Exploring Cedar County &The Cedar Valley Road with special visits to Kirkwood Community College and Kinze Manufacturing

August 3–5, 2014 Motoring with Imagination Rules of the Road

• We provide both emergency roadside assistance and vehicle hauling services. Disabled vehicles should report their location via cell phone to John (319.431.0520). No more than two vehicles should stop to provide roadside assistance. • If you encounter problems with your vehicle and must stop, pull as far off the roadway as possible. If you do not need assistance, please give a “Thumbs Up” signal to passing vehicles, so they know you are “OK”. • We try to avoid the busier highways, but that can’t always be the case. Always keep sufficient intervals between vehicles so an overtaking vehicle can blend. • In reality it is the second vehicle that bears the responsibility in passing situations. If you are holding up traffic, please pull over and give faster vehicles the right of way. • Rain, shine or worse… we continue to roll and all vehicles are expected to do the best for themselves under the circumstances. Open top vehicles may need to seek shelter. Individual judgment will be the order for the day. • Get a compass or GPS if you are not always sure of directions. • These route instructions serve as a “guide” only. You are free to deviate and learn about other parts of the territory. • We have purposely refrained from relying on mileage or time references in our directions. • Odometers will vary, so any references that do occur must be treated as approximate.

For emergencies call John • 319.431.0520 Cedar County Drive – Sunday, August 3, 2014

 From the Hotel lots return to Kirkwood Blvd and turn LEFT headed south  Turn LEFT at the T with 76th Ave (aka Wright Bros. Blvd.)  Shortly, turn RIGHT onto W54 (aka Club Rd.)

Western College , originally named Western College, operated from 1857 to 1919, when it was absorbed into Coe College. Western College was established in 1857 by the United

Brethren in Christ . It was named "Western" because it was the denomination's first college west of the River. In 1881, the college, which was facing financial difficulties, moved to Toledo because of a pledge of $20,000 in financial support from that community's residents. Enrollment grew rapidly in Toledo, whose residents' religious values were more compatible with the college's values than had been the case in Linn County. Enrollment grew from 80 students when Western College started operations in Toledo, to 196 students by the end of that school year, and an eventual total of more than 400.

In 1906, Western College changed its name to Leander Clark College in honor of a local benefactor, Major Leander Clark, a United Brethren member who donated $50,000. In spite of that assistance, the college went bankrupt and merged with Coe College in 1919, bringing a $200,000 endowment to the merger along with its faculty and students. The Leander Clark campus became a state juvenile home.

 Continue south thru the village of Western to Shueyville  At the stop sign, turn LEFT onto F12  Turn RIGHT onto W6E  At the T intersection, turn LEFT onto F16 (may also be marked as 382)  In Solon, turn RIGHT onto Hwy 1 heading south  In just under 5 miles, at the village of Newport, turn LEFT onto F8W(aka Morse Rd.)  Pass thru what remains of Morse  Turn RIGHT onto X30 and continue into West Branch (aka Downey St.)  Turn LEFT onto Main St. (aka F44)  Continue on F44 thru Springdale toward Rochester

A Little About Cedar County Cedar County was formed on December 21, 1837 from sections of Dubuque County. It was named for the Red Cedar River, which runs through the county, and is the only county which shares the name of a tree. Herbert Hoover, the 31st US president, was born in West Branch in 1874.

The community of Clarence, Iowa was originally called "Onion Grove" because of the widespread growth of wild onions in the area. The village was moved in order to be close to a railroad line and the name was changed to "Clarence" on the suggestion of Clarence, New York native L. B. Gere.

