Some time ago while doing research about channelization (for another stream - which explains why research takes so long) I came upon an article in the November 28th, 1953 Ames Daily Tribune describing a project to move the Skunk River west away from Pleasant Valley Road. The article says that it was being moved for a length of 80 rods, and 80 rods west. It makes sense that they may have moved 80 rods of river, but it's difficult to imagine that they moved it 80 rods west!
Road is Safe Now as Skunk River is Moved
Ames Daily Tribune, November 28, 1953
Twice in the years Sam Steigerwalt has been Story county engineer a winding secondary road in Section 32 of Howard township has been pushed east to escape the Skunk river.
Now the Skunk river is being pushed west so that it will have no more chance at the thoroughfare.
Up on the G. M. Erickson farm just south of the 40 and 8 cabin county workmen are bulldozing tons of dirt over the course the Skunk has been following these many years. This is being done for a distance of about 80 rods.
The new channel will be 80 rods to the west. Trees and sand and other obstructions where the "new" river will be are to be pushed over into the old channel, Steigerwalt said.
As the article mentions, the road had been moved a couple times previously. Makes one wonder whether Crooked Bend is named for the river or the road. Maybe that would explain the redundancy?
The following aerial images show the river and Pleasant Valley Road in the 1930s, 50s and 60s, followed by a custom map at ArcGIS.com. A green line approximates the channel location in the 1930s image and another on the east side of the road shows a measurement of 80 rods. Odd that there's no evidence that the river has been moved.
The following aerial images show the river and Pleasant Valley Road in the 1930s, 50s and 60s, followed by a custom map at ArcGIS.com. A green line approximates the channel location in the 1930s image and another on the east side of the road shows a measurement of 80 rods. Odd that there's no evidence that the river has been moved.
Another little mystery: Both a 1919 and 1930 atlas show a road crossing in the SW corner of Howard Township (bottom of Sections 31 & 32). It appears to be an extension of 160th from the west, roughly following the lane to a private home and then down-slope to join Pleasant Valley Road - which at the time was apparently on the WEST side of the river at that location.
(Sam Stagerwalt could have told us. He must have been the county engineer for many years.)
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