Six Cool Facts About Onawa, Iowa

Nestled between Western Iowa's Loess Hills and the Missouri River, and between Sioux City (to the north) and Omaha (to the south), lies the town of Onawa, Iowa. You probably have not heard of Onawa unless you're from around there, but with a population of approximately 3000 people it is the county seat of Monona County and the largest town in a thirty-five mile radius.

This is a section of Iowa known as the Missouri Valley, a corridor that is as flat as flat can be. The difference in elevation between the high point and low point in Onawa is eleven feet.

Travel any direction from Onawa in summertime and you will see more corn and soybeans than you've ever seen in your life. Row upon row, field upon field, forever it melts into the horizon. Oh what a magnificent horizon it is! No matter where you look, the sky reaches high and the sky reaches far. There are few trees to obfuscate the view, and, well, you can see about as far as you can see.

And the summertime sky is hot and humid, sometimes brutally so. Yankees who move down to North Carolina complain about the heat and humidity; well folks, this is nothing compared to Onawa. The average summer temperature might be higher in North Carolina (because North Carolina's summers start earlier and run longer than Iowa's summers), but Onawa has more "hot days" (days at or above 100F) every summer than you'll find in North Carolina.

Travel through Onawa in the winter and you will be met with insanely cold winds blitzing you head on from across the plains.

The summer heat and winter cold provide enough fodder for good conversation in the town's two barbershops and at the lumber yard; it's not a whining or complaining, rather it's more akin to the bonding that can form in a group of people who share a near death experience. When the temperature (without the wind chill) is thirty or forty degrees below zero (Fahrenheit), even walking outside can be a near death experience.

When people aren't talking about the weather, the prices of corn, beans, and pork are the chief topics of conversation. This is an agricultural community. As goes the farmer, so goes the town.

Before I jump in and tell you the wild facts about Onawa, whose name comes from an Indian word meaning wide awake, let me give you some background about the town and why I care about it.

I lived in Onawa from sixth grade until the time I went off to the University of Nebraska, and my parents lived there for another eleven years beyond that.

In fact, my mother grew up in Onawa, and her father had lived in Onawa for many years before getting married, so we have a long family heritage in that part of the country.

I loved growing up in Onawa. I could walk or ride my bike anywhere in town in just a matter of minutes; our school class size was small enough that I had opportunities to be involved in music, drama, and athletics. I was in the band and the chorus; I was in plays and speech contests; and I was on the basketball, golf, and baseball teams.

It was a safe environment, and we kids could play outside without ever worrying about safety issues. I had a paper route, I held summer jobs at the lumber yard, I received a good education (the school system tended to rate very highly compared to the other schools across the state, and in fact my next door neighbor, who was one of the English teachers, won the state's Teacher of the Year award three times while I was there), and I made life long friends.

I say it was safe, but there was a brief period of time when Onawa was plagued with crime, mostly break-ins, burglaries, and vandalism. Several men of the community, including my father, took it upon themselves to drive around the town in the wee hours and report anything suspicious to the law enforcement officials. The men didn't carry weapons, but they carried walkie talkies or CB radios. The crime rate plummeted and Onawa even received national recognition for its crime cleanup.

The people in Onawa are good folks, hard workers, and as honest and trustworthy as the summers are hot. Growing up in that environment, I still find it strange when I walk down the sidewalk anywhere else, or drive through other towns, and people aren't waving at me. In Onawa, you waved or said hello to each person you encountered, whether you knew him or not.

And now for some interesting facts.

Fact #1: Lewis and Clark

Lewis and Clark camped nearby on their trek up the Missouri River. In fact, where they camped is not more than two miles from town, and it is now the site of Lewis and Clark State Park (also called Blue Lake by the locals). This is a pretty area for camping, fishing, and hiking. The citizens of Onawa started the Lewis and Clark Festival, held every summer in Onawa, and they even built a keel boat that is an exact replica of the boat used by Lewis and Clark.

Fact #2: The Widest Main Street

Onawa claims to have the widest main street in the United States. This isn't the widest street in the United States; it's the widest main street. From sidewalk to sidewalk, here's what you will find: A lane for parallel parking; a frontage road for people who want to shop; a lane for diagonal parking; a median; four lanes for through traffic (two lanes each direction); another median; a lane for diagonal parking; a frontage road; and finally, another lane for parallel parking. Walking from corner to corner across the street is quite a hike! Any boy scout who walks an elderly woman across the street deserves a medal.

Fact #3: The Eskimo Pie

The ice cream sandwich, also called the Eskimo Pie, was invented in Onawa in the early 1920's. This isn't the ice cream bar, where you see ice cream on the sides and chocolate on the top and bottom. This is a block of ice cream that is completely enclosed in chocolate.

Fact #4: The Dimmer Switch

The dimmer switch was invented in Onawa. In fact, the man who invented this switch once lived across the street from our house.

Fact #5: The Bridge

The Bridge that connects Onawa with Decatur, Nebraska, was built on dry land and then the river was diverted to flow under the bridge. The Missouri River used to flow through where Lewis and Clark State Park is now; in 1952, the river flooded, devastating Onawa. The Army Corps of Engineers came up with a plan to reroute the river and install a series of dams and "ox bows" to slow the current. There had been plans to build a bridge anyway, and this was a good opportunity to do it. They built the bridge over a large field a few miles to the west, and then they rerouted the river to go under the bridge.

This was a toll bridge (75 cents one way) for years and years, but when the bridge was finally paid for, the toll was dropped.

Fact #6: The Loess Hills

The bluffs that run parallel to the river, and seven to ten miles to the east, are called the Loess (pronounced "Less") Hills. These hills are wind blown hills, and there are only two formations of this type in the world. The other is in China. Geologists from all over the country come to Onawa to study the characteristics of the Loess Hills. I don't know what the ramifications are, but I do know that these hills are great for sledding in the winter. If you're ever in the area when there is snow on the ground, ask someone to give you directions to "Suicide Hill" in Preparation Canyon, and find a sled or tobaggan. You'll be in for the ride of your life.

So that's where I grew up, just across the river from Nebraska. Filled with good people with a strong sense of morals and a healthy work ethic, this is where I crossed the threshold from childhood to adulthood.

And it was a good life.