River to River

Take a Peek at the Award-Winning "River to River" Trailer

 

River to River Retro Road Tour "With a Twist" Sept. 17-18

The annual River to River Retro Road Tour 2021 is on "with a twist" September 17-18.

Rallies, eateries, Living History Farms, Freedom Rock, and the wide open Historic Route 6 road across Iowa.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1270389476750452/ for details.

To purchase the award-winning documentary, visit FourthWallFilms.com!

Stream the film at https://vimeo.com/ondemand/highway6movie.

You can also get the "River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6" DVD at the fabulous Wilton Candy Kitchen in Wilton, Iowa right on Historic Route 6!

Notorious Bonnie and Clyde escaped to Dexter, Iowa on Historic Route 6

Dexfield Park, Dexter, Iowa on Iowa's Historic Route 6. (Courtesy Dexter Museum, Dexter, Iowa.)

Dexfield Park, once Iowa's largest amusement park, thrived in Dexter, Iowa for approximately 18 years. By July 1933, it was an abandoned field off of Route 6, and the perfect place for bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde and the Barrow gang to take shelter and doctor their wounds following a major shoot-out at the Red Crown Hideout in Platte City, Missouri.

By this time the Barrow gang consisted of Bonnie and Clyde, Clyde's brother Buck--who was severely wounded in Platte City, Buck's wife Blanche, and a teenager named W.D. Jones.

Dallas County, Iowa Museum Assistant Rail Stray wrote: "A man named Henry Nye, out hunting wild blackberries on his property, came across the camp. He found a bloody map, a shirt with blood stains and used bandages. It seems that Mr. Nye was not the first to discover the camp of the Barrow gang. A troop of fourteen Girl Scouts led by Della Gowdey, camping at the old pavilion of the park, took an early morning hike and walked right into the Barrow Gang campsite. Maxine Schell "Hadley," a member of this troop, said the campers acted quite surprised. She had no idea who they were. Della and the other girls said good morning; Maxine remembered the campers smiled and returned the welcome.

Henry Nye contacted John Love and the two men returned to the park together. With binoculars, John could see two cars parked in the campground. He decided to contact Dallas County Sheriff Clint Knee and find out if any outlaws had been reported in the area. The Sheriff informed him of reports about the Barrow Gang being around. Not knowing if this was the Barrow Gang or not John Love told him to bring his "heavy artillery" and come to Dexter."

In the early morning of Monday, July 24, 1933 the Barrow gang was ambushed by a posse of approximately 50.  Every member of the Barrow gang was injured during the firefight. Blanche Barrow was captured and jailed and her husband, Buck, died five days after the gun fight at Dexfield Park.

A wounded Bonnie and Clyde managed to escape on foot and steel a car to make their getaway from Dallas County. 

A little less than a year later, only two of the Barrow gang would still be alive, and it wasn't Bonnie and Clyde. 

Bonnie and Clyde. (Courtesy Dexter Museum, Dexter, Iowa.)

Make sure you visit the Dexter Museum in Dexter, Iowa on Historic Route 6 to get the complete Bonnie and Clyde story, see the amazing museum collection, and see the park where the Barrow Gang shootout took place.

Dexter, Iowa's history is featured in Fourth Wall Films' Emmy-nominated "River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6".

Dexter, Iowa's history is featured in Fourth Wall Films' Emmy-nominated "River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6".

To purchase the award-winning documentary, visit FourthWallFilms.com!

Stream the film at https://vimeo.com/ondemand/highway6movie.

You can also get the "River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6" DVD at the fabulous Wilton Candy Kitchen in Wilton, Iowa right on Historic Route 6!

At the Intersection of "Country School" and the "River to River" road

The 1876 Schoolhouse appears in the award-winning documentary Country School: One Room - One Nation and the Emmy-nominated documentary River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6.

Little did we know that while filming the 1876 Schoolhouse in Coralville, Iowa for our documentary Country School: One Room – One Nation that we would reach an “intersection” with a future project about the historic transcontinental Highway 6.

