Allamakee County’s Freedom Rock project began in 2016 after an application was submitted to artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen, with Waukon chosen as the host city and Waukon City Park as the site. Because Allamakee County was known for limestone, finding a suitable granite rock proved difficult until North Iowa Sand and Gravel and Mike Graf of Mason City, Iowa, discovered and donated one. After fundraising, the rock was painted and finished in August 2020 and unveiled on Friday, September 11, 2020. It became the ninety-second of ninety-nine such rocks painted in Iowa and one of the largest Freedom Rocks in the state. The Allamakee Freedom Rock Committee submitted photos and stories of county veterans for possible inclusion, though the artist made the final selection, and the veterans depicted were meant to represent all county veterans and every branch of service. Each Freedom Rock is draped with an American flag and features an American bald eagle. Sorensen began the first Freedom Rock in 1999 after being inspired by the film “Saving Private Ryan,” intending to honor veterans on Memorial Day, later expanding the idea into a statewide Freedom Rock Tour to boost Iowa tourism and thank veterans, with one rock in each of Iowa’s ninety-nine counties, a goal he completed in 2021. The Allamakee County rock also honors veterans whose stories include Lieutenant Hugh Pratt Kidder of Waukon, born December 13, 1897, who served in France with the 26th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division during World War One, captured two machine gun positions on October 2, 1918, was killed by artillery the next day, and received the Distinguished Service Cross, with the USS Kidder launched in his honor on July 10, 1919; Arthur Frederick Brandt, born October 17, 1892, who moved to Postville in 1899, served in the 168th Infantry of the 42nd Division in France during World War One, fought in six major campaigns and 174 days of direct combat, was killed in action on October 17, 1918 during the Meuse-Argonne battle, and received the Distinguished Service Cross; James Bryson Hagen, born August 1, 1923, who enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943, became a pilot, served overseas flying supplies over the Himalayan Mountains to U.S. forces in China, went missing in action on September 22, 1944, and was later awarded the Air Medal; Roy Martin Vickery, born August 25, 1924 in Postville, who entered the U.S. Army in 1944, enlisted in the Army Combat Engineers in July 1949, served with the 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion in Korea after the North Korean invasion of June 25, 1950, was captured during a Chinese attack on December 1, 1950, and remains listed among Iowa’s missing in action; David Wilson Reed, born in New York on April 2, 1841, who moved to Waukon in 1855, enlisted in the Union Army in 1861 in Company C of the 12th Iowa Infantry Regiment, was severely wounded at Shiloh, later rose to major, returned to Waukon after the war to study law and serve as county recorder and postmaster, and died on September 22, 1916; and James Isham Gilbert, born July 16, who moved to Lansing in 1851, joined the volunteer Union army in October 1862 as colonel of the 27th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment, rose through Civil War service to Major General of U.S. volunteers after leadership at Tupelo, Nashville, Shy’s Hill, and Fort Blakely, and died in Topeka, Kansas, on February 9, 1884.