Northwest Iowa Trivia

• The highest point in Iowa is located in a Sibley farmyard.
• Larchwood got its name from the many larch trees found in the area.
• The president of the Des Moines and Fort Dodge railroad was an avid hunter and so named Mallard after the large number of ducks in the area.
• Lephe Wells Coates from Spencer is credited with creating the word Blizzard in 1868 after reading a story about a man named Mr. Blizzard who had a raging temper.
• One of the three "blue lakes" in the world is West Okoboji.
• LeMars is the home of Wells' Dairy that is best known for its Blue Bunny products.
• Dublin, Ireland, is the sister city to Emmetsburg, Iowa.
• The Clay County Fair is acclaimed "The World's Greatest County Fair."
• The nation's first reinforced concrete bridge was built in 1893, three miles from Rock Rapids.
• The largest glacier-created lake in the state is Spirit Lake.
• East Okoboji is the longest natural lake in the state at sixteen miles in length.