Category Archives: Iowa Miscellaneous

Aug 19

Photos from RAGBRAI LIII

Posted on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at 11:00 AM by Jeff

Instead of a story from this year’s RAGBRAI route, I did a photo gallery. (Time is not a luxury, alas.)

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Aug 17

The 1996 Iowa State Fair and a ribbon that connects generations

Posted on Monday, August 17, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

OK, I admit I should have made this particular headline a little more SEO-friendly. Also, although I donated it, it might not actually BE on display at the Iowa State Fair this year, and I feel part of that is … Continue reading →

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Aug 11

Clayton County Museum Crawl 2

Posted on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Here’s the second half of my six-museum marathon from one day in June.

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Aug 06

Always looking for the local connection

Posted on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Le Grand Reporter 4/13/23: Herbert Hoover calls on relatives LeGrand included in Iowa itinerary — Uncle Davis and Aunt Amelia warmly greeted LeGrand entertained distinguished company Thursday afternoon and evening. Herbert Hoover, member of President Harding’s cabinet and one of … Continue reading →

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Jul 22

A history of the Meskwaki in Iowa

Posted on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The final event in the Iowa DOT’s America 250 Scenic Byways series was close to home. Three speakers, including historian Johnathan Buffalo, gave presentations about the Meskwaki tribe’s presence in Iowa, which has been continuous since 1735.

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Jul 17

Analysis of RAGBRAI LIII route

Posted on Friday, July 17, 2026, at 10:53 AM by Jeff

My look at this year’s RAGBRAI route might be light on highway content, but it is heavy on ranting about infographic design and map directions. Among my concerns is how static maps were not updated when a late change in … Continue reading →

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Jul 10

Clayton County Museum Crawl 1

Posted on Friday, July 10, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

A whirlwind day of visits to small museums, with more to come!

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Jun 17

Where Iowa’s newest courthouses actually are

Posted on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 10:06 AM by Jeff

September 28, 2025: The Mitchell County Courthouse in Osage. A recent story about county courthouses says the newest one is in Pottawattamie County in 1978. This is wrong, twice over. Dickinson County built a new courthouse in stages in 2006 … Continue reading →

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Jun 11

Iowa transportation history presentations, part 2

Posted on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

I wrote 2200 words about five presentations in Ames on May 1. Well, technically, I wrote whatever percentage of those words are not from quoted material. Here’s the second part, and the story links to a full presentation about “streamliner” … Continue reading →

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Jun 09

Iowa transportation history presentations, part 1

Posted on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Of course I’m going to go all out on writing about FIVE presentations in Ames on May 1 covering various aspects of Iowa roads and rails. I couldn’t contain it to one Substack post!

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