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‘Flat Rats’ to gather

Residents of old FD neighborhood to share memories

The long, flat strip of ground along the east bank of the Des Moines River is remembered by many Fort Dodge residents as the former Sunkissed Meadows Golf Course.

But before it was a golf course, it was a thriving neighborhood.

Known as The Flats, it stretched between what residents called the ”black bridge,” which was properly known as the Bennett Viaduct, and what they called the ”white bridge,”also known as the Karl King Bridge.

The place may not have been considered by many to be the most desirable real estate in town, according to Heather Titus, of Graettinger, who has family connections to the old neighborhood.

But the people who lived there looked out for each other and cared for each other, she said. It often seemed like one giant family, she said.

Residents took pride in the nickname “Flat Rats,” Titus said.

She has worked for about a year to revive that old Flat Rat spirit.

She recently completed a book about the neighborhood.

And she’s organizing a Flat Rats reunion. It will begin at 11 a.m. Aug. 3 at Oleson Park at the south end of 17th Street.

To RSVP for the reunion, contact Titus via the Flat Rats reunion page on Facebook.

The spirit of the Flat Rats is all that remains of their neighborhood.

The homes were removed as part of a flood control project, and the land became Sunkissed Meadows Golf Course. The Bennett Viaduct that was the unofficial northern border of the neighborhood was removed.

‘Flat Rat’ reunion

The Flat Rats reunion will be held at 11 a.m. Aug. 3 at Oleson Park. To RSVP, contact Heather Titus via the Flat Rats reunion Facebook page.

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