Dallas County IAGenWeb

Huebinger's Map and Guide
for
PANORA SPEEDWAY, 1912

Transcribed & formatted by Conni McDaniel Hall

November 2023.

Guide
General Map
Ads
King Road Drag
Land & Property Directory

PUBLISHED BY THE IOWA PUBLISHING CO., (INC.) DES MOINES, IOWA Copyright 1912 by M. HUEBINGER, C. E.
INDEX TO TOWNS
	Cooper Dallas Center Des Moines Grimes Guthrie Center Herndon	......................30 ......................23 ......................27 ......................25 ......................19 ......................30	Hyperion Club Jefferson Panora Panther Yale	......................25 ......................31 ......................21 ......................22 ......................29
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FOREWARD
The Panora Speedway is destined to be one of the most traveled short roads in the State of Iowa, having as its terminals the City of Des Moines and Guthrie Center, the picturesque county seat of Guthrie county. Leaving the City of Des Moines, the motorist has give miles of brick paving along Beaver Road; eleven miles out he can linger for rest and refreshment at the Hyperion Club, the beautiful home of Des Moines' best known and popular field and motor organization, and then a straight shoot west of 36 miles, over a road without a jog or turn and for the most part well graveled, into the hospitable and enterprising town of Panora, for which the speedway was named, and where the movement that culminated in the organization of one of the best road organizations in the state, had its inception. In the spring of 1911, Panora, being well inoculated with the virus of good roads, determined to carry the infection into the surrounding territory, so its Booster's Club invited their friends of Grimes, Yale, Guthrie Center, Dallas Center and the neighboring farmers to a banquet and good roads meeting at Panora. This initial meeting was well attended and great enthusiasm in the subject manifested. Speeches were made by Messrs. Salles, J. W. Foster, Frank Moore, and W. M. Wells of Guthrie Center; L. M. Swindler and Ira Sheets of Yale; Wm. Warford, A. S. Steavens, W. D. Westcott, J. R. Mount, J. W. Morris, C. C. Brigs, Dr. S. J. Brown, Dr. C. C. Sones, Wm. G. Roberts and others of Panora and vicinity. Following the meeting the assembly adjourned to the Wm. G. Roberts Hall, where a banquet was served b Panora Commercial Club, covers being laid for 200 guests. Follwing (sic) this on May 31st, by invitation of Dallas Center,
6 (photo - Dr. S. J. Brown, President)

a trip in automobiles consisting of 24 cars from Yale and Panora started to the good road meeting at the Center. At Panther store they were met by a delegation of 21 autos from Dallas Center and escorted into the town. A photo of the whole group was here taken by F. A. Armagost. The citizens of Dallas Center had prepared a sumptuous dinner for all visitors and fully 200 well fed guests can testify to the hospitality of that town. After dinner the good roads meeting was held in the opera house. Bert Repass called the meeting to order and stated its purpose, after which Dr. S. J. Brown was made chairman and H. H. Hiatt, secretary. Enthusiastic addresses were made by J. R. Mount, George Goetzman, H. L. Moore, Dave Wilson and C. C. Briggs, of Panora; L. M. Swindler and Wm. Sheets of Yale, Bert Repass, Dr. Butterfield and others of Dallas Center; Daniel O'Donnell, W. J. Stewart and Will Sherman of Grimes and H. J. Jones of Panther. The consensus of opinion was that a well dragged road should be maintained from Des Moines, via Grimes, Dallas Center, Panora, Guthrie Center. A committee was chosen consisting of the following: Yale, L. M. Swindler; Panora, C. C. Briggs; Dallas Center, Bert Repass; Panther, H. D. Jones; Grimes, Daniel O'Donnnell; Guthrie Center, John Foster, and L. E. Ellis of Des Moines representing the Hyperion Club. This committee was authorized to go over and inspect the roads and devise a means for future operations. Following this very interesting and successful meeting, the gospel of good roads has sped along the Panora Speedway until today many miles of this excellent road is graveled and permanent improvements have been made that will be of lasting benefit to all travelers. In this connection it might be well to mention the untiring zeal of Wm. G. Roberts and the hearty and effective co-operation of the farmers along the route. The Panora Speedway connects at Guthrie Center with the "River to River Road"; at Panora a spur turns north to Jefferson, connecting with the Iowa Official Trans-Continental Road and roads to the Iowa Lakes.
THE PUBLISHERS.
7 (photos- E.E. Kellogg, V. Pres, C.C.Vail, Sec-Treas., Wm. G. Roberts)

