7 Strangest Landmarks in Iowa
As a midwestern state known for its agricultural flatlands, Iowa and "landmarks" are not often associated. However, not all of Iowa is flat—and not all landmarks are natural. In fact, some of the greatest but strangest Iowan landmarks were made with the deliberately unsteady hands of eccentrics, including a well-endowed bull and an avant-garde bridge, and a bear-shaped effigy mound. "Strangest" is subjective, of course, but the following landmarks exemplify Iowan peculiarity in primarily positive ways.
Albert the Bull - Audubon
Albert is 30 feet tall, 15 feet wide at the horns, weighs 45 tons, and is lathered in 65 gallons of paint. And that's no bull. Rather, Albert is a giant concrete replica of a bull, testicles and all. You read that right. On his platform in Audubon, a city of about 2,000 people in western Iowa, Albert displays his supersized gonads to the surprise/delight of tourists and the pride of locals. Albert was sculpted 60 years ago as a beef industry promotion that "some people [thought] was absolutely nuts," as a local reported in The Story of Albert the Bull. Residents warmed to their anatomically accurate icon, especially once 20,000 tourists started posing with him each year. You can get a photo with Albert (and press a button that recites his life story) before admiring other regional oddities. They include the Tree in the Middle of the Road near Brayton, the Villisca Axe Murder House in Villisca, and the Volkswagen Beetle Spider in Avoca.
The Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption - West Bend
Of all the places to find a gigantic bejeweled shrine made by a German priest, West Bend, Iowa, is probably not your first pick. But it should be. This tiny rural city is overshadowed by the Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption, which Paul Dobberstein built from 1912 to 1954 out of precious stones estimated to be worth $4.3 million. Agates, amethysts, geodes, quartzes, and even petrified wood are stacked 40 feet high in some spots, forming the "largest man-made grotto in the world." That man spent much of his life on the grotto, which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, whom Dobberstein credited for saving him from pneumonia, and her son, whose life is depicted inside the structure. If it's possible to tear your eyes from this "miracle in stone," check out West Bend's other wonders, like a replica prairie sod house within the West Bend Historical Museum complex.
High Trestle Trail - Ankeny to Woodward
The High Trestle Trail is a 25-mile recreational route whose highlight (literally) is an illuminated, 13-story bridge over the Des Moines River. Blue lights cover this behemoth, as do avant-garde arches, as part of an art installation designed by RDG Dahlquist Art Studios and erected by Shuck-Britson. Those blue-lit steel frames spiral down the bridge to evoke the descent into a mineshaft. After taking a trip on that trippy trail, aim for Ames to see another highbrow oddity: Elwood, The World's Largest Concrete Gnome. He stands 15 feet tall and oversees Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University.
Future Birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk - Riverside
In 1968's The Making of Star Trek, Captain James T. Kirk is described as being from a small town in Iowa, where he was born circa 2233; after reading the book, a councilman in Riverside, Iowa, called Dibs on Kirk's future birthplace. Thus, in 1985, the tiny city made it official, and though it took multiple decades more, Star Trek did the same—a rare instance of fans contributing to a media canon. Today, Trekkies and trekkers to Riverside can find the Bronze Statue of James T. Kirk, the Voyage Home Museum, and a monument that reads "Future Birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk, March 22, 2228." There is a discrepancy between the monument's date and the canonical date (2233), which is explained by natural lore adjustments over time.
Snake Alley - Burlington
You won't find tons of slithering snakes in Snake Alley. Rather, you'll find an alley that slithers like a snake. This Ripley's Believe It or Not!-minted wonder was built in 1894 to connect Burlington's blufftop residential district with its down-low downtown. Though it doesn't actually move, it consists of five half-curves and two quarter-curves, forcing travelers to move serpent-like on a 58-foot decline for 275 feet. The alley, which less sensationally evokes a European vineyard path, hosts an uphill bike race called Snake Alley Criterium and a festival called the Snake Alley Art Fair. Do not confuse Snake Alley with Rollercoaster Road, another snakey Iowan passage that undulates rather than slithers. Rollercoaster Road is located near Harpers Ferry in the northeastern part of the state.
The Day the Music Died Memorial - Clear Lake
A giant pair of eyeglasses outside an Iowan cornfield marks the biggest tragedy in American music history. The glasses resemble those worn by Buddy Holly, who died in that field alongside Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper after chartering a plane in nearby Mason City. February 3, 1959, is thus known as "The Day the Music Died." You can visit the Day the Music Died Memorial after touring the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, which hosted the trio's last performance and is still an active concert venue as well as a National Historic Landmark. Then, check out an unrelated but unique attraction in Britt. Bum a ride to get there since the National Hobo Museum is "determined to preserve the history of the American Hobo."
Effigy Mounds National Monument - Marquette
Certain pre-Columbian cultures built giant earthen mounds in various shapes for various reasons. Some have survived centuries and millennia to mesmerize modern adventurers, especially those to the Effigy Mounds National Monument near Marquette, Iowa. This 2,500ish-acre preserve contains more than 200 ancient mounds, 31 of which are shaped like bears and birds. The largest of the bear mounds is 137 feet long. Interspersed are smaller artifacts like pipes and clay pots and purely natural features like wetlands and tallgrass prairies. Other natural wonders inhabit the Spook Cave & Campground, which is located just west of Marquette and has a large flooded cave that you can boat through.
Iowa is not all corn fields and prairies. Don't overlook the landmarks that are overlooking its crops, particularly the strange ones. Grab Albert the Bull, worship The Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption, ride the High Trestle Trail, ponder the Future Birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk, bike Snake Alley, lament The Day the Music Died Memorial, and hike the Effigy Mounds National Monument for a splendidly strange Iowa vacation.
