Stanton: Small Town Charm and Swedish Heritage
The warmth, architecture, and unique attractions of Stanton, Iowa
Stanton, Iowa is the type of community and town you imagine when you think of small town Iowa. It’s a place where you can’t go anywhere without people knowing your name, much like Cheers, only town-sized. I stayed overnight, enroute to RAGBRAI.
It’s also architecturally interesting. Founded in 1870, you can see beautiful steeples as you drive into town.
But, perhaps most prominent was the largest coffee pot and cup, that you simply cannot miss.
I was so excited to discover the gem of Stanton, the Swedish Heritage and Cultural Center. Led on a tour by Carroll Peterson and Sheila Mainquist, I learned that this is the place to go if you have relatives from Stanton, to learn more about their heritage.
Stanton was extremely welcoming. We went to the restaurant, Gibbs Chophouse, that evening, where Sheila pointed out everyone she knew inside, including the star of the film about Stanton we had just watched at the Swedish Heritage and Cultural Center.
The next morning, I grabbed a coffee from Fika, the town’s coffee shop, with Jenna Ramsey, Stanton’s Community Development Director. She explained that the shop would be getting busy shortly, as a meeting place for the shop’s regulars.
Jenna then took me on a driving tour, exploring some of the Stanton highlights like the world’s largest Swedish coffee pot/cup, the Greenbelt Trail, the new daycare, the technology park and the churches.
It was a short but full day and a half. I left at lunchtime for RAGBRAI day one, feeling like I found a small town secret, not far away, that many who would ride RAGBRAI just wouldn’t be able to experience in quite the same way.
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