Have you ever been to Cresco, Iowa? Well, if not, it’s time you visit! Located in northeast Iowa, Cresco offers landscape designed for all four seasons and a variety of activities to engage all participants. Whether resident or visitor, we’ve got somethign for everyone! Tour the Boyhood Farm and Birthplace of Dr. Norman Borlaug and see why this gentle man is only one of seven people in the world to ever be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the Congressional Gold Medal, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Dr. Borlaug is credited with saving millions of lives by developing a hybrid of wheat that could be grown in places that previously could not do so.
A must-see in Cresco is the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame. Located in the Cresco Welcome Center, it is the only museum dedicated to Iowa-born natives who have contributed to amateur wrestling. See the likes of Dan Gable, Gold Medalist of the 1972 Olympics, and many others as you learn about Iowa’s proud sport of wrestling. An added bonus is the new IWHOF 40-foot mural dedicated to wrestling in Cresco and Iowa. This is a must-see experience!
Whether walking, biking, or nature watching, the Prairie Springs Recreation Trail (PSRT) is a 3-mile paved trail accessed from downtown Cresco at Balk Park to Vernon Springs, winding along the Prairie’s Edge Nature Center next to the Turkey River. Along the trail are benches and picnic tables to stop and enjoy your moments outdoors. Breathtaking beauty and glorious displays of nature can be seen the entire length of this trail surprising the delighted recreational enthusiast with prairie grass, flowers, rolling farmland, and shaded woods that brings you back to a less complex world. But the trail doesn’t stop there! Connecting to the Prairie Farmer Trail, this paved 22-mile experience traverses through an old railroad bed offering views of rich Iowa farmland along the way.
The first fitness trail in the State of Iowa possesses outdoor fitness equipment strategically placed along the recreation trail (PSRT) and offers a work-out for all ages and levels. Enjoy a run/walk and workout all along the trail, because this scenic experience now adds a challenge to all fitness levels!
Cresco is home to the first stewardess in the world. Ellen Church made many contributions to aviation and one of them was to devise a pilot program to bring nurses on board the newly proposed “passenger plane” back in the 1930s. Convincing the airlines that nurses on board would instill confidence in their passengers, they allowed Ellen to go forward with her program. It became such a success the first “Air Hostess” was born, which evolved into the “Stewardess,” and today, the “Flight Attendant.”
To raise community and visitor awareness to a form of art not often seen outside museums and galleries, Cresco is dotted with over 45 sculptures of children featured outside of historic buildings and landscapes. This is a great walking tour of a picturesque town in northeast Iowa that residents and visitors alike enjoy all year round!
Take a walk (and maybe a fishing pole) on Iowa’s first Rock Arch Rapids. This innovative fish ladder replaced a 150-year-old spill-water dam reconnecting hundreds of miles of river habitat. Over 280 feet of pools and rapids showcase this stunning new recreation area and is located at the end of the Prairie Springs Recreational Trail.
Find us on the web at www.howard-county.com for more information on the rich heritage and history of the Cresco area. See you soon!
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