Author Archives: Jeff

Apr 03

Atlas Obscura finds the Sullivan Line

Posted on Monday, April 3, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Another article about the Honey War? Sure! For a shorter story and more geographic nitty-gritty, there is my page on the Sullivan Line, but my photos were taken when the grass wasn’t green. Also, I visited the marker in “the … Continue reading →

Posted in Geography, Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Atlas Obscura finds the Sullivan Line
Apr 01

A story

Posted on Saturday, April 1, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

April 7, 2016: The story you are about to read is a fib, but it’s short. The town of Floris is very small, 153 people, between Ottumwa and Bloomfield. One day the only person walking around was a man named … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on A story
Mar 31

A light at the end of the tunnel for I-29 in Sioux City

Posted on Friday, March 31, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

June 12, 2005: I-29 at the downtown exit in Sioux City, not too long before the state started a project to rebuild and expand the interstate through the city. The first photo with the news story linked below shows this … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction | Comments Off on A light at the end of the tunnel for I-29 in Sioux City
Mar 30

Going into the I-74 toll bridge offices

Posted on Thursday, March 30, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The Quad-City Times‘ Barb Ickes got a chance to explore the “underbelly” of the I-74 toll plaza and offices that span a space over the Mississippi River joining the twin bridges. The photo gallery is definitely worth a look through. … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Going into the I-74 toll bridge offices
Mar 29

A county has topped its 1870 population peak

Posted on Wednesday, March 29, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

UPDATE 9/20/21: After the official 2020 census numbers came out … it didn’t. ======================== To dig into the 2016 county population estimates, let’s start with the map I made last year. The pattern hasn’t changed much: Every decade, the urban … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on A county has topped its 1870 population peak
Mar 28

Heads we win, tails you lose

Posted on Tuesday, March 28, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

July 21, 2012: Current HMS Elementary School in Hartley, formerly Hartley High School. Once again, a beautiful Art Deco school building is facing the challenge of time, cost, and utility. Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn has issued a challenge to its voters. If a … Continue reading →

Posted in Schools | Comments Off on Heads we win, tails you lose
Mar 27

Some date edits, and a highway that was legally dead

Posted on Monday, March 27, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Going through the legal descriptions of Iowa highways — just the state ones, not the US routes — have merited some editing to some pages. Mostly, these are fixes to time spans, now that we have dates of Highway Commission … Continue reading →

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Some date edits, and a highway that was legally dead
Mar 24

Historic highway meetings in Denison and Denison

Posted on Friday, March 24, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The modern-day Jefferson Highway Association, dedicated to promoting the 1910s north-south Pine to Palm Highway, is having its 2017 convention in Denison, Texas. The JH ran through Iowa mostly on now-US 65 and 69, sharing the Lincoln Highway in Story … Continue reading →

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Historic highway meetings in Denison and Denison
Mar 23

Links on IA 12 page fixed

Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

June 4, 2014: The national north end of US 77 is just across the border at I-29 in Sioux City. Well, this is embarrassing: When I moved the website from mac.com, I moved the locations of the IA 12 South … Continue reading →

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Links on IA 12 page fixed
Mar 22

Closing off an ancient curve, and Centerville’s IA 60 history

Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

  Appanoose County in the 1948 (left/top) and 1951 Iowa Highway Commission state maps. Notice the non-existence of Lake Rathbun. Drake Avenue is shown as the north-south piece of IA 277, but it actually belonged to IA 60, as you will … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction, Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Closing off an ancient curve, and Centerville’s IA 60 history