September 12 - Herbert Hoover and the Amana colonies

     After a very leisurely morning start, we headed east on I80.  It was quite windy as the RV traveled to West Branch, Iowa - birthplace of Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States.  It is a National Park Historical site, and one starts their visit in the Ranger office. A short narrative video provides lots of good information.  Becky and Jim left the RV with all screens open, as the temperature was in the low 70's and the dogs would be comfortable with the fresh air.  We walked around part of the recreated village and posed by Hoovers boyhood home, 60% of which is original structure and furnishings.  Additionally, there is a reconstructed blacksmith shop, similar to the one his father operated before dying at the age of 35.  A docent blacksmith is on site to answer questions about "Bert" and his family, a nice touch.

     Adjacent to the National Park site is the Hoover Museum and Library.  As we've found at other Presidential Libraries, this museum is a great tribute to President Hoover, and certainly tells a different story about the man than what we learned in school ( primarily that he was the President who took us in to the great depression of 1929).

     Hoover's parents both died in their mid-30's, and he was orphaned at the age of 10.  They were a strong Quaker family, and he was sent to live with relatives in Oregon who continued raising him in that tradition.  He went to Stanford and got his engineering degree, and clearly found his calling.  The visit to the museum starts with a 22" film about his life, and we were surprised to learn that he worked as a mining engineer for a British Company and became a very successful manager for them.  He ran their operations in Australia, where he was credited with discovering a gold mine.   That led to him being promoted to run their operations in China.  The promotion and additional money allowed him to marry his wife Lou, who came from California.  They departed the following day for China, and lived through the Boxer rebellion.  The visitor follows the path of his life by moving from room to room, where there are numerous galleries, photos, and illustrations from newspapers and magazines.  Several scenes of his life are presented as
stage sets, with life size figures of Hoover (note the scene above where he is in his office in the Outback).  What was truly amazing to find out was the scope of his humanitarian relief efforts, beginning during and after WW I.  He organized a massive relief for the people of Belgium during the war, and subsequently for the whole continent after the Armistice.  Several years late, after having been President only 8 months, Wall Street collapsed, This doomed both his Presidency and his reputation.  He had actual foreseen economic disaster years earlier because of President Harding and Coolidge's "hands off" approach regarding big business.  No friend of FDR, he went "into the Wilderness", basically becoming a political outcast until 1946.  Harry Truman asked him to repeat his WW I success in providing massive relief to the European continent.  He did, and was forever recognized for his humanitarian efforts.
     There is a special area devoted to his wife, Lou, who was a major support throughout their long marriage and a great humanitarian in her own right.
     After departing the Museum, we walked by the Quaker meeting house so important to his early upbringing and shaping of his character.  Inside, Becky got to sit in a pew and repeat one of her favorite ditties-"Quaker meeting has begun, no more laughing, no more fun......"  It was a good ending to the visit there!
     After lunch, we drove to the Amana Colonies, which Jim had never heard of.  Amana always meant to him a brand of appliances, which in fact did emanate from these communities!  There are seven towns in all, with a 17-mile loop of roads connecting them together.  The Colonies were founded by a German religious group from the Mainz area that came to the U.S. in the 1850's to escape religious persecution.  Originally settling in near Buffalo NY, they outgrew their land and moved en masse to Iowa, where the present communities are located.  They were basically a communal society isolated from the outside world and were entirely self contained.  Knowing little about them, it was most interesting to learn how different they were from the more commonly known Amish and Mennonites.  They had no problem using modern tools and techniques, did not prohibit alcohol (they had wineries and made beer), and after WW I, participated in the U.S. military.  They sent many of their sons to fight in WW II.  Yet they believed in staying apart from the world outside their colony.

    We walked through one of the towns, Amana, and visited the museum and went in several stores.  The one with fudge was quite good!  Afterward, we drove along the 220 Trail through 6 of the 7 communities, none of which are particularly prosperous these days. 
     Their way of life basically ended in 1932, when fire destroyed two of their main industries that sold products to the outside world.  The residents voted to dissolve the communal way of life.  There is still an Amana Corporation that oversees many businesses, but the members of the community have basically assimilated into everyday American life.  Oh yes - one of their businesses was the Amana Appliance company that made stoves and the first microwave over, the Amana RadarRange.  That company has since been sold off, and is now part of the Whirlpool Corporation.
     Instead of riding the 60+ miles back to our campsite on I80, we chose to follow old historic Route US 6.  It was much nicer, with virtual no traffic and a 55-mile speed limit in most places.  The only town of any size was Grinnell, home of the liberal arts college of the same name.  Undulating hills, and miles after mile of corn, alfalfa, and soybeans graced the countryside. Jim grew up thinking corn was the perfect food- ie, corn on the cob, popcorn, niblets in a can, etc. etc.  Now he knows that most of it really goes to feed animals and dilute our gasoline!  What could be more fitting than to end this days Blog than a photo of those fields!