(15) Osceola County 8.6.2021

We definitely got lucky in Osceola County because two of the main museums we were hoping to see, but were supposed to be closed, happened to have staff there working on the displays, who let us in for a full personal tour. The first of these was the DeBoer Grocery Museum in Ashton. Although this museum is small, it is bursting with Iowa history, and they still in the process of expanding to other historical buildings from the area. We got to walk through the grocery store, the little house next door, and the storage shed which held old farm machinery and equipment. The grocery museum has all the original store fixtures including meat counter, scales, register, and meat locker, as well as other nick-nacks and treasures from the years.

 

 Of course, we took a little pit-stop at the local park.

Unfortunately, we missed the steam train water tower on our way out so make sure to check that out if you ever stop in Ashton!

 

Our next stop was Sibley, where we stopped at the Shaughnessy Bakery for some delicious treats. Sibley has a very cute downtown area, but most of the shops were closed when we were there.

Off to the highest elevation (1670 feet) in Iowa- Hawkeye Point. Although very un-assuming, we were delighted! There’s no hill, no mountain, but you can see for miles. And there are some nice little exhibits to peruse.

 

We then made our way over to the Osceola County Conservation, a small museum of natural biological exhibits and had a few hands-on activities for the kids.

 

Don’t forget to stop in Harris to see the smallest grotto (at least we’re calling it the smallest) in Iowa!

 

Onto our next luck-of-the-day was the Tracy House in Ocheyedan (pronounced O-chee-den). Again, a staff member, who happened to be there and took us around to the different exhibits and shared about the local history which included artefacts, pictures, and history from her own ancestors. There were several buildings and hands-on artefacts for kids to play at and explore.

We then made our way to the famous Ocheyedan Mound, which was once thought to be the highest elevation in Iowa, prior to Hawkeye Point being discovered.

Return Rating: 1

Other things to see/do:

• Aquatic Center, Sibley
• The Porch on Main Ice Cream Shop, Sibley
• McCallum Museum and Brunson Heritage House, Sibley
• Steam Train Water Tower, Ashton