Three miles east of Fairport on Iowa 22, near Montpelier, is the 417-acre Wildcat Den State Park. This heavily wooded, hilly, and stream-cut terrain was acquired by Emma and Clark Brint in 1925. Their desire was to protect this wild, romantic place from any encroachment. In 1927 they presented 67 acres to the state for a park. The state acquired an additional 141 acres for the park, and other additions were made later. The initial planning of the park took place in the late 1920s; most of the construction of roads, paths, and picnic areas occurred in the thirties as a Civilian Conservation Corps project. Within the park is the Pine Creek Gristmill and Dam and a Pratt truss iron bridge dating from around 1883. Nye platted a town at the mouth of Pine Creek in 1833–1834, but it never materialized.
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