[AT] NW vs SW Iowa

Ronald L. Cook rlcook at pionet.net
Tue Jun 7 22:23:51 PDT 2005


Dean:

Dean VP wrote:

> Ron:
> 
> I recently looked at an Iowa map. If one truly drew a dividing line East to
> West dividing the Northern from the Southern part of Iowa I suspect that I
> might be incorrect that you are too far South to be in NW Iowa. Close but I
> now would lean to the NW side. 
> 
> 45 to 50 years ago anything South of Sioux City was in the SW part of the
> state from our perspective in NW Resume Speed, Iowa(The Holy Land). But
> apparently Sioux City has drifted North over the last 50 years and drug the
> neighboring southern cities along with it. 

Well, okay.  As long as we don't drift up into Sioux county.

> 
> What I think we didn't take into consideration is how far South of Omaha,
> NE/Council Bluffs, IA the Iowa/Missouri border is.

Yes.  It is quite a ways.  Northern Iowa people tend to think of Council 
Bluffs as the southwest corner of Iowa.  I am not sure why that is, but 
it is.  I work in the area just west of Waterloo and the people there 
consider me to be from "out west".  I feel like I should be wearing a 
cowboy hat.

  The Missouri/Sioux/Floyd
> Rivers must have brought in a whole bunch of rich Iowa topsoil into Sioux
> City and moved it further North in recent years. :-) It used to flood a lot
> in Sioux City 50 years ago! :-) When all three rivers flooded at the same
> time, all hell broke loose in downtown Sioux City including Martins
> department store on 4th street. Downtown Sioux City was all beach front
> property. 

Flood!  Man, you said a mouthful there!  Absolutely terrible.  Makes one 
wonder what the heck anyone was doing building a city there on the 
bottoms.  The flood control on the Missouri River was the answer. 
Certainly was taxpayer money well spent for that.  Of course now the 
whole area is built up.  If there would happen to be another of those 
fantastic floods, much property would be lost.  Making the Missouri 
navigatable from Sioux City on south has not worked as well as planned. 
  The river is too narrow and too fast.  Last year and this year, the 
water levels are so low that there are no barges coming to Sioux City.


Ron Cook
Salix, IA




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