The wall and sign project got started in the fall, but with weather delays, was mostly completed over the past few weeks, said Matt Cosgrove, Webster County conservation director.

“We’ve still got some exterior accent lighting that we’ll put on the sign, which will wrap up the project here in the next couple weeks,” he said.

The project used three Fort Dodge businesses for design, construction, fabrication and installation. Griffin’s Landscaping designed the wall using Rosetta outcropping stones and Crimmins Welding and Fabrication made the letters of the sign and the mining carts out of carbon steel, which will eventually turn a rust color to match the Webster County trail signs.

The final part of this installation, the lighting, will be completed by Bemrich Electric & Telephone over the next few weeks.

—Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Recently, a new sign welcoming visitors to Gypsum City Off-Highway Vehicle Park was erected at the corner of County Road P59 and 220th Street. The $100,000 project was funded through an ATV registration grant.

The $100,000 project was funded through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources ATV registration grant.

“When people register their machines to ride in the park, the seven parks in Iowa compete for that money every year for development and operations and maintenance,” Cosgrove said. “Last year, we were awarded the money for that sign project. Every year, we write a grant for the operations, maintenance and development for that park and that’s really how it’s been built over the years.”

The project is more than just the wall by the highway – it will include another sign closer to the park’s entrance, which has yet to be installed.

“Gypsum City is Iowa’s largest OHV park and we wanted it to have a sign that looks like it’s actually a destination, so that’s the reason for the signs and the costs,” Cosgrove said. “To show it off as a major attraction and destination for Webster County and the Fort Dodge area.”

Cosgrove said that when planning the wall and sign, it was important to honor the mining history of the area, which is why the four steel mining carts sit atop the wall.

“The park was developed on former mining property,” he said.

Cosgrove believes the new welcoming signs truly make Gypsum City look like a “destination” rather than just any ordinary park.

“People now realize they have arrived at the park, when before it was pretty uneventful – if you didn’t know it was there, you didn’t know,” he said. “This at least, I think, makes it pop.”