Posted in American Countryside Iowa

New Melleray’s Caskets

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2021/10/05Nov21-New-Mellary-Abbey-3.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)When people began attending funeral’s here, many had the exact same reaction.  They mentioned that when they passed, they wanted…

Continue Reading... New Melleray’s Caskets
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

New Melleray’s Timber Transformed

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2021/10/04Nov21-New-Mellary-Abbey-2.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)These men had about 3500 acres of farmland, pasture and timber.  However, tilling the land they owned was becoming more…

Continue Reading... New Melleray’s Timber Transformed
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

Monks of the Union Army

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2021/10/03Nov21-New-Mellary-Abbey-1.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)Who helped supply the Union army’s depot in Galena, IL during the Civil War?  The monks at this abbey of…

Continue Reading... Monks of the Union Army
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

Amazing Photos from A Historic Event

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2021/09/17Sep21-Union-Pacific-Railroad-Museum-3.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)This company was created from scratch in the 1860s.  From the start, those founders knew that their work would be…

Continue Reading... Amazing Photos from A Historic Event
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

West from Mile Zero

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2021/09/16Sep21-Union-Pacific-Railroad-Museum-2.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)This is Mile Zero.  For several years mile zero of this railroad would only take you to the banks or…

Continue Reading... West from Mile Zero
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

Lincoln’s Site To Begin a Railroad

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2021/09/15Sep21-Union-Pacific-Railroad-Museum-1.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)Abraham Lincoln had an important decision to make.  Where would be the beginning point of a new railroad.  We don’t…

Continue Reading... Lincoln’s Site To Begin a Railroad
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

Don’t Paint My Tractor!

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2021/06/10Jun21-Hart-Parr-2.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)Ask any farmer what is their favorite color on the farm and they most likely know you are asking them…

Continue Reading... Don’t Paint My Tractor!
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

Coining “Tractor”

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2021/06/09Jun21-Hart-Parr-1.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)They were not the first to invent a tractor, but they were the first to call it that.  And a…

Continue Reading... Coining “Tractor”
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

Swamp Root to Cure Your Ails

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2020/12/06Jan21-Allerton-Iowa-3.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)If you saw an advertisement for someone selling “swamp root” that could cure your ails, well, you might be a…

Continue Reading... Swamp Root to Cure Your Ails
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

A Meeting in the Park

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2020/12/05Jan21-Allerton-Iowa-2.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)This small town was in danger of losing a treasured part of its past and present.  But who would step…

Continue Reading... A Meeting in the Park
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

The World’s Fair in Iowa

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2020/12/04Jan21-Allerton-Iowa-1.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)Perhaps you’ve heard of the World’s Fair.  Many editions of that global event have been held over the centuries.  But…

Continue Reading... The World’s Fair in Iowa
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

Losing All Five Sullivan Children

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2020/11/12Nov20-Sullivan-Brothers-3.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)One cannot fathom the thought of losing five children in one event, but that’s exactly what happened to the Sullivans. …

Continue Reading... Losing All Five Sullivan Children
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

Remembering the Sacrifices

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2020/11/11Nov20-Sullivan-Brothers-2.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)Veteran’s Day is a time we remember the sacrifices of those who fought for the freedoms we enjoy in the…

Continue Reading... Remembering the Sacrifices
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

Remembering Five Brothers from Waterloo

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2020/11/10Nov20-Sullivan-Brothers-1.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)After the attack on Pearl Harbor, many young men in the country rushed to join the military to fight for…

Continue Reading... Remembering Five Brothers from Waterloo
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

A Different Cemetery

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2020/10/05Nov20-Hobo-Museum-4.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)In Britt, Iowa you’ll find a section of the town’s cemetery that looks different than the rest.  The stones are…

Continue Reading... A Different Cemetery
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

Luring a Convention

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2020/10/04Nov20-Hobo-Museum-3.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)Lots of cities work to lure conventions to town.  They may offer several amenities to take advantage of the economic…

Continue Reading... Luring a Convention
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

Catching a Train Ride on a No Budget Trip

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2020/10/03Nov20-Hobo-Museum-2.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)It was quite an adventure.  Shorty and Frog caught and westbound train and were headed over the Rocky Mountains and…

Continue Reading... Catching a Train Ride on a No Budget Trip
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

A Visit with Hobos

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2020/10/02Nov20-Hobo-Museum-1.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)When I told my son on a recent trip that we were going to stop and visit with a couple…

Continue Reading... A Visit with Hobos
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

Putting Hats on the Map

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2020/08/19Aug20-Iowa-Hat-Lady-2020-2.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)People always ask who is the most interesting person I’ve interviewed?  It’s a question with many answers, and most of…

Continue Reading... Putting Hats on the Map
Posted in American Countryside Iowa

The Hat Lady, Alvina Sellers

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2020/08/18Aug20-Iowa-Hat-Lady-2020-1.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)Dr. Suess wrote the cat in the hat, but he should have consulted an expert like Alvina Sellers for background…

Continue Reading... The Hat Lady, Alvina Sellers