Category Archives: Road Trip

Town Sign Project: Black Hawk County

May 24, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

A few weeks back I prowled around the backroads of Black Hawk County harvesting their town signs before have a delicious meal at Zeno’s. It was a good trip!

Here are some facts about Black Hawk County:
+ Population is 131,813 making it the 5th most populous county in Iowa. Below Johnson County and above Woodbury County.
+ The largest town and county seat is Waterloo.
+ Formed on February 17, 1853.
+ Named after Black Hawk, the Sauk leader during the 1832 Black Hawk War.
+ Home of Iowa State Normal School. Might go by a different name now.
+ Major highways are: I-380, US-20, US-63, US-218, IA-21, IA-27, IA-57, IA-58, IA-175, and IA-281.
+ Adjacent counties are: Bremer, Buchanan, Benton, Tama, Grundy, Butler, and Fayette.
+ Reached peak population in 1980 at 137,961.

The Black Hawk County Courthouse is a hideous eyesore:

The Black Hawk County Courthouse in Waterloo, Iowa.

The Black Hawk County Freedom Rock is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa:

With Black Hawk County conquered, here is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

72 counties completed. 72.7% of the Cyclone State conquered!

Here are the town signs of Black Hawk County:

Waterloo, Iowa
Welcome to Waterloo
Population: 67,314 (-1,092)

Cedar Falls, Iowa
Cedar Falls Iowa
Home of UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA
Population: 40,713 (+1,457)

Evansdale, Iowa
WELCOME TO EVANSDALE
Population: 4,561 (-190)

Hudson, Iowa
WELCOME TO HUDSON
THE GEM OF BLACKHAWK VALLEY
Population: 2,546 (+264)

La Porte City, Iowa
WELCOME TO LaPorte City
HOME OF IOWA’S FIRST FFA AG MUSEUM
Population: 2,284 (-236)

Elk Run Heights, Iowa
WELCOME TO ELK RUN HEIGHTS
SMALL CITY FRIENDLY
BIG CITY CONVENIENT
Population: 1,069 (-48)

Dunkerton, Iowa
Welcome to DUNKERTON
‘Home of the Raiders’
Population: 842 (-10)

Gilbertville, Iowa
Welcome to Gilbertville
Population: 794 (+82)

Raymond, Iowa
Welcome to RAYMOND
Est. 1867
Population: 759 (-29)

The worst sign in Black Hawk County is pretty obvious. Evansdale. No need for further discussion.

I think there are two real contenders for the purple ribbon. It is Hudson and Gilbertville. While it is close, I’m going to give it to Gilbertville.

Hudson – Best in Show – Black Hawk County

There are a couple of alternate town signs in Black Hawk County:

Dunkerton – Alternate

Hudson – 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 – Black Hawk 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 – 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 – Warren County

Best in Show – Wayne County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Winnebago 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 Dickinson County.

Art, Christianity, Road Trip, Ruins

Clinton County Auxiliary Images Vol. 3

May 21, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

Here is the final collection of auxiliary images I took on a trip to Clinton County and southern Jackson County. Most of these images are taken in Clinton County. A few in Jackson County. I think the last three are taken in Benton County. Possibly Linn or Tama as well. But I’m pretty sure it is Benton.

Goose Lake

Felton

Delmar

Buckhorn

Monmouth

The next counties we will visit through auxiliary images are Pottawattamie and Harrison.

Art, Black & White, Road Trip, Ruins, Self-Portrait, WPC - Reminder

Clinton County Auxiliary Images Vol. 2

May 20, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Time for another collection of auxiliary images I took while harvesting the town signs of Clinton County and the southern part of Jackson County. All of these pictures were taken in Jackson County.

Sabula

Miles

Spragueville

There is one more collection of images coming from this road trip.

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This is your reminder that this week’s theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is HAT:

HAT

A HAT picture is just a picture that features a hat somewhere in the composition.

Don’t forget that I won’t be in a position to remind people to submit their images on Monday morning. Going to have to be some self-reliance going on here. Hopefully a ton of streaks don’t bite the dust.

Happy photo harvesting!

