When Territorial Officials established the county of Fayette in 1837, its borders spanned from Canada on the north to the southern border of the present county on the south, the Mississippi River on the east, and included the Dakotas on the west. These 140,000 square miles made it the largest county in the country. Ten years later, it was reduced to its present borders, which include 720 square miles of beautiful Iowa landscape.
The Ice Age left Fayette County with rich prairies and miniature-mountains. Its scenic valleys provide a mixture of farmland and rolling hills. Primitive areas remain covered with woodlands, alive with songbirds, deer, turkeys and other small wildlife.
Four seasons of outdoor recreation can be enjoyed in numbers of beautiful parks (including the fabulous Volga River Recreation Area – one of the state’s largest). Springtime offers outdoor enthusiasts an opportunity to study nature while searching for wildflowers, hunting for mushrooms, or fishing in the sparkling streams, meandering rivers, or in Frog Hollow Lake (Volga Lake).
Throughout the year, people can participate in activities such as golfing (five courses in the county), camping (outstanding public and private facilities), picnicking, swimming, canoeing, horseback riding, biking, and hiking. Stock car races are offered for spectators as well as a performing arts center and a movie theater.
In winter, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, ice fishing, and skating top the list. Fall offers beautiful foliage during the “changing of the colors”. One of four state-sponsored scenic-byways passes though this “award- winning” county.
History buffs wishing to get a glimpse of the past can pick from stops in most Fayette County towns. Among them are: Montauk, home of Iowa’s 12th governor; the Union Sunday School which houses the country’s largest Kimball pipe organ being used for concerts; along with many one-room school houses, magnificent churches, century-old buildings, fascinating cemeteries, unique barns, statues, bridges, the Stone Man, opera houses and numerous museums.
Convenient motels, bed and breakfasts, public and private campgrounds, and many fine restaurants and shops are ready to serve visitors. Come be our guest and “Explore the Bounty of Fayette County”.
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Contact Information |
Fayette County Tourism Council:
P.O. Box 528
Fayette, IA 52142
Email: fctourism@alpinecom.net
Phone: 800.798.4447
Local: 563.425.4447
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Board of Directors |
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Director: Carol Weidemann
President: Wilma Welsh
Vice-President: Sheryl Struthers
Treasurer: Maurice Welsh
Secretary: Dee Brandt
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