While visiting the Iowa Lakes Region in Siouxland I saw a sign for Newkirk, Iowa, off the highway I was traveling. It wasn’t far off the beaten path, and I never know what a small community might be like. What struck me most about this one is the crossroads passing through and leading somewhere else. Iowa was created by a many small community, giving the state its character. But as time and technology has moved on, small communities are getting smaller with little more than a few houses, a church, and most times, a closed community school. That is not a reflection on the community itself, rather how the state and life in general has progressed. Many might argue that such a progression may not be all that beneficial. But these small towns still provide a community for its immediate residents and those who visit.
Jerry Mennenga
Sioux City, Iowa
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- The Newkirk Reformed Church in Newkirk Iowa, Saturday, August 14, 2016. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)
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- Newkirk Iowa sits on a crossroads with a few houses and roadways passing through, Saturday, August 14, 2016. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)
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- The former Nekirk Community School in Newkirk Iowa, Saturday, August 14, 2016. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)
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- A road leading out of Newkirk Iowa, Saturday, August 14, 2016. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)
I enjoy ‘Stoppin to Smell the Roses’ ~US Hi-ways & Interstates kinda get ya close though