Situated on the original Highway 6 alignment, the beautiful two-story, red-brick country school is a “must see” historical museum operated by the Johnson County Historical Society.  The school was built on a small acreage donated by the Ezekiel Clark family, accommodating classes for grades 1-8 on the first floor and a gymnasium and auditorium on the second floor—no doubt, the floor where many Christmas programs were presented to the rural community.

Fourth Wall Films' Kelly Rundle shoots interior footage of the 1876 Schoolhouse for Country School: One Room - One Nation. The film was nominated for a Mid-America Emmy.

The structure served as a place for learning until 1951.  Through the years, the schoolhouse has been used for various other purposes, including a recreational center for teens and a warehouse, before it was put to use as a museum.  The restored two-room schoolhouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and is open by appointment by calling 319.351.5738.

Visit: www.johnsoncountyhistory.org  for more information about the 1876 Schoolhouse in Coralville, Iowa (just off of Iowa's Historic Route 6). 

For more information about Iowa’s Historic Route 6 and the annual River to River Retro Road Trip visit https://www.facebook.com/usroute6iowa.

River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 is available on DVD HERE!

Curt Roseman, Historic Route 6 Road Scholar & Writer Leaves a Legacy

 
Curt Roseman in the Emmy-nominated "River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6".

We are deeply saddened to share that Historic Route 6 road scholar and writer Curt Roseman died Sunday, December 13, 2020 at UnityPoint Health-Trinity Rock Island with wife and fellow road scholar Elizabeth by his side.

There will be a gathering of friends and family to celebrate Curt’s life at CityView Celebrations at Trimble Pointe in the future, when we are able to do so safely. Cremation will take place at Trimble Crematory, Moline, under the direction of Trimble Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to the Moline-Mahaffey Fund at Augustana College or The First Bridge Fund at River Action in Davenport.

A prolific writer, Curt researched, edited and co-wrote nine academic books, eight popular and local history books, numerous articles in academic journals and books, as well as newspaper items. 

One of his many passions was traveling Historic Route 6 across America with Elizabeth.  The couple criss-crossed the country many, many times, documenting, photographing and noting the highway's ever changing story.

Their collaboration with Kevin J. Patrick, Indiana University of Pennsylvania Professor of Geography and Regional Planning, led to the monumental creation of  an interactive website http://www.heritagedocumentaries.org/Route6/index.html dedicated to collecting and compiling information on Historic Highway 6. "Our ongoing investigation of Route 6 emphasizes not only the road itself, but also its roadside landscapes and its regional and historical contexts," the website states.

Elizabeth and Curt Roseman look through their massic Historic Route 6 archive.

In 2013 the Rosemans sat down with River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6  filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films  to talk on camera about their research, experiences, and massive archive of Route 6 maps, postcards, photographs and memorabilia they gathered over the years traveling the 3,662-mile transcontinental highway.

You won't find Route 66 memorabilia in the Roseman home.  It's all about 6. "Half the digits and twice the kicks," Curt smiled during his interview.

The Rosemans attended the sold-out premiere of River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 at the Putnam Museum's National Geographic Giant Screen in Davenport, Iowa on September of 2015. The documentary was a crowd-pleaser and went on to receive a Mid-America Emmy® nomination and won several film festival awards.

We are grateful that our 'road' crossed with the Rosemans and honor the tremendous legacy that Curt Roseman has left in his research, writing and preservation of the stories imprinted on America's landscapes, roads and rivers.

Curtis Roseman's full obituary can be read here.

River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 is available on DVD HERE!

 

 

First Lady Lou Henry Hoover and Rules of the Road

First Lady Lou Henry Hoover on her wedding day in February 1899 in Monterey, California.

Lou Henry Hoover made an appearance in today's PastFactory.com's article on "The Weddings and Gowns of the U.S. Presidents and First Ladies": 

"Lou Henry was a fascinating woman. She enjoyed camping with her dad and was a proficient taxidermist. She loved rocks and minerals. She graduated with a B.A. in Geology at Stanford University, where she met future president Herbert Hoover. She was fluent in Chinese and the only First Lady to speak an Asian language.

