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 Tornado of 1931
A tornado hit Clear Lake on August 27, 1931. It first touched down in Bayside where one person was killed in the Rist Cottage. It damaged the Bayside amusement park and destroyed [...]
Outing Club
As our seasonal Clear Lakers return to our charming lake town, one place will fill again with the sights and sounds of summer for the 130th year. The Outing Club, established in [...]
Kennedy Farms
How does your garden grow? With beets, carrots and onions all in a row? From early in the 1900’s to recently, Kennedy Farms in Clear Lake was Iowa’s largest vegetable grower. Sam [...]
The Last Prairie Fire
My grandfather, Roscoe Miller (1908-1991) told me the story of the last prairie fire in the area. He lived several miles north of Clear Lake (see 1875 map). His grandparents were named [...]