Templar State Recreation Area

Templar State Recreation Area is a 10-acre (4.0 ha) state recreation area in Dickinson County, Iowa, United States, near the city of Orleans. The recreation area is located on the western shore of Big Spirit Lake, the largest of the Iowa Great Lakes, and is one of several state parks and recreation areas in the Great Lakes region. Its amenities include a boat ramp, fishing areas, and picnic buildings; the boat ramp is on a lagoon, which shelters boaters from winds on the lake.[2]

Templar State Recreation Area
Map showing the location of Templar State Recreation Area
Map showing the location of Templar State Recreation Area
Location of Templar State Recreation Area in Iowa
Map showing the location of Templar State Recreation Area
Map showing the location of Templar State Recreation Area
Templar State Recreation Area (the United States)
LocationDickinson County, Iowa, United States
Nearest cityOrleans
Coordinates43°27′24″N 95°07′04″W / 43.45667°N 95.11778°W / 43.45667; -95.11778
Area10 acres (4.0 ha)
Governing bodyIowa Department of Natural Resources
WebsiteTemplar State Recreation Area
Templar Park
Area29 acres (12 ha)
Built1918 (1918)
NRHP reference No.77000511[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPAugust 3, 1977
Removed from NRHPSeptember 13, 2006

Before the state acquired the land, the park was known as Templar Park and was owned and operated by the Knights Templar. The knights built a hotel on the property for members and their families in 1890 and replaced it with a new hotel after it burned down in 1917. In addition to being a vacation spot, the hotel hosted the Grand Conclave, the annual meeting of Iowa's chapter of the knights. Although the park was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, it was sold the following year and the hotel was subsequently demolished.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. ^ "Iowa Great Lakes - State Parks and Recreation Areas". Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  3. ^ Arnold, Vinton (May 26, 1978). "Templar Park building sold; could be razed". Sioux City Journal. p. A3. Retrieved February 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.