Clear Lake (Iowa) made canals and harbors on the northern shore of the lake. Clear Lake is also home to the historic Surf Ballroom which was where Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens made their last performance on Feb. 3, 1959 before being killed hours later in a tragic plane crash. Often Feb. 3, 1959 is referred to as "The Day the Music Died" as highlighted in the Don McLean hit "American Pie." Clear Lake (Iowa) Clear Lake is the name of a natural spring fed body of water located in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa near Clear Lake, Iowa. It is
Buddy Holly style of glasses, which were later popularly known as "Buddy Holly glasses". When the plane crashed, the wreckage was strewn across many yards of snow-covered ground. While his other belongings were recovered immediately, there was no record of his signature glasses being found. They were presumed lost until, in March 1980, they were discovered in a Cerro Gordo County courthouse storage area by Sheriff Gerald Allen. They had been found in the spring of 1959, after the snow had melted, and had been given to the sheriff's office. They were placed in an envelope dated April 7, 1959, along with