She and Herbert wed in February 1899 at her parents’ home in Monterey, California. She decided to become a Quaker like the groom, but they were married by a Roman Catholic priest. The bride did not wear the traditional white dress; instead, she opted for a dark-colored gown."

Read more on "The Weddings and Gowns of the U.S. Presidents and First Ladies" here. 

Little did Lou Henry know that her future with Herbert Hoover would includer her serving as the First Lady of the United States of America from March 4, 1929 until  March 4, 1933.

President Hoover was an advocate for street and highway safety, and one of his main missions was to address the growing toll of casualties due to traffic accidents. He hosted National Conference on Street and Highway Safety Conferences which ultimately supported rules of the road, motor vehicle standards and urban traffic control.

The Herbert Hoover Presidential Libary and Museum is featured in the award-winning documentary River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 is located in West Brench, Iowa--just 6 miles off of Historic Route 6 heading north.

To purchase Fourth Wall Films'  Emmy-nominated River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 or other award-winning documentaries on DVD, click HERE!

 

Stream the film at https://vimeo.com/ondemand/highway6movie.

You can also get the River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 DVD at the Wilton Candy Kitchen in Wilton, Iowa right on Historic Route 6!

"River to River" Celebrates 5-Year Anniversary with Special Broadcast on WQPT Sept. 27 at 8PM

A sold-out crowd at the Putnam Museum premiere of "River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6" five years ago today.

On this day, five years ago at 7:00 p.m. the Emmy® nominated River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 had its sold-out grand premiere on the Putnam Museum's Giant Screen in Davenport, Iowa.  "The Putnam Museum is a treasure to the Quad Cities and River to River is very much about seeking out the treasures in communities along Iowa's Historic Route 6," said the film's producer Tammy Rundle.

 

Classic cars lined up outside the museum, and Kris & Heidi Hernandez's red 1961 Ford Starliner was eye-candy for patrons to check out on their way to filling the theater.

 

Filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle stand next to Kris & Heidi Hernandez's 1961 Starliner at the premiere of their award-winning documentary film, River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6.

The premiere event kicked off the 5^th Annual River to River Retro Road Tour, organized by Dave Darby, the former Executive Director of the Iowa Division of the Route 6 Tourist Association. The film was inspired by Darby's research and photography. The cruise draws 150+ cars each year to Davenport, Iowa (where the Route 6 journey begins) and ends in Council Bluffs with stops at events, museums and restaurants in towns along the way.

 

To celebrate the 5-year Anniversary River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6, produced by award-winning filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, will air on WQPT-PBS on Sunday, September 27 at 8:00 p.m.

 

To purchase Fourth Wall Films'  Emmy-nominated River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 or other award-winning documentaries on DVD, click HERE!

 

Stream the film at https://vimeo.com/ondemand/highway6movie.

You can also get the River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 DVD at the Wilton Candy Kitchen in Wilton, Iowa right on Historic Route 6!

 

 

"River to River" airs on WQPT-PBS September 15

Three days before the annual River to River Retro Road Trip was to be held, the Emmy® nominated documentary film River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6, produced by award-winning filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, will air on WQPT-PBS on Tuesday, September 15 at 11:00 p.m.

The Board of Directors of the Historic US 6 Iowa Association plan to "Hit the Highway Safely" on September 18th-20th, driving from Davenport to Council Bluffs, and hope others will cruise Iowa's Historic Route 6 on their own or in small groups.  

Inspired by the research and photography of Dave Darby, former executive director of the Iowa Division of the Route 6 Tourist Association, River to River: Iowa’s Forgotten Highway 6 guides viewers on a nostalgic classic car journey through yesterday’s soda shops, filling stations, general stores, drive-ins, historic sites and roadside attractions that line Iowa’s U.S. Highway 6.  Iowa’s portion of the transcontinental Route 6 has a past that includes Bonnie and Clyde, Jesse James, Nancy Drew, Jack Kerouac, the Great Race Across Iowa, and others.

River to River: Iowa’s Forgotten Highway 6 was funded in part by grants from Humanities Iowa, Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area and the National Endowment for the Humanities through the documentary’s fiscal sponsor, The Iowa U.S. Route 6 Tourist Association.

