Of all the Iowa counties I visited in August and early September (Washington, Keokuk, Mahaska, Marion, Warren, Madison, Adair, Cass, Pottawattamie), Madison is the most well-known outside the state thanks to the film “The Bridges of Madison County” based on the 1992 novel by the same title by Robert James Waller.
Produced and directed in 1995 by Clint Eastwood and co-starring Meryl Streep, the romantic drama features two of the six remaining covered bridges, Holliwell Bridge and Roseman Bridge, which I explored with my now grown kids before they scattered across the country from New York to California at the end of their summer breaks. Our journey through Iowa, which began in their childhood, continues with new places of interest we discover together during their visits to the state they call home.
The cinematic fame of Madison County extends to its county seat Winterset, the birthplace of Marion Robert Morrison (1907-1979), nicknamed “Duke” and known to film fans as John Wayne. Catapulted to Hollywood’s Golden Age fame after his appearance in John Ford’s 1939 film “Stagecoach,” Wayne appeared in over 170 films. His birthplace house and museum are open to the public daily and attract visitors from around the globe.
Washinton (Washington County) offers another notable cinematic attraction − State Theatre designated by the Guinness World Records as the oldest continually operating film theater in the world. Opened in 1893 as the Graham Opera House and screening films continuously since 1897, State Theatre has undergone several renovations and remains committed to serving film fans in the 21st century. I attended a screening of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” with my kids. The seats were super comfy, the popcorn excellent, and the glamorous wide screen stage recalled the elegance and sophistication of a bygone era.
Indianola, county seat of Warren County, adjacent to Madison County, has been in national news lately as one of the most exciting locations for innovative opera in the United States. Founded in 1973 by Robert L. Larsen and Douglas Duncan and under the expert leadership of Michael Egel since 2010, the Des Moines Metro Opera, which offers a full summer repertoire at the Blank Center for the Performing Arts on the Simpson College campus, has received glowing reviews.
Simpson College is one of 56 colleges and universities located in Iowa listed under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Along with the nationally top-ranked Grinnell College (Poweshiek County), post-secondary educational establishments such as the William Penn University (Mahaska County) and Iowa Western Community College (Pottawattamie County) contribute to Iowa’s reputation as a leader in education.
Pottawattamie County, home of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum and the historic Squirrel Cage Jail and General Dodge House Museum, was named after the Pottawattamie Native American tribe. Keokuk County, formed in 1837, was named after Keokuk (1780-1848), leader of the Sauk tribe of North America. Both Keokuk County and the city of Keokuk in Lee County are named after him. Mahaska County, home of the Nelson Pioneer Farm and Museum, was named after Mahaska (1784-1834), the chief of the Native American Iowa tribe – which gave the state of Iowa its name. The main square of the Mahaska county seat Oskaloosa features an imposing statue of Chief Mahaska created by the renowned sculptor Shirley Edmundson Fry (1879-1966). It was dedicated on May 12, 1909.
The earliest European settlers of Cass County were Mormons who traveled the 1,300-mile Mormon Trail from Illinois to Utah, establishing a community in Indiantown in 1846. Adair County, also situated along the Mormon Trail, is the site of the first train robbery in the West, committed by the notorious outlaw Jesse James on July 21, 1873.
My journey concluded at the Knoxville Raceway (Marion County) late on a Friday night when the track was deserted and silent. I drove through the passage under the bleachers on a still moonlit night, imagined the roar of the crowd and the revving of the engines and, having quelled my nascent car racing ambitions, got back on the highway headed east to Iowa City.
Nineteen counties to go…
Professor Anna Barker teaches in the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Russian Program and in the Ul Tippie College of Business Marketing. Her 2024-2025 Substack commentary focuses on the works of Dostoevsky, Dumas, and Jókai Mór. Her past tutorials exploring the intersection of history, art, and literature in works such as Gilgamesh, Paradise Lost, Les Misérables, War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and Brothers Karamazov can be found at Anna Barker’s Classics Reading Series (Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature).
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa’s 99: From Washington County to Pottawattamie County | Column
Reporting by Anna Barker / Iowa City Press-Citizen
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