The East Dubuque Sandbar

 The East Dubuque Sandbar

From the late 1940s through the mid-60s, The East Dubuque Sandbar was a popular Summertime location for area teens and young families to soak up the sun. Many people have memories of fun and frolic, but others recall tragic drownings and unsolved murders on the beach. This blog feature photos which remarkably include names and addresses, a practice that has wisely been dropped. If you have personal photos to add, send them to me at rdbqpaul@gmail.com and I'll include them in updates. 

The first series of photos are from the Summer of 1948.

This group is from the Summer of 1950

In July of 1958, a young priest, Rev. James Klosterman drowned while swimming in the Mississippi near the Sandbar. 

A considerable debate followed this incident. 

A "Commercial Beach" solution was suggested in 1967.

The Sandbar became a murder scene in mid-Summer 1967

One year later, the crime remained unsolved.

A front-page headline story described the environmental mess in the Mississippi in 1968.

If you love Dubuque history, please consider my 510-page hard-cover book. It is printed on glossy stock and is loaded with pictures and fascinating stories of Dubuque's incredible 20th Century.

Contact me at rdbqpaul@gmail.com for a signed copy. It is also available at River Lights Bookstore, The Mississippi River Museum Gift Shop and at the westside Ace Hardware.