Iowa has plenty of “ghost towns,” but many people don’t realize one of themis at the bottom of the state’s largest lake. Park Ranger Tracy Spry saysthe namesake of Lake Red Rock hasn’t seen the light of day in more thanthree decades. Spry says the Marion County town of Red Rock was once anindustrious community with hundreds of residents. She says some of thetownspeople attempted to start a business using their local surroundings asthe foundation. They tried to quarry the red sandstone for buildingmaterials but couldn’t interest people in the stone. Later, there waspromise of a railroad, which ended up taking another route. Only about 25people still lived in Red Rock in the 1960s who had to move out before thedam was complete. Spry says Red Rock’s remains are between 40 and 80 feetunderwater, but scuba divers shouldn’t bother hunting for Iowa’s Atlantis.Rangers at Lake Red Rock are holding campfire programs on the history ofthis ghost town. “Red Rock: the Town Beneath the Lake” will include slidesand stories about the sunken city. The programs are tonight and tomorrownight at 9 p-m.
