Category Archives: Iowa Miscellaneous

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 →

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 →

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 →

The state City Development Board has approved the discontinuance of the town of Mount Union, the AP reports (via DMR/Burlington Hawk Eye). The referendum on disincorporation passed by one vote last year. There are now 943 incorporated places in Iowa, down … Continue reading →

The Cedar Rapids Gazette’s Sunday “Time Machine” last week went into detail on the construction of the Seedling Mile for the Lincoln Highway northwest of Mount Vernon. The history shows the mile was supposed to be finished in 1918 but … Continue reading →

July 21, 2012: New entrance of IA 60 from the Minnesota line. The exit/entrance of IA 60 at the Minnesota line after the highway was upgraded to four lanes somehow fell through the cracks and it’s only now that I … Continue reading →

For those of you here for the first time… Hi. October 1, 2015: Murray Hill Scenic Overlook, northeast of Little Sioux, in the Loess Hills. No highways, just a scenic picture. In early fall 2015 I took an eight-day trip … Continue reading →

YAY! Under the authority of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, the State Historical Society has signed a 5-year contract to loan the newspapers to the Advantage Companies, a Cedar Rapids business with a division dedicated to the preservation and … Continue reading →

Iowa’s largest and most famous national monument* is going to be honored with a custom quarter that will be released Tuesday. The Gazette ran an article a few weeks ago about it. There are two events related to the quarter: … Continue reading →