Sure as shootin’: White Pole Road has stories to tell

Then and now: The White Pole Road looks a lot like it did when it was buil. But the cars? They’ve changed a bit. (Photos: whitepoleroad.com)

By Jessica O’Riley

The original White Pole Road, created in 1910, stretched from Des Moines to Council Bluffs, and offered a shorter, straighter and more level route across western Iowa. Its namesake poles were painted white and travelers were encouraged to travel the “Great White Way.”

Traffic on the road declined after work crews rolled out the interstate system in the 1950s and ’60s. But in 2002, towns along the old route between Adair and Dexter banded together to recreate their section of the White Pole Road, which was designated as an Iowa Scenic Byway in 2016. As you can imagine, the area is rich with stories from the early days of the “horseless carriage.” These are a few of my favorites:

According to legend, on April 16, 1934, two men purchased a Coca-Cola in Stuart and then ambled toward the First National Bank while a female friend waited nearby in a parked Oldsmobile. Inside the bank, the men ordered an assistant cashier and bookkeeper to the floor and robbed the bank of $1,500 (roughly $30,000 today). The unmasked crooks were later identified as Clyde Barrow and Henry Methvin. The woman in the car was Bonnie Parker.

As it turns out, this wasn’t Bonnie and Clyde’s first trip to the area. In July 1933, the so-called Barrow Gang was on the run from a shootout in Platte City, Missouri, when they camped at the old Dexfield Amusement Park, just north of Dexter. Newspaper accounts say they spent four or five days there, recuperating while Barrow made several trips into town for supplies.

The biggest shootout in Dallas County history erupted on July 24. When the smoke cleared, Barrow’s brother, Buck, was seriously injured. He died five days later at a hospital in Perry. His wife, Blanche, was tried and convicted for her part in the Platte City shootout and served six years in prison.

And Bonnie and Clyde? They stole a Plymouth from a nearby farm and raced out of town. Fun fact: They didn’t know how to drive the car and forced the farmer’s son to show them how. (Iowans are nothing if not helpful.)

But wait, there’s more: Another sensational crime played out in the area decades earlier. Just outside of Adair, Jesse James and his gang pulled off the first robbery of a moving train west of the Mississippi River on July 21, 1873. But it was sort of a bust: They thought the train was carrying a shipment of $75,000 in gold, but they chose the wrong train. They had to settle for some money in a safe and all the cash and valuables they could shake out of the passengers — a total of about $3,000.

Today, you can visit these three sites, each indicated by a historical marker, as well as other interesting attractions along the route. Here are a few highlights, from east to west:

Drew’s Chocolates, Dexter: Since 1927, Drew’s has been individually fork-dipping and selling chocolates out of their basement kitchen from recipes passed down for generations.

Dexter Museum, Dexter: See exhibits on local history, including the 1948 National Plowing Match, the Barrow Gang and the Dexfield Amusement Park. It’s open Sundays, May through October, or by appointment.

Ruby’s Bar & Grill, Stuart: This was the runner-up for the Iowa Pork Producer’s Best Breaded Tenderloin in 2024.

Friendly Gas Station, Menlo: The nostalgic sign was originally commissioned in 1934 by Harry Kalbach to welcome motorists to his service station.

Casey Creamery, Casey: This locally owned shop serves coffee and ice cream year-round.

If you enjoy traveling Iowa’s Scenic Byways, sign up for the free Iowa Scenic Byways passport to unlock discounts and recommended stops.

Contributor Jessica O’Riley has worked for the state tourism office and the Iowa State Fair. She’s crisscrossed the state more times than she can count on highways, byways and bike trails.