A small town in Dallas County, Iowa. It sat about 18 miles west of Des Moines, on the Raccoon River, with a coal mine, a railroad stop and, by the press's count, 1,000 people. Autumn 1903. For about five nights, its townspeople reported a strange visitor near the abandoned mine and old brickyard. The Van Meter Visitor stories trace how the Des Moines Daily News carried the first account, later revived in a 2013 book. Today the town holds the Van Meter Visitor Festival each September, with monster walking tours.
Stories3
