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Villisca is a part of a greater community of communities in Southwest Iowa. All combined, they have a wealth of things to see and do. Many Villiscans make Villisca home, working in the surrounding communities. Included in the area are wonderful recreation areas, state parks, great areas for hunting and fishing. Click here for a list of some of the recreation areas. Just as Villisca has a rich history, so do surrounding communities - Corning, the birthplace of Johnny Carson; Clarinda, the birthplace of Glenn Miller and 4-H. On this page you will find information about some of the museums in the area. And we will try to keep an updated list of Southwest Iowa Events. |
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"Laughter is an instant vacation." ~~Milton Berle |
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New exibits going up throughout the year 1900
through the Fabulous 50s An exhibit at the Montgomery County History Center is a look at the changes in our lives during the 150 years of Montgomery County history. The History Center library has information about many of the one room county schools, and currently on exhibit are also photos and information about Coburg School and its graduates. The Thos. D. Murphy Company- A Legacy of Calendar Art Exhibit now on display at The Montgomery County History Center In 1888, two enterprising young men, Edmond Osborne and Thomas D. Murphy, purchased a woodcut of the Montgomery County Courthouse that was under construction at the time. To offset the expense of the woodcut, they decided to sell advertising around the picture and add a calendar pad. Because of their venture, Red Oak became known as the birthplace of the art calendar industry. In the next one hundred years, calendar art became a permanent part of the American Scene. This exhibit features original equipment from the Thos. D. Murphy Company: A Gordon Press, a proof press, and sets of antique cases with a variety of type used when advertising copy was set by hand. Also on exhibit are original calendars, including the work of Arthur Elsley, R. Atkinson Fox, James Dobson, and others. The Schoolhouse and Cabin are open by special arrangements. To have a tour of the NIMS barn you should call ahead to the History Center at 712-623-2289. Contact Information: 712-623-2289 |
The Swedish Heritage and Cultural Center in Stanton, Iowa is the oldest public building in Montgomery County still in use. It used to serve as the public school, but now has a wide variety of historical and cultural items on display. As you drive into the town of Stanton, check out the Swedish Coffeepot Water Tower. The Halland Settlement is a group of communities whose ancestors were immigrants from Sweden. This settlement is located in Montgomery and Page Counties in Southwest Iowa. Founder of Stanton and Lutheran congregations of Bethesda, Nyman, Essex and Red Oak was the Reverend Bengt Magnus Halland. An immigrant of Sweden himself, Halland worked with the officials of the B&M Railroad to acquire land for their homesteads. The Swedish Heritage & Cultural Center relates this history with artifacts, photos, papers, documents, books, and a video. Winter hours are 1-4 pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday or by appointment. Please visit! 410
Hilltop Ave.
The
"Cramer Country One Room School"
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The
Montgomery County History Center is located at 2700 N 4th Street
in Red Oak (one block north of Hwy 34). Hours for the History Center
are Tuesday through Sunday, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. For special tours
or additional information call (712) 623-2289.
 Burlington
Northern Depot & WWII Memorial Museum In 1903 when the Burlington Northern depot was first completed, it was a model of modern convenience linking Red Oak to more urban communities in worlds totally different from life here on the prairie. Rural communities were virtually inaccessible by any method of transportation until lifelines of railroads joined them to more metropolitan societies. Dedicated on December 20, 2003, on the 100th anniversary of the first dedication, the restored Burlington Northern depot now houses a WWII Memorial Museum, Self-guided Tour, and an orientation auditorium with a rear projection TV viewing screen. The Depot is located at 305 S 2nd Street in Red Oak. Hours of operation are Monday, Wednesday, Friday - 9:00 a.m. to Noon, Tuesday, Thursday - 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., or by appointment. For special tours or additional information call (712) 623-6340 or (712) 623-9281. |
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Listed here are some of the recreational areas in southwest Iowa.
