Return to Iowa!

July 16 – 22, 2023

Our journey from Salt Lake City to Iowa is a familiar one!  We took it several times before we began this adventure when we would leave Hastings, MN and head to visit Brandon’s family.   I-80 leads you directly from SLC to Des Moines where we would pick up I-35 and head to Minnesota.  For our current trip, we will be delaying our visit to Minnesota and sticking around Waukee, IA for a while.

Our first overnight stay was at Western Hills Campground in Rawlins, WY.  It’s basically a large gravel parking lot with full hook-ups.  They have clean restrooms, free coffee, and a putt-putt golf course, though!  

Wanting to stretch our legs and always game for learning a little about a town, we found ourselves touring the Wyoming Frontier Prison.  The cornerstone for this facility was laid in 1888; however, due to Wyoming’s difficult weather and budget constraints, construction wasn’t completed for another 13 years.  It opened in December of 1901 with no electricity or running water and inadequate heating.  It sounded so primitive to me – almost like inhumane treatment until I thought about it for a hot minute.  My mom was born in 1929 on a farm in Iowa and lived all of her childhood without running water and electricity in a home heated with a wood stove!  

I can only imagine what the winter winds in the high plains of Wyoming feel like!

Over the years, the prison had several different factories where the prisoners would work.  First was the broom factory that the prisoners burned down.  Next came the shirt factory, which again the prisoners burned down.  The third factory produced high quality wool blankets for the Navy.  The final factory produced license plates for the state of Wyoming until the penitentiary closed in 1981.

On the tour, we heard lots of stories.  One tale told of the penitentiary’s most famous inmate, William Carlisle.  Carlisle was the last great train robber and began serving his sentence in Wyoming State Penitentiary in 1916. Carlisle worked in the shirt factory and managed to escape from the prison by hiding in a shirt case and shipping himself out!  Once free, Carlisle robbed his final train and, while unarmed, was shot by a posse.  While he was being treated and was healing from his gunshot wounds, he fell in love with his nurse.  Although the nurse no longer worked at the prison when Carlisle had finally served his time, the couple reunited and spent the rest of their lives together, living happily ever after.  I wonder if she had an old oak tree adorned with yellow ribbons in her front yard!

We also learned the names of the 13 prisoners who were executed there, nine of which were hanged.  James Julian is credited with creating the Julian Gallows.  Believing no one should have to be responsible for the act of directly killing someone, Julian devised a Rube Goldberg-style gallows where the simple act of stepping on the trap door activated a series of events, eventually triggering the trap door to open.  Essentially, these gallows resulted in the prisoner executing himself.  

The Julian Gallows finally ceased being used in 1936

We also saw a lot of art work done by Art!  Arthur Orcutt served three separate prison terms there.  So much for reformation!  Art had lost a hand in an accident and was unable to work in the factory, but was a tremendously talented artist.  Realizing Art’s talent and passion for art, the warden had Art paint many murals throughout the prison, many of which decorate the walls of the dining hall.  

Art's art!

After many escapes from the prison, a wall was eventually built surrounding the facility.  We heard stories of the inmates playing baseball against local teams and typically dominating their opposition!  

Earlier, I mentioned this facility operated without running water for decades.  This resulted in a stench of urine that, to this day, permeates the facility.  It was a relief when we reached the end of the tour and could breathe fresh air once again.  As interesting as this tour was, we left on a huge downer and we both agree that we don’t recommend touring this place.  

Downtown Rawlins offers an interesting walking tour that we did find enjoyable!  Adorning the walls of buildings scattered around town are 16 murals created by local artists.  Although we only saw a few of the murals, it would have been fun to have completed this walk through Carbon County history.  

Our second overnight stop was at Cabelas’ campground in Sidney, NE.  This campground offers full hook-ups, clean bathrooms, and convenient access from I-80 at a reasonable rate.  

We had previously stayed there during the spring of 2021 as we were heading west to Oregon and California!  During this stay, we discovered the home that belonged to Dick and Mary Cabela, the founders of Cabela’s!  Mary died May 30, 2023 at the age of 86.  Dick preceded her, passing in 2014.  Today, their home is being converted to a museum, honoring them and the successful outdoor sports company they founded.  

The Cabela Mansion - soon to be the Cabela Museum

Also, I was thrilled to meet Lynn, the owner of Blue Fiddle Quilts! Yes, I did find a quilt I loved and purchased not only the pattern but got a good start on the fat quarters needed to create it!  This is probably the most unique quilt shop I’ve ever been in, as Lynn shares the space with her hubby’s passion of trains.  Andrew’s Trains sits side-by-side with Lynn’s Blue Fiddle Quilts in one of the beautiful, historic buildings in downtown Sydney.  To make it even sweeter, the couple live in the upstairs portion of the building!

We also spent some time exploring Fort Sidney’s former Officers Quarters.  Today, this building is a museum filled with an abundance of artifacts.  One area is filled with items donated from local Veterans and Veteran’s families that date from the Civil War all the way through the Persian Gulf War.  It was amazing to see the impact this small community has had on the freedoms I enjoy as a citizen.  

Another area of the museum highlights the impact women have had on building this community.  Everything from homesteading to quilting was covered.  As you can imagine, it took a strong woman to homestead her own 160 acres in the mid 1800’s.  This was certainly something that was deemed unacceptable at the time.  Look up Cattle Kate from Rawlins, WY for an example.  

Quilting was, however, widely considered a more acceptable way for women to spend their time.  I happen to be a person who loves all things that involve my sewing machine but I do find it difficult to understand the abuse women suffered who found joy and satisfaction in other areas.  Savilla M. Fox was another woman who loved quilting.  On display was her Tulip quilt which she created in 1866.  It’s such an amazing quilt that it was loaned to the Smithsonian Institution where it was on display for all to appreciate!

Our final stop along the route to Iowa was in Grand Island, NE where we stayed at the local KOA.  First on the list was to hit up the swimming pool!  We were definitely back in the Midwest with all of its end-of-July heat and humidity!  

Second on the list was hitting up the Hall County Fair.  We are counting this as a “warm-up” for the Iowa and the Minnesota State Fairs coming up in August!  We began our official food fair contest, tasting both corn dogs and cheese curds.  I know there are many other equally important foods and beverages that need to be considered and, you never know, the list may very well be broadened!  

Music at fairs is in a class all of its own.  As far as local bands go, it is going to be hard to beat the tunes that BD and the Boys entertained us with! It was such a fun evening grooving to the tunes that we grew up with!  Let’s hope the Iowa State Fair or the Minnesota State Fair has some stiff competition for this oldies band!  

Next Up:  Time in Waukee!