Pilot Rock

Pilot Rock, one of the largest boulders in Iowa, has served as a landmark since pioneers first came to Butler County. Today, it’s still visible from the road, located on Jay Avenue between Allison and Bristow on a farm owned by Jay and Sue Schrage.
     Picnickers often get permission from the Schrages to use the location for family reunions. Some years, classes of North Butler students visit it for lunch on the last day of school—a tradition Schrage remembers when he was a boy.
     This winter, Schrage and his daughter Andrea are planning to create a new sign for the rock, as the old one—which contains historical information—has grown weathered.
     The path of the Rolling Prairie Trail expansion planned for this spring between Allison and Bristow leads close to the rock, and Schrage hopes bicyclists will take a quick detour to visit this huge piece of Butler County history.

 
Read more in the January 4 edition of the STAR and Tribune.