The Harris Centennial
Harris --The past 100 Years
Chain Lake and Prison Farm
Page 86
Chain Lake was a shallow lake located five miles south and about
½ mile East of Harris and ¾ to 1 section in size. In the year
of 1917, it was drained and converted into rich farmland.
Large dredge boats were used to dig the ditches in which 48 inch
tile were strung. A former resident of near Chain Lake remembers
the tile put in place on the frozen lake in winter and in the
spring rolled into ditches the dredge had dug.
Following the draining of Chain Lake the State of Iowa used the
land to grow potatoes for Iowa State institutions. Prisoners were
used for labor, 50 to 60 at a time lived in bunkhouses. Big crews
of prisoners from Fort Madison were brought in for the potato
hoeing and again in the fall for picking up the crop dug wit a
potato hoe. Henry Hintz, of Harris, was the supervisor of the
farm until he was killed in a boating accident on Lake Okoboji in
1929. Following his death, his son-in-law, Paul Seely, became
manager.
The Chain Lake Prison Farm, as it was known, ceased to operate in
the early 1930’s.
Merle and Eugene Horswell rented the land and raised potatoes a
few more years until the land was sold.