Art, Christianity, Nature, Road Trip

Clinton County Auxiliary Images Vol. 1

May 19, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

Several weeks back I cruised around Clinton County and the southern tip of Jackson County harvesting their town signs. Here is the first collection of auxiliary images from that trip:

DeWitt

Low Moor

Clinton

Andover

Sabula

Sabula holds the distinction of being the only city in Iowa that is an island. There are still several more pictures from this trip still to come!

Art, Jesse, Road Trip, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Woodbury County

May 17, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

A few weeks back Jesse and I went to Woodbury County on our way to Harlan, the most direct route, and harvested the rest of the Woodbury County signs that I needed.

Here are some facts about Woodbury County:
+ The population of Woodbury County is 102,687 making it the 6th most populous county in Iowa. Below Black Hawk County and above Story County.
+ The largest town and county seat is Sioux City.
+ Established in 1851 as Wahkaw County (which is an infinitely better name), but had the name changed to Woodbury to honor Levi Woodbury. A senator, a governor and Supreme Court justice from New Hampshire.
+ The Ho-Chunk Tribe of Nebraska owns reservation land in Woodbury County.
+ The 3rd largest county by area.
+ Home of Morningside University and Briar Cliff University.
+ Major highways are: I-29, I-129, US-20, US-75, US-77, IA-12, IA-31, IA-140, IA-141, and IA-175.
+ Population peaked in 1960 at 107,849.

The Woodbury County Courthouse is fascinating looking:

The Woodbury County Courthouse in Sioux City, Iowa.

The Woodbury County Freedom Rock is located in Anthon, Iowa:

With Woodbury County conquered, here is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

71 counties completed. 71.7% of the Cyclone State conquered!

Here are the town signs of Woodbury County:

Sioux City, Iowa
WELCOME TO SIOUX CITY
Population: 85,797 (+3,029)

Sergeant Bluff, Iowa
Sergeant Bluff
est. 1854
Population: 5,015 (+788)

Moville, Iowa
Welcome to MOVILLE
est. 1887
Eastern Gateway to Western Hospitality
Home of the WOODBURY COUNTY FAIR
Population: 1,687 (+69)

Sloan, Iowa
Welcome to Sloan
A Great Place to Grow
Population: 1,042 (+69)

Lawton, Iowa
Welcome to LAWTON
Hands down… the best town
Population: 943 (+35)

Correctionville, Iowa
Welcome to Correctionville
Jog down our main street
Population: 766 (-55)

Anthon, Iowa
135th Anniversary
“My Kind of Town!”
Anthon, Iowa
1888-2013
Population: 545 (-20)

Pierson, Iowa
PIERSON
SMALL TOWN WITH A BIG HEART
Population: 337 (-29)

Danbury, Iowa
WELCOME TO THE CITY OF DANBURY
GEM CITY OF NORTHWEST IOWA
Population: 320 (-28)

Salix, Iowa
Welcome to SALIX
Population: 295 (-68)

Bronson, Iowa
BRONSON
1 1/2 MILE
a SMALL CITY that is a BIG COMMUNITY
Population: 294 (-28)

Hornick, Iowa
WELCOME TO HORNICK
Population: 253
Established in 1887
Home of the Willow Workers 4-H Club
Population: 255 (+30)

Cushing, Iowa
Welcome To CUSHING
Population: 230 (+10)

Smithland, Iowa
Welcome to SMITHLAND
The Oldest City in Woodbury County
Home of the First School House in Woodbury County
Population: 181 (-43)

Oto, Iowa
OTO
Population: 72 (-36)

Climbing Hill, Iowa – Unincorporated
WELCOME – 6 MI.
CLIMBING HILL
EST. 1868

There are lots of good signs in Woodbury County. So the worst one is pretty easy to pick out. It is the snorefest sign in Sergeant Bluff.

What is the best sign in Woodbury County? What gets the purple ribbon? I really like the sign for Sioux City. For a big city, it has a surprisingly good sign. Not unlike Cedar Rapids. I love the sign in Bronson and Hornick and Anthon and Lawton and Oto. But I think the Best in Show goes to Sloan.

Sloan – Best in Show – Woodbury County

There are several alternate signs in Woodbury County:

Sergeant Bluff – Alternate

Bronson – Alternate

Anthon – Alternate

Pierson – Alternate

Correctionville – 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 – 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 – Warren County

Best in Show – Wayne County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Winnebago 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 Black Hawk County.