Founded in 1840, the City of Tipton, Iowa is rich with history. A town steeped in rural heritage, Tipton was once named the "agricultural and livestock center of the world". The first large Victorian home in Tipton was built in 1841 for the first Cedar County judge - and the house still stands today. Before the Civil War, areas in and around West Branch, Iowa were stops of the Underground Railroad. Abolitionist John Brown once stayed at the Maxson farm east of West Branch. West Branch West Branch was laid out in 1869

by Joseph Steer. It was incorporated in 1875. The city was first settled chiefly by Quakers from . Its name is derived from the meeting place of the West Branch Quakers, and the location of the city on the west branch of the Wapsinonoc Creek. Before the , areas in and around West Branch were stops of the Underground

Railroad. In 2008, archaeologists found evidence of unmarked graves in nearby North Liberty Cemetery while investigating an account of 17 escaped slaves who died before reaching Canada.

West Branch experienced rapid growth after the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway was built through it. President Herbert Hoover was born in West Branch in 1874. Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum was dedicated here by Hoover and his close friend, President Harry Truman, in 1962. The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, which includes the Library-Museum, the Hoover Birthplace Cottage and the gravesites of President and Lou Henry Hoover, was authorized by Congress on August 12, 1965.

John Brown and the Underground Railroad

On a fine October day in 1856 a traveler on mule back, and leading a horse, entered the little Quaker village of West Branch, Cedar County, Iowa, and halted at the tavern "Traveler's Rest". James Townsend, a worthy Quaker, was tavern keeper. He came to the door to welcome the guest. The stranger, instead of giving his name outright, as he stiffly dismounted, said: “Sir, have you heard of John Brown, of Kansas?" Certainly Townsend had. All the Quakers had. Nearly everybody in the country had. Brown had a plan to lead a company of well-drilled men into Kansas against the "border ruffians", and free the Territory from the rule of slavery. Brown enlisted a number of followers, who came from Kansas and after a hard trip across the prairies reached Springdale, Cedar County, the last of December . Springdale was a Quaker settlement not far from West Branch. In 1857 it was a thriving, peaceful little place. It had been recommended to Brown during his previous stop at West Branch. He had intended to stay at Springdale only a few days. Money was scarce. He decided to spend the winter among the Quakers of Iowa.

John Brown was housed at the residence of John H. Painter, a kind, hospitable Quaker, and one of the funders of the settlement. The rest of the band had quarters at the dwelling of William Maxon, about three miles north of the village. Maxon was not a Quaker, but it was thought best to avert suspicion, as much as possible, from the sect. The Maxon cellar, it will be remembered, was a hiding place for fugitive slaves.

John Brown and his man remained in Springdale until spring. They drilled, indulged in athletic exercises calculated to make them quick and strong, and studied tactics. Evenings they held debates, mock legislatures, and other programs of amusements and instruction. They also made calls. The eldest in the party was only thirty, the youngest was eighteen. They were engaged in a dangerous and romantic life. So it is no wonder that love sprang up between several of the visitors and the pretty Quaker maidens. Springdale people not in the secret thought their guests were preparing to return to the Kansas conflict.

With tears and heartfelt farewells the Quakers saw the Brown conspirators depart. Before going the members of the party wrote their names on the white wall of the Maxon parlor. For many years, even after the building was a deserted ruin, the writing could still be deciphered. Two new recruits, George B. Gill and Steward Taylor, of Springdale, accompanied the expedition. Edwin and Barclay Coppoc, sons of one of the oldest Quaker residents, Ann Coppoc, enlisted, but did not at this time take their leave.

Thus John Brown went away from Springdale, but he would return. He had been back to Kansas, and at Christmas-time, 1858, a slave by the name of Jim slipped over the border to Brown's camp, and implored his aid. Jim said himself and some fellow slaves were about to be torn from their families and sold south. They wanted to escape. Following the "Underground Railroad", the company reached Grinnell, February 20. In five days all were at Springdale, with a United States Marshal hot on the scent. Early in March the Negros were hurried across the country to West Liberty and loaded into a rail car. When the passenger train from the west came in, the freight car, with Brown and the Negroes locked inside, was coupled on. Away the slaves were whirled to liberty, for in a short time they had crossed the border at Detroit into Canada. In September, 1859 John Brown was last seen in Iowa. There are reports of a visit by him to his former haunts in Cedar County. Before this, Edwin and Barclay Coppoc, awaiting word at Springdale, had received their summons and had gone. In July Brown had written them from the East, telling them to join him at once. Then, in the middle of October, came the news to Springdale that a crazy old man - so the paper styled him - with twenty followers, had attacked the Government arsenal at Harper's Ferry, and had defied the troops. The story of John Brown's rash deed, of his defeat and capture, is well known in history. Of the Iowa men who enlisted at Springdale, Taylor was shot and killed; Edwin Coppoc was captured and hanged; Gill was not present at the conflict; Barclay Coppoc escaped, and after an exciting flight over the mountain of Maryland and Pennsylvania, arrived home in Springdale December 17. One night, in disguise, he made his way out of the State, and reached Canada.

