| In 1839 the U.S. Congress passed a bill approving
$20,000 to construct a road from Dubuque to the northern border
of the state of Missouri. The U.S. Military built the road, which
was designed to pass through the county seats of justice. The Military
or "National" Road ran west from Dubuque to Cascade and
then south through Bowen's Prairie, Mount Vernon, Ivanhoe, Iowa
City, and beyond. The road proved an impetus to the growth of those
communities along its route. Current U.S. Highway 151 in Jones County
follows and incorporates the route of the Old Military Road.
1919, Paving U.S. 151,
Formerly The Military Road
|
1839 Map of the Military Road
Through Bowen's Prairie |
