Wheeler's Grove, Pottawattamie Co., Iowa, photo album - August 1, 1999

After attending the Norwegian-American Bygdelag Centennial in Decorah, Iowa, Peg & Keith drove back across the state of Iowa to the region in southwest Iowa where Keith's Norwegian "Slooper" ancestors had settled after leaving the Fox River Settlement in Illinois.  These photos were taken in the Wheeler's Grove area of Grove Township located in southeastern Pottawattamie County.  See the Map Page for maps of this general area.  For more information about this summer day in Iowa, see our 1999 Iowa trip report "Segment E."

Approaching the Wheeler's Grove Church (right) & Cemetery from the northwest.

Across from the church, Keith stands at the entrance of the cemetery where some of his distant Wheeler relatives are buried.

The Wheeler Grove Christian Church was organized in 1872. The original church burned in 1918 & the current church was built across the road.  The denomination became the United Church of Christ in 1957.

Thanks to help from some Church ladies, Keith was soon comparing family information with a new found "cousin" Norris Buckingham who lives just west of the Church.

View from the Church yard looking south toward the old Silas Wheeler/Osler place.

A Wheeler Grove view showing woodland & prairie that has been in fertile farm production for many years.

Norris shows us the location of Anderson home site - to the right at the top of this hill - the old barn can be seen on the left.

The rental car is parked in front of where the Anderson home once stood. The utility pole can be seen on the left, but the house burned down around 1989.

This old barn stands across the road from the Anderson home site.

Looking east on Pioneer Trail Rd. ("Mormon Trail") which runs along the south boarder of the Anderson's Section 20. The "Mormon Cemetery is on the right under the trees.

The Mormon Cemetery, established in 1861, gets its name from being on the Mormon Trail, not because it is exclusively for LDS Church members.

Peg takes down information from the gravestone of Martha, Keith's great grandmother & daughter of Sloopers Jacob & Serena. She married first to Gus Wheeler & secondly to Chester Hilliard. 

Her weathered grave stone reads, "MARTHA WIFE OF HILLIARD, Died July 16, 1873, aged 37 years 1 mo. & 4 days. She is not dead but sleeping."

Looking west on Jordan Creek that runs through Wheeler's Grove. A summer rain storm had caused minor flooding recently & the water to run brown.

Looking south down the road that runs on the west side of Wheeler's Grove. The bridge over Jordan Creek is at the low point. 

A crude panorama trying to show the expanse of the corn fields in this area looking south-southeast with portion of Wheeler Grove on left.

Continuing panorama showing the vast corn fields with Wheeler Grove in the background. This is an eastward (left) continuation of previous panorama.

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