From cable cars to bike trails, Dubuque has plenty to explore along the Mississippi River

In the late 1800s, historians say it was common for residents of Dubuque, Iowa, to take 90 minutes off for lunch, which often included time for a nap. 

But J.K. Graves, a former mayor of this Mississippi River city and a prosperous banker, had a problem. The former state senator had built a stately home on Fenelon St., atop a 200-foot-tall bluff that rose above the city’s bustling downtown. 

That meant he had a buggy ride of at least 30 minutes to get home, and that left him with roughly half an hour for lunch — and no time for a snooze. 

So in 1882, the middle-aged Graves hired local engineer John Bell to design and build him an “incline railway,” similar to ones Graves had seen on his travels to Europe, to get him home in a few minutes for a leisurely meal and nap. 

That first cable car, and others that followed, have been ascending and descending that steep hillside ever since, said Becky Barkeek, who works for Travel Dubuque. 

“When I was a girl, we used to love to ride up and down and up and down on those cars,” she said. “It was a lot of fun and still is. Now that I’m older, I really enjoy the wonderful views from up there of Dubuque and its church steeples, the nearby bluffs, the Mississippi, and Wisconsin and Illinois across the river.”

This quirky piece of engineering is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s also billed as the “shortest and steepest cable car in the world,” and is just one of numerous spots to visit in and around Dubuque, which is the oldest city in Iowa.  

The original cable car was built for Graves’ private use and driven by a coal-fired steam engine. A winch operated by Graves’ gardener hauled a wooden car up two rails with a hemp rope to the top of the bluff, lowered it after the banker’s lunch and then pulled the car up again at the end of the workday at his bank. It wasn’t long before neighbors began asking him for rides. 

That first cable car burned in 1884, severing the hemp rope and sending the car crashing to the bottom of the hill, where it destroyed a small building at the entrance. When Graves rebuilt it, he opened it to the public and charged a nickel a ride.  

It burned again in 1893, during a recession, and Graves could not afford to rebuild it by himself. So 10 of his neighbors, who had become dependent on the cable car to get up and down the bluff for shopping and other activities, formed the Fenelon Place Elevator Co. 

Several of them went to the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago and came back with a streetcar motor to operate the elevator, a turnstile and a steel cable for the cars. They also installed a wide spot in the middle of the track to allow for the two funicular cars to pass each other. 

The eight-passenger cars were completely rebuilt 41 years ago. They now operate daily, with tickets costing $1.50 each way from Fenelon St. and its historic homes down to Cable Car Square and numerous specialty shops on the edge of downtown Dubuque.

From there, it’s only a short stroll — past a number of colorful murals that cover the sides of buildings — to the Town Clock Plaza on Main St., where a 143-year-old clock tower rises more than 100 feet above the surrounding thoroughfares.

Nearby is the Shot Tower, which is the only remaining tower of its kind west of the Mississippi and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1856 to provide lead shot for the military. At 120 feet tall, it looms above the city’s River Walk in the Port of Dubuque.

Also in the port area is the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, 350 E. Third St. It has indoor and outdoor exhibits that tell the story of the nation’s largest river and features more than a dozen aquariums with giant catfish, sturgeon, turtles and other wildlife from the river and the Gulf of Mexico.

The Ham House, 2241 Lincoln Ave., is a 16-room home that was built in 1856 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was designed by architect John Rague for lead miner and businessman Mathias Ham. It now serves as a museum that tells of life in Dubuque during the Antebellum era.

If biking is your thing, the Heritage Trail runs 26 miles from just north of Dubuque at Heritage Pond to Dyersville on the bed of an old railroad line through several beautiful valleys and underneath limestone bluffs. 

Hikers have several options, too. The Mines of Spain Recreation Area, which includes a tower dedicated to Julien Dubuque, has a nature center and 15 miles of hiking trails in bluffs and along Catfish Creek. Archaeologists say the Mesquakie lived there for roughly 8,000 years before the arrival of Europeans. 

The Swiss Valley Nature Preserve, 13606 Swiss Valley Road, has a nature center and more than 10 miles of self-guided  forest, prairie and wetlands and wetland trails. 

Another option is Eagle Point Park, 2601 Shiras Ave., which covers 164 acres on the north side of town. It has hiking trails on a bluff, a spray pool for kids, tennis courts, and stunning views of the Mississippi River and Lock and Dam No. 11. 

Dubuque has three spots for gambling: The Diamond Jo Casino, 301 Bell St., Q Casino, 1855 Greyhound Park Road, and the Iowa Greyhound Park, 1899 Greyhound Park Drive.

More information: See traveldubuque.com. 

Getting there: Dubuque is about 170 miles west of Milwaukee via I-94 and Highway 151.