William Maxson's home, where Brown's men were quartered, was razed in 1938, but its location is marked by a plaque provided by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Scattergood School Scattergood Friends School was founded in 1890 by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) for the education of Friends' children. Today, about one third of the students are from Friends families. The school's 126-acre campus consists of a 27-acre main campus and 25+ acres of restored prairie. The 35+ acre farm includes an organic vegetable garden, greenhouse, and livestock. The Farm serves as a living laboratory for various classes and projects as well as providing the Scattergood community with the majority of food eaten in the dining room. Scattergood continues to be guided by the tenets of Quakerism: simplicity, peace, integrity, community and equality.

Pee-Dee Pedee was one of the first towns located west of the Cedar River. It was set six miles east of West Branch , on County Road F-44, just east of the intersection with Indian Avenue. There is a small creek about one- half mile east of the town site that is known as the Peedee Creek, a tributary of the Cedar River. Auner's, 1910 History also gives Clement Squires and his family credit as the first inhabitants at Pedee. Unfortunately, Squires and his family were more known for their criminal record than their settlement record and they left the county in 1840. Supposedly, Robert G. Roberts bought Squires' claim for twenty dollars in 1837, to rid the county of Squires influence. The first school in Iowa Township is said to have been established in 1845 and the population of Pedee was 22 people in 1897

The cemetery is named Pee-Dee, though the correct name is Pleasant Hill Cemetery. and was organized in 1850. The land was given in 1848 by O.C. Jack and there have been 180 interments; the oldest seeming to be John Roberts who died in 1843, at 20 years of age. The most recent is Jessie Thomas Worrall, who died in 1997. She was the wife of Charles Worrall, who had died in 1980. There are several Civil War soldiers buried in this cemetery

Pee-Dee Cemetery is an optional stop. It is just under 2 miles east of X40, it will be on top of a small rise on the right side of F-44. There is no driveway only a grass strip up the rise. You can also park along F-44 and walk up to the cemetery.

 After crossing the Cedar River and then Hwy X46, turn RIGHT onto Cemetery Rd.

It is a gravel road, so go slowly and maintain a generous interval between vehicles. You will be driving a ¼ mile in to the cemetery and another ¼ mile out to the next paved roadway. I recommend visiting Rochester Cemetery; between its prairie landscape, surprising size, and the fact that graves range from the 1830’s to this year it is most interesting. Best to park along the road and visit both the right and left sections.

Rochester Cemetery/Sarah Bernhardt At one time Rochester was the largest village in Cedar County. The Cedar Riverwasthen coinsidered navigable and steamboats occasionally made ht\their way as far north as Cedar Rapids. But when the boats were unable to come upriver and railroads replaced them, many left for Tipton and other places, a blow from which it never recovered. The 1897 population was listed at 200. Rochester Cemetery is a botanical showplace. The cemetery is set over 13 acres and has 879 interments. The oldest stone is dated 1832 and a memorial to Sarah Baker. The most recent is a 17 year old girl buried this year. The Cemetery is one of the few remaining original prairie remnants in the state. Some feel it’s a rare glimpse of the Iowa that settlers found abundant and a cherished botanical marvel worth protecting. It has often been called one of the best examples of Oak Savanna in the Midwest (Only one- tenth of 1 percent of Iowa’s original prairies remain).

