The Linwood Hotel operated for just two seasons. Wm. Friesner, the CR school superintendent, sold out to his partner in July, 1885 and moved to CA where he became the Los Angeles School Superintendent. Nathan Bailey managed the rest of the season alone. In March, 1886 he sold the property to William K. Wisner, a Cedar Rapids real estate developer and pioneer insurance man and William N. Berkeley, an inventor and CR machine shop owner. Bailey followed Friesner to LA, where he opened another furniture store and partnered with Friesner on new real estate ventures. They developed a tract in LA they named Kenwood Park. Bailey was acclaimed a pioneer in the LA real estate business upon his death in 1921. Wisner & Berkeley sold the resort to Charles H. Fox after just three months, and Berkeley joined the Iowa colony in CA. Wisner remained an important figure in the CR insurance industry until he retired in 1930.

William B. "Billy" Ostrander, a Cedar Rapids tavern owner, leased the Linwood property for the 1886 season but was unable to reopen the resort hotel due to police pressure and crippling fines he incurred for serving alcohol illegally; he took off for Omaha and the property owner was unable to find a new manager. The hotel burned to the ground in May, 1887; tramps living nearby were blamed. (Cedar Rapids Gazette; May 2, 1887)

In 1901 the City of Cedar Rapids purchased the ruins and adjacent 50 acres, for $5,000, from Robert Ellis to establish a city park. The preliminary development plans called for a bathing beach on the east side of the River and on the opposite shore possibly a shoot-the-chutes water ride descending from the bluffs overlooking the old hotel. But there were many counter proposals, and a shortage of funds to do anything except hire an landscape architect to make recommendations. Other ideas floated: a Chautauqua venue, a public golf course, a toboggan slide, a boating club-house, a bowling alley and a tennis facility.

The lesson of the popularity of a local resort wasn't lost on Linn County entrepreneurs and a few turned their attention downstream to the Palisades region, which had only been "discovered" a few years before, in 1878. Others looked at the woods and lake on the Elihu Robins farm just upstream of the old Linwood Hotel and saw recreation/development opportunities. Some businessmen had a hunch that fun leisurely cruises aboard a comfortable steamboat were more attractive to excursionists than the actual destination. . . . It all would prove a windfall for many local companies including tent-makers, sporting goods dealers, livery and steamboat operators, farmers, etc. And it left us a recreation legacy thousands of Iowans enjoy today. As we approach the 100th anniversary of the creation of Palisades-Kepler State Park it is clear that its history is deeply rooted in a recreation/resort story that began 50 years earlier with the pioneer Linwood Hotel. Next time: Manhattan on the Cedar.

See William Kent Wisner (1861-1931) at Find a Grave memorial # 143737016. William N. Berkeley (1834-1919) was awarded U.S. patent #55230 in 1866 for inventing a mechanism for operating a swing (pivoting) draw bridge. He's at Find a Grave memorial #199974541. See Robert Ellis (1817-1912 ) at Find a Grave memorial # 22378806. Billy Ostrander (1860-1902) is at memorial # 5077849. ... See MoreSee Less

4 days ago  ·  

The Linwood Summer Hotel
Long work-weeks were common in Victorian times and vacations almost unheard of. But with the growth of cities after the Civil War, with their noise, dirt and disease, medical authorities increasingly prescribed time away at the seashore or similar nature spots with plenty of fresh air, sunshine and clean water to rest and recuperate. Summer resorts became popular among the upper class. However, Puritan attitudes regarding leisure time and idleness still held sway; many businessmen sent their wives and children, and limited their own attendance to weekends. In 1884 two local entrepreneurs opened the first resort in Linn County, the Linwood Hotel. It combined the best of both worlds--pleasant healthy surroundings and convenient access. The hotel operated for just two seasons, but it introduced thousands of local residents to the pleasure of time off in nature and served as a model for resorts that soon followed elsewhere, including at the Palisades. Ultimately, the Linwood helped bring us Ellis Park, Manhattan-Robbins Lake Park and Palisades-Kepler State Park.

On July 2, 1884, just in time for the big summer holiday, Nathan P. Bailey and William M. Friesner opened a summer resort they called the Linwood Hotel. Friesner was the Cedar Rapids school superintendent, Bailey was a furniture merchant and undertaker. The summer hotel was located on 2-1/2 acres on the west side of the Cedar River, two miles north of downtown CR. The owners promoted the resort as being as pleasant as any 200 miles from home without the cost of travel and "conveniently near families and business." (Cedar Rapids Gazette; June 28, 1884)

Bailey and Friesner purchased their Cedar River site in June, 1884 from Robert Ellis, a pioneer Linn County farmer and the original settler in the area. The hotel was open just a few days after breaking ground--evidence that accommodations were spartan compared to a regular 5-star hotel. Twelve guest rooms,were available, plus a parlor, bathroom, kitchen and dining room. A spa/bath house and boat house were said to be in the works. The owners pointed with pride to the faux-plaster wallpaper that covered the rough wooden walls. (Cedar Rapids Gazette; June 26, 1884)

Access was by steamboat. Capt. Robert Brock scheduled hourly trips of the "Carrie Wallace" ferrying passengers from Cedar Rapids Opening Day. Featured aboard was the music of the Apollo Band, which was frequently hired for local excursions. The fare was 25 cents, round trip--a bargain that several hundred people took advantage of. Guests were treated to ice cream, berries, cake and lemonade. The pleasures of the river front and forested grounds were free to all, but this night they glowed from the illumination of hundreds of Japanese lanterns. It must have been magical! We don't know for sure the price of a room for those who stayed and didn't return home on the "Carrie Wallace" that evening, but a competitive summer hotel rate would have been $5-10 per week, which included meals.

Nathan P. Bailey (1852- 1921) is at Find a Grave memorial # 73108108. William M. Friesner (1851-1894) is at memorial # 26231124. See Capt. Robert G. Brock (1832-1908) at memorial #206210995. Next time: The local recreation business-boom sparked by the Linwood Hotel. ... See MoreSee Less

7 days ago  ·