GUTHRIE CENTER
A LITERARY man who recently passed through Guthrie Center paid tribute as follows: "Nowhere within the limits of the great state to Iowa is the county of Guthrie surpassed for its beautiful scenery, its hills and dales, its rolling prairies and emerald seas beneath the summer skies, interspersed by hills, and natural groves, and meandering streams, like bright ribbons of silver, rolling their pellucid waters into banks of richest hues." Amid these beautiful scenes, in the South 'Coon Valley, is Guthrie Center, county seat and county metropolis of Guthrie county, drawing trade from a rich and vast farming territory. Its business men are alive to the demands of the times, carrying splendid stocks of goods in all lines. It has water works, an electric light plant, two splendid parks, good hotels, creamery, flouring mills, fire company, a military band of more than state wide reputation, and no end of churches and civic societies. It is adorned with beautiful, tree-embowered homes, and is graced by buildings that would do credit to a much larger place. It has a live Commercial Club and an Automobile Association affiliated with the state and national associations, which in membership is only outranked by two other automobile associations in Iowa. There are three garages, one of them just completed, being fire proof with machine in connection, adjoining electric light plant.

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PANORA, IOWA
Panora is a thriving town of 1,100 population, situated on the Middle Coon River and the C., M. & St. P. Ry. in the east central part of Guthrie County. The Guthrie County High School is located here, students graduating from this school being admitted into any college in the state; in addition it has its own excellent public school, the institutions employing sixteen teachers. The town has two newspapers, four churches and two banks. A flouring mill, two elevators, two coal mines, a brick and tile plant, one automobile garage and two auto liveries besides a number of general and other stores sufficient to supply all the wants of the town and surrounding country. Panora also boasts of a Commercial Club of 150 members and an active Automobile Club. Here are to found some of the finest and best homes in the county, the streets and lawns being notably well kept. The tourist is sure of a hearty welcome here. He can connect at this point with a road running north via Yale and Jefferson, which road connects with the Iowa Official Trans-Continental Road and the roads to the Iowa lakes. These two roads are level and practically without turns, well graveled nearly the whole distance and very desirable for the tourist making for the Iowa Lakes or points in the northwest.
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THE LOGICAL ROUTE FROM DES MOINES TO GUTHRIE CENTER IS THE PANORA SPEEDWAY VIA HYPERION CLUB, GRIMES, DALLAS CENTER, PANORA
Dallas Center Makes Good This is the direct route to Guthrie Center and Council Bluffs. There is scarcely a turn from the Hyperion Club to Panora, a distance of about thirty-five miles; is through a beautiful country and there is but one hill on the route that is of any consequence. The tourist will find good hotels and well equipped garages in all towns along this route. Farmers have displayed unusual interest in the care of this road, which will always be found well kept and in good condition
Dallas Center is a good trading point as will be seen from the following list of stores and business houses; two restaurants, two hardware stores, one hotel, one furniture store, one clothing store, four general stores, two meat markets, one lumber yard, two elevators, three blacksmith shops, two harness shops, three barber shops, one newspaper and job printing office, one grist mill, two feed sheds, two drug stores, two livery barns, one photographer, two tailors, one tinner, two plumbers. The professional business is amply cared for by three excellent physicians. Dallas Center has a population of 900; has the most beautiful parks in Dallas County, the delightful shade of			which is very inviting to the tourist on a hot summer day. It has beautiful residences and is in the center of a prosperous farming community. Its two banks have combined deposits greater than the combined deposits of the banks in any other town in the county. Has a first class school system with an efficient corp of teachers. It is an accredited school. The town is located on the M. & St. L. Railway, 21 miles west of Des Moines which is the direct line from that city to Minneapolis and gives an excellent train service.
The citizens of Dallas Center cordially invite the traveler to stop over with us when passing over route. In the town are two well equipped garages, both carrying a full line of accessories of all kinds, and both prepared to do all kinds of reppir (sic) work.
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Grimes, Iowa
