♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] Highway 34 provides a path for travelers in Montgomery County to immerse themselves in ages of history, from the heritage of Native Americans 10,000 years ago to southwest Iowa's role in the country's industrial innovations.

Explorers have plenty to learn at the Montgomery County History Center in Red Oak.

[Dave McFarland] Everything from cigar factories to making calendars.

You name it, they did it here.

And for a number of years, it was kind of a leader in southwest Iowa.

We're big on doing genealogy also, which draws a lot of people in.

[Kohlsdorf] Outside the center, visitors can tour a campus of historical buildings from around the county.

Some of the structures are still in use today.

[Dave McFarland] We have a small church out there.

It is the oldest church in the county.

We have church services in it three Sundays a month.

When I was a small boy, my grandmother and I went to church in that church.

So yeah, it kind of hits close to home.

[Kohlsdorf] Others stand as a testament to Red Oak's heritage and agricultural innovation.

[Dave McFarland] Well, in the corner of the property, we have a barn from 1884.

Some kind of pioneers came here, two brothers came and started one of the first hybrid seed corn, which is kind of a big thing for Iowa.

♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] Woven throughout Red Oak and Montgomery County is honor and appreciation for military service.

From the Revolutionary War through the campaigns of Desert Storm and Desert Shield, the center displays articles and artifacts celebrating the area's national pride.

[Dave McFarland] A large part of Montgomery County was given away as military land grants, and it kind of established a tradition.

We sent some of the first troops to the Civil War.

Our philosophy is if you can have an artifact, you can have a tractor.

You can have a military uniform.

And it's maybe an interesting artifact, but it's the story that goes with the artifact, who wore it, who drove the tractor, and that sort of thing.

So early on, we adopted that philosophy that we emphasize the story and it's the story of all of us.

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