Listing Type: Places

Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ Northwest Iowa was not graced with many ethnic foods, especially Italian. But for locals and tourists alike, Tony’s Drive-In was hard to pass up. Located just north of Milford at the intersection of Highways 86 and 71 in front of the Lakeland Drive-In Theater, Tony and Almeda Compiano…

This is a wonderful stop to stretch the legs! Elinor Bedell State Park is one of Iowa’s newer (1998) state parks. It is located on the shores of East Lake Okoboji and represents one of the last remaining open spaces in a region that is among Iowa’s most popular tourist destination. The eighty acre park…

Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ WHO REMEMBERS…seeing trains on the rail lines, visiting the local train depots, or driving under the Arnolds Park viaduct? Spirit Lake was served by two rail lines, and that meant two railway stations. The first to arrive in 1882 was the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern, the same…

Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ Until a series of floods came along, Old Town Milford was known for its dam and grist mill. The town was relocated one mile to the north, on the new Milwaukee Railroad line.  A series of dams to control water level was repeatedly dynamited over the years by…

Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ LEGACY OF THE ARNOLDS PARK HOTEL Wesley B. Arnold was no dummy. He saw that with planned railroad land coming within yards of his house that overlooked West Okoboji, there would be some opportunity coming to town. When workers began arriving to perform grading and build the trestle…

Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ This small water body is part of the Iowa DNR’s Garlock Slough Wildlife Management Area on both sides of Hwy. 86. In the distance to the north are the Jones Beach area—once a popular resort area originally called Milford Beach — and Pocahontas Point, settled by vacationers from…

Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ This early photo shows the Central Emporium dance hall with its walkway shortly after the turn of the century. Zoom in and note the Arnolds Park train station to the right. Not long after this, a hotel was built on the grassy area in the foreground. For over…

Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ In the days when dancing was all the rage, Terrace Park’s Casino Ballroom claimed to be one of the most popular night spots in northwest Iowa. Opened in 1923—the same opening time at Arnolds Park’s Roof Garden Ballroom, ironically—the Casino offered nightly dancing, a bathhouse for changing into…

Information provided by The Nature Conservancy _ This area contains geological formations known as kettleholes. Historically, these were formed when giant blocks of ice from glaciers fell off and melted, making large bowl- shaped indentations in the ground. These unique geological formations make this preserve one of the more popular in the state. It often…