Is located fifteen miles north and west of Des Moines and is the first town on the Des Moines-Guthrie Center Speed Way (The River to River Road short cut), via Grimes, Dallas Center and Panora, four miles west of the Hyperion golf club grounds, perhaps the best golf links in the state. Is four miles west of the Des Moines-Perry Inter-Urban Road. There is an Inter-Urban line surveyed through the town and a franchise voted, depot and trackage donated. When the road is in operation, Grimes will certainly furnish unusual ideal suburban homes for people doing business in the city yet wanting to live away from the unpleasant surroundings of a crowded city home. The town is mile east of the Polk-Dallas county line, is in one of the very best farming sections of the country, hence the garden spot of the state. Grimes has a population of 715, a good high school, a public park, three churches, three general stores, two restaurants, two banks, one drug store, one meat market, barber shop, one agricultural implement house, that also carried auto supplies, and in the near future will equip a garage, one good general hardware store, two blacksmith shops, both proprietors do car repairing, one good hotel, two physicians. The town is justly proud of two factories, one Tablet Factory, the products of which are shipped to all parts of the globe. One canning and preserving factory, where the nation-wide faced "Old Grimes: brand of sweet corn is canned as well as tomatoes, beans, pumpkins and hominy. The factory ships from one to two hundred cars of canned goods per year.
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Hyperion Club
The Hyperion Field and Motor Club, while young in years, is old in achievement. In its brief existence it has become not only one of Des Moines' leading social institutions, but one of the best known and most popular country clubs of Middle West. The Club was originally organized a few years ago as a social organization, but eventually interested itself in outdoor life and outdoor sports. Its first club house was on Polk Boulevard adjoining Waveland Park, but owing to the great popularity of the Club and its rapidly increasing membership, it outgrew its original club house and was forced to see quarters elsewhere. In seeking a new location the out-of-door life and sports, with which the organization was now so thoroughly identified, were constantly held in mind and new home sought where they might have greater development. With this idea in view, 220 acres of land, ideally located for the purpose were purchased on the Perry Inter-urban line, fives miles north of the city limits of Des Moines. Here a beautiful club house was built at a cost exceeding $40,000.00; and eighteen hole golf course has been laid out and is being rapidly brought to perfection; tennis courts have been planned and shooting traps will be installed this season. the club house, itself is filled with all the modern conveniences to be found in any country club and the grounds are being landscaped and drives laid out, which when completed will eventually make it one of the show places of Des Moines. It's membership, resident and non-resident, is about 400 and rapidly increasing.
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Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, the capital of the state and the chief commercial city of central Iowa, is situated at the junction of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers and is on the Chicago-Omaha line of the Rock Island railway, and the Chicago-Kansas City line of the Chicago Great Western railroad. Besides the two main lines of road it is the terminus of important braches of the Milwaukee, Wabash, Burlington, North-Western and other systems. It is also the center of the only extensive system of interurban railways between the Mississippi river and the Rockies. In the last five years, the city, now with a population of about 100,000, has been marvelously improved and beautified until is is now recognized as being one of the most attractive and modern of all the cities in the United States. Many large buildings of artistic design have been erected and this, with a general remodeling of interiors and exteriors in the downtown district, together with a most comprehensive scheme of lighting the streets by means of the artistic electroliers, give the town a metropolitan aspect. The hotel accommodations are ample and good restaurants are many. Garages are legion and the fact that all seem to be doing a lively business indicates that this is the automobile center of the middle part of the state. There are a number of fine drives through the city, which covers over fifty square miles of area. The part system is on a magnificent scale in preparation for the needs of a city of half a million people. This city is especially strong as a retail center and, as the center of large publishing and insurance business. It is getting stronger yearly in the field of general manufacturing and jobbing. Organized boosting has made Des Moines what it is and the harmony existing in the general effort to promote the growth and envelopment of the town is often the cause of remark by strangers. Many thousands of dollars are spent annually in advertising Des Moines at the "City of Certainties." The Greater Des Moines Committee is the organization that has this remarkable publicity campaign in charge and it is said that results of a substantial nature are already in sight.
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