The trust of the late hotel magnate Leona M. Helmsley and her husband, Harry, has given the Iowa Department of Natural Resources $650,000 to restore stone buildings at Backbone State Park before the state parks system’s centennial next year. Backbone was Iowa‘s first state park. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported that one of the trustees of the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, a grandson, lives in Pierre, S.D., and has steered donations to seven Midwest and Western states, including Iowa. “The Helmsley Charitable Trust is excited to expand its funding of conservation efforts to Iowa for this important work focusing on restoring and conserving Civilian Conservation Corp.-era buildings at Backbone State Park,” said trustee Walter Panzirer. “The historical significance and natural beauty of Backbone State Park deserves to be preserved and enjoyed by future generations.” Gov. Kim Reynolds plans to help celebrate the centennial at backbone on May 28. The park is named for a high-ridge outcrop know as “Devil’s Backbone.”