History is fascinating.
The Library History Room is full of so many interesting stories that should be shared.
Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry, and some will make you wonder why.
Enjoy traveling back in time with our historian!
Children’s Library – 1986
Clear Lake Carnegie Library
The Music Didn’t Die
The music didn’t die on February 3rd 1959. Far from it! Clear Lake and our beloved Surf Ballroom have celebrated the everlasting music of Buddy Holly and the Crickets, the Big Bopper [...]
Ice Fishing
Here’s a fun fact; ice fishing was illegal in Iowa from 1898-1950. Yup- really. Scott Grummer, DNR Fisheries Management Biologist, confirms this surprising fact. In addition, ice shacks were outlawed two years [...]
Saratoga of the Midwest
Clear Lake was known as the Saratoga of the Midwest for good reason. Our natural environment offers us a playground for sport and recreation. When the water turns from summer soft to [...]
Snowy Outhouse
Ah, the good old days. Full of romance. People lived simpler lives. Things weren’t as complicated. Perhaps. This photo is from around 1910. It gives us something to consider. When you walk [...]
Christmas Choir
Could anything be sweeter at Christmas than the songs of children? Christmas pageants, programs, and plays by the kids renew the magic for kids of all ages. All the practices culminate in [...]
Twixmas
Twixmas- the unofficial term for the relaxed period between Christmas and New Year. Time to shift from high gear to glorious neutral. The possibilities are endless and Clear Lake holds them all. [...]