Red Flag Horseless Carriage Tour commemorates first publicly funded road in Iowa Friday

DANVILLE - The Red Flag Horseless Carriage Tour made a once-in-a-lifetime stop this weekend during the annual three-day tour across Henry County, seeing the first publicly-funded road built in Iowa uncovered at Geode State Park after the lake was drained last year for conservation purposes. The lake will be refilled next year, covering the road once again in 2019.

The tour began on Thursday, Sept. 27, and continued through Saturday, Sept. 29, with 16 antique cars manufactured between 1908 and 1927 from leaving and returning to Mt. Pleasant each day to boost tourism in Henry County. The tour chose to stop at Geode State Park to commemorate Agency Road on Friday, Sept. 28, before continuing to Danville for lunch.

'It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” said Dave Smith, President of Friends of Geode State Park, as the old cars rumbled to their first stop on Friday at the empty Lake Geode basin. 'It's hopefully the last time we will have to drain (the lake).”

Agency Road was completed in late 1800s, running for 75 miles from Burlington to Agency. Smith said they have always know the road existed under Lake Geode, and he himself can often follow the length of the road when taking a boat to fish out on the lake.

As history fanatics themselves, the antique car owners were thrilled to stop at Lake Geode. Stepping out of their vehicles, the tourists hiked down to the lake basin and wandered along the gravel road, where they picked up pumpkins and gourds that were growing among the vegetation of the empty lake.

Tim and Deb Miller, of New Prague, Minn., drove a 1914 Model T on the tour this weekend. The couple never considered collecting antique cars. That is until 15 years ago when they traveled with their then-teenage daughter to a volleyball tournament in Iowa and stayed at a hotel where someone had parked their old Model T.

'You have to be a different kind of person (to own antique cars),” Tim said as he looked around at his peers on the tour. Now, Tim and Deb learn about more than just their cars, but the history surrounding them. On Saturday, they dressed up in period clothing. Deb dressed as a 'lady of modest means” from 1914 and Tim dressed as a medical officer.

John Pole, of Cottage Grove, Minn. drove a 1910 Buick. This is the fifth year Pole has toured with the Red Flag Horseless Carriage group, and he said it's the 'southeast Iowa hospitality” that keeps him coming back.

Pole purchased the Buick at an auction three years ago, and it is one of nine antique cars he owns, a hobby he has been cultivating since he was 15 years old. In addition to owning antique cars, Pole has collected antique boats and farm equipment over the years.

'You really have to drive these cars,” Pole said, explaining that he has to remain focused at the wheel. While modern cars have safety features and turn signals, Pole said he keeps in mind that the brakes on his 1910 Buick are over 100 years old.

That doesn't slow Pole down when touring, however. 'There's a lot of people whose cars just sit in their garage. I call them ‘garage queens,'” Pole said. 'If I don't drive it, why should I own it?”

Another thing Pole plans for when touring is whether non-oxygenated gas will be available at the station. Ethanol gas can create problems, he explained. For the tour, he brought 15 gallons of gas with him.

Don Pauley, of Clear Lake, was driving a 1916 Maxwell Friday. For Pauley, the antique cars are a reminder of the importance of history. He enjoys the ingenuity of the mechanics and the way the early cars were designed with the limited materials manufacturers had available to them at the time.

Pauley, who is on the tour's board of directors, said it's a good way to introduce Iowa history to people. 'We introduce some of Iowa's history and culture here,” he said, adding, 'We enjoy the friendships we form and sharing our passion.”

The tour began in Mt. Pleasant Thursday, traveling through Mediapolis and stopping in Oakville for lunch and to chat with the mayor. They also toured the Indian mounds and ate ice cream in Morning Sun. Thursday evening, they watched 'The First Auto,” courtesy of Main Street Cinemas.

Following the stop at Lake Geode Friday, the tour continued to Lowell, Danville and back to Mt. Pleasant where they had a picnic dinner at Saunders Park. Saturday, the tour concluded with a drive through New London to Brighton and ending in Mt. Pleasant.