Alligators roam the Chariton River greenbelt

There have been no recent reports of alligators picking off random squirrel hunters in the Chariton River greenbelt, just south of town --- but back in the summer of 1922 there was a brief scare involving the toothed beast that generally prefers more tropical climes.

Here's how The Chariton Herald-Patriot reported the situation in its edition of August 24:

Dave Boles, who lives south of Chariton, was in town yesterday exhibiting a live alligator which he captured on Tuesday in the vicinity of what is known as the old Bailey Brick plant on the Chariton river bottom a short distance southwest of town. The animal is a healthy looking specimen and has full use of its amphibian powers, especially with the mouth. Whether it is half grown, three fourths, or in what stage, has not been determined. Spectators yesterday however were of the unanimous opinion that as far as they were concerned, alligators found in Lucas county need not grow to larger size. It is said that when the animal was taken, it snapped viciously and nipped the foot of a dog.

Alligators are not commonly found in these parts. In fact there is considerable doubt whether alligators ever lived in Lucas county waters. Therefore, the alligator which Mr. Boles found Tuesday near Chariton was out of realm and sphere.

Whence did this lizard-like, scaled back vertebrate reptile come from?

About a month ago, the local American Legion Post staged a four-days celebration in Chariton. Among the entertainment features of the carnival were animal pens which housed for exhibition snakes, skunks and, among other animals, a family of alligators purchased from an alligator farm in Florida expressly to make the carnival a success. At the close of the big show the Legion disposed of this menagerie to several Chariton individuals who were organizing a side show to tour neighboring county seat towns. In order to make their show one of unusual merit as a feature which would  instruct and enlighten as well as entertain the benighted people in whose midst they might appear, propositions were submitted for the purchase outright of the collection of wild animals. The sale was made according to members of the Legion committee, and the title of ownership passed to the new exhibitors.

One engagement was filled by the company, it is reported. Following, all equipment and show stock, including the animals, was transported back to Chariton. Livestock markets at that time were not quoting satisfactorily on alligators, snakes, etc., and soon the matter of feeding and caring for the pets was a serious problem.

And now comes the explanation of the presence of the Florida alligator in the Lucas county creek --- if you haven't already guessed it.

There was just one way to dispose of the animals. Kill as many as would take killing, and turn the rest loose. And the alligators were turned loose in the creek southwest of town. And Dave Boles happened to find one of them. Who will report with another one?

This story is supposed to be authentic. It came from a good source. Carl L. Caviness Post of the American Legion had no hand in the final disposition of these animals, Legion officers said yesterday. "We have no thought of turning a bunch of alligators loose in the community, nor anything else that is not for common good," was the statement made last night by a post official.

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This was the only report involving the 1922 alligator invasion that I was able to find in Chariton newspapers, but a month later, the following was published in The Des Moines Tribune of  Sept. 26:

Alligators running loose in the woods of Iowa? Impossible.

Not at all, declares J. L. Ellis, who Tuesday offered city park officials a perfectly healthy live alligator captured by his brother in the woods near Chariton.

Ellis' brother was hunting in the woods near Chariton when the dog accompanying him suddenly commenced howling.

Looking around, Ellis discovered that the alligator had bitten off one foot of the dog. It is believed that the animal escaped from a circus.

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Any other alligator family members that briefly may have roamed the greenbelt undoubtedly perished in the winter that followed, so reptiles of that size and variety no longer are a concern in Lucas County.

And it is, by the way, illegal to own an alligator in Iowa --- effective as of 2007 --- without a special permit. So if you were thinking of reintroducing the species, forget it.