Swedesburg, Iowa is where we took a short stop on our way to pick up little Olivia in Missouri on Memorial Day. Mom has driven by this town many times, and Bailie too, but never stopped. It was time to finally see what makes this place so special.
From the road, one can see the giant Yule Goat. Knowing our mom, that means a photo opp, so we must stop. I have to admit, it was a pretty cool looking thing on the side of the highway!
We drove just off the highway a quarter of a mile to find the Swedesburg Swedish American Museum and Historical Society. To our surprise, it was open on a holiday. Right next to the building was a huge fourteen foot tall Dala Horse named Ole, the largest one in all of Iowa. We posed, and just as Mom was about to snap the shot, a squirrel ran by! Yes, squirrels are everywhere in the world…probably even in outer space! Of course, our camera focus was gone for the duration of that photo shoot.
This town was developed by Swedish immigrants in 1864. In it’s heyday, there were one hundred citizens, but most of the time is has averaged more like ninety. It’s built on swampy land, so the immigrants had to drain tile their fields in order to make the land suitable for farming. Above is a photo of the first house in the town.
The little post office is pretty darn adorable…and very small.
Inside the museum and store, our co pilot took a ten minute tour of the museum, and loaded up on facts while Mom did some shopping. The tour was good we heard. It looked like rain outside. We had the car windows and roof open, and Mom didn’t want it to rain in the car. From the store, she could keep an eye on the weather. Mom bought herself a sweatshirt, and this mug. I hope she gives it to someone as a gift as Bailie said the soup was a bit weird tasting!
On the way out of town, we stopped to try to get some shots with the Yule Goat. The ground was saturated with water, which made things difficult. Our co pilot grabbed this shot of Mom trying to wrangle us around for a good shot. It was super windy too, and she forgot to put her hair back.
Finally we got an okay shot, nothing fantastic, but this Yule dude was sure fun to see, and big! It was time to get back on the road to pick up Olivia. Sometimes it’s a good idea to take a break in a new place to see new things. Out in the middle of nowhere, one can find some fun stuff!
We’re joining our friends at Living Laughing and Barking in Our Backyard as they are hosting the Nature Friday Blog Hop and we are out in nature.
Cool stop! When we did cross country trips mom also loved to make detours. This one looks like it was definitely worth it! Gotta get off the beaten path sometimes, mom says. Happy Friday! Hope all is going well with Olivia! your friend Lilly
We love finding fun things to see and take photos of along the way.
How fun! Looks like an interesting place.
It’s a cute tiny town.
oooh we have the same buck just a little bit smaller from ikea…. love the way the people of swedesburg honor the land with the same name ;O)
It was founded by Swedish immigrants long, long ago. That buck is huge. We have never seen one that big before.
That house looks exactly like a house I had in CT. It was also built in 1876. You have the best road trips.
Wow! I wonder if it is similar inside too! Cute house really.
Hari Om
What a fun post even if weather-challenged! (I know all about that as I landed back at The Hutch yesterday. In the Great Down Under Parts it is winter and cold but at least sunny – here it was back to the ‘summer’. 12’C and very wet and very windy. Sigh.) You sure add perspective to the size of that straw fella and I adore all things architectural! Hugs and wags, YAM-aunty xxx
We are good for putting the size of things into perspective!
What a cute, quaint, little town! Yes, squirrels are everywhere – even in outer space. 🙂 I liked the animals! Have a happy weekend! XOXO, Sparkle
My mom’s dad’s side of the family came from Sweden and settled in a different part of Iowa, so Mom loves Swedish stuff.
We too love exploring new places, in real life and via our friends’ blogs. Our favourite picture today is of a wild haired lady struggling to line up two dogs for a photoshoot in front of a giant straw goat!
Toodle pip!
Bertie.bou
Mom’s hair was a flying hot mess! She should know better than to leave it down when traveling with us, LOL.
Always fun to stop at places that are a little different. Lots of interesting things are usually in store. I enjoyed and hated the Cream of Lutefisk mug all at the same time!
It will be a gift my mom says to a person who loves Sweden. Now we have to keep it until Christmas.
What a fun stop! Love the Yule goat!
The Yule goat was the best part of it all for us.
That looks like a fun place to stop.
It was a fun little place.
Those huge critters really were quite amazing!
Definitely fun to find.
I love making stops like that! I just wish driving around here wasn’t so darn stressful!
Mom makes it stressful as she always wants to get to where we are going.
I would have stopped too. A fun place to explore.
Have a woof woof day and weekend. My best to your mom. ♥
Sometimes you just have to stop when you see things that look interesting.
A Yule Goat! That is a new one for me! We have seen corncob castles and jack-a-lopes; hum we will have to research that one! You girls have all the fun!
We see those around the holidays, but not usually out in a field in size huge.
What a cute little town. And I love that mug!
It’s pretty funny we think.
What a fun side trip! You don’t see a huge goat made of straw every day! Your Mom’s hair in that photo made us chuckle though! 🙂
It was not making her very happy, but she has no problem laughing at herself.
Your Mom always finds the coolest places to explore!!
xoxo,
Rosy, Jakey & Arty
She loves to find the weird stuff!
It looks like a fun place to learn about how people lived in that area way back when.
Good place for a stop on a road trop.
What a cool place to visit! I love the giant Yule goat. Y’all always find the most unusual places on your journeys. Thanks for taking us along.
That giant Yule goat was our favorite thing.