Stanley Steamers visiting southeast Iowa

Area residents will be seeing a few unique vehicles on the highways and byways of southeast Iowa next week.

The Southeast Iowa Steam Car Tour, being held Sunday through Aug. 31, is using Fairfield as its base for daily tours.

?The tourists/steam people will be staying at the [Best Western Fairfield Inn] most nights, and leaving daily in the vicinity of 9 a.m. and returing between 4 and 6,? said co-organizer Nancy Roach of Libertyville, Ill.

Steam-powered cars were popular in the early 20th century before the internal combustion engine was fully developed. The most well-know steam car was the Stanley Steamer, invented by the Stanley twins, Francis and Freelan, from Kingfield, Maine.

The twins formed the Stanley Motor Carriage Company in 1902 and produced steam-powered cars in Newton, Mass., until 1924 when it ceased production.

A Stanley Museum is located in Kingfield, and the museum?s board of directors plan steam-car tours in various locations throughout the country.

?The attraction this year in Iowa is to visit the Old Threshers Reunion at Mount Pleasant,? said co-organizer Mike Roach.

Nancy Roach said the tour in southeast tour has attracted 16 cars ? all original Stanley Steamers ? with more expected to sign on.

?The oldest car will be about 1910, and the newest will be around 1924,? said Mike Roach. ?The ones built before 1915 are noncondensers, using water only once; the ones built after 1914 are condensing models that reuse some of their water.

?The mileage for a noncondenser is about 1 mile per gallon. They burn ? to boil the water ? either gasoline, kerosene or a combination of gasoline and diesel fuel,? he continued. ?They are intriguing machines.?

Mike Roach said the steam-car owners and their families look forward to tours, like this one, to practice their steaming skills.

?I believe there are only about 100 to 150 operating steamers left in the country, and many more awaiting repairs or restoration,? he added.

?We are proud to say our tour includes steam cars and owners from the states of Washington, Kansas, Illinois, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Florida, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan and Pennsylvania,? Nancy Roach said.

Monday, the group will be vistiting the Villages of Van Buren County.

Tuesday, after a breakfast in Jefferson County Park, the cars will stop in Eldon at the American Gothic House and Visitors Center beginning at 10 a.m. and in Blakesburg at the Antique Airfield and Air Power Museum beginning at 1 p.m. before ending the day at Honey Creek Resort at Lake Rathbun for an overnight stay.

?We don?t travel in a caravan,? said Nancy Roach. ?We will be doing the same route, but at each car?s pace.?

For example, co-organizer Mike Roach told Brent Taylor of the Antique Airfield he could expect to see the cars between 1 and 3 p.m. Tuesday.

After a stop and visit, the drivers will refill their water tanks with a garden hose and continue their drive to Honey Creek Resort.

Aug. 29, the steam cars will tour back to Fairfield from Honey Creek through Centerville, Bloomfield, Cantril and Milton.

Aug. 30, the group will show their cars at Old Threshers.

Aug. 31, the group begins the day at Jefferson County Courthouse, then tours north with lunch at the Wooden Wheel Winery near Washington.

The Roachs said people are welcome to ask steam-car drivers questions, but caution, because the cars are hot to the touch, people need to be very careful around them.

Nancy Roach is excited about the tour.

?I am thrilled that so many of our Stanley friends are coming to my home state. Even though I now live in Illinois, I am still a Hawkeye,? she said.