The Cedar Valley Agricultural Society purchased this eighty acre site in 1861 for use as a fairgrounds. Fairs were held here until 1928 when fire destroyed the Dry Run Bridge, the only access to the area at that time. The prohibitive cost of replacing the bridge, and competition from the Dairy Cattle Congress and Belgian Horse Show in Waterloo, bought an end to the Cedar Valley Fair.

The fairgrounds became famous as South Park Trotting Track after they were acquired by Dr. William Pettit late in the 19th Century. Other spectacles staged at South Park included a contest between an airplane and a racing car driven by Barney Oldfield. The fairgrounds were located in the area between 18th and 27th Streets near Peet Junior High School.