union park

East Dubuque Local Area History Project

	by Hope M. 4/4/00
	Union Park was first named Stewart Park after the Stewart Electric Company which first started it in 1891. They created the park to help their electric business. They installed trolleys for that reason. The trolleys were the only way in and out of the park. It cost fifteen cents into the park and fifteen cents out of the park. The purpose of the park was to get people to come and use the trolleys and to show people how useful electricity could be.

	Back then, the park only had a few pavilions, a bowling alley that was not in very good condition, and a few dirt paths. It was nothing to get too excited about, but it was one of the only things the people of Dubuque could do to get away from their everyday lives.

	Soon, Stewart Electric didn’t have enough money, time or energy to keep Stewart Park going, so it started to lose its popularity. Finally, they just abandoned it altogether.

	Then, July 1, 1900, the Union Electric Company took it over and named it Union Park. A Mr. Mathes was chosen to do the job of improving the park. He laid a new trolley track and the workers were paid $1.75 a day. Verandahs were put in, the dance hall and the bowling alley were fixed up, a children’s wading pool was added, and the paths were paved with cement. A new dance hall, called "The Pavilion," was built. Bowery dances were held there. A Bowery dance is when the dance floor starts out empty, then half way through, people go around and collect nickels from anyone who wants to dance and they pick a partner and dance until the night is over. Another popular attraction was added called the Rustic Bandstand, where many different bands played. Union Park had a wooden roller coaster that children loved, although it was not considered too safe because it wobbled and swayed when they were in it. An old lead mine was called "The Cave" opened for tours. There were carousels, swings, slides, sandboxes, and more. Mr. Mathes built Union Park into a big attraction.

	In 1909, the Rustic Bandstand was torn down and the Mammoth Theater was put in its place. It stretched from one hillside to the other, almost cutting the park in two. It later became Iowa’s largest theater. It cost nearly $30, 000 to build. Many well known artists performed there like Guy Lombardo and Wayne King. For a time, there were "Park Players" who performed every night at nine o’clock. They were supposed to be excellent players. Later, they had vaudeville acts that performed at times throughout the days.

	Wednesday, July 9, 1919 started as just another day. There was a chance of thunderstorms, but it looked like a good day for a picnic. The Tranel family was having a birthday party at the park. They set up the picnic at the pavilion near the wading pool and play equipment so they could keep an eye on the kids.

	After lunch at about 3:00, the skies clouded up and it looked like rain, so they called the kids back to get ready to go home. About then, it began to rain buckets.

	In a few minutes, the creek was already overflowing and the water was still rising. Lots of people took cover in the pavilion to get out of the rain. The water kept rising. Soon, people had to stand on the picnic benches, and still it kept raining. The water rose so fast that the pavilion collapsed and people were washed into the flood. The water was nearly 20 feet deep in the lowest ground. Other buildings collapsed. The people in the water were threatened by timbers and debris as well as the deep rushing water.

	The people on the hill could see the people in the pavilion being washed away by the water. It all happened very quickly, in a matter of a few minutes. People had to think fast. They grabbed some people and pulled them to safety. Someone was pulled from a tree ten feet off the ground. Some men stripped off their clothes and dived in to pull people out. A lot of the people were saved because of the quick thinking of the rescuers.

	The trolley tracks were washed away. Rescue workers and relatives couldn’t get into the park. It was a real disaster.

	The flash flood that day killed five people. Most were hit by debris and rushing water. Most of those killed were from the Tranel family, all were from East Dubuque. Bertha Tranel Wagner and her some were washed under the seats of the Mammoth Theater. On July 13, 1919, Union Park was again open to the public, but the debris was still there. Most of the buildings were rebuilt almost the same as before. The Mammoth Theater had dammed all the water which made the flood even worse, so when they rebuilt it, they made it very long and not wide like it was before. They also didn’t rebuild the pavilion called "Death Pavilion," where the family picnic was held.

	If you wonder why there is no Union Park today, there are many explanations. One is that people never forgot the big flood. Another is because Eagle Point Park started becoming popular. The people who owned Union Park even built Dubuque’s largest swimming pool to try to get people to come. Also, once people started driving cars, they liked the idea of being able to travel elsewhere for entertainment. They even took the gates down so people could drive their cars to get there and not have to ride the trolley. The public almost never came to Union Park anymore, so, in 1935, they shut it down once and for all.

	Bibliography Boge, Michael A. Union Park, a Place of Memories. Dubuque, Iowa: M. Boge 1983. Photos Courtesy of Center for Dubuque History. Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa.