On March 28, 1983 the United States Congress passed Public Law Number 98-11, which amended the National Trails System Act. This would end up having a special significance here, in Eagle Grove. And now, just over 40 years later, another page in that history is being written.
That 1983 amendment to the law that governs America’s official trails system allowed railroad companies to turn over rail rights-of-way to community organizations which were charged with converting the former railways into trails, and maintaining them. That is, until such time as the railroad company someday decides to return the passage to rail service.
One such trail to be developed from an abandoned railway is the Three Rivers Trail, which stretches between Eagle Grove and Rolfe. Once part of the old Chicago Northwestern railway, the trail traverses the three rivers it is named for (the west and east branches of the Des Moines River, and the west branch of the Boone River). It also travels across 36 former railroad bridges, including a keystone arch bridge near Rolfe. There are 475 acres of wildlife habitat preserved along the trail, made up of woodlands, marshes, open prairies, and of course, river valleys. This habitat serves as a corridor as well as a habitat for a wide variety of species of plants and critters.
Long before the trail was a railway, though, it began as a trail. Initially a path followed by native Americans, it later became a wagon trail. Of course it eventually became a railway. And then was returned to a trail, albeit one that now boasts bridges and a much richer history. And so in many ways it has come full circle, but that circle has grown wider.
The trail, made possible by that 1983 change to the law, took on extra significance when a local boy chose to make installing trail markers on the 3 rivers trail his Eagle Scout project. That boy was local hero, Aaron Eilerts, who later lost his life in a tragic act of heroism, trying to save his fellow scouts when an EF3 tornado hit the Little Sioux Scout Ranch where Eilerts was serving on the staff at the National Youth Leadership Training Camp in 2008.
Any aspiring Eagle Scout must complete a project for the public good, approved by Scouts BSA, and completed to their satisfaction. But Eilerts was no stranger to public good projects; indeed he was well known to spend most of his free time on them. His life inspired the Character Counts award and his example has inspired kids in Eagle Grove and across Iowa, and not just his fellow scouts, for more than a decade.
One such local youth, Dustin Dawson, is one of those inspired by Eilerts example. In this past Christma season, we reported on how Dawson did push-ups to encourage donations to Toys For Tots. Breaking the local record for most pushups in the process.
Eilerts sacrifice had played into Dawson becoming a scout, too. Eagle Grove had gone through a five year period without any cub scouts. But after the passing of Aaron Eilerts, “a bunch of parents wanted to get a cub scout troop,” said young Dawson’s Father and Scoutmaster, Rick Dawson. “Just like that, BAM” there were 6 dens with a total of 33 kids, as Dawson recalled. Dustin was in first grade at the time he became a Cub Scout.
Since then, there’ve been some challenges for Dustin in his journey through scouting. One 20 mile hike he went on had been what he called the second most grueling experience. Just behind the time he had to eat half a banana, when at lunch time all he had was a slice of bread, a slice of cheese, and that half banana. Served as part of a lesson on doing what you have to, to survive. “I absolutely hate bananas,” Dustin said with a cringe. “Craig and I knew this,” Scoutmaster Dawson said with a grin. “He turned three shades of green. But he ate that banana like a trooper!” It wasn’t long afterwards that Dustin was inducted into the elite group of scouts, the Order of the Arrow.
Another harrowing experience also centered around eating something disagreeable, and some usually disagreeable animals that might have eaten them. They were at High Adventure Camp, in Philmont, New Mexico. And Rick got food poisoning from a bad energy bar on day one. Over 5 days, Rick grew weaker and weaker. Dustin knew he had to take action. “I was almost in basically a full panic,” the younger Dawson said, “thinking ‘this isn’t right’ and ‘I need to get him to the top of the mountain’.”
The night before their final push up the mountain, Dustin went to bed early, at 8 o’clock, thinking, “I’ve got a mountain to climb.” But he was startled awake by his fellow scout Noah Thul, sounding the alarm. “Dustin! Dustin! Wake up! There’s bears,” Thul shouted, shaking his sleeping friend. But, Dustin recalled with a chuckle, it wasn’t him who woke up grouchy about it, but an Assistant Scoutmaster from another troop sharing the hike. “If I’m waking up,” the man had growled, “there better be a bear!”
Rick wasn’t surprised by the bear sighting. He’d been seeing signs of increased wildlife compared to prior trips. Due to COVID, three years had gone by with no people in the park to speak of, both Dawsons explained. “We’d been seeing bear tracks all over, and scat,” Dustin said. And, “every day this kid found a rattlesnake,” Rick said, stabbing a finger into the air at his son.
But learning to be brave, to survive in the wild, and to do good deeds for others are at the core of scouting, and every scout and scout leader have stories like these. And most wonder why they put themselves through it. For Rick, it all goes back to Aaron Eilerts. He thinks about Eilerts “every day,” Scoutmaster Dawson said. Whenever the challenge seems daunting. Whenever he questions why he’s working so hard to guide kids to youthful achievements, up to and including the rank of Eagle Scout.
Now vying to be the next in an impressive series of Eagle Scouts to come out of Eagle Grove recently, Dustin is working on his Eagle Scout project. And Dawson’s project is inspired by Eilerts’ project. A few weeks ago, the Eagle Grove end of the Three Rivers Trailhead got a thorough cleaning up courtesy of the local Scouts BSA troops, of which Dawson is a member.. This was just one step in Dawson’s project. Once the trailhead was cleaned up, Dawson’s real work began.
Recently, Dustin has been constructing a sheltered signboard to mark the Eagle Grove end of the trail, designed to give those visiting the trail some interesting information about it, and to honor Eilerts. The signboard is almost finished, and looking great. But Dawson hopes to raise another thousand dollars to cover the cost of the project. His hope is that people will take more pride in the Eagle Grove end of the trial, with its local significance explained on the sign. That they’ll take care to keep it clean, and more people will be inspired to explore the trail itself.
For those who do, Dustin has some advice. “Watch your step on the trail for turtle eggs,” he says, dropping a hint about just one of the reasons the trail is worth exploring, and protecting.