Animals, Black & White, History, Road Trip, Ruins, Teresa

Monroe and Mahaska County Auxiliary Images Vol. 3

May 14, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

I promised you more information about the Great Pyramids of Iowa. Here is information from a Des Moines Register article titled: “Pyramids? Haunted angels? These are 6 of Iowa’s oddest graveyards to visit before you die.:

Three small Egyptian-style pyramids at the back of Hickory Grove Cemetery near Avery are the lone remnant of one man’s unrealized dream to be entombed inside one.

According to local records, their construction was commissioned in 1939 by newspaper publisher Axel Peterson, when he was 70 years old. Peterson’s plan was that, when he died, he and his friend, Anton Heymooler, would be placed inside, seated and facing each other with his printing press between them.

The pyramids were built, but neither Peterson nor Heymooler were buried inside. Peterson died at age 78 and was instead buried in nearby Cuba Cemetery. But the pyramids remain at Hickory Grove to this day.

Here are the rest of the pictures from this trip:

Lovilia

Cedar

Rose Hill

Keomah Village

Albia

The next time we hit the open road to look at auxiliary images from THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will hit Clinton County.

Art, Black & White, Dad, History, Road Trip, Slice of Life, Teresa, WPC - Reminder

Monroe and Mahaska County Auxiliary Images Vol. 2

May 13, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

Time for another collection of auxiliary images from a road trip I took with Teresa to harvest the town signs of Monroe and Mahaska County. Almost all these pictures are taken in Albia or near Albia. The near Albia pictures are taken at what I think is the coolest veteran memorial I have ever seen in Iowa.

Great Pyramids of Iowa

I will get more into the history of the Great Pyramids of Iowa when I share the rest of these images tomorrow night.

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This is your reminder that this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is SLICE OF LIFE:

SLICE OF LIFE

SLICE OF LIFE! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a SLICE OF LIFE photo? It might not be what you think. Hence this week’s special rule. SLICE OF LIFE is a reference to the photo postcard company that my Dad created. That is why (and here is the special rule) this week, the theme is NOT up for interpretation. This week’s theme is to take a picture that you could see used as a postcard. That is the only interpretation available to you.

Some of you might not live in a tourist hotbed like Boone, Iowa (no seriously, Boone has lots of tourist attractions from Pufferbilly Days to the Mamie Doud Eisenhower Birthplace to Ledge State Park to the Boone Speedway to name a few) but there is certainly something in your town that you could see put on a postcard. For those of you that are under the age of 40 you may have to ask an elder what a postcard is, but I’m sure they will be happy to tell you all about it. And also other amazing things that happened in the 80s or 70s or before.

To give you another few examples of postcards. Here are a few postcards that my Dad made that I hastily scanned this morning:

When you look at these postcards, remember that these were made in a darkroom. With film! Quite a bit harder than dragging and dumping layers in Photoshop.

So remember, it has to be the kind of image you would see on a postcard. Not a picture of your pet or your kid and then saying, this is a “slice of my life”. That doesn’t qualify this week.

Do I expect this to possibly be a streak killer for many people? Maybe.

BONUS: If you want to go the extra mile, this isn’t a requirement, you can take your image in black & white as my Dad’s postcards were black & white.

DOUBLE BONUS: For this theme and this theme only, if you include some kind of description of your postcard scene, I will include it in the “An Artist’s Notebook” post on Monday.

Happy photo harvesting!

Art, Basketball, Black & White, Christianity, History, Kio, Railroad, Road Trip, Teresa

Monroe and Mahaska County Auxiliary Images Vol. 1

May 11, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

A long, long time ago when I revealed the towns signs of Monroe County I pointed out that the town of Melrose, Iowa had a memorial up in their town park to honor the 1936-37 Melrose Shamrocks boys basketball team. A team that the Des Moines Register honored as the best team in the first 100 years of Iowa boys basketball in 2012.

Kio took great offense to this and sent me the following email:

Some of what Melrose claims about their championship basketball team might be a bit of blarney. I have to stick up for the Boone High Boys State Basketball 1931 State Champions. Although I’m not completely impartial, my Dad was the captain of that team, it had a legitimate star at all positions. Also worth noting, there were no classes or divisions in high school basketball in those days. All the teams in the state were lumped together. So if you won the state championship, you were truly the best team in the state. I always add this footnote when talking on this topic. Although Boone hasn’t won a state basketball tournament championship since 1931, no one would have been prouder to see his team’s record beaten than my Dad.