Viking
Lake |
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Lake Icaria
- in Corning Iowa Boating, camping, fishing, cabins and more.For more information click here. |
Viking Lake State
Park Boating, camping,
fishing, restaurant |
For
more information contact the local Chambers or visit the community
web sites. Here are links to some of those sites: Montgomery
Cnty YMCA - http://www.mcymca.com |
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Lake Binder
- in Corning Iowa For more information click here. |
Hacklebarney
Woods |
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| NASCAR
Racing Adams County Speedway 712.785.3271 1200 John Street – Corning www.acspeedway.com |
Lake of Three
Fires Camping, picnic areas, fishing, boating, swimming, shelterhouses, cabins. For more info, click here. |
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Waubonsie State
Park Camping, picnic areas, hiking trails, a site on the national Lewis and Clark Historical Trail. For more info, click here. |
Cold Spring State Park Phone: (712) 769-2372 16 acre lake1 boat ramp"no wake"110 Camping SitesLarge mouth bass, bluegill, catfish, crappie, flatheads9 miles southwest of Atlantic |
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Lake Anita State Park Phone: (712) 762-3564 171 Acre Lake2 Boat Ramps"no wake" 144 Camping SitesLarge mouth bass, crappies, bluegill, catfish12 Miles east of Atlantic |
Here some young men enjoy kyacking at Viking Lake Improved
website links people to Iowa's outdoors "This website contains hundreds and hundreds of pages about Iowa's natural resources-and we add new pages almost daily," said Cathy Engstrom, INHF Director of Communications. "Users can find everything from tips on exploring Iowa's outdoor treasures to the complete text of many INHF books and magazine articles." According to Engstrom, some of INHF's most popular web pages include the "Explore Iowa" section, a guide to Iowa's outdoor recreational opportunities. "We created this section a couple years ago to help Iowans find and enjoy our outdoor resources. Its most visited pages are the list of Iowa trails and our featured destination about the Upper Iowa River. We hope the improved site navigation will help users find its other features-like links to everything from bird-watching to canoeing to fishing." "The new design also responds to requests for easier access to educational materials," added Engstrom. "We added a publications button that provides quick links to our Ecology College series-articles on topics like water quality, Iowa butterflies or prairie management techniques. Users can also download the complete text of several INHF booklets-on subjects ranging from neotropical migrant birds to permanent land protection options for landowners." The site's improved design was created by INHF's Buckmaster Interns, Jenny Determan and Jessica Sokol. IoWeb provided consultation and implementation support. The work of Iowa nature photographers like Bill Witt, Tim McKone, Stan Buman and Ty Smedes are featured on every page. Other photos and maps are scattered throughout the site. |
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Conklin Fish Farm - Cass County Phone: (712) 778-2408 10 Acre lake56 Camping SitesLarge mouth bass, crappies, bluegill, catfish12 miles southwest of Atlantic |
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Hitchcock House: A Geo-Cache Station Coordinates are: 41 DEG. 18.201 N. by 95 DEG. 06.203 W. Elevation is 1193 feet "Hitchcock House, a station on the Underground Railroad located in Lewis, Iowa, is now a station in the new hi-tech activity called geo-caching. ... A new breed of local history buffs travel from cache to cache with nothing but a scientific gadget and coordinates to guide them. " A long way from when the slaves followed the Big Dipper and the North Star. taken from The Hitchcock Banner, Winter 2003-2004 click here for some information on Geo-caching |
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Geo-caching
- what is it?
The treasure hunt for the 21st century. From geocaching.com "Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for gps users. Participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take advantage of the wonderful features and capability of a gps unit. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. All the visitor is asked to do is if they get something they should try to leave something for the cache."
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And what do you find when you get there? "A cache can come in many forms but the first item should always be the logbook. In its simplest form a cache can be just a logbook and nothing else. The logbook contains information from the founder of the cache and notes from the cache's visitors. The logbook can contain much valuable, rewarding, and entertaining information. A logbook might contain information about nearby attractions, coordinates to other unpublished caches, and even jokes written by visitors. If you get some information from a logbook you should give some back. At the very least you can leave the date and time you visited the cache. Larger caches may consist of a waterproof plastic bucket placed tastefully within the local terrain. The bucket will contain the logbook and any number of more or less valuable items. These items turn the cache into a true treasure hunt. You never know what the founder or other visitors of the cache may have left there for you to enjoy. Remember, if you take something, its only fair for you to leave something in return. Items in a bucket cache could be: Maps, books, software, hardware, CD's, videos, pictures, money, jewelry, tickets, antiques, tools, games, etc. It is recommended that items in a bucket cache be individually packaged in a clear zipped plastic bag to protect them." The people at www.brillig.com further tells what you might find: "You could find almost anything in a cache, depending on its size. Small toys, books, LEGO bricks or mini-figs, stuffed animals, music CDs, CD-ROMS, tapes, non-perishable food items, and the log of course. Some caches contain a disposable camera. The camera isn't a goodie to be taken though; just take a picture of yourself and tell the cache owner if you snap the last photo. The cache owner can then recover the camera, develop the film, and put your smiling mug on their web page along with all the other visitors to the cache. The smallest caches, known are microcaches, typically just have a stub of pencil and a few slips of paper to serve as a log--it's rare for these caches to have any goodies." Another
website for geo-caching in the midwest including Iowa is: |
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Here are some of the buildings you will see when you visit the Nodaway Valley Historical Society Museum 1600 South 16th Street, Clarinda, IA For information on other museums to visit in SW Iowa, click here |
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The Nodaway Valley Historical Society is located just south of Clarinda. Open Tuesday through Sunday
from 1 - 5 p.m. Closed Monday. Shown here are the Bethesda
Store, the Hawleyville Building (barbershop/dental office), the John
Nance Blacksmith Shop and the Essex Jail. |
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"Laughter is an instant vacation." ~Milton Berle |
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Creston's
Restored Depot This restored depot signifies Creston's railroad heritage. The depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Inside and out you can see the building's rich heritage. Check it out at 116 West Adams. A presidential doll collection depicting all first ladies in their inaugural gowns can be found on display in the Depot as well as the display of the Creston Model Railroad. |
Mt. Pisgah Mormon National Monument Located south of Lorimor approximately 4 miles then west one mile. Mt. Pisgah was the rest camp for the Mormon trek from Nauvoo, IL to Salt Lake City, UT. A monument has been erected at this site in memory of those who did not survive. A museum, picnic facilities and rest area are available. Call ahead to schedule a tour of the area for some fascinating stories about the time the Mormon's spent in the area. 641-763-2504 For more about the Mormon Trail, stop by the Creston Chamber office for a brochure with information and a map of the Mormom Trail across Iowa. |
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