Newton:
Newton is a larger town and formerly home to a large Maytag plant, which was the region's top employer until it was shut down in 2004. The site is now partially an industrial park and part a college extension, both for Des Moines Area Community College and Iowa State University. I didn't go down there on this trip, but had in November, and not all of it is occupied. Large portions, like the former Maytag retail outlet store at the back of the formidable brick building, sit vacant. The site sits close to the downtown area, which is a courthouse square arrangement ringed with occupied businesses. There is a cinema, a Jimmy John's, two coffee shops, a diner, a deli and several other shops. I've always been curious how Newton has maintained relative economic health despite losing such a large employer.
When I went into one of those coffee shops, Uncle Nancy's, it was full, with the two women behind the counter struggling to keep up with the rush. Large tables were full with mostly older people, with only a slight skew toward women. Catching snippets of conversation, it seemed to be mostly daily innocuous gossip about job developments, births, illnesses, etc. Most importantly, the place was full, and the shop did a very brisk business. The coffee was decent and cheap.
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| Maytag Dairy Farm |
A strange and separate piece of the Maytag legacy is the dairy, still owned by the family. The son of the Maytag who started the appliance dynasty, for whatever reason, became interested in making cheese, and built aging caves into the side of the hills at their family farm north of town. Those caves and the original farmhouse still constitute most of the Maytag Dairy, while a newer, smaller building just above those buildings to the south stands as the retail store, visitors center and business office. This is where you're directed to buy cheese. As I entered, a woman got up from a desk to greet me. I was told that this was the cheapest I would find it anywhere. I paid $4 for a 4oz block of blue. Maytag Blue is considered to be one of the best domestic blue cheeses available and, though they produce other cheeses, I sampled those and wasn't really wowed by any of them. The blue cheese was why I came. |  |
| Near I-80 west of Newton | |
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| West of Newton |
Colfax:
Colfax has interested me because, although it looks a lot like other tiny towns along US 6 in Iowa, it's extremely hilly. You don't really notice the hills until you get to the main intersection in town, where you reach a three-way stop: traffic coming up the hill from town does not stop. As you descend toward the Skunk River, the more original part of the town is there, though it's just a small clearing and the town seems to have quickly expanded across the relatively large hills. Colfax was a coal mining town, and the mines operated until at least 1910. The town likely isn't as prosperous as it once was, but things are still occupied.Atop the highest hill in town is a cemetery and what appeared to be a TV tower.
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| Colfax |
Entering Des Moines metro from the east, former US 6 (8th Street in Altoona) comes within just a few blocks of the Adventureland theme park, one of just a few family-owned parks left in the country. I've never seen Adventureland open, as I've never been in the summer, but it's a pretty massive park. There's quite a tourist development just outside the park, with retail, restaurants and hotels.
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| Des Moines is heavily centered around its interstates, and these signs are everywhere |
I stopped at a HyVee on Euclid to get some lunch, but also to use their wifi. Supermarkets sometimes have cafe areas, and this one was definitely trying to be a comfortable restaurant. As noon came closer, the large group of old men forming a sort of breakfast club left, and various other groups came in, one of which sat near me and gossiped and told stories of their past.
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| US 6 & the laundromat |
US 6 leaves Des Moines via Urbandale, a mess of suburban sprawl. Hickman Road slowly becomes a four-lane highway through farms, picks up speed and eventually enters Adel.
Adel:
Adel has a courthouse square style downtown area, and is extremely cute. There's a lot of money in Adel, and the only thing of significance here as far as employers that I can tell is a brick factory, so it's likely that people working in Des Moines live here. There's a coffee shop, a toffee shop, a Mexican restaurant and several shops. There don't appear to be any vacant shops. The south and west sides of the square are more developed, with the east side part of US 169. I stopped and bought toffee at the shop that also sold gelatto. Almost $10 for a small bag, but it's good toffee.
US 6 heads south to again join Interstate 80, while the original US 6 continues west along the same route as County Road F60. After Adel, there are a string of tiny towns along US 6.
Redfield is skipped by the route, though it's possible that it originally went through the town. There's very little there but a typical small town business district.
Dexter is only notable for the sign along former US 6 pointing to its business district, which is a green arrow with the town's name, partially illuminated by a neon light on its outline.Stuart is comparatively larger, with just over 1,500 residents. School was letting out when I drove through, and students from the high school just east of town were walking back into town along the side of the road.
Menlo is mostly notable for its old-style gas station, which no longer sells gas. The business district is just north of the former US 6.
Casey seems to be a more economically depressed town, with its business district mostly empty. I had read about this town on my last trip as an antique stop, though there did not appear to be any antique stores left. Maybe they're only open in the summer. There is a small gas station and a grain elevator.
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| Adair. The water tower is visible in the center of the picture |
Here, former US 6 turns again to go west, then turns southwest toward Anita, Wiota and the larger Atlantic.
From Dexter to Adair, the former US 6 follows what's known as the White Pole Road. The railroads were originally followed by telegraph lines. To denote this route and separate it from other which also followed the railroads (before highway numbers and signs), the telegraph poles were painted white at their bases.
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| Near Adair | |
The section between Adair and Atlantic is fairly nice. It's hilly and rural. Atlantic has a fairly large downtown area, with a historic Rock Island depot at its north end. Oakland has some beautiful architecture along its main street, centered around a historic opera house. This was one of many opera houses around the Midwest, built in the mid- and late 19th century before the days of cinema to provide weekend entertainment to those in the community from a variety of acts that traveled the country. Many of these opera houses still exist but very few are still used as theaters.
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