Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
“The Park Motel is a historic building located in Denison, Iowa, United States. It is an example of a well-preserved highway motel during the early age of motoring.”
Wikipedia article Park Motel, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 15 National Register listings published here for Crawford County · listed in 2000 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 10 fires within 5 miles of Park Motel between 2009 and 2020, burning about 102 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 5 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Smoking | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 July 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 July 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 15 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 14 May 2013 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 April 2020 | Debris and open burning | 25 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 8 April 2013 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 29 April 2013 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 26 April 2014 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 14 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 35 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 10 workings within 5 miles of Park Motel: 8 past producers, 2 unknowns. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Denison Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Denison Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Finley Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Meyer Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Wescott Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Denison, the town this property stands in, in 111 storm reports between 1994 and 2022: 37 thunderstorm wind, 30 hail, 24 heavy rain, 10 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1996 | Flash Flood | Denison | $11,000,000 | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Flash Flood | Denison | $300,000 | Crawford County law enforcement reported water running four feet deep over Highway 30 in Denison with cars stalled and debris being swept into the river. Highway 30 also was partly under water near Dow City and there was a possible mudslide on Kenwood Road south of Charter Oak. |
| July 1996 | Flash Flood | Denison | $300,000 | no account filed |
| August 2014 | Flash Flood | Denison | $250,000 | A dam failure occurred with Highway 39 closed due to flash flooding. |
| May 2008 | Tornado (EF1) | Denison | $150,000 | Tornado took a barn roof off, some of the shingles of the house were blown off and numerous trees were downed. A hog confinement was leveled and damage was done to a trailer park. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $100,000 | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Flood | Denison | $100,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Tornado (F1) | Denison | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Flash Flood | Denison | $100,000 | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Lightning | Denison | $75,000 | no account filed |
| July 2014 | Flash Flood | Denison | $50,000 | Water flowing over the road at 7th street and Highway 30 at least six inched deep. Road barricaded. |
| July 2014 | Flash Flood | Denison | $50,000 | Water over the road at Ave C and 7th ST, over 6 inches deep. |
| July 2008 | Hail | Denison | $50,000 | KDSN radio station reported hail up to golf ball size. |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $50,000 | A weak cold front dropped southeast into Iowa. The airmass was not as unstable as it had been over the previous days. Thunderstorms developed early in the day and took some of the punch out of the system. During the late afternoon hours, a line of thunderstorms developed ahead of the cold front. They were severe for a brief period of time. One tornado touched down in Plymouth County at Merrill. The tornado only made a brief touchdown and did not cause any significant damage. A short time later, a funnel cloud was seen near Moville in Woodbury County. Most of the damage by the storms was due to gusty winds. There were numerous reports of trees and power lines downed. The strongest winds were in Plymouth County. A 77 mph wind gust blew through Le Mars. The winds caused roof damage to one building there. Sixty to sixty five mph winds were reported at Remsen and Kingsley. High winds in Crawford County, at Denison, downed power lines and power poles. After that report, the storms weakened and were below severe levels through the rest of the evening. |
| May 1999 | Tornado (F1) | Denison | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $40,000 | High winds caused damage to a barn and some minor damage to a farm house. |
| June 1996 | Flood | Denison | $30,000 | no account filed |
| July 2014 | Flash Flood | Denison | $25,000 | Water at least a foot deep flowing through yards in the southwest part of a trailer park east of Denison in the Lincoln Highway drainage area. Water overflowing park entrance area. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $25,000 | Numerous trees down across Denison and across Crawford County. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $25,000 | High winds in excess of 60 MPH downed trees and power lines. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1997 | Hail | Denison | $25,000 | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $20,000 | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Hail | Denison | $20,000 | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Hail | Denison | $20,000 | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $15,000 | Multiple tree limbs down by winds estimated between 60 and 70 MPH. |
| July 1996 | Flood | Denison | $15,000 | no account filed |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $10,000 | Campers were tipped over by high winds. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $10,000 | The public estimated a wind gust of 70 MPH. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $10,000 | Trees down in Denison and 2 miles west of town. |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Denison | $10,000 | Highway 39 was closed between Denison and Deloit. |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $10,000 | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Denison | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Hail | Denison | $10,000 | no account filed |
| November 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Denison | $7,000 | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Denison | $7,000 | no account filed |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $5,000 | Ten inch diameter trees down. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $5,000 | Measured at the Denison AWOS. Multiple trees down and an individual struck by lightning. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $5,000 | Trees were blown down along with power lines. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $5,000 | Trees were blown over. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $5,000 | Two trees were blown down. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $5,000 | Two large trees were blown down. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $5,000 | A trained spotter estimated winds of 55 to 60 MPH and had several large tree limbs down, including at least one 10 inch diameter limb. |
| March 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Denison | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Hail | Denison | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Hail | Denison | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Denison | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denison | $3,000 | Single tree felled by winds with other tree damage reported. |
| October 2002 | Hail | Denison | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Denison | $3,000 | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Hail | Denison | $3,000 | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Crawford County Courthouse | 0.4 miles | 1981 |
| Denison Opera House | 0.5 miles | 2023 | |
 | Clarence D. Chamberlin House | 0.6 miles | 1977 |
 | Carey, John T. and Marietta (Greek) House | 0.7 miles | 2005 |
 | William A. McHenry House | 0.7 miles | 1976 |
| Yellow Smoke Park Bridge | 1.8 miles | 1998 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 00000565 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Crawford County | All 15 listed properties in this county. |
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