USA, IA - Iowa Valley Scenic Byway
Read More
Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway
World's Largest Wooden Nickel, Iowa City, Iowa. Sixteen feet diameter, built in 2006
The Iowa Valley Scenic Byway is a 77-mile ride through the Iowa River Valley, anchored by two distinct cultures. At the western end of the byway is Iowa’s only Native American community, the Meskwaki Settlement. At the eastern end are the seven villages of the Amana Colonies. The Amana Colonies were created as a communal society in 1855 by Germans fleeing religious persecution.
Iowa Valley Scenic Byway road sign in the Amana area. The Amana Colonies are seven villages in Iowa County in east-central Iowa, United States. The villages were built and settled by German Pietists, who were persecuted by the German state government and the Lutheran Church. Calling themselves the True Inspiration Congregations, they first settled in New York near Buffalo in what is now the town of West Seneca. However, seeking more isolated surroundings, they moved to Iowa in 1856. They lived a communal life until 1932.
Downtown Amana The Amana Colonies are seven villages in Iowa County in east-central Iowa, United States. The villages were built and settled by German Pietists, who were persecuted by the German state government and the Lutheran Church. Calling themselves the True Inspiration Congregations, they first settled in New York near Buffalo in what is now the town of West Seneca. However, seeking more isolated surroundings, they moved to Iowa in 1856. They lived a communal life until 1932.
Fireside Vinery in Amana, Iowa
Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway, Iowa
Iowa County Freedom Rock in Gateway Park and Preserve, Marengo, Iowa, USA commemorating aviation pioneer Eugene Burton Ely.
Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway, Iowa
Lincoln Cafe in Belle Plaine, Iowa
Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway, Iowa
The historic King Theatre in Belle Plaine, Iowa. Opened in 1930 by Milton and Sara Mansfield, the King Theatre has been operated by members of the Mansfield family to this day. Originally, the theater had 550 seats on the main floor and 200 in the balcony, for a total of 750. In 1999, rocking seats were installed. Today, the total capacity is 500.
Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway, Iowa
Large wall relief about the Jumbo Well in Belle Plaine, Iowa, which the locals called the 8th Wonder of the World
Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway
Large mural celebrating the Historic Lincoln Highway in Belle Plaine, Iowa
Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway, Iowa
The old train station in Belle Plaine, Iowa. The train station was built by the Chicago & Northwestern Transportation Company in 1894. It looks abandoned now and some of the windows are boarded up.
Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway, Iowa
Jumbo Well mural in Belle Plaine, Iowa. In the 1880s, The town of Belle Plaine, Iowa, contracted a well digger from Monticello, Iowa, to drill an artesian well to provide water and fire protection to a section of the town. What happened thereafter made the news, not just in Iowa but from coast to coast! The Belle Plaine artesian well erupted into a monster -- more than 3,000 gallons of water per minute flooded into the streets. It took 14 months to get this fixed.
Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway
The original Lincoln Highway passes through Meskwaki Tribal land, where this mural can be seen