservation Board control storm water at the Swiss Valley Nature Center. The grant money helped install a pervious parking area and a permeable grass paver walkway to reduce storm water runoff entering the creek.
In 1997 Catfish Creek was the focus of an environmental checkup by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Draining about seventy miles of eastern Dubuque County known as Swiss Valley, Catfish Creek has three major tributaries--South, Middle and North Forks of Catfish Creek as well as Granger Creek to the south. Sections of the creek flow through pipes under Kennedy Road and Pennsylvania Avenue. The survey gave biologists a look at the fish distribution--an indicator of water quality. Species found included carp, sunfish, catfish, sauger and bass. Tom Boland, a DNR biologist, was then in the process of raising the visibility of the creek and its watershed by proposing the creation of a Catfish Creek Coalition. (3)
In July 2012 applications were being accepted for two positions to represent the City of Dubuque on the newly formed Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority (CCWMA). The CCWMA, formed by 28E Agreement through a grant contract with the Iowa Economic Development Authority, invited the Catfish Creek Watershed political subdivisions of Dubuque County and the cities of Dubuque, Asbury, Peosta, and Centralia and the Dubuque Soil and Water Conservation District to enter into a joint and cooperative agreement for the establishment of a Catfish Creek Watershed Authority to effectively plan, communicate, educate, and provide guidance for the Catfish Creek Watershed. (4)
To educate and engage the public on water quality and the Catfish Creek Watershed, the City of Dubuque City, Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority, Dubuque County Conservation Board, Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency, Dubuque Soil & Water Conservation District, Iowater, National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, and 1Mississippi hosted the first annual Catfish Creek Festival on April 26, 2014 at the Swiss Valley Park Walnut Pavilion, 13606 Swiss Valley Rd. Festivities began with an educational exercise on water quality monitoring, followed by a stream clean-up activity and a presentation by the Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority. (5)
---
Source:
1. Upper Catfish Creek Watershed Project. Online: http://www.dubuqueswcd.org/page4.html
2. Ibid.
3. Reber, Craig. "Biologists Hopeful of Catfish's Future," Telegraph Herald, November 5, 1997, p. 3A
4. News Release, City of Dubuque, July 6, 2012, Online: http://www.cityofdubuque.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2961
5. News Release, City of Dubuque, April 7, 2014. Online: http://www.cityofdubuque.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4247
]
