Stumbling onto a little Iowa history, Part 2

After the Adel Corn Festival, Linda and I were still up for some more exploring. The eastern end of the White Pole Road described on their website wasn't far away and we'd not actually travelled that portion of the Great White Way yet so we headed over to Dexter.

Just to the east of Dexter, you find the eastern end of this segment of the White Pole Road. When the Eisenhower Interstate System laid out I-80, they ran right down a part of the old road. We picked up where they left off and headed into Dexter and on to Stuart.

In Stuart, we found another example of surprising architecture dotting the countryside. This massive brick hall, complete with clock tower, is quite a sight to this day. Across the street and down the block, we found an interesting sign above the current police department:

First National Bank 1882-1924
Site of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow Bank Robbery Apr. 16, 1934

I wasn't aware that Iowa had such a history for criminal activity! First we ran across the site of the first Jesse James train robbery in the west and now we stumble across what I've since learned to be the next to last bank robbed by the notorious Bonnie and Clyde... both along the White Pole Road.

In reading more about the activities of Bonnie and Clyde in Iowa, I also found that they had been in the area nearly a year earlier:

On July 24 1933, the Barrow Gang was at Dexfield Park, an abandoned amusement park near Dexter, Iowa. After being noticed by local citizens it was determined that the campers were the Barrows. Surrounded by local lawmen and approximately one hundred spectators, the Barrows once again found themselves under fire. Clyde, Bonnie, and W.D. Jones escaped on foot. Buck was shot in the back and his wife hit again in the face and eyes with flying glass. Buck died five days later at Kings Daughters Hospital in Iowa of pneumonia after surgery.

Now Dexter's in on the act! The things you find out when you step out your front door.

We rolled on through Menlo and Casey, oblivious to their pasts and completed our run at Adair where we'd left the White Pole Road the first time we found it.

Adair has fully embraced this white pole theme. If there's a wooden pole along the road, it's painted white. Stop sign posts that are black metal a block off the route are wood and painted white along the storied road. It was a bit subtle but, once I recognized it, I couldn't not see it from then on.