The story behind Bockemuehl Canyon

DAVENPORT-- As you drive north on Highway 25 from Davenport you’ll encounter beautiful fields of golden grain as you climb in elevation for many miles before descending down into a canyon full of pine trees. This canyon north of Reinbold Road has been known as Bockemuehl Canyon for well over 100 years, and is still labeled that way on many maps today. The story behind Bockemuehl Canyon is one full of history, perseverance, and myth and it all begins with one man: Bernard Bockemuehl.

Local myth labels Bockemuehl as a bootlegger who operated a still in a hidden rock cave in this canyon, training...