After a fun rally at the FMCA in Madison, WI, we motored about 300 miles to Forest City, IA to have some work done on our motorhome. When the coach was in getting serviced, we had the chance to do some exploring. Our first stop was at Clear Lake where we had to stop for this sign "Life is Short -- Eat Cookies!"
The city of Clear Lake is right on the shore of -- surprise -- Clear Lake! This resort-oriented town of about 10,000 is very picturesque and is a nice place to take a walk next to the lake.
Rick was impressed with the number of public docks as seen above, and the nice walkway next to the lake. There were a number of sailboats on the lake and this would be a beautiful lake to sail on.
After our short trip to neighboring Clear Lake, we went downtown to Forest City. This is a classic small town and still shows the pride of its residents. One thing that many folks might not realize is that many residents from Forest City actually served in the Civil War. In fact, we learned that 151 citizens from Winnebago County were killed in the war. As a result, this commemorative fountain and soldier stature were erected to remember those who served.
The statue of the soldier was purchased by the local Women's Relief Corps in 1899 from a catalog dealer in New Jersey. Today, there are very few original statues remaining and I doubt if any are in better condition than this one.
The Town Square also hosts this Sherman Tank that was placed in 1957. This tank was also in excellent shape and looked like it had just rolled in from the front!
This plaque described the Sherman and the fact that in WWII, most Shermans were not up to the German heavy tanks. Nevertheless, Sherman tanks and their crews did outstanding duty in the war.
We also saw this stone on the square that announced that this is Forest City's time capsule. Put in place in 1955, it is slated to be opened in 2055. We thought about all the change that has taken place during the last 55 years -- imagine what the folks will be thinking in 2055.
Speaking of change, we stopped at the
Forest City Depot and learned that history was made in 1879 when the first telegraph message was received in the town. This was right after the first train made the trip to Forest City and the telegraph was installed next to the tracks.
Soon, two trains a day were coming through Forest City and put the town on the map. Shortly thereafter, Forest City became the county seat. It was fun to think about the vast technology changes Forest City experienced in the last 100 years -- and that was not even considering that little motorhome company that was established in the late 50's!
After a fun rally at the FMCA in Madison, WI, we motored about 300 miles to Forest City, IA to have some work done on our motorhome. When the coach was in getting serviced, we had the chance to do some exploring. Our first stop was at Clear Lake where we had to stop for this sign "Life is Short -- Eat Cookies!"
The city of Clear Lake is right on the shore of -- surprise -- Clear Lake! This resort-oriented town of about 10,000 is very picturesque and is a nice place to take a walk next to the lake. 
Rick was impressed with the number of public docks as seen above, and the nice walkway next to the lake. There were a number of sailboats on the lake and this would be a beautiful lake to sail on. 
After our short trip to neighboring Clear Lake, we went downtown to Forest City. This is a classic small town and still shows the pride of its residents. One thing that many folks might not realize is that many residents from Forest City actually served in the Civil War. In fact, we learned that 151 citizens from Winnebago County were killed in the war. As a result, this commemorative fountain and soldier stature were erected to remember those who served. 
The statue of the soldier was purchased by the local Women's Relief Corps in 1899 from a catalog dealer in New Jersey. Today, there are very few original statues remaining and I doubt if any are in better condition than this one. 
The Town Square also hosts this Sherman Tank that was placed in 1957. This tank was also in excellent shape and looked like it had just rolled in from the front!
This plaque described the Sherman and the fact that in WWII, most Shermans were not up to the German heavy tanks. Nevertheless, Sherman tanks and their crews did outstanding duty in the war.
We also saw this stone on the square that announced that this is Forest City's time capsule. Put in place in 1955, it is slated to be opened in 2055. We thought about all the change that has taken place during the last 55 years -- imagine what the folks will be thinking in 2055.
Speaking of change, we stopped at the Forest City Depot and learned that history was made in 1879 when the first telegraph message was received in the town. This was right after the first train made the trip to Forest City and the telegraph was installed next to the tracks. 
Soon, two trains a day were coming through Forest City and put the town on the map. Shortly thereafter, Forest City became the county seat. It was fun to think about the vast technology changes Forest City experienced in the last 100 years -- and that was not even considering that little motorhome company that was established in the late 50's!
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If you have not seen it before, you might want to visit the Buddy Holly crash site just outside of Clear Lake.
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