28 April 2011 Extended Forecast - Click Here to Comment

Todays featured POW COUNTY Ghost Town at bottom of page.



The State-wide 4" Soil Temp is "Averaging" in Mid to High 40's.....Pow County 47 - Temps North of I-80 to the Mn Border 45/46 - SE Iowa 42/43 - SW Iowa 48/49.......



Poweshiek County Iowa Weather:


Today thru Sat 28th-30th:  Dry and Windy Today and Friday - Isolated Tshowers/Breezy Late Fri into Sat midday - then Dry (1/4" Rain) - Temps 60 Today, near 70 Fri/Sat.

Sun thru Tues May 1st-3rd:  Dry thru Tues - Windy Tues - Temps 55/60/65.

Wed thru Fri 4th-6th:  Showers/Breezy Wed and Thurs - Dry Fri - Temps 65/60/70.

Sat and Sun 7th/8th:  Tstorms - Warming Trend!

Mon thru Wed 9th-11th: Dry Mon - Tshowers Tues/Wed.

Thurs and Fri 12th/13th:  Dry. 

Ghost Towns in Iowa:  When Iowa was just beginning there were many towns and villages being planned and built.  Poweshiek County was no exception to rest of the state.  Over the next couple of weeks, I will highlight the known Ghost Towns in Poweshiek County.  Some are obvious - some may not be.  You may be living In or Around one of them and not even know it.

What is a Ghost Town?  Strictly speaking,  A ghost town is a completely abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, or war. The term is sometimes used in a sense, including cities, towns, and neighborhoods which, while still populated, are significantly less so than in years past.

GHOST TOWN #1:  BEAR CREEK.  A post office (1849-65) near the east edge of Bear Creek Township on the south side of Bear Creek, about one mile northeast of the present town of Brooklyn.

GHOST TOWN #2:  BROWNSVILLE. A village in the southwestern part of section 35, Jackson Township, five miles south and one and one-half west of Montezuma, and just north of the Mahaska County line. The name of its post office (1864-95) was Sherman.

GHOST TOWN #3:  MANAT. A post office for a short time in 1884 at or near the location of the  railway station at Carnforth.

GHOST TOWN #4:  WILSON. The original name of the present town of Victor. The name was changed from Wilson to Victor in 1862 when the post office of Victor, which had been in existence from 1854, and located about two miles to the south, was removed to near the newly built C., R. I. & P. depot.

GHOST TOWN #5:  MILL GROVE. A village in the northern part of section 35, Sugar Creek Township, on the north bank of North Skunk River, and just NW of where the present HWY 146 crosses the North Skunk. Post office, 1856-72.

GHOST TOWN #6:  SHERIDAN CENTER. A post office (1877-83) in the northern part of section 9, about a mile and a half south of the Tama County line, and just west of the current Hwy 63 in Sheridan Township. It continued as Sheridan until 1902. There is still a store there.

GHOST TOWN #7:  DRESDEN. A town laid out in 1856 near the northwest corner of section 10, Deep River Township, about one mile east of the present town of Deep River. The name of the post office was Deep River. The coming of the branch of the Northwestern Railway in 1884 caused the removal of Dresden to the new town of Deep River.

GHOST TOWN #8:  TILTON. The post office of Tilton was some two and one-half miles west of the railway station and village of Tilton from about 1871 to 1884.... For a short time, 1884 to 1887, the post office "Tilton" was renamed DE ETTA.

GHOST TOWN #9:  BLUE POINT. A post office (1860-72) in the northern part of section 26, Washington Township, 2 Miles west Ewart.

GHOST TOWN #10:  CLEARFIELD. A post office from 1869 to 1872 in the northern part of Madison Township, approx 1 mile south of the Tama County Line.

GHOST TOWN #11:  TYRO. A post office (1862-73) in the eastern part of section 32, Washington Township.  2 miles north of Searsboro, and 1 mile west of the old Central RR Line.