The Pilot Rock Chapter DAR was organized July 16, 1917, at the home of the organizing regent, Mrs. Stiles.   The chapter name was taken from the local Pilot Rock site where a red quartzite boulder served as a landmark on the prairie.

Our chapter is proud that we are able to give several scholarships each year thanks to the gift of money that we received from a deceased member.  We give 5 - $200 scholarships to graduating seniors of the 5 area schools.  We also give $250 a year (up to $1000 max) to our descendants for attending any post-high school educational facility.  Members are able to get up to $1000 maximum to be used for educational purposes also.

Other activities include:

• Celebrate Constitution Week with displays in various public places and declarations signed by the area town mayors.

• Donate $100 each year to one of the 5 surrounding schools to be used to purchase flags.

• Collect money for the DAR schools and also items to be sent to Bacone College.

• Collect and send needed items to our soldiers in Iraq.

• Sent money to the Iowa Veterans Home.

• Deliver boxes of  goodies to veterans at the Cherokee Mental Health Institute and 5 area nursing homes.

• Support the Mary Bailey Potter Children of the American Revolution Society.  The C.A.R. Society is asked to carry the flags at our February awards day program.

• Lay a wreath at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Cherokee on Memorial Day with the help of the local C.A.R. Society.

Our chapter is currently working on directory locator boards to be placed at several cemeteries in Cherokee County.

The Pilot Rock Chapter has placed two DAR markers at area landmarks.

Pilot Rock Lookout

Pilot Rock

The Pilot Rock lookout is 3 miles south of Cherokee, Iowa, on US Highway 59 and Pilot Rock Road. A red quartzite boulder of the Ice Age was left by the recession of the last glacier and serves as a landmark on the prairie. It guided Indians, early settlers, and pioneers during the settlement and development of Northwestern Iowa. The "rock" is 14 feet in height and has a circumference of 180 feet. The Pilot Rock Chapter placed a marker at the site in 1976.

Pilot Rock Lookout Marker

Old Cherokee Fort

The Pilot Rock Chapter also placed a marker at the site of the Old Cherokee Fort.  It is located in the northeast side of Cherokee. The old Cherokee Fort was built by soldiers in 1856 to protect the Milford Colonists from the attacks of Inkapaduta and Sioux Indians. It had a well, a blockhouse from which the pioneers could shoot in all directions, and several buildings in which the pioneers could stay during an attack - or longer if necessary. When there was no more need for such protection, the blockhouse was used for parties and finally torn down in 1921. There are no buildings left on the property.