Altoona, IA - Walking the Old Interurban

We had planned to walk a trail south from near our campground, under Interstate 80 and down towards the center of Altoona. However, after we had parked at the trailhead, we took off down a bulldozer-rutted road and were glad that we had worn our hiking boots. The Trails map said that this trail was not to be completed until fall of 2013 and we soon realized that it had not even been bulldozed out yet. We got about 50 yds in, under the highway and realized that we ‘d need long pants to walk any further since the bulldozer had stopped here.

We then decided to walk where we were sure that there was a trail and drove 3 miles to Ankeny. This trail was pretty prosaic since it went along the line of the old Fort Dodge, Des Moines and Southern Interurban. What in the world is that, you ask? Since I’m from Fort Dodge I’ve heard about the Interurban but not very much. Most of what I’ve heard is from my father-in-law, Lug. He mentioned it a bit in his stories of growing up. We doubt that he ever rode it since he had no money for the fares and had no reason to travel on it. Gary thinks that most of his stories were about the East end kids swimming in the old gypsum mine pits in the buff and, ‘waving’ to the train as it went by. I say ‘waving’ but maybe they might have been doing something else. Who knows?

Meanwhile I looked up something about the old Interurban and learned that it was quite a train from the late teens to 1929 when it stopped. So how many of you knew that coal was a vital resource in Iowa at the turn of the century? Certainly not I, though I have seen a statue memorial to coal miners in a local town as we pass through heading to Des Moines from Fort Dodge. I should have guessed that coal might have been important. However, at the turn of the century, moving coal from the mines to cities was in an incentive to build railroads in this region. And that is where the Interurban came into being.

 Incorporated in 1906, it grew to be the largest interurban in Iowa and it grew to a total of 147 miles of electrified line.

Here’s a map of the total system. From Fort Dodge to Des Moines with branches to Webster City, Rockwell City and Ames.

They planned 2 hour service between Fort Dodge and Des Moines and had 53’ long cars, which made them the largest interurban cars produces and equal in width to regular steam railway cars. Here’s one of the early cabooses, and note the diamond with ‘Fort Dodge’ printed on the side.

The trail we walked was, as most Rail to Trail trails are, very straight, although they put in some short curves to make ti interesting. However, the beauty of the trail was not in its straightness but in its surroundings, trees which shaded the trail (very nice on this very hot steamy day), with glimpses of fields between the leaves and branches. We knew we were in the middle of civilization, and, in fact, spotted the tell-tale orange of the local Home Depot across the corn fields, but felt as if we were in the woods with no one near. It was quiet and still with the occasional rabbit scurrying across the trail, the trilling bird songs and a great blue heron flying across a small pond.

By the way, it’s 237 miles to Kansas City from here.

Of course, at the end, we met a father with his 3 small kids on a ATV riding the trail and disappearing into the brush on either side of the trail. Noisy and what in the world is he doing on the trail where signs are posted that no motorized vehicles are to be on the trail? But he was friendly and told us a bit about the history of the trail.

It was one of those trails which, not being completed and linked to any other trails yet, forced us to walk up and then back. We prefer loop trails but, to make a loop would have taken us out on the road where the the Home Depot was: no sidewalk, loud with cars and motorcycles, hot from all the asphalt and not a pleasant walk in the woods. No, we’d rather take an out and back trail through the woods than a loop along a busy highway.

Thus we had a great walk and learned about the Interurban - a two-fer.