Clear Lake, Iowa

Clear Lake is a city in Iowa in the United States.

Clear Lake, Iowa
City
Historic Downtown Clear Lake
Location of Clear Lake, Iowa
Coordinates: 43°8′11″N 93°22′48″W
Country	US
State	Iowa
County	Cerro Gordo
Area [1]
• Total	13.37 sq mi (34.63 km2)
• Land	10.78 sq mi (27.92 km2)
• Water	2.59 sq mi (6.71 km2)
Elevation	1,237 ft (377 m)
Population  (2020)[2]
• Total	7,687
• Density	713.15/sq mi (275.34/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	50428
Area code	641
FIPS code	19-14025
GNIS feature ID	0455465
Website	www.cityofclearlake.com

The Day the Music Died

Monument at crash site

Main article: The Day the Music Died

On February 3, 1959, a plane carrying the singers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper, crashed near Clear Lake soon after take off, killing everyone aboard including the 21-year old pilot Roger Peterson. The event was later eulogized by folk singer Don McLean in his 1971 song "American Pie", which led to the crash being nicknamed "The Day the Music Died".

In June 1988, around 600 people gathered to witness the dedication of the monument to the three musicians.