The small towns
Iowa's railroads created hundreds of small towns, spaced a few miles apart so that farmers could haul grain to the nearest elevator and return home the same day. Each town had a main street, a depot, an elevator or two, a bank, a hardware store, a creamery, churches and a school. Local photographers made real photo postcards of almost every one of them in the early twentieth century, often only in small numbers, and those cards are what most Iowa collectors seek.
Farms and farm work
Iowa's farms appear on cards showing barns, farmhouses, livestock, corn fields, threshing crews with steam engines, corn husking and harvest scenes. Real photos of threshing crews and farm work with identified families or places are popular with agricultural collectors and with families researching their roots.
Creameries and elevators
Cooperative creameries were central to many Iowa towns, and grain elevators stood beside every railroad line. Real photos of creameries, elevators and the wagons lined up to deliver are distinctive Iowa subjects that collectors of agricultural history and of specific towns pursue.
River towns
On the Mississippi, Dubuque, Davenport, Muscatine, Burlington, Fort Madison and Keokuk had busy waterfronts, bridges, button factories and steamboats. Muscatine's pearl button industry, which cut buttons from river mussel shells, is a distinctive subject. On the Missouri, Council Bluffs and Sioux City faced Nebraska. River real photos, steamboats and floods are popular.
Coal towns
Southern Iowa had a coal mining industry, with towns such as Buxton, an unusual coal company town with a large Black community, and many smaller camps. Real photos of mines, miners and these towns are historically significant and collected.
Fairs and events
The Iowa State Fair in Des Moines and county fairs across the state were photographed extensively, along with Chautauquas, parades, homecomings and celebrations. Event real photos from identified towns are among the most collected Iowa cards.
Places and subjects to look for
- Main streets: small-town business districts across all 99 counties.
- Depots and elevators: along every railroad line.
- The Mississippi: Dubuque, Davenport, Muscatine, Burlington and Keokuk.
- Southern Iowa: coal towns, including Buxton.
- Des Moines: the capitol, the state fair and city streets.
- The lakes: Okoboji and Clear Lake resorts in the north.
- Amana: the Amana Colonies and their villages.
Interurbans
Iowa had interurban lines connecting cities such as Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Des Moines and Fort Dodge with surrounding towns. Postcards of interurban cars and stations are collected by transportation enthusiasts.
Real photos versus printed views
Des Moines landmarks and some larger towns were printed by publishers, and those cards are common. Real photos of small towns, farms, creameries, fairs and disasters were made in small numbers by local photographers, and they carry most of the value in an Iowa collection.
What is common
Printed views of the capitol, Des Moines streets and later chrome highway and motel cards are plentiful.
Why Iowa real photos are so well documented and so wanted
Iowa has an especially strong tradition of town histories, county historical societies and family genealogy, and many Iowans still live in or near the towns their families settled. Collectors and historians compile lists of every known real photo view of a town, and a previously unrecorded view can attract strong interest. That is why even a plain-looking real photo of a small Iowa main street or creamery deserves careful attention when a collection is sold.
Disasters
Tornadoes, floods and fires struck Iowa towns throughout the postcard era, and local photographers sold real photo cards of the damage. These event cards, with the town and date written on them, are historically valuable and popular with collectors.
Questions about Iowa postcards
Are small-town Iowa postcards valuable? Real photos of main streets, depots, creameries and elevators are the most collected Iowa cards.
Are Muscatine pearl button postcards collectible? Yes, button factory and clamming scenes are a distinctive Iowa subject.
Are Iowa threshing crew postcards worth anything? Real photos of crews and steam engines are popular with agricultural collectors.
Do you buy Iowa collections? Yes, complete collections from anywhere in the state, by mail.