~by Chuck Offenburger for the Historical Society
You’ve seen those road signs near the Des Moines River, generally east of us, identifying the “Dragoon Trail,” and probably thought eventually you’d do enough research to find out who or what the Dragoons were. The Greene County Historical Society will give you a big assist with its program Friday, Oct. 2, at the United Methodist Church in Rippey.
Mary Weaver of rural Rippey, vice-president and programs chairperson of the historical group, is going to tell the story of the Dragoons.
They were an 1830s federal military regiment that explored and mapped territory along the Des Moines River that had been newly acquired by the U.S. government. They also were a buffer between feuding tribes of Native Americans here, and they guided early white settlers on where they could legally establish homesteads. Their work may have brought them through parts of Greene County, too.
The 1 pm program at the church is free and open to the public. There’s also a lunch for $8 at noon at the church, and members should make reservations for the meal by Wednesday, Sept. 30, with the historical society’s community contacts. Others can RSVP for lunch to Weaver at 515-360-8046.
She says her own research about the Dragoons came out of her curiosity at seeing the road signs that mark the Dragoon Trail. That was established by the State of Iowa in 1933 and stretches about 200 miles from the Fort Dodge area to Lake Red Rock between Knoxville and Pella.
