When most of us get on our bicycles and go for a ride, it’s just for a short jaunt around town. Maybe it’s to get a little exercise. Maybe it’s to get a little fresh air. Or maybe it’s to spend some time with family or catch up with a friend. But chances are, it’s not to learn the history of the town we are riding in. Eugene Schlaman didn’t start out riding his bike for that intention either.
As a kid growing up in Iowa, his bike was how Schlaman got around town…but he never imagined it would one day take him across the state of Iowa. He also couldn’t have anticipated the wealth of knowledge and interesting facts about his home state he would discover as an adult because of his continued passion for riding bike.
Schlaman, a 1963 graduate of Hampton High School, said when he first read about a bike trip that went through Iowa, he thought to himself, “You know, I need to do this,” (despite the fact he was now living in North Carolina). He thought, “I think I can do this." In 2005, he did…and he’s continued riding RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa), every year since. But his journeys have racked up more than just a lot of bike miles – it’s helped him collect some unusual knowledge and fun facts about Iowa towns he’s ridden through. Now, after 14 years, he’s sharing some of those with us in a book he has written called “Iowa Bike Towns.” He started it last summer, working through the winter to compile all his stories.
“It gave me something to do while I was stuck at home during the pandemic," he said lightheartedly.
He went on to say that as a kid in school, he had a class on Iowa history, but admitted the details have long since passed from his memory. So, five years after his bike rides across Iowa began, he discovered he really did have an interest in Iowa history and actually wanted to learn more – specifically about the towns he would be riding through. He began researching the towns on the route, discovering each town’s unique story of the past.
Soon, other RAGBRAI riders were interested in Schlaman’s research too.
“Each night before the next day’s ride, I would gather my fellow bikers for my ‘nightly reading,’ telling them about the towns on the next day’s route. They enjoyed these stories and would look forward to hearing about the towns on the following day’s route,” said Schlaman.
Having biked through more than 100 towns in his 14 years of RAGBRAI, Schlaman said there are some that stick out more than others – some because of their history, and some because of the welcome mat that was rolled out for them.
He shares the way a number of towns in Iowa got their name. You may, or may not, be surprised to find out that Marathon, Iowa got its name from Marathon Greece, where there was a battle between the Athenians and Persians. Legend has it that a Greek soldier ran the 26 miles (the distance of a marathon) from Marathon to Athens to warn of the Persians coming. He was in full armor, and when got there, he collapsed and died.
"There are a lot of interesting stories in the book," said Schlaman. He even talks about Clarion as the birthplace of the 4-H emblem.
Did you know the city of Atlantic, Iowa was named because it was thought to be located halfway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans – and a coin flip decided which name it would bear? Delmar and LeMars both got their names the same way – they used the first letters of the first six women who got off a train. And speaking of LeMars, here in Iowa we may already know that it’s the ice cream capital of the world, but Schlaman discovered something not as commonly known.
Every hour on the hour, 365 days a year, a truck pulls up full of milk. That’s amazing," remarked Schlaman.
Over the years, he admits he’s been surprised many times by what he has learned in his research.
“There are a lot of interesting facts about Iowa towns that I didn’t realize,” he said.
For instance, Wyatt Earp (an American law enforcement officer and the last surviving participant of the OK Corral gunfight) was born in Pella. Buffalo Bill was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory. And the first railroad bridge to cross the Mississippi River from Davenport to Illinois was intentionally run into by a steam ship a week after it was built because it was hurting their business. The railroad hired a lawyer and the case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Their attorney was none other than Abraham Lincoln.
Do you know which Iowan invented Eskimo pies and soft-serve ice cream? Do you know the hometown of the original Superman…or the second actor to play Superman? Did you know the infamous Jesse James was involved in the first moving train robbery and it was in Iowa? Do you know which Iowa town has the rights to claim their city as the future birthplace of Captain Kirk from the Starship Enterprise? Schlaman does, and you will too if you read his book.
“It just amazes me the different things I've found,” he said.
Schlaman’s book also has stories about Iowa hangings, bank robberies, museums…and one about his hometown of Hampton – where at one time they had two Catholic priests both named Father Norton. They were father and son. You’ll discover how that is possible if you read his book.
To make the book complete, he included the over 850 towns that have been on the route since 1973.
“Iowa Bike Towns” just came out in February and is available on Amazon or through Barnes & Noble.
"Just sitting down and putting this all together was really fun,” Schlaman said of writing the book.
Schlaman is excited to ride through new towns this year during the ride across Iowa and about the opportunity to learn more about Iowa history.
"When I go to Iowa, it's hard to describe, but I get this warm feeling that I'm back home. I cross the border and it just feels right."
Does this mean there is another book in the making? Maybe. We will just have to wait and see.
