Places johncyrilokeefe Wants to Go

European castle ruins in an American state park are actually the product of death and grief.

This hand-carved wooden carousel in the Story City North Park was built in 1913.

This tiny site in Iowa, part of a patchwork national wildlife refuge, is home to ancient flora and fauna.

Hidden in the grounds of the Fort Dodge Museum is a "real" and terrifying petrified giant.

Chilly air billows out from the entrance of an abandoned mine on a steep hillside, providing a refuge for Ice Age fauna and flora.

This massive railroad spike celebrates the 1939 premiere of the movie “Union Pacific.”

An obelisk commemorating Lincoln's role in connecting the coasts.

The highest point in Iowa, while not that impressive to mountain states, has earned its own monuments.

Largest gathering of hobos in the country has been meeting annually since 1900.

Remnants of a quarry company town still stand on the banks of the Wapsipinicon River.

No one knows the origin of this small town’s unique name.

This long unused shot tower on the Mississippi remains a point of pride for a small city in Iowa.

Most comprehensive museum in America devoted to one ethnic group.

In rural Iowa, an imported 19th-century windmill overlooks an unlikely enclave of Danish culture.

The oldest university museum west of the Mississippi retains its 19th century feel.

This simple home was the beginning of a long journey for the iconic Western film star.

The magazine keeps a perfectly groomed display garden for its photo shoots.

An Iowa town celebrates its heritage with the tallest working Dutch windmill in North America.

Eight feet in diameter and more than 24 feet around.

The Iowa state contender for largest pan in the world oddly only comes in second or so.

While there are no actual snakes in the history of this crooked road, there may be a number of dead horses.

The notorious couple camped at this site after a bloody shootout with police.

Lured here by the promise of tens of thousands in gold, Jesse James started a quintessentially American trend of robbing trains in-motion.

A mysteriously dark cemetery monument fuels stories and legends galore.