Wilson Island State Park & DeSoto Wildlife Refuge

Photo:  Uncovering the Bertrand, 1968, FWS

What once was an island in the middle of the meandering Missouri River, on the western edge of today’s Iowa, you’ll find Wilson Island State Recreation Area. The river has moved slightly to the west, and the island no longer remains. But it’s easy to see how the river once flowed around the area. The Corps of Discovery camped in the vicinity in 1804.

Just to the north of Wilson Island is DeSoto Lake, a large oxbow of the river’s former channel, and DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge. During the spring and fall, DeSoto’s wetlands become the bustling home to a variety of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds.

You’ll also find the fascinating archeological collection of over 250,000 artifacts from the buried wreck of the Steamboat Bertrand. On April 1, 1865, the sternwheeler hit a submerged log and sank in the waters of the Missouri. Bound for the gold fields of Montana, the Bertrand was only partially salvaged; most of the cargo was written off as a loss.

The boat was found in 1968 on the Refuge’s property and by 1969 the vessel’s cargo was completely excavated from its 30-foot-deep mud tomb. What was found included a massive collection of tools, clothing, and food items – most was well preserved so today we have a first-hand viewing of 19th century products and goods. You may still see the hull of the 178-foot steamboat in the location where it was discovered.

Wilson Island State Recreation Area and DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge are located about six miles west of Missouri Valley, Iowa, just off Interstate 29.