Ogden

OGDEN	Pop. 1,600 Alt. 1,087	Control, Post Office.
Marshalltown 60.4	Carroll 46.0	One hotel, 2 garages. Local speed limit, 10 miles per hour. One railroad crossing at grade, dangerous, bad crossing, not protected. Four banks, 3 railroads, 18 general business places, express company, telephone company, 1 newspaper, trolley. Commercial Club.
Gravel, Concrete		L.H. Local Consul, Alvin Treloar, Manager Telephone Co.

- A Complete Official Road Guide of The LINCOLN HIGHWAY Fifth Edition (1924)

East of Ogden.
As the Lincoln Highway begins its climb out of the Des Moines River valley, it takes a circuitous route. Tracing the route today requires a little guesswork - you can follow the 1913 grade right into the 1955 embankment of new U.S. 30 and out the other side. But eventually the road evens out and becomes walkable. At the end of this walk the grade turns into an actual road - 222nd Drive.

East of Ogden.
At the intersection of old U.S. 30 where the 1913 Lincoln Highway on 222nd Drive comes in from the south, you can't miss the Battin Chapel on the southwest corner. The water tower of Ogden is within sight at this point. In 1995 when this photograph was taken, the white clapboard church was abandoned.

West of Ogden.
My goodness, isn't that a remarkable improvement? Thanks to the community of Ogden the church was renovated for use as a museum. A miraculous recovery!

Ogden.
The famous Ogden footprints. Mysteriously cast in wet concrete by an Ogdenite in 1929, the footprints were "filled in with a different concrete mix. The street itself was paved with a course river gravel, which has since been worn down to a terrazzo-like appearance, not unlike a bank floor. Early in 1994 it was decided to top the original concrete with asphalt. But that would have covered over the footprints, which are rapidly becoming more widely known and appreciated." Greg Franzwa, The Lincoln Highway: Iowa, 1995.
The city did eventually repave the street, but bless 'em they left a narrow band unpaved to keep the footprints as is.

Ogden.
The ceramic-surfaced abandoned Standard station at the west end of downtown Ogden. The footprints are in front of this building. A beautiful modern design, this is another Lincoln Highway artifact that should be put to some use, though the townsfolk are credited for leaving it standing and well-groomed.

"Ogden, with a population slightly less than 2000, is an absolute wonder. People entering it in the summertime will notice brilliant banners bearing the Lincoln Highway logo mounted high on every other light standard.

Ogden has been participating in the Iowa Rural Main Street project, designed to give a historical look to the community and make the business district amore inviting place. It's working. The town is growing, and business space is at a premium. The Main Street offices, thoroughly restored, are at 218 West Walnut Street."

BOONE COUNTY

Ogden