| Named for W. B. Ogden, a distinguished railroad man
and capitalist, the city of Ogden was incorporated in 1866 and
remains a vibrant community located in western Boone County. The
city boasts of a newly renovated City Park, a modern library and a
beautiful community center. The community also features
turn-of-the-century architecture in many of the fine homes and
businesses found throughout town. Styles from Queen Anne to
Craftsman to Victorian farmhouses to Prairie styles are all
represented.
Railroad history abounds around Ogden. The longest highest
double-track railroad bridge in the world, the Kate
Shelley High Bridge, is approximately 3 miles
northeast of Ogden. This 99-year-old giant is an impressive site
stretching across the Des Moines River and surrounding woodland and
fields. The Kate
Shelley Railroad Museum and Park is southeast of
Ogden in the nearby Moingona.
Running right through the middle of town is the old Lincoln
Highway. This historic roadway was constructed
through Ogden in 1913, paved in 1929 (ask anyone in town about the
footprints in the cement), and some of the original surface remains.
West of town there are some of the highway's famous "rainbow
bridges" still standing.
Don
Williams Recreational Area, just a few miles north of
Ogden, offers boating, fishing, a public golf course, camp grounds,
picnic areas with shelter houses, swimming, nature trails, tennis
courts, wildlife sculpture and an authentic country school museum.
The area is also noted for its spectacular scenery, especially
along the Des Moines River Valley, just east of Ogden. The river is
noted for its fishing, canoeing and picnic areas.
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