I am a clay block silo lover. There is nothing like traveling through the heart of farm country in Minnesota or Iowa and looking at old farm silos. So far, Minnesota seems to have Iowa beat. ACO silos are still very common around the Springfield, Minnesota, area. But what does Iowa have to offer? The answer is the Everlasting Silo, which was made in Mason City, Iowa, by the Denison brickyards.
I drove down to Mason City in 2011, hoping to find that Everlasting Silos in Iowa were still as common as ACO silos in Minnesota. However, I ended up being disappointed, as I only found one. I really do not know why Everlasting Silos have disappeared in Iowa. Maybe I just didn’t travel through the right area, or maybe the blocks were not made well. The one I found was on the northern edge of Clear Lake, Iowa.
Clear Lake is known for a tragedy. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper, who had performed in the Surf Ballroom, planned to fly from Clear Lake to Moorhead, Minnesota. However, the plane crashed shortly after takeoff on February 3, 1959, killing all three and the pilot. This is known as “The Day the Music Died,” which is a part of the Don McLean “American Pie” song.
Clear Lake has preserved the Surf Ballroom, which is just like stepping back into history. On the way out of town to the crash site, lies the one Everlasting Silo I found. I would love to hear from anyone that knows of others that still exist. They have a very unique top to them.