While Kio is clearly prejudiced, I think it is fair to reveal why the Melrose Shamrocks are considered the best boys basketball team in the first 100 years of Iowa boys basketball.

Here are some facts about them:
+ Melrose was the smallest school to ever win a single-class state basketball title in Iowa. Enrollment was 66. They beat Marshalltown in the championship game. A school with an enrollment of 1,077.
+ Melrose was the first team to go undefeated in state history. Going 33-0. They defeated undefeated Rolfe (29-0) in the semifinal game. They beat them 29-13.
+ Their 35-17 win over Marshalltown was the largest margin of victory in the championship game up until that point.
+ Played their home games in an opera house because they didn’t have a gym. The court measured 30 feet by 40 to 45 feet. Why 40 to 45 feet? One of corners of the playing floor featured a wood stove that heated the building and was blocked off so players didn’t run into it. A standard basketball court is 50 feet by 94 feet.
+ “Many of the players on the Melrose basketball team wanted to fit in with the “big city” crowd of Des Moines. In the fashion of the day, they slicked back their hair with Rose Hair Oil. Rose Hair Oil was inexpensive (“about 15 cents per gallon,” according to Walt O’Connor), so they apparently used lots of it. The oil also had a nice smell to it.

While this was fine before the tournament started, it gave the team trouble in their first game against Geneseo. During the game, the hair oil went from their hair to their hands to the ball. As Walt O’Connor recalled, “We started perspiring and wiping our heads to get the hair out of our eyes, and the first thing you knew, the referee couldn’t hold the ball.” After having trouble handling the ball in the first half, the players washed out their hair at half time. Better ball handling in the second half helped them to win the game, 35 – 34. After almost letting the first game of the tournament slip their grasp, Melrose stopped using the hair oil in the later games.”

Some of this information is taken from the Melrose website article on the team:

1937 Melrose Shamrocks

All of that being said, the Ames High team featuring Harrison Barnes and Doug McDermott would have beaten this team by at least 20 points. They did win 53 games in a row.

Here is the first collection of the auxiliary images from a road trip I took to Monroe and Mahaska County with Teresa.

Georgetown

Albia

There are still two more collections of images to share from this road trip.

Art, Road Trip, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Plymouth County

May 10, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

A few weeks back I cruised around Plymouth County harvesting their town signs.

Here are some facts about Plymouth County:
+ Population 25,141 making it the 25th most populous county in Iowa. Below Benton County and above Bremer County.
+ The largest town and county seat is Le Mars.
+ Formed on January 15, 1851.
+ Named after Plymouth, Massachusetts.
+ Home of the Ice Cream Capital of the World.
+ Major highways are US-75, IA-3, IA-12, IA-60, and IA-140.
+ Adjacent counties are Sioux, Cherokee, and Woodbury.
+ Currently at peak population.

Plymouth County has a pretty courthouse:

The Plymouth County Courthouse in Le Mars, Iowa.

The Plymouth County Freedom Rock is located in Kingsley, Iowa.

With Plymouth County conquered, here is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

70 counties completed. 70.7% of the Cyclone State conquered!

Here are the town signs of Plymouth County:

Le Mars, Iowa
Welcome To
LE MARS
Ice Cream Capital of the World
Population: 10,571 (+745)

Remsen, Iowa
REMSEN
“Neat and Hard to Beat”
Population: 1,678 (+15)

Akron, Iowa
WELCOME TO AKRON
ALL TRAILS LEAD TO AKRON
PEACEFUL VALLEY OF OPPORTUNITY
EST. 1882
Population: 1,558 (+72)

Kingsley, Iowa
WELCOME TO Kingsley
SOME BIGGER… NONE BETTER
Population: 1,396 (-15)

Hinton, Iowa
Welcome to HINTON
“Home Of The Black Hawks”
Population: 935 (+7)

Merrill, Iowa
WELCOME TO MERRILL
AT THE HEART OF PLYMOUTH COUNTY
Population: 717 (-38)

Brunsville, Iowa
Welcome to BRUNSVILLE
ESTABLSIHED 1911
Four Seasons Garden Club
Population: 129 (-22)

