The Lincoln and Jefferson highways were two of the nation's earliest transcontinental roads, first as muddy trails and eventually paved.
These two highways intersected in Colo, Iowa, where a farmer named Charlie Reed had the idea to sell gas at this corner in 1923. He also let travelers pitch tents overnight on his property.
In 1926, the station moved to its present location, and a cafe was opened by his nephew, M. Reed Niland. Cabins were also built, eventually becoming a motel, and this site has since been known as the Reed-Niland Corner, which ran 24/7, until four-lane highways and interstates built in the 1960s diverted traffic from the town located 16 miles east of Ames.
While the gas station closed in 1967, the corner is considered one of the few earliest "one stops" (gas-restaurant-lodging) to still be standing a century later.
On this episode, we learn about the history of the corner with a former Reed Station employee, Scott Berka, who was also instrumental in the site's restoration project of the late 1990s to early 2000s. Then we learn about a new non-profit, Reed-Niland Corner, Inc. that recently bought the site from from the City of Colo to keep the history alive into the future.
They're hosting a celebration for this new ownership on June 14, which will also include an America 250 event.
Then, we head east down the Lincoln Highway to Lisbon, where the McElmeel family has formed their own nonprofit to restore the Meyers Farmstead Historic District and open it to the public as Pleasant Grove Heritage Park.
Guests:
- Scott Berka, Colo resident, former city clerk and maintenance superintendent
- Brenda McGuire, president, Reed-Niland Corner, Inc.
- Jeanie Hau, Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway coordinator, Prairie Rivers of Iowa
- Steve McElmeel, president, Pleasant Grove Heritage Park, Inc.
- Michele McElmeel, co-vice president, Pleasant Grove Heritage Park, Inc.