The Rundles are the producers of the regional Emmy® nominated historical documentaries Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City, Country School: One Room – One Nation,  and Letters Home to Hero Street (co-produced with WQPT-PBS).

To purchase Fourth Wall Films'  Emmy-nominated River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 or other award-winning documentaries on DVD, click HERE!

You can also get the River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 DVD at the Wilton Candy Kitchen in Wilton, Iowa right on Historic Route 6!

2020--A different kind of 'River to River Retro Road Trip' September 18-20

This year will be a different kind of River to River Retro Road Trip, announced the Board of Directors of the Historic US 6 Iowa Association. Due to COVID-19 an organized cruise will not be held in September. However, Board members plan to "Hit the Highway Safely" on September 18th-20th and hope others will cruise Iowa's Historic Route 6 on their own or in small groups.

"Over the years we have had all sorts of roadblocks that have jeopardized the trip, ranging from road construction, to weather, to switching leadership and having to pull off a cruise having never planned one before," the Board of Directors posted on the organization's Facebook page. "When C19 first started its surge, over two-thirds of the counties that Hwy 6 covers had been hit with cases. Currently six of the counties we go through have some of the highest case counts in the state and three of those counties again have rapidly increasing numbers... In the best interest of the safety for everyone we have made the tough decision not to have a “formal” River to River Road Trip this year.

"We do however encourage everyone to get out in small groups and enjoy the sights, visit restaurants, and shops that are along the route. We the BOD plan on doing some live streaming on Facebook showing some of the sights along the route as conditions allow. While this is a departure from what we have done in the past, we feel that this is the safest and best way to proceed this year. We DO plan on coming back strong in 2021 and having a great time when we can all get back together as a group."

Dash plaques, event sticker and a Booklet of Attractions are available to purchase. Mail a $10 check and your shipping address to:

Historic US 6 Iowa Association
1334 West Pleasant Street
Davenport, Iowa 52804

"Yes, it'll be different this year, and that's OK. We on the board of directors hope to take this opportunity to maybe find some different sights/stops while traversing the state. We don't know what to expect attendance wise since this is an unofficial cruise, but for those traveling with, please be safe and take others into consideration when necessary. We do hope to see some familiar faces, and by all means, come out and enjoy what Highway 6 has to offer."

For more information about the UNOFFICIAL cruise, visit https://www.facebook.com/usroute6iowa/.

If you have additional questions, call (evenings only), Adam 563-349-6277 or Casey 563-260-5757.

 

Safe travels, everyone!

 

To purchase Fourth Wall Films'  Emmy-nominated River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 or other award-winning documentaries on DVD, click HERE!

You can also get the River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 DVD at the Wilton Candy Kitchen in Wilton, Iowa right on Historic Route 6!

 

Celebrating Juneteenth: Iowa's Hitchcock House off Route 6 Holds a Secret

On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers led by Major Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas with the announcement that tens of thousands of African-Americans had been emancipated and were now free.  The announcement came two-and-a-half years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation  freed slaves in Confederate states. But because that proclamation was made during the Civil War, it was ignored by Confederate states and it wasn’t until the end of the war that the Executive Order was enforced in the South.

Newly freed slaves celebrated emancipation with “prayer, feasting, song, and dance”. The following year, the first official Juneteenth celebration was born.

In honor of Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Jubilee Day, we look to a tiny town in Iowa and its connection with the abolitionist movement.

Historic Highway 6 cuts through some of the prettiest rolling territory in Southwest Iowa. Just eight miles southwest of Atlantic, Iowa (home of the Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company) and just a mile south of Route 6 is the tiny town of Lewis, Iowa--population 400.

Edwin Perkins, the inventor of Kool-Aid, is touted as Lewis' most notable person.  But if you venture a touch west of the village, you will find situated on a hill overlooking the western bank of the East Nishnabotna River the historic Hitchcock House.  

Featured in the award-winning documentary River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6, the two-story structure was built in 1856 by Reverend George B. Hitchcock, and the Hitchcock family called it home until 1865. 

The house became an important part of the Underground Railroad, when Reverend Hitchcock, an abolitionist, provided sanctuary to approximately 200 escaped slaves. The Hitchcock House is one of a very few remaining Underground 'stations' in Iowa.

