Moorhead, Iowa

At the time of the 2000 Census, Moorhead had a population of just 232
people. Despite its tiny size, the town supports a school that serves
elementary and junior high students and has a small but fairly active
business district. The Loess Hills Hospitality Association operates a
Visitors Center and Gift Shop at 119 Oak Street in the historic Cover
Schoolhouse. Here you can find brochures and maps, as well as crafts
and gift items, many created by Loess Hills residents. During the summer,
the center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and
Sunday from 1-4 p.m. Winter hours are 1-4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Preparation Canyon State Park is five miles southwest of Moorhead, two
miles off Iowa Highway 183. In 1853, a Mormon named Charles B.
Thompson led 50 -60 families in settling here. They founded a town called
Preparation. Thompson instructed the townspeople to call him Father
Ephraim and claimed a spirit named Baneemy had given him authority to
take control of their property. At first, they complied, but they eventually
turned on Thompson and he had to flee for his life. Disillusioned, many
residents left the town and joined their fellow Mormons in Utah. By 1900, all
that remained of the town was a stockyard. It closed in 1946, and the
remaining descendants of the original settlers ultimately sold the land that
once contained the town to the state.

The Loess Hills State Forest Overlook also is a few miles southwest of
Moorhead on Oak Avenue (a gravel road, take 314th Street west from
Highway 183 and follow the signs). The overlook offers a panoramic view of
the hills to the east, south, and west. There's also a trail that follows the
crest of a ridge south from the overlook for a short distance.