Category Archives: Iowa Miscellaneous

Nov 06

IA 999: The untold story (5)

Posted on Wednesday, November 6, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Looking at state maps in the early 1970s, it seems clear-cut. IA 333 runs from the Fremont/Page county line to 71, there’s a secret designation for the route to College Springs, and the absence of a 333 marker east of … Continue reading →

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Nov 05

IA 999: The untold story (4)

Posted on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Southern Page County did its damnedest to put itself on a paved path to prosperity. The Highway 333 Association formed in the summer of 1959 with the goal of getting the road from US 275 near Hamburg to US 71 … Continue reading →

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Nov 04

IA 999: The untold story (3)

Posted on Monday, November 4, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

On the official state transportation map, the highway on the corner of Iowa’s floor was stable for 20 years. There was only one change to IA 333 marked between 1943 and 1964: It was straightened to miss College Springs and … Continue reading →

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Oct 24

City Hall as bulletin board; or, Meats and Treats

Posted on Thursday, October 24, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Might as well pass on the plug. October 23, 2019: Taped on the entrance to Liscomb City Hall. (IDEA: Adult costume/trick or treat for prime rib! Thermal storage bag required.)

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Oct 18

Out of the Boondocks

Posted on Friday, October 18, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Boondocks, USA (Williams, Iowa), October 19, 2018 — I had never eaten at the Boondocks. Here it was, this famous truck stop, in the middle of Iowa at a once-major junction, a place I passed near many times on family … Continue reading →

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Oct 15

Interstate 880 coming to Iowa!?!

Posted on Tuesday, October 15, 2019, at 10:10 AM by Jeff

July 24, 2019: For a limited time only The fall meeting of the AASHTO Special Committee on Route Numbering, which took place Oct. 5, has a doozy of a bombshell. Immediate reaction: W.T.F. Item No. 5 – State: Iowa Route: I-880 Action: … Continue reading →

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Oct 10

Submarine Veterans Highway dedication Monday

Posted on Thursday, October 10, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The Submarine Veterans Highway, running from the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown to the State Capitol, will be dedicated Monday. The Marshalltown Times-Republican has more. A Marshalltown native died when a submarine sank off the coast of New Hampshire in 1939. … Continue reading →

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Oct 09

The core dilemma for rural revitalization

Posted on Wednesday, October 9, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

This story from Stateline/Pew Charitable Trusts about disappearing rural grocery stores is mostly about areas with lower population density than Iowa, but there’s some Iowa stuff in here. An important quote comes from Drake University’s Jennifer Zwagerman: “How do you … Continue reading →

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Oct 08

Website does everything my booklet did — statewide

Posted on Tuesday, October 8, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Obviously, I need to write something about this. I haven’t had time to. But I did want to put the story up before it got too much older.

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Oct 01

Actual fake news about the World’s Largest Cheeto

Posted on Tuesday, October 1, 2019, at 10:10 AM by Jeff

Despite the Sept. 28 “Saturday Night Live” sketch to the contrary, the World’s Largest Cheeto is not along I-15, but in Algona, Iowa. (At least, at last report?) Or perhaps “biggest” and “largest” are different categories? Fact-checking a comedy show … Continue reading →

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