A few weeks back I travelled to Lee County to harvest their town signs. Lee County is the southernmost county in Iowa. So it is a jaunt, but it was a good trip.
Here are some facts about Lee County:
+ Population is 33,215 making it the 22nd most populous county in Iowa. Below Marion County and above Boone County.
+ Largest town is Fort Madison.
+ Has two county seats: Fort Madison and Keokuk. The only county in Iowa with two county seats.
+ Lee County was formed on December 7, 1836 as part of the Wisconsin Territory and became part of the Iowa Territory on July 4, 1838.
+ There is no consensus on who the county is named after. It is either the company Marsh, Delevan & Lee a company with extensive interests in the area. Or perhaps it was the traitor Robert E. Lee who surveyed the Des Moines Rapids, or it was named after Albert Lea who helped explore the area.
+ Sit of the first U.S. military fort in the upper Mississippi region.
+ Was home of A “Half-Breed Tract” which was about as racist as it sounds.
+ Home of the Iowa State Penitentiary.
+ Major highways are: US-61, US-136, US-218, IA-2, IA-16, and IA-27.
+ Adjacent counties are Henry, Des Moines, and Van Buren.
+ Population peaked at 44,207 in 1960.
Lee County has two county seats, therefore it has two county courthouses.
Lee County Courthouse #1 located in Fort Madison, Iowa.
Lee County Courthouse #2 located in Keokuk, Iowa.
The Lee County Freedom Rock is located in West Point, Iowa:
With Lee County conquered, here is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:
PURPLE=COMPLETED
93 counties completed. 93.9% of the Cyclone State conquered!
Here are the town signs of Lee County:
Fort Madison, Iowa
FORT MADISON WELCOMES YOU
Population: 10,270 (-781)
Keokuk, Iowa
Make It Yours
KEOKUK IOWA
WELCOME
Population: 9,900 (-880)
West Point, Iowa
Welcome to…
WEST POINT
Home of the Sweet Corn Festival
Population: 921 (-45)
Donnellson, Iowa
Welcome To DONNELLSON
Population: 885 (-27)
Montrose, Iowa
MONTROSE
INCORPORATED SINCE 1857
HISTORIC – SCENIC
Population: 738 (-160)
Houghton, Iowa
WELCOME TO
FOUNDED 1881
Houghton
Population: 141 (-5)
Franklin, Iowa
WELCOME TO THE VILLAGE OF FRANKLIN
EST. 1840
Population: 131 (-12)
St. Paul, Iowa
St Paul
WELCOMES YOU
Population: 109 (-20)
Denmark, Iowa – Unincorporated
WELCOME TO HISTORIC DENMARK
1836
Argyle, Iowa – Unincorporated
Welcome TO – ARGYLE
Hwy 218 Straight Ahead
6 Miles
1888-1988
Lee County has a solid but not spectacular collection of town signs. It is pretty clear which one is the worst one in the county though. It is Donnellson and there town sign thrown at the bottom of a billboard for Pilot Grove Savings Bank.
There are several town signs that I really like in Lee County. I like the West Point sign. I like the Montrose sign. I like the Fort Madison sign. I like Denmark sign. But it really comes down to the Argyle sign and the St. Paul sign. I’m going to give the purple ribbon to St. Paul though. By a nose.
St. Paul – Best in Show – Lee County
There are a few alternate town signs in Lee County:
Montrose – Alternate
Keokuk – Alternate
Fort Madison – Alternate
Here is the current list of Best in Shows:
Best in Show – Adair County
Best in Show – Adams County
Best in Show – Allamakee County
Best in Show – Appanoose County
Best in Show – Audubon County
Best in Show – Benton County
Best in Show – Black Hawk County
Best in Show – Boone County
Best in Show – Bremer County
Best in Show – Buchanan 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 – Chickasaw County
Best in Show – Clarke County
Best in Show – Clay County
Best in Show – Clayton County
Best in Show – Clinton County
Best in Show – Crawford County
Best in Show – Dallas County
Best in Show – Decatur County
Best in Show – Delaware County
Terril – Best in Show – Dickinson County
Best in Show – Dickinson County
Best in Show – Emmet County
Best in Show – Fayette County
Best in Show – Floyd 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 – Henry County
Best in Show – Howard 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 – Jefferson County
Best in Show – Johnson County
Best in Show – Jones County
Best in Show – Keokuk County
Best in Show – Kossuth County
Best in Show – Lee 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 – Mitchell County
Best in Show – Monona County
Best in Show – Monroe County
Best in Show – Montgomery County
Best in Show – Muscatine 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 – Plymouth 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 – Sioux County
Best in Show – Story County
Best in Show – Tama County
Best in Show – Taylor County
Best in Show – Union County
Best in Show – Wapello County
Best in Show – Warren County
Best in Show – Washington County
Best in Show – Wayne County
Best in Show – Webster County
Best in Show – Winnebago County
Best in Show – Winneshiek County
Best in Show – Woodbury 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 visit Van Buren County.
My vote was actually for Argyle! But a good selection.
I bet the Argyle sign doesn’t make it too much longer. Which is unfortunate because it is great!