Category: Attractions/Historic Stops

On July 21, 1873, they turned to train robbery, derailing the Rock Island train in Adair, Iowa and stealing approximately $3,000 ($51,000 in 2007). For this, they wore Ku Klux Klan masks, deliberately taking on a potent symbol years after the Klan had been suppressed in the South by President Grant’s use of the Force Acts.
The James-Younger Gang robbed their first train near Adair, Iowa. During the robbery, they wrecked the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Train and overturned the engine. The train engineer died in the accident and the gang made off with $3,000 from passengers and funds retrieved from the express car.

The Menlo Gas Station man casts a warm red glow that can be seen for miles down old US Highway 6 in Menlo Iowa. The White Rose Oil Company mascot was built in 1934 for the Harry Kalbach service station in Menlo. Twice the length of Rt 66, US Highway 6 is the longest highway ever created in America. This but one of the many roadside attractions along Historic Route 6 in Iowa.

[ 507 White Pole Rd, Menlo, IA 50164 (41.518258, -94.404163) ]
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Tradition soda fountain. Hard serve ice cream and petite lunches. Sandwiches are hamsalad, chickensalad, tuna salad, eggsalad, grilled cheese,(w/ham or turkey), hotdogs, checkerburgers, (our rendition of a sloppy joe). We have stuffed tomatos, garbage salad, (salad w/ ground beef), homemade pie daily! We also serve 1919 Rootbeer and Coke and Orage Crush in a bottle. Try one of our famous ice cream sodas or the thickest malt in town! Yum!

Address:  302 Jackson St., Brooklyn, IA

Featuring a 20 X 38 foot flag flown on an 80 foot pole, surrounded by flags from every state and the Armed Services Flags.

This week’s edition of Then & Now goes to Walcott, Iowa. One of the more interesting sights in Walcott is “Castle Hall” Built in 1905, the designer intended to replicate the Balmoral Castle, an old Norman stronghold in Scotland. When first built, the metal panels that cover the framework were gray. Beneath the tower is a basement dungeon that was once the subject of much speculation. Originally the home and business of Doctor Henry Schumacher, his residence was on the second floor, while the pharmacy was on the main floor. Quite the eccentric, Dr. Schumacher kept a pair of plaster of Paris skeletons in the basement dungeon, painted with phosphorescent paint to awe his visitors. After the doctor passed away in 1934, the first floor was used as a beer parlor. While apparently, there is still a dance hall upstairs, the castle today is a private residence. If you would like to see the castle for yourself, drive out Historic Route 6 to Main street in Walcott. head south to Bryant street, and turn left. — in Walcott, IA.

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The Government Bridge or Arsenal Bridge spans the Mississippi River, connecting Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa. It is located near Upper Mississippi Mile Marker 483, adjacent to the Mississippi River Lock and Dam No. 15. The current structure (which was completed in 1896) is the fourth at this location, and includes a swing section to accommodate traffic navigating the locks. The double-rail track above the road level is unusual for a bridge.

The original bridge, which was finished in 1856, was the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi. The bridge was 1,582 feet (482 m) long, and the draw-span was 285 feet (87 m). It was a threat to the South (which sought to create a southern rail route to the Pacific) and to St. Louis, whose steamboats faced competition from Chicago’s railroads. The Effie Afton struck the bridge weeks after it opened, and steamboat companies brought lawsuits. It was replaced in 1866 by a wooden structure…

[ Source: Wikipedia ]

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