River to River

For the wonderful Mom's out there--Enjoy the ride!

 
Alice Huyler Ramsey makes history in 1909.

A special thanks to our Moms! The adventurer, the planner, the entertainer, the caretaker, the cook and cleaner, the teacher, the glass-ceiling breaker, the fix-it-and-make-it-all-better designated driver Mom. Here's a story just for you!

In 1909 22-year-old, 5' tall housewife and mother Alice Huyler Ramsey made history by becoming the first woman to drive across the United States from coast-to-coast. She was joined by two sisters-in-law and a friend for the 3,800-mile trip, leaving from New York City on June 9th and arriving in San Francisco on August 7th. Alice was the only one in the auto that could drive. She was the first woman to be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.

Happy Mother's Day to all the cool Moms out there... and enjoy the ride!

To purchase the award-winning documentary, River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6, 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!

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!