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History of the Panora Speedway
A highway that encompasses Polk, Dallas, Greene and Guthrie counties
Presently Highway 44
| The
early day highways through the surrounding swamp land were anything but
high. They were, at first, ungraded, grassy trails on as high
ground as possible. The horse-drawn lumber wagons, spring wagons,
buggies and carriages often mired down in the mud to the axles, and
willow branches along the way were cut and placed in the ruts to enable
the vehicles to get through. Children walking to school did the
same in order to get over the swampy places and to keep from sinking
into the mud. In 1900, Iowa had little, if any paved roads. A few stretches had been graded and graveled. Iowa was called the "mud road state." Originally, the town streets were muddy and rough, although they were dragged and cared for better than the country roads. Later they were improved and graveled, and the main streets were paved in 1918. This was done after considerable protest by property owners. Prices had skyrocketed since the contract was let in 1916. Parolees from Iowa prisons were brought in to work on the job. Men and mules, housed at Sullivans Livery Barn, hauled the asphalt from where it was "cooked" back of the depot. Even hoboes were enticed to stay long enough to help pave the streets. Some interesting statistics of the early automobile days: "In 1898 gasoline sold for 6 cents per gallon. The first New York motor car show was held in 1900. The first 4-cylinder cars came out in 1900. In 1896, Barnum and Bailey announced they would exhibit a "horseless vehicle." In July 1898, announcement was made that a plant would be built to turn out one "motor carriage per week". In 1896, there were only four motor cars in the United States. Later, as cars became the more common means of travel, primary roads were graded, graveled and finally paved. The "Panora Speedway", presently highway No. 44 through Dallas Center, was paved in 1930. Electric signals were placed at the M & St L railroad crossing in Dallas Center in 1938 as a safety measure. Quoting from the Dallas Center Times excerpts from an article by former editor, E. A. Emmert, November 2, 1950, as he recalled events of 50 years ago, not only about cars and travel but other items of general interest: "Those were the real horse-and-buggy days. There were no automobiles here then although about 1901, J. B. Simmons was puffing about in one of the first White steamers. A few years later, O. A. Repass had his first Model T Ford car and had taken the agency for them. No, there were no Ford trucks or tractors. B. H. Criley next shifted from horse-and-buggy and had bought the first so-called "big" car. It was a twin-cylinder Apperson Jackrabbit. H. M. Schamel had soon driven in a Thomas "40". There were only 8,000 cars in the United States at that time. Car numbers were assigned, but the driver had to have them made. Aluminum numerals were affixed to leather or metal plates. "Those were the days when you took home the folding money that you had earned, except local taxes and possibly a few mills state tax. Our corporation tax was 3 Mills! But, true enough, we had but few improvements. There was no income tax, no sales tax, no gasoline tax, or a hundred other "hidden" taxes. There was no PWA, WPA, no NRA, or a multitude of alphabetical units in the name of "planned economy". Each individual relied upon his own resources, supporting the government rather than expecting to be supported by it. The purchasing power of a dollar then was $1.94 on the basis of the 1935-1939 dollar; as compared to 50¢ or less in 1950, or 18¢ in the year 2000 - if we continue our wild orgy of money spending." When the first cars appeared on the streets of Dallas Center, there were no garages or service stations for their repair. W. O. Rhinehart, local blacksmith, was the first and only repairman and acted as driver for many car owners. The early cars were often hard to start. Dan Zuck's Brush car was a familiar sight being pushed around the streets by men and boys in an effort to get it started. An advertisement of 1912, directed to the man who waited for the price of automobiles to go down listed: 4-cylinder Ford Model T, 3 passenger, removable rumble seat for $590; A five passenger touring car for $690; A six passenger Town car for $900; A two passenger Torpedo for $590; A Model T Delivery car for $700, all f.o.b. Detroit. The same year, Zuck and Moser advertised a Flanders 20 for $915 and an E. M. F. 30 for $1225. A celebration was held in Dallas Center July 4, 1912. The following item of interest: There were nearly 200 automobiles in Dallas Center July 4th. At one time in the afternoon there were 165 machines in and around the park. Many more were in other places in town." 1969, with its more comfortable, more expensive, higher-powered cars, equipped with luxuries far beyond the necessities of the early cars, and with many laned interstate and super highways crowded by so many cars and trucks traveling at much faster speeds, and increasingly more highway accidents, makes quite a contrast to the first horseless carriages frightening the horse-drawn carriages. |
Source: Dallas Center First 100 Years Directory, Chapter XV, Highways and Travel
Transcribed and contributed by Conni McDaniel Hall.
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Uploaded December 27, 2023.
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