Spook Cave, McGregor, Iowa

Somewhere in northeastern Iowa, amid cornfields and far-reaching horizons, the land changes its mind. It ripples out from the upper Mississippi River, shaping bluffs into tree-covered billows and casting shadows over the once sun-baked land. Spook Cave and nearby McGregor, Iowa, nestle into the nooks of this rocky region, comfortably situated in the Effigy Bluffs.

Spook Cave, an adolescent cave at 150 million years old, has a claim to fame as the subject of local folklore. In the same rising bluff as the cave, serene terraced Beulah Falls pour from the forested hillside, just a stone’s throw from the cave entrance. These falls, however, once diverted attention from the neighboring hidden water-carved cave within the hill’s limestone walls, hiding the secret caverns from potential adventurers and spelunkers.

Wayne Mielke, son of Spook Cave discoverer Gerald Mielke, said the locals created folklore about the bluff grumblings, including stories of ghosts haunting the hill.

In the late 1940s and ’50s, local farmers and their families gathered in front of the falls for Sunday picnics. Sharing time together with the soft splashing in the background, picnickers often heard a mysterious noise emanate from the bluff beside the falls. The picnickers told one another stories about the gurgling sound, and parents sculpted grandiose fantasies in their children’s minds.

“They would always walk up and listen to the roar come out of the side of the hill,” Mielke said. “I don’t know if they thought there were big wind tunnels back there, but my dad believed there was water [in the bluff].”

An adventurous sinkhole spelunker, Gerald Mielke previously had found another local cave. He believed, and later proved, that the “spooky” sound emanating from the bluff, more outspoken than the whisper of Beulah Falls, came from a bigger and more accessible cave than his previous find.

Adjacent to Beulah Falls, Spook Cave offers a distinct viewing experience; visitors travel by guided boat into the limestone depths of the bluff. Boat travel opened the cave experience to those with all varieties of physical capabilities by eliminating the need to descend into a cave down many flights of stairs.

Paul Rasmussen, current owner of the cave and surrounding campground, said Spook Cave operates during the summer season as a nostalgic token of the past.

“Family generations come up to the caves — the older generation shows it to the younger generations,” he said.
Gliding through the consistently 47-degree cave, the tour guide points out a variety of Spook Cave’s features. Carbon-crafted stalactites and stalagmites, fossil fragments and erosion-carved domes in the rock walls all await discovery. Ducking to avoid the ceiling in tight passages, travelers become well acquainted with one another while listening to anecdotes about the cave history that may or may not be true.

The tour guide warns about one stalactite, nicknamed the “hairy stalactite” for its erratic chameleon-skin-like growth and potentially cosmetic application. The irony is that drips of water from this peculiar “hairy” deposit allegedly will burn the hair off an unsuspecting guest.

Emerging from the cave and shaking off the slight chill of the air, visitors can explore the local above-ground area and stumble upon the charming town of McGregor.

Seven miles east of Spook Cave, McGregor dapples the Mississippi riverbank with multicolored storefronts.

Local coffee shop owner Todd Berry said the alluring town entices unsuspecting travelers from diverse walks of life and surprises many.

“It’s a town that has some type of magnetism to it,” Berry said. “I can’t put my finger on it. Whatever it is, it seems to attract people from all over.”

McGregor draws boaters right off the Mississippi, offering marinas and on-the-water restaurants. Motorcyclists also enjoy the picturesque town because it lies along a scenic highway. Due to this notoriety, the McGregor area drapes the background of the 2006 Harley-Davidson parts catalog.

McGregor exudes a quirky coastal feel laced with unexpected Midwestern charm. A colorful three-story knickknacks store, Paper Moon, faces a mock frontier town street — just one example of the visual contrasts that make the town eye-catching. McGregor is Iowa’s pop art — startling the eye after a museum of endless dreary landscapes.

The cornfields of central Iowa wear a poker face, concealing the bluff-sculpted landscape of the northeast. Encounters with Spook Cave and quaint McGregor, Iowa, will reward travelers for their ventures into the rolling land.

Photos by Faith Maslonka

Get Directions