September 7, 1919 – A Special Program for Dexfield Park
The Great War was over. Although Dexter had lost four sons to that war, the surviving troops were home. Central Iowans were ready to be entertained.
Dexfield Park, between Dexter and Redfield, was easy to get to even from Des Moines. If you didn’t want to drive, railroads served both towns, and you could hitchhike to the park.
Admission was 9 cents plus a 1-cent war tax. Guess the Great War hadn’t been paid for yet.
The Dexter Museum has a display about old Dexfield Park.
The park closed during the Great Depression, but people still used the camping area. Among them were the Barrow Gang, AKA Bonnie and Clyde. They were attempting to recover from a shootout in Missouri, where Clyde’s brother, Buck, had sustained a severe head wound. There was a shootout with a posse in July 1933. Bonnie, Clyde, and their driver got away, but Buck and wife Blanche were arrested. Buck died a few days later at a hospital in Perry, Iowa.