Could she have been an Iowan?

The scene: A cemetery at Rochester in Cedar County. The year: Probably 1905. A veiled woman, richly dressed in black, arrives in a rented carriage and enters the cemetery. She finds the grave of Mary King and bestows a bouquet of roses at the obelisk marker. After a half-hour, the woman leaves.

In nearby Iowa City, signs proclaim the appearance of Sarah Bernhardt, France's most acclaimed actress. Was the mysterious woman at the cemetery actually Sarah Bernhardt visiting her mother's grave? And was Sarah Bernhardt really an Iowa girl named Sarah King? An Iowa legend says it's so.

Sarah King was the daughter of Mary and Dingsley King, a Jewish mason and plasterer who moved his family west from New York and died before they reached their goal of Rochester. The Kings were believed to be French-Canadian, and they probably spoke French in their household. Their daughter, it is said, became enraptured with the stage at age 13 when she saw her first in Muscatine. She ran away with the acting troupe, much to her family's dismay. They disowned her, and the rest of her life remains a mystery.

Iowa relatives of the Kings, the Finefield family, believed Sarah King became legendary actress Bernhardt. Some members of the family saw Bernhardt on her nine American tours and remarked on the strong family resemblance. A few who managed to obtain an audience with the flamboyant actress said she admitted her true identity.

"The Divine Sarah," biographers surmise, was born Rosine Henriette Bernard in Paris, the illegitimate daughter of courtesan Judith Van Harden and French law student Paul Therard. Bernhardt became fascinated with theater at 15, and went on to unparalleled glory. Bernhardt, who had one son, but not from her one brief marriage late in life, died of uremic poisoning and is buried in Paris' Le Pere Lachaise Cemetery. If, indeed, she was actually Iowa's Sarah King, she took her secret to the grave.

 After viewing the cemetery, continue southeast to the T intersection with Hwy 38  Turn RIGHT onto Hwy 38 and continue straight over I-80 on what becomes X54 to Moscow / Turn LEFT onto Hwy 6 continuing east, then north when it joins Hwy 38 toward Wilton  In Wilton turn RIGHT onto 5th St. (aka Historic Hwy 6) which becomes F58 out of town  Entering Durant, turn LEFT by the John Deere sign onto Y26 (aka Yankee Ave.)  Turn LEFT onto F44  Turn RIGHT onto Y14 toward Bennett  Continue on Y14 thru Bennett until it joins Hwy 130 for a short distance  When 130 (aka Hoover Hwy) curves left, continue right on Y14  Turn RIGHT, then LEFT staying on Y14 to Lowden  Cross Hwy 30 and the RR tracks into Lowden  In Lowden, turn LEFT onto Main (aka Lincoln Hwy)

Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Hotel dates from 1915 to serve travelers on the Lincoln Highway.US 30 was created with the U.S. Highway System in 1926, but the route it takes dates back to 1913, when the Lincoln Highway Association (LHA) designated the route across the country. In Iowa, it was uncertain exactly where the Lincoln Highway would run. As of 1913, no definite route had been planned; the only certainty was the route would pass through Iowa. Iowans raised over $5 million ($119 million in 2014 dollars) for the construction of the road. It was 358 miles of dirt roads, connecting Clinton, DeWitt, Cedar Rapids, Tama, Marshalltown, Ames, Jefferson, Denison, Logan, and Council Bluffs. The route was marked by a red, white, and blue tricolor emblazoned with an L. The route markers were painted upon telephone poles, bridges, and nearby buildings to show travelers the way.

