Elevator - Going Up

You've read about the Spirit of Dubuque as one of many ways to have fun while in Dubuque, Iowa in Sunday's blog.

Maybe you already have travel plans to Iowa's oldest city soon. Around the area there are museums of farm toys (Dyersville) and a place where ball players walk out of corn (Field of Dreams), but downtown Dubuque is a historic gem worth your time and attention.

Just 130 years ago, a businessman was bothered because it took 30 minutes to travel home from the office for lunch and a nap. While workers in 1882 had a 90 minute lunch - this gentleman spent two-thirds of it in transit.  He lived on top of the bluff.

In his travels to Europe he had seen incline railways used to negotiate the steep hills and arranged to build his own.

Like an incandescent light bulb (invented not long before), Mr. J.K. Graves knew he was on to something.  It burned up two years later.  When he rebuilt, neighbors wanted a lift - he charged a nickel a ride.

Years later, in 1893, it burned again and Mr. Graves gave the elevator franchise to his neighbors in the Fenelon neighborhood of Dubuque.  The neighbors improved the set-up by adding a second car.  A long time later, the price of a ride doubled, to ten cents, in 1962.

The Fenelon Place Elevator Company was born.

The rides are now $1.50 up and a $1.50 to come back down.

The elevator is the world's shortest and steepest scenic railway.  296 feet lone, climbing 196 feet from Fourth Street to Fenelon Place.

The ride is fun.  It's not scary.  Really, it's not.  Passengers board, find a seat. Six is capacity.

The view from the top is amazing.  You can see Wisconsin and Illinois from Dubuque, Iowa.

If you don't live at the top of the hill - you can enjoy the view for a while before climbing back in for the ride down.

You pay at the top of the hill where you pass through what appears to be a vintage turnstile.  I'm not sure what happens if you ride to the top and can't pay the fare - perhaps there is a laundry chute someplace that returns you very quickly to Fourth Street.

On the day we were up top - the clouds danced across nearly at eye level.  The Mighty River flowed in front of us from left to right. The bridges and buildings look like models.

The cars go up and down the same track pulled or lowered by a cable.  There are three tracks with the center rail shared except in the middle of the hill where the cars must pass each other and a fourth rail is used.

While in Pittsburgh a number of years ago, I had the opportunity to ride both the Duquesne and Monongahela Inclines.  The top was higher than Dubuque's bluffs and the trip longer, and they are a blast.

The Pittsburgh cars ride level while in Dubuque the stepped seats follow the hill's angle.

That sharp angle, and open door facing the top of the hill, adds to the authenticity of the trip.

On a busy Saturday, we waited in line a short time before boarding for the ride up.

We admired the view for ten minutes then rode back down.  At the base of the hill are several shops - including a candy and ice cream parlor and several other stores in a rejuvenated section of the Cable Car square area.

Registered on the National Register of Historic Places, be sure to check it out when you are in Dubuque - it runs from April 1 to November 30.  Ride up.  Ride down.  Ride on.