A couple months back I cruised around Palo Alto County harvesting their town signs.
Here are some facts about Palo Alto County:
+ Population is 8,996 making itthe 82nd most populous county in Iowa. Below Davis County and above Greene County.
+ The largest town and county seat is Emmetsburg.
+ Named after the battle from the Mexican-American War.
+ Major highways are US-14, IA-4, and IA-15.
+ Adjacent counties are Emmet, Kossuth, Pocahontas, and Clay.
+ Population peaked in 1940 at 16,170.
The Palo Alto County Courthouse is pretty awful looking:
The Palo Alto Courthouse located in Emmetsburg, Iowa.
The Palo Alto Freedom Rock is located in Ruthven, Iowa:
With Palo Alto County conquered, here is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:
PURPLE=COMPLETED
62 counties completed. 62.6% of the Cyclone State conquered.
Here are the town signs of Palo Alto County:
Emmetsburg, Iowa
EMMETSBURG
Cead Mile Failte
100,000 Welcomes
Population: 3,706 (-198)
Graettinger, Iowa
GRAETTINGER
Population: 832 (-12)
West Bend, Iowa – Partially in Kossuth County
WEST BEND
EST. 1856
Population: 791 (+6)
Ruthven, Iowa
WELCOME TO RUTHVEN & LOST ISLAND LAKE
Population: 725 (-12)
Mallard, Iowa
Welcome to MALLARD
WE’RE FRIENDLY DUCKS
Population: 257 (-17)
Ayrshire, Iowa
AYRSHIRE CITY HALL
ESTABLISHED 1882
Population: 133 (-10)
Cylinder, Iowa
Welcome To CYLINDER
Population: 87 (-1)
Curlew, Iowa
Welcome to CURLEW
Est. 1884
Population: 37 (-21)
Rodman, Iowa
RODMAN City Hall and Community Center
A Small Town with a Big Heart
Population: 31 (-14)
I think is is pretty obvious that Ayrshire has the worst town sign in Palo Alto County. It isn’t even a town sign. It is the sign to their town hall. Rodman’s isn’t much better.
I also think the purple ribbon for Palo Alto County is pretty obvious. It is very clearly Mallard.
Mallard – Best in Show – Palo Alto County
Ruthven is the only town in Palo Alto County with alternate town signs:
Ruthven – Alternate
Ruthven – Alternate
Here is the current list of Best in Shows:
Best in Show – Adair County
Best in Show – Adams County
Best in Show – Audubon County
Best in Show – Benton County
Best in Show – Boone County
Best in Show – Bremer County
Best in Show – Buena Vista County
Best in Show – Butler County
Best in Show – Calhoun County
Best in Show – Carroll County
Best in Show – Cass County
Best in Show – Cedar County
Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County
Best in Show – Clarke County
Best in Show – Clinton County
Best in Show – Crawford County
Best in Show – Dallas County
Best in Show – Decatur County
Best in Show – Franklin County
Best in Show – Fremont County
Best in Show – Greene County
Best in Show – Grundy County
Best in Show – Guthrie County
Best in Show – Hamilton County
Best in Show – Hancock County
Best in Show – Hardin County
Best in Sow – Harrison County
Best in Show – Humboldt County
Best in Show – Ida County
Best in Show – Iowa County
Best in Show – Jasper County
Best in Show – Jones County
Best in Show – Kossuth County
Best in Show – Linn County
Best in Show – Lucas County
Best in Show – Madison County
Best in Show – Mahaska County
Best in Show – Marion County
Best in Show – Marshall County
Best in Show – Mills County
Best in Show – Monona County
Best in Show – Monroe County
Best in Show – Montgomery County
Best in Show – Page County
Best in Show – Palo Alto County
Best in Show – Pocahontas County
Best in Show – Polk County
Best in Show – Pottawattamie County
Best in Show – Poweshiek County
Best in Show – Ringgold County
Best in Show – Sac County
Best in Show – Shelby County
Best in Show – Story County
Best in Show – Tama County
Best in Show – Taylor County
Best in Show – Union County
Best in Show – Warren County
Best in Show – Wayne County
Best in Show – Webster County
Best in Show – Winnebago County
Best in Show – Worth County
Best in Show – Wright County
The next time we will hit the open road THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will end up in Jackson County.