 Continue out of town on what is part of the original Lincoln Hwy  In less than two miles, turn left, crossing the RR tracks and turn RIGHT onto Hwy 30  In a short distance turn left onto 150th St. following the Lincoln Hwy. markers  Turn LEFT onto X64  Turn RIGHT onto Hwy 130 toward Tipton  In Tipton, turn RIGHT onto Cedar ST. (aka Hwy 38)  Continue to the Cedar County Historical Society, just outside of town

The Bedbug schoolhouse, Blacksmith Shop, and South Bethel Church - the oldest parish west of the Mississippi

until it closed in 2009, have been moved to the museum grounds. These three buildings join the 1842 Fraseur cabin that is already on the grounds as the Society creates a Prairie Village. The adjacent museum houses a very substantial collection of pioneer artifacts and military items dating back to the Civil War.

 Return to Hwy 38 and turn LEFT toward Tipton  Continue thru town and at the south end turn RIGHT on F36 (aka South St.)  Continue approximately 6 miles and turn RIGHT onto Hwy X40  Turn LEFT onto F28 (aka 210th St.)  Proceed about 2½ miles on F28, then angle left (southwest) onto State St to Cedar Bluff  In Cedar Bluff, turn RIGHT onto 2nd St. by the Old Store  Shortly, turn LEFT onto F28 and cross the Cedar River  Continue on F28 which becomes F8W (aka Morse Rd.) to Newport  Turn RIGHT onto Hwy 1 thru Newport  Shortly, turn LEFT onto F8W (aka Newport Ave.) at the Coralville Dam sign  In a little over a mile turn RIGHT onto F70 (aka Sugar Bottom Rd.)  Continue on Sugar Bottom Rd (Twisty!) and turn LEFT onto F28 when it ends  Continue on F28 when it turns RIGHT onto Penn St.in North Liberty  In a few blocks turn RIGHT onto Hwy 965  Continue on Hwy 965 to the traffic light at Wright Bros. Blvd. (aka Hwy 84/E70)  Turn RIGHT onto Wright Bros. Blvd, proceed 1 mile to the Stop sign corner  Turn LEFT onto Kirkwood Blvd to the Hotel

Interurban Drive – Monday, August 4, 2014

Our drive today takes us north of Cedar Rapids on a circular loop. We’ll make a stop at Heartland Acres, near Independence. With a focus on farming, past, present and future, it contains an extensive collection of motor vehicles, farm implements and tells the story of what life on the farm was like a century ago.

Next we visit the Gilbertville Depot and begin our focus on the Interurban Railroad system. From there we wind our way thru the Cedar River Valley to Center Point to visit their Depot and Museum. We conclude with dinner in Center Point and a presentation by Linda Betsinger McCann, author of several local history books including Lost Cedar County and Cedar Valley Road. She is currently working on a book about Prohibition in eastern Iowa; we’ll have a chance to visit with her about all these topics.

Hotel at Kirkwood to Heartland Acres  From the Hotel parking lots return to 76th Ave. and turn RIGHT headed east  At the next intersection turn LEFT onto C St.  Drive a little over a mile and turn RIGHT to enter Hwy 30 East  Exit RIGHT to Hwy 13 north in a little over 4 miles  Continue approximately 24 miles to Coggon  In Coggon, turn left onto East Linn St. (aka D62)  Continue on Linn until it ends at Railroad St.  Turn left on to Railroad and continue until it ends at Vinton St. / Turn right onto Vinton, which soon angles right becoming Coggon Rd. (aka D62)  In Troy Mills, turn right onto Troy Mills Rd. (aka W45)  Stay on W45 when it curves right, then left, then straight on until it ends at Hwy D47  Turn left onto D47 toward Quasqueton

 In Quasqueton, turn right onto W35 (aka Water St.)  Remain on W35 (straight to the left) at the Y intersection as W40 goes to the right  Shortly you will drive by the entrance to Cedar Rock

Cedar Rock When Iowa businessman Lowell Walter died in August of 1981, he and his wife, Agnes left their dream home, Cedar Rock. to the people of Iowa. Designed by the famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the residence lies on a limestone bluff overlooking the Wapsipinicon River.

The Walter House was one of Wright’s most complete designs. Nearly everything at Cedar Rock bears the architect’s imprint. Wright designed the furniture, selected the carpets, chose the draperies .and even picked out the accessories. Cedar Rock was completed in 1950. Its roof and floors are concrete; the walls are brick, glass, and walnut.

