Pausing at the Preston Station

Driving east out of Tama, Linda asked if I'd ever been to Belle Plaine. When I said I hadn't, she said she had something to show me. We followed the signs and were soon cruising into town. As we swept around the long arc of the highway, she pointed and said "There it is!"

It's the kind of place my Mom probably wondered if Dad, left to his own choices, might have made. Once a gas station, the Preston Station is now a landmark and museum along the Lincoln Highway. As you can see, the exterior has been pretty well covered with various signs from the times. The interior is every bit as plastered with great memorabilia of years gone by. Ron Preston, son of George, came out to show us his father's station and some some of the particulary nice pieces he'd accumulated. One of the prized items was a photo from George visiting with Johnny Carson, March 21, 1990, on the Tonight Show.

Next door to the station in the photo is another building, every bit as covered in signs, that houses several other items too large to fit in the station itself. Ron opened the doors to show us a few of them. It was quite a treat to get the tour and hear a few of the tales.