American Countryside » Iowa

From Lumber Company to Feed Company

Tom — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:01:44 +0000

It all began with a lumber yard in Indianola, Iowa. Of course, today you don’t know this company for its lumber. You instead know it for the ingenuity that came from learning to sell that product…..

The World’s Longest Flight

Tom — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:01:28 +0000

The longest nonstop commercial flight in the world is currently a Singapore Airlines route from Newark to Singapore. It’s in the air over 18 hours and covers over 10,000 miles. That’s nothing compared to this flight that took off from Meridian, Mississippi in 1935. The flight was measured in days, but you could say, the flight never went anywhere…..

Iowa’s Aviation Museum

Tom — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:01:03 +0000

For the past few days we,ve been in Greenfield, Iowa, home to the Iowa Aviation Museum. You probably never realized how many aviation firsts are tied to Iowa, including a car company that decided to try its hand at making airplanes. Its unique vision is preserved here…..

Charles Levine

Tom — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:01:35 +0000

Chalres Lindburgh was the first person to fly an airplane across the Atlantic Ocean. But lost in our history books in the name of a man who would most likely have beaten Lindburgh to the prize, if not for a court case that kept his plane from taking off from the very same airport……

Landing A Plane on a Boat

Tom — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:01:48 +0000

Today, aircraft carriers and the planes they transport play a vital role in country’s military might. However, have you ever given any thought to the first brave soul that attempted to take off and land a plane aboard a boat? It takes a courageous or perhaps very crazy individual to try it…..

A Unique Midwest Harvest

Tom — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:01:52 +0000

In some parts of the Midwest, you can buy a brand new car for the same price as one acre of farmland. That’s land that’s growing corn and soybeans, not land being developed next to a city. With so much riding on those acres it made for a unique harvest for this framer……

A POW-built Nativity

Tom — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:01:17 +0000

It was Christmas 1945. German POWs at Camp Algona in Algona, Iowa would be returning to Europe the next year. This was the final Christmas they would spend with many of the Americans they had built friendships with during their time here…..

An Odd Request

Tom — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 06:01:41 +0000

At first glance, it might appear to be an odd request. A U.S. commander asked a group of German POWs to construct a nativity scene in Algona, Iowa…..

New Mellary Caskets

Tom — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 05:01:24 +0000

When people began attending funerals here, many had the exact same reaction. They mentioned that when they passed, they wanted a funeral just like that. What resulted is a business with deep ties to the mission they men serve…..

Making Use of Their Timber

Tom — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 05:01:57 +0000

These men had about 3500 acres of farmland, pasture and timber. However, tilling the land they owned was becoming more difficult as they grew older. What they did next not only pays the bills, it has become a well-known enterprise…..