Cedar Rock is one of ten buildings Wright designed in Iowa. http://www.galenfrysinger.com/iowa_cedar_rock.htm can provide you with an excellent visual tour of Cedar Rock. Open for tours on a limited schedule, this web page provides the details. http://www.iowadnr.gov/Destinations/StateParksRecAreas/IowasStateParks/ParkDetails.aspx?ParkI D=3

Cedar Rock to Heartland Acres  Turn left onto D22 when W35 ends at Independence  Continue thru downtown Independence passing the Wapsipinicon Feed Mill and Dam  At the Pizza Ranch turn left following the Hwy 20 sign  Pass the Mental Health Institute and turn right onto the service drive prior to Hwy 20  Follow the drive to the last building, the one that looks ‘barn-like’.  Park and allow about an hour for your visit to Heartland Acres

Heartland Acres to the Gilbertville Depot  Return to D22 (left from the service drive and past the Mental Health Institute)  Turn left onto D22 and continue thru Jesup to Raymond  Turn left onto V49 to Gilbertville  Entering Gilbertville, turn right onto 5th St.  Turn right onto 14th Ave. (aka D38)  Cross the Cedar River bridge to the Depot on the right

THE WCF&N RAILWAY AND THE GILBERTVILLE DEPOT

1912 was a big year for the Waterloo Cedar Falls & Northern Railway (WCF&N). The Gilbertville depot and the concrete bridge over the Cedar River near Evansdale were built that year as part of the expansion of the “Cedar Valley Road”. WCF&N’s Cedar Valley Road would provide passenger and freight service between Waterloo/Cedar Falls to Cedar Rapids powered by electricity - not steam, which powered most railroads of the day.

The Waterloo Cedar Falls & Northern Railway started providing public transportation in 1895. Electric street cars and locomotives replaced a horse drawn line in Waterloo and a gasoline powered line in Cedar Falls. Waterloo was the hub of the system and provided the WCF&N with robust freight business from dozens of factories. Cedar Falls had long had a street car system providing service from downtown to the Iowa State Teachers College. With the creation of the “Cedar Valley Road” over the next several years the WCF&N expanded their “interurban” business to include passenger and freight service to Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Denver, Waverly, Sumner, Gilbertville, La Porte City, Brandon, Urbana, Center Point, Robbins and Cedar Rapids.

Electric locomotives and trolleys or motor cars were clean & quiet compared to steam engines which spewed large amounts of smoke and soot. The Cedar Valley Road relied on a network of electric lines that supplied the power to the depot substations along the line. The WCF&N’s depots provided at important link to the outside world for the communities on the “Cedar Valley Road”.

Gilbertville to Center Point  Return to D38 and turn right toward Washburn  In Washburn, turn left onto Hwy 218 toward La Porte City (Use caution heavy traffic)  In La Porte City, cross the bridge (may be under construction) and turn left onto D48  At the T intersection turn right, continuing on D48  At the next T intersection turn right onto V71  Just after passing thru Brandon, V71 curves right  Turn left onto Hwy 150 toward Urbana when V71 ends  When Hwy 150 curves left, continue straight into Urbana.  Turn right onto W26 by the Security State Bank / In 1 block turn left onto Wood St., then right onto Jefferson Ave. toward the church  Curve left around the church and onto W2E toward Center Point  Entering Center Point, stay to the left at the sign  Turn right onto Main St.  Dinner tonight will be at the LJL Hall on the left, but first a visit to the Center Point Depot  At the stop sign, turn left onto Washington St.  Continue across Franklin, which can be busy, and one more block to the Depot on the right

Every village and city wanted to be connected to an electric railway. There were many reasons for this. First, they received electrical power sooner than those towns not connected. Secondly, they were linked to their neighboring towns. The streetcar system was a symbol of a municipality having worth. It demonstrated how much the city had grown and it excited citizens about future prospects.

The Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Northern Railway had one advantage that no other electric line in Iowa could claim. The Cedar Valley Road ran streetcars between Waterloo and Cedar Falls. In later years the company used buses to expand the cities covered and also to decrease costs. It ran interurban cars between Waterloo and Cedar Rapids and Waterloo to Waverly. The main advantages of the electric railway were its freedom to stop whenever the motorman desired; its cleanliness for the riders; the cheap fares; the respect with which the riders were treated; and the ability to run through the public streets without inconveniencing the public to any great extent.

Interurbans revolutionized the lives of farmers. The most noticeable difference was the ability of the farmers to ship their livestock to market and sell their produce. By building stations in the country, near the farmers, it was convenient to load crops or cattle to transport them to bigger markets. This improved the financial health of the farmers.

The education of the farmers’ children was also positively shaped by Interurbans. Farm children attended school in one-room rural schools where all eight grades were taught together by one teacher. In 1900, very few children were able to further their education because they were unable to get to the high school in the larger communities. The interurban cars coming near their farms and being willing to stop anywhere to pick up passengers allowed the students to ride the trolley cars to high school. They were able to get home in the afternoon in time to help with chores and could therefore advance their education. Many students realized they might attend college by the same means.

The farmers' wives were also touched by the WCF&N in that it made their journeys to town, or even a neighbor's home, much easier. Before this time, many farmers' wives depended on their husbands to hitch up a horse and drive them to town. Now wives could catch the trolley as it passed near their home, ride it to town, sell their eggs or other produce, do some shopping, perhaps visit a friend, and return home before the children were out of school. Many farmers, their wives and children felt that they were able to get off the farm and see a part of the world they had never seen before.

Center Point to the Kirkwood Hotel The 4-Lane route (a bit faster)  From the LJL Hall return to Franklin and turn right  Continue on Franklin over I-380 and onto the southbound ramp  Continue on I-380 thru Cedar Rapids observing the Camera-Monitored speed limits / Take the Hwy 30 East exit on the right, and then stay right toward Kirkwood Blvd.  Turn right onto Kirkwood Blvd. past the campus entrance to 76th Ave.  Turn left onto 76th to the Hotel at Kirkwood entrance. The 2-Lane route (a bit prettier)  From the LJL Hall return to Franklin and turn right / Continue on Franklin and turn left at the BP station onto N. Center Point Rd.  Follow Center Point Rd. thru Midway and into Hiawatha  At Boyson Rd. (just after Culver’s) turn right to access I-380  Enter left onto I-380 thru Cedar Rapids observing the Camera-Monitored speed limits / Take the Hwy 30 East exit on the right, then stay right toward Kirkwood Blvd.  Turn right onto Kirkwood Blvd. past the campus entrance to 76th Ave.  Turn left onto 76th to the Hotel at Kirkwood entrance.

Kinze Mfg. Tour – Tuesday, August 5, 2014

 From the Hotel lots return to Kirkwood Blvd and turn LEFT headed south  Turn right onto Wright Bros. Blvd, cross I-380, Hwy 965 and continue past the airport  Turn left onto Hwy 151  Follow Hwy. 151 through Fairfax and Walford to State Hwy. 220 in Amana.  Turn LEFT onto Hwy. 220 (aka 220th Trail).  Follow Hwy. 220 past Middle Amana, High Amana, and West Amana to US Hwy. 6 at South Amana.  Turn right onto US Hwy. 6.  Entering Marengo, turn left onto Rd. V66 (aka M Ave.) to Kinze Mfg. on the left

The new Kinze Innovation Center describes nearly 50 years of inspiration, imagination and hard work by one man and generations of dedicated hard-working people (Kinze employees, partners, family and friends), who have contributed greatly to the development of modern agricultural equipment to help farmers around the world meet the challenges of crop production and the needs of 7.5 billion consumers worldwide and growing. The new 25,000-square-foot complex houses many of the original machines, design concepts and artifacts produced primarily by founder/inventor Jon Kinzenbaw.