The dedication of a new state park drew hundreds of people to the shores of East Lake Okoboji on Monday afternoon. Elinor Bedell State Park is named after the wife of former Iowa Congressmen Berkly Bedell, who founded a fishing equipment company. Elinor Bedell says her husband introduced former Governor Terry Branstad to the 80 acres during a vacation.It’s Iowa’s first new state park in 27 years. Bedell says the park turned out just as it had been envisioned.The park includes a log picnic shelter, a campground for R-Vs, a youth campground, two miles of hiking trails and a special playground for children between the ages of two and five. It’s located just east of Spirit Lake.
