Dunlap Park

Discover Dunlap Park in Hopkinton

This park is named after Mr. & Mrs. Herman Dunlap who purchased this area in 1953. They donated the land and dam to the Delaware County Conservation Board. Park established in 1961.

History of Dunlap Park:

• 1838 – A family by the name of Nicholson bought the land from the government and built a cabin on section 13 in South Fork Township (T87N-R4W)
• 1839 – In March Mr. Nicholson became ill and died. He was the first adult to die in Delaware County
• 1840 – Being lonely and indisposed to endure the hardships of pioneer life Mrs. Nicholson sold her claim to LeRoy Jackson, a hunter and trapper from Dubuque
• 1841 – Mr. Jackson persuaded Henry A Carter, a miner from Dubuque, to settle with him on his claim. In the winter, Mr. Jackson hewed a log cabin and the Carter family moved into it in March
• 1844 – Mr. Carter erected a log dam at this site and proceeded to saw lumber for his neighbors
• 1853 – Mr. Carter plotted the land around the dam as an addition to the town of Hopkinton and turned the sawmill into a flour mill
• 1872 – The railroad came to Hopkinton. The town moved across the river to be near the railroad. The area around the dam never developed
• The mill was later sold to a Mr. Milroy and used as a flour and feed mill
• 1892 – Mr. Milroy converted the mill to a generator plant for electricity
• 1920 – Mr. Milroy sold the plant to the Hopkinton Electric Power Corporation
• 1924 – The Hopkinton Corporation sold the plant to the Iowa Electric Light and Power Company. They quit generating electric energy some years later
• 1953 – Iowa Electric Company sold the mill site to Mr. & Mrs. Herman Dunlap
• 1961 – The Dunlap’s donated the land and dam to the Delaware County Conservation Board
• 2003 – The old dam was removed during the construction of the current highway bridge and replaced with a rock riffle in the channel
• Today the park serves as a reminder of past years and provides access to the Maquoketa River for outdoor recreational use