1965 — July 25, drownings, children wading, Ledges State Park south of Boone, IA — 6

–6 AP. “6 Iowa Children Drown on Outing.” Telegraph-Herald, Dubuque, IA, 7-26-1965, p. 1.
–6 Des Moines Register. “Keokuk Explosion Among Major Disasters in Iowa.” 11-26-1965, 4.

Narrative Information

July 26, AP: “Boone (AP) – A Sunday picnic at the Ledges State Park southeast of here ended in the drowning deaths of six children, members of two central Iowa families. It was apparently the worst water tragedy in Iowa since 1929, when the collision of two speedboats on Lake Okoboji in northwest Iowa killed nine persons. Two other drownings in the state brought Sunday’s toll to eight.

“Drowned while wading in Pease Creek Ripple, a section of the Des Moines River which runs through the Ledges Park, were Richard Erwin, 10, his brothers, Steven, 9, and Douglas, 5 and Raymond Schoenbaum, 13, and his sisters, Connie, 10, and Rose, 9. Parents of the children were Mr. and Mrs. Dan Erwin of Des Moines and Mr. and Mrs. Albert C. Schoenbaum of Ames. Erwin is Mrs. Schoenbaum’s brother.

“Mrs. Schoenbaum said the families had been picnicking and the children asked if they could wade up the river. She told them not to, but ‘they apparently did not mind,’ she said. The parents started looking for the children an hour later to serve them homemade ice cream.

“Boone County Sheriff Jack H. Camelin said water off the sand bar where the children were wading is three to four feet deep but drops off abruptly to about twice that depth. ‘It may have been that one or two got into deep water and the rest went after them, but we really don’t know,’ he said. He said the river current was swift in the area.

“Four teen-agers saw the children in the water, and made a vain attempt to save them when they realized the youngsters were in trouble….

“All of the bodies were recovered within several hours [by divers]….” (Associated Press. “6 Iowa Children Drown on Outing.” Telegraph-Herald, Dubuque, IA, 7-26-1965, p. 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “6 Iowa Children Drown on Outing.” Telegraph-Herald, Dubuque, IA, 7-26-1965, p. 1. Accessed 5-25-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/dubuque-telegraph-herald-jul-26-1965-p-1/

Des Moines Register, IA. “Keokuk Explosion Among Major Disasters in Iowa.” 11-26-1965, p. 4. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=116169964&sterm=keokuk