The Underground Railroad by Charles T. Webber, 1893.

"The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early to mid-19th century, and used by enslaved African-Americans to escape into free states and Canada. The scheme was assisted by abolitionists and others sympathetic to the cause of the escapees. Not literally but metaphorically a railroad, the workers (both black and white, free and enslaved) who secretly aided the fugitives are also collectively referred to as the "Underground Railroad", as Wikipedia notes. 

Fugitive slaves would cross the Iowa border from Missouri, and also slip over from Kansas into Cass County, Iowa where the Hitchcock House was a welcoming safe haven. The Hitchcock family risked violating federal law in helping the slaves.

The Hitchcock House underwent a major restoration in the 1980s, and is a National Historic Landmark interpreting the history of the Hitchcock family and the Underground Railroad. It is also part of the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

Hitchcock House is located at 63788-567th Lane, Lewis, Iowa. Contact 712-769-2323 or visit www.hitchcockhouse.org for more information, special events, and tour guidelines. (COVID-19 restrictions and regulations may impact the schedule, so do contact them ahead of time.)

To purchase Fourth Wall Films'  Emmy-nominated River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 or other award-winning documentaries on DVD, click HERE!

You can also get the River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 DVD at the Wilton Candy Kitchen in Wilton, Iowa right on Historic Route 6!

In Memoriam: The Wilton Candy Kitchen's Own Sweetheart, Thelma Nopoulos

Fourth Wall Films' Kelly & Tammy Rundle visit Thelma Nopoulos a final time at the Wilton Candy Kitchen in 2016. 

We are deeply saddened by the news of Thelma Nopoulos' passing on Wednesday, April 29, 2020 at the Wilton Retirement Community. 

For decades, Thelma and her husband George were the owners of the Wilton Candy Kitchen located in Wilton, Iowa off of Iowa's Historic Route 6. The beloved couple and their story was featured in the Emmy-nominated and award-winning documentary River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6, and their romance, quick-witted barbs, and devotion to the history and business of 'the world's oldest soda fountain' captured the hearts of viewers.

George worked for nearly all of his life at the Candy Kitchen, and his death at age 95 in 2015 prompted Thelma's retirement. Current owner Lynn Ochiltree keeps the Wilton Candy Kitchen tradition thriving, feeding Historic U.S. Route 6 travelers and visitors from all over the country.

George and Thelma Nopoulos, Dave Darby (former Executive Director of Iowa's Historic Route 6 Tourist Association), Tammy and Kelly Rundle (Fourth Wall Films) at the Wilton Candy Kitchen in 2011.

We first met George and Thelma in 2011 when introduced by Dave Darby, retired Executive Director of Iowa's Historic Route 6 Tourist Association.  One of the wonderful benefits of producing historical documentaries is that you learn about interesting and inspiring stories, and you meet amazing people like George and Thelma Nopoulos. 

Even now, when we stop by the Wilton Candy Kitchen, we can faintly hear George whistling "Frankie and Johnny" as he prepares the sweetest of treats, and see Thelma buzzing around, ringing up orders, cutting up bananas, and sprinkling the finishing touches on a hot fudge sundae. 

George and Thelma Nopoulos on the big screen in River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6.

Thelma and George live on in that wondrous, magical place of yesteryear, and in our memories and hearts always.

"Frankie and Johnny were sweethearts oh Lordy how they did love; Swore to be true to each other true as the stars above..."

More information about Thelma's funeral will be shared HERE.

A special screening of River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 was presented in Wilton, Iowa on January 22, 2017 to a capacity crowd. The event was a tribute to Thelma & George Nopoulos and the historic Wilton Candy Kitchen.

The Wilton Candy Kitchen is located at 310 Cedar Street, Wilton, Iowa and is open 10:00AM-7:00PM Monday-Sunday. Visit https://www.wiltoncandykitchen.com/ for more information. The award-winning documentary River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6, featuring George & Thelma Nopoulos and the historic Wilton Candy Kitchen, is available for purchase at the Wilton Candy Kitchen.