Category Archives: Iowa Miscellaneous

Mar 29

A county has topped its 1870 population peak

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

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Mar 14

Dismounted

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

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Mar 07

History of Linn County’s Seedling Mile

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

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Mar 06

North end(s) of IA 60 finally added

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

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Mar 04

Area man featured for longtime pursuit of weird accomplishment

As you may have seen online, the Des Moines Register’s Kyle Munson interviewed me about my travels and wrote a column about it. He even called back to the 2001 essay I wrote as a member of the Register’s Young Adult … Continue reading

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Mar 03

Photos from the edges of Iowa

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

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Feb 20

Iowa newspapers to be archived, digitized

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

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Feb 03

Effigy Mounds quarter to be unveiled next week

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

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Jan 23

RealClearPolitics analysis of Midwest presidential vote

Maps, stats, and charts abound in the RealClearPolitics study of how Donald Trump nearly swept the Midwest in 2016. Iowa is one of the states selected for extra study, and was picked out again in the conclusion to the RCP … Continue reading

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Jan 13

Pilot Knob is not Iowa’s second-highest point. Or the third.

October 4, 2016: The view from the Pilot Knob observation tower, which is 30 feet tall. Enjoy it before I drop some earth-leveling news. While working on the page for IA 237, the old spur to Ocheyedan, I had a … Continue reading

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