Story City Carousel
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Story City Carousel is an attraction in Iowa, at a modelled elevation of 299 m. Pilot Mound stands 363 m to the west, 22 miles off. The nearest named place is North Park, a park less than a tenth of a mile away. Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway passes 11 miles off.
The story
The Herschel-Spillman Two-Row Portable Menagerie Carousel, also known as the Story City Carousel, is a historic structure located in Story City, Iowa, United States. It was created by the Herschell Spillman Company of North Tonawanda, New York in 1913, and it has been owned and maintained by the Greater Community Congress of the City of Story City since 1938. Its "menagerie" of carved figures included horses, pigs, chickens and chariots. The Uncle Sam chariot, the pig and chicken pairs, and the lovers tub are all considered rare. The carousel utilizes an under-animal scissor support system, which is an example of an earlier and simpler technology in the development of the merry-go-round. Its early history is unknown, but it was designed for temporary set-up and use. P.T. Gifford, of Iowa Falls, at some point acquired the carousel and brought it to Story City every other year on the Fourth of July. It alternated with Eldora. The Greater Community Congress of Story City bought the carousel for $1,200 in 1938 when the usual arrangement fell through. It was stored in a local grain elevator when it was not is use until 1981 when the Greater Community Congress restored the carousel and had a pavilion built to shelter it. Butler Manufacturing Company designed the pavilion, which was completed in 1982 for $63,000. The carousel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q29640490, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
- 11.1 mi off the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway, National
- 132.9 mi off the Great River Road, National
Overlooks nearby
- Overlook · 11 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- North Park: 0.0 mi
- Story City Park: 0.3 mi
- Prairie Park: 0.4 mi
- Jacobsen Park: 0.6 mi
- Larson Park: 0.8 mi
- E18 Greenbelt Access: 2.0 mi
- Skunk River Greenbelt: 2.0 mi
- Doolittle Prairie State Preserve: 2.8 mi
- Sheffield Wildlife Area: 3.6 mi
- Anderson Canoe Access: 3.7 mi
- Inuksuk: 8.4 mi
- Three Crosses of Calvary: 9.7 mi
- Dire Enticement: 10.6 mi
- Rising Wave: 10.8 mi
- Bird: 10.9 mi
- Veterans Memorial: 4.0 mi
- Erickson Park Monument: 5.0 mi
- Skunk River Overlook: 8.2 mi
- Ada Hayden Rock: 8.2 mi
- John F Lacey Rock: 8.3 mi
- Delaware Avenue Community Gardens: 11.9 mi
- Community Gardens: 12.0 mi
- Joey & Jesse's Herb Garden: 12.5 mi
- Jones Rose Garden: 12.5 mi
- Buck Rose Collection: 12.5 mi
- City of Roland Museum: 4.6 mi
- Ames History Museum: 11.3 mi
- Farm House Museum: 11.5 mi
- Brunnier Art Museum: 11.8 mi
- Radcliffe Historical Museum: 11.8 mi
- Elwood the Gnome: 12.6 mi
- Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad: 17.7 mi
- Rail Explorers: Boone, IA: 17.7 mi
- "Twister Hill": 19.1 mi
- Turkey Pen: 22.0 mi
- Kiwanis Shelter: 14.0 mi
- Hertz Family Falls: 15.6 mi
- Pilot Mound: 21.7 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Story City Carousel. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot Mound | W 264° | 362.7 m | 21.7 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:19 | 18:50 | 19:27 |
| June solstice | 05:39 | 20:12 | 20:55 |
| September equinox | 07:02 | 18:36 | 19:13 |
| December solstice | 07:40 | 16:01 | 16:46 |
Local time (America/Chicago).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 20 | 24 | 37 | 49 | 61 | 71 | 73 | 71 | 63 | 51 | 37 | 25 |
| Precip in | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 1.1 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Ames Muni AP, 14 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/2715450577
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