Small-town Iowa

By Tim Trenkle

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At the edge of small-town Iowa, the John Deere tractors stand tall on the gravel lot. They originate in Waterloo after the blacksmith John Deere decided on the tractor as his goal. The famous green shines like a waving spirit, gleaming with the stars and smiling with the stripes set on the shoulders of Iowa's small-town past.

Iowa's small town echoes resound throughout the world.

Iowa's small burg begat technological revolution in Grinnell, birthplace of the computer.

The vending machine was made in little Clive.

The trampoline came to be in Cedar Rapids. The Eskimo Pie was created in Onawa.

Small-town Iowa is a haven and a vision. Born in the seeds of the determination of hardy people who prepared for change and were willing to weather each season, the small town sings of independence and shakes hands with age-old virtues.

In little Imogene, on the Fourth of July, 1886, August Werner flew his wood-doweled helicopter 4 feet off the ground - 17 years before the Wright Brothers.

Cresco is home to Norman Borlaug, whose vision and determination created an agricultural revolution in wheat that may have saved a billion people.

The Red Delicious Apple first rose from hardy Iowa soils in Peru in 1880. Jesse Hiatt called it “Hawkeye.”

A boy sits under the tree and reads Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain first enjoyed journalism in a small Iowa town, working for his brother in Muscatine.

Interested in the wide world and its statistical revelations, George Gallup started his wondering in Jefferson.

Much of history's greatness was born in the small town, nurtured in that class of working people who blossom in the fields of struggle. Small-town Iowa beams character and shoulders responsibility.

Fred Maytag spent long hours in Newton and honed his famous namesake into a worldwide brand. Walter Chrysler tinkered in the small town of Oelwein as a roundhouse mechanic.

Grant Wood arrived at his landscapes and homely, much-admired painting in Anamosa.

Billy Sunday thumped the Bible in Ames and headed out to a wider audience to poke the conscience of America.

The small Iowa town trusts providence, tips its cap to elders and does not squander inheritance. The people here paved a main street, planted trees and set geraniums along the sidewalk, abiding conservation. They flew the flag to honor their heritage. The small Iowa space set its sights high, leaving a lasting, historical legacy that matters everywhere in the world, making lives better with simplicity and innovation.

Tim Trenkle of Dubuque teaches psychology and writing at Northeast Iowa Community College. Comments: peace2work@yahoo.com