Westfield, Iowa
Welcome to WESTFIELD
Celebrating 150 Years 1856-2006
Population: 123 (-9)

Oyens, Iowa
OYENS
A NICE PLACE TO CALL HOME
Population: 92 (-11)

Craig, Iowa
Welcome to CRAIG
Est. 1910
Population 102
“We’re Small, But Big Enough To Know You.”
Population: 79 (-10)

Struble, Iowa
STRUBLE, IOWA
hometown of
GENERAL JACK NICHOLSON AND AMBASSADOR JIM NICHOLSON
Population: 67 (-11)

Plymouth County has a solid, but perhaps not spectacular set of town signs. I don’t know that there is a terrible sign in the collection, but if I have to give a last place trophy out, it would go to Le Mars.

But who gets the purple ribbon? Who gets Best in Show? I’m going to have to go with Kingsley.

Kingsley – Best in Show – Plymouth County

There were a couple of alternate town signs in Plymouth County:

Kingsley – Alternate

Remsen – Alternate

Westfield – Alternate

Merrill – 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 – 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 – 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 end up in Woodbury County.

Art, Christianity, History, Politics, Railroad, Road Trip

Cedar County Auxiliary Images Vol. 2

May 7, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

Here is the second collection of auxiliary images I took while harvesting the town signs of Cedar County. A few of these are taken in Muscatine County. A few are taken in Benton County. The majority of them are taken in West Branch at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library.

Herbert Hoover was the first president born west of the Mississippi River. He is also the only president born in Iowa. I always thought it was embarrassing that the worst president in history was born in Iowa. But then I looked it up. Herbert Hoover was not the worst president. Just one of the worst. John Tyler. Worse. Millard Fillmore. Worse. William Henry Harrison. Worse. Franklin Pierce. Worse. Warren G. Harding. Worse. Donald Trump. Worse. James Buchanan. Worse. And according to presidential scholars, historians, and political scientists. Andrew Johnson. The worst.

If you are wondering, the three presidents that are currently considered the best are:

3. Abraham Lincoln
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt
1. George Washington

And while one of the worst presidents was the only president born in Iowa, think of sad states like Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Florida, West Virginia, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama… to name a few… that haven’t even had a sad sack like Benjamin Harrison (the president ranked just ahead of Herbert Hoover) born there. He was born in Ohio. Just like William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, William H. Taft, and Warren G. Harding.

Enough presidential birthplace history. Here are the rest of the pictures from my Cedar County road trip:

Wilton

West Branch

Benton County – Junction of Lincoln Highway and Red Ball Highway

Here is some information about the Youngville Cafe from the Wikipedia:

Youngville Cafe, also known as Youngville Station, is a historic building located northwest of Watkins, Iowa, United States. It was a one-stop roadside business that included a café, a Skelly gas station, and three cabins for travelers to stay in. The cabins have subsequently been removed. The building calls attention to increasing business opportunities for women. The Tudor Revival building was built in 1931 by Joe Young on his pasture land for his widowed daughter Lizzie Wheeler to support her and her children. The main building also contained residential space where the family lived. It is located on U.S. Route 30, which at this point had been the Lincoln Highway. The café/station also served as a bus depot for the Greyhound and Jefferson bus lines.

When Wheeler retired to Cedar Rapids, she rented out the business to others to run. She returned to the café/station in 1967 after the lease ended, but it closed that year because it didn’t have enough parking and vehicles could no longer park along the highway. The building was used as a residence into the 1980s, when it was abandoned. The Benton County Sesquicentennial Commission acquired it as a restoration project to celebrate Iowa’s 150th anniversary of statehood in 1996. It is now owned by the Youngville Highway History Association and open as a café on a limited basis. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

The cafe has been closed since 2020 because of the pandemic and because of damage it sustained from the derecho. However, according to a Facebook post on the Youngville Highway History Association Facebook page, it will be opening up and serving lunch Tuesdays from 11 AM to 2 PM starting on June 7th. You can bet dollars to donuts or burgers or tenderloins or whatever they serve, that I will be taking a day off from computer mining to go experience it.

If the menu that is lying on the ground is still accurate, I’ll definitely be knocking down a raspberry pie and probably a rhubarb pie as well.