Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1916-09-14
VIEWING IOWA BY AUTO
Nv Audubon Shelley

Three auto loads of Audubon
county people, all relatives of mine,
went on little sight seeing trip a
few days aso up about the lakes of
northern Iowa and few miles into
southern Minnesota. | was along
and acted as pathfinder on the way
W. there ard coming back | acted as
rear guard sometimes so much Sc
thas the pathfinder and second car
were clear out of my sight. | do too
much looking around to make very
good time on a trip of any distance
or on new road. 1t is perfectly
proper to speak of going up to Spirit
Lake for that is the highest point in
the state. If pipe were laid from
Spirit, Lake to any of the high hills
of Audubon county we could have
the lake, water right at home, for 1t
would run down here of it's own ac-
cord. On getting a little ways from
home one OF the first pleasing things
that met our eyes was the liquor
signs along the road. Not that the
liquor signs pleased me, but that
they brought it wildly to mind the
fact that this, the greatest of all
states, is dry and to stay. And in a
few years the signs of Hayner, Pabst,
Schlitz, etc, will be crumbled in the
dust and coming generations will
never be permitted to read the entic-
ing advertisements of these great ag-
encies of evil. The first material
change in the lay of the country is
noted at the town of Wall Lake.
There between the two depots are
hundreds of acres of swamp land
which is grown up in reeds, rushes
and swamp grass. This presents a
nice appearance on a fine summer
day, but / understand it is quite
worthless as yet. / believe that one
of the great obstacles in draining this
land is that the water backs up on
it. 1t seems to be worth but little
for pasture and for time yet at
least it will make home for the
musk rat and a stopping place for the
wild fowls We made a brief stop
OF Storm Lake where father had Wis
tied forty years ago when that region
was almost a wilderness. What a
change since then! 1t recalls those
times of the old school reader; "And
kneeling down to take a drink,
Dear Tom, / started so,
To think how very much I've changed
Since forty years ago."
Storm Lake has been well named,
for when we stopped there the day
was calm and fine yet the little waves
were pounding the shore quite rough
ly. Residents tell me that the water
is pretty rough in the time of a
storm. The lake has beautiful high
shores, some places so steep that you
can scarcely get down to the water,
and while i is fine body of water
the absence of timber around it de-
tracts from its beauty to some extent.
II has a nice resort which was pract-
ically closed when we were there. AS
the natural scenery of Iowa grows
less and less it is probable that Storm
Lake will be more fully appreciated
in future days than it is at present.
We passed on nearly the length of
Beuna Vista county to the pictur-
esque town of Sioux Rapids On the Lit
tie Sioux river. And say, the next
time you go up that way just take
a look off TO the northwest of town.
An artist in all his glory could not
excel that scene for beauty. / sus.
pect that the Indians almost worship
ped that region in the old days of
Iowa. But must close for this time
and in some future issue will give
few more observations of northern
Iowa as / see it today