I hope this answers some questions about Jackson Park Cemetery. (flooding from the river would not reach the park its too far from the river... but according to the following article heavy rains were a problem) Its a bit of interesting Dubuque history. Quoted out of Dubuque the Encyclopedia by Randy Lyons. JACKSON PARK. Once Dubuque's first designated cemetery. The area now known as Jackson Park was used as a cemetery beginning with the early settlement in 1833. During a CHOLERA outbreak in 1852, demands for a new burial site led to the cemetery being condemned. In 1858 tombstones were removed. The bodies were reburied in LINWOOD CEMETERY in 1867. The first efforts to reestablish the area into a natural setting were not completely successful. Skeletons occasionally washed to the surface after heavy rains. On July 5, 1869, The Daily Times reported that thoughtless boys were allowed to play 'shinny' with leg bones pulled from piles left by William Rebman's renovation efforts at what was then called Jackson Square. The desire to improve Jackson Square led to the construction in 1877 of a music stand or pagoda in the park. .... Due to neglect, however, the pagoda only lasted twenty years before it was torn down and sold for scrap. A memorial fountain to honor Judge Benjamin Lacy was added to the park in 1813.