Harvesting the town signs of Lyon County was a two step process. I was hoping to get it done in one trip, but my first trip to the northwest corner of Iowa was halted by bad weather. I ran into a hail storm when I was in Rock Rapids. It was bad enough, that I decided to head south and then back east. Then I went back up there a few weeks later with Teresa and harvested the rest of the signs that weather had prevented me from grabbing.
Here are some facts about Lyon County:
+ The population is 11,800 making it the 64th most populous county in Iowa. Below Chickasaw County and above Shelby County.
+ The largest town and county seat is Rock Rapids.
+ County was originally named Buncombe County, but name was changed in 1862 to honor General Nathaniel Lyon who was killed in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek in Missouri during the Civil War. He was also involved in massacring members of the Pomo tribe in the Bloody Island Massacre, so not really a great guy. Perhaps they should go back to Buncombe County. There is a chance that Buncombe was a great guy. Not much of a chance, but you never know.
+ Home of the Gitchie Manitou Preserve which contains some of the oldest exposed bedrock in the United States and was also the site of a mass murder of teenagers in 1973.
+ Major highways are US-18, US-75, IA-9, and IA-182.
+ Adjacent counties are: Osceola and Sioux.
+ Population peaked in 1920 at 15,431.
The Lyon County Courthouse looks an awful lot like the Boone Courthouse:
The Lyon County Courthouse located in Rock Rapids, Iowa.
The Lyon County Freedom Rock is located in George, Iowa:
With Lyon County conquered, here is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:
PURPLE=COMPLETED
68 counties completed. 68.7% of the Cyclone State conquered.
Here are the town signs of Lyon County:
Rock Rapids, Iowa
Welcome to ROCK RAPIDS
Population: 2,611 (+62)
George, Iowa
WELCOME TO GEORGE
A Great Place to Raise a Family
Population: 1,077 (-3)
Inwood, Iowa
Welcome to Inwood
Population: 928 (+114)
Larchwood, Iowa
Weclome!
TO LARCHWOOD
CORNERSTONE OF IOWA
Population: 926 (+60)
Doon, Iowa
Welcome to DOON
Population: 619 (+42)
Little Rock, Iowa
LITTLE ROCK
HOME OF THE CORN SHOW
Population: 439 (-20)
Lester, Iowa
Village of Lester
Welcome – please drive safely!
Population: 296 (+2)
Alvord, Iowa
Welcome to ALVORD
Population: 206 (+10)
I think Lyon County has a solid collection of signs. There isn’t a show stopper, but there isn’t a bad sign. If I had to pick the worst sign, it is clearly Rock Rapids and their boring sign. Rock Rapids also has a bunch of really cool murals, so it is a shame that their sign is so boring.
But who takes home the purple ribbon? I like the signs of Larchwood, Little Rock and I find Doon’s sign to be fascinating. But I’m going to have to give it to George. It looks like it was painted by their Jr. High art class, but not the best students in the art class. In a word, it is amazing!
George – Best in Show – Lyon County
There are a few alternate town signs in Lyon County:
Larchwood – Alternate
Larchwood – Alternate
Inwood – 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 – Cherokee County
Best in Show – Clarke County
Best in Show – Clay 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 – Jackson 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 – Lyon 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 – O’Brien County
Best in Show – Osceola 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 hit the open road for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will hit the open roads of Sioux County.