As the Black Water Mini Golf project began to develop and we had started talking about our plans with folks in Burlington, several told us to reach out to one person who had a mini golf set up that had been used in the J.C. Penney building around 1930. So, we did, and sure enough, they had it, and we were able to buy it!

Our mini golf course was originally purchased by the Walsh Brothers and set up in 1930. They opened the course on November 8, 1930, on the second floor of the building and called it Spanish Winter Garden. It was an addition to the Spanish Garden rooftop garden and dance establishment. The course was manufactured by Close-To-Nature Company in Colfax, IA. Close-To-Nature made chicken coops and feeders and wood-paneled tents back then. It may be that this is the only mini golf course they ever made. We cannot find any records that others were made, despite contact with the Colfax Historical Society and extensive internet research.