We enjoyed a driving vacation this year. The days were long and we traveled a little over 5,600 in a little over two weeks. Getting up to 50 miles per gallon made it bearable, both in the pocketbook and for our sensibilities. Seeing a great deal of our country made it a joy.
While driving we like to get off the highway as the mood strikes us. Sometimes we just need a break from driving and sometimes we see something that is intriguing.
So you know that we stopped for a while in Montezuma, Iowa. Yes, Iowa.
Being curious we stopped and I asked a couple of folks where the name came from - answer was "it's an indian name", which indeed is true, but it still seemed curious to have a Mexica/Aztec name in the great Heartland. Everyone we met in Montezuma was friendly and everyone we met didn't know how the town got its name. Even the most knowledgeable, and friendly folks from the local historical and genealogical society were stumped.
We know that there were men who were from this area and fought in the Mexican/U.S. War. Perhaps founders of the city had fought in Mexico and brought back some Mexican history to Iowa? Who knows? If and when I find out, I'll let you know.
http://www.montezuma.org/http://showcase.netins.net/web/powshk/
Being from Illinois, I saw these pictures and thought they were unmistakably Midwestern!
ReplyDeletePlaces in Old Pas and many towns in the Midwest seem like architectural cousins. When I saw the GAR on the building I was reminded that the GAR Hall was THE gathering place at one point in Pasadena history.
ReplyDeleteI am from Montezuma, and some of the first settlers were indeed veterans of the Mexican-American War. They wanted to honor their service by naming the town in honor of Chief Montezuma.
ReplyDeleteBatesder,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information. I had a fine time with the folks that we met and enjoyed visiting one of the antique shops in town. I would love to come by again at some point and see the new site for the HIstorical Museum.