News Release

April 24, 2008

Underwood rest area dedication event set for May 1

AMES, Iowa - The public is invited to attend as the Iowa departments of Transportation (Iowa DOT) and Economic Development (IDED) dedicate the new Interstate 80 Rest Area and Welcome Center on eastbound Interstate 80 near Underwood.

Date: Thursday, May 1, 2008

Time: Formal program begins at 2 p.m.

Location: Underwood Rest Area and Welcome Center
Interstate 80, exit 19, Pottawattamie County near Underwood

Presenters:

• Nancy Richardson, Iowa DOT director
• Mike Tramontina, IDED director
• Mark Masteller, Iowa DOT chief landscape architect
• Steven McMenamin, Iowa DOT rest area administrator
  

To celebrate this facility and promote May as Iowa Tourism Month, entry forms will be available at the door for one lucky attendee to receive a mini “Travel Iowa” gift basket filled with items from the Western Iowa Tourism Region, Harrison County Historical Village and Welcome Center, Well's Dairy, Pottawattamie County Conservation, and Council Bluffs Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Following the ceremony and gift basket drawing, the public is invited to tour the new facility that honors Pottawattamie County 's natural geographical setting, ideally located to serve as host to many significant events in American history. These events included the point of railroad and western expansion of the United States; home to an early and extensive Native American culture; on the route of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery expedition; the point of crossing for the Mormon Trail; and place where there is evidence of one of the oldest archeological human burial sites in Iowa, “Turin Man,” which existed over 4,700 years ago.

Perhaps most unique to Pottawattamie County is the earth itself, and the rising and falling hillsides and bluffs that encompass it. The “catsteps” or dramatic terraces that stack one upon the other toward the horizon in this area are known as the Loess Hills.
Loess (pronounced “luss”) is German meaning loose or crumbly. The Loess Hills were formed between 14,000 and 24,000 years ago, deposited by wind during the last great Ice Age. These geographic features are found at this depth (more than 200 feet) in only two places in the world, western Iowa and Shaanxi, China.

The public artwork installed at the Iowa DOT's Underwood Rest Area and Welcome Center was designed by artist David B. Dahlquist of RDG Dahlquist Art Studio, who served as a member of the multi-disciplinary design team that included HGM Associates and landscape architect Dolores Silkworth of RDG Planning and Design.

The sculptural elements seen throughout the site, as well as the interior tile work included in the floor and wall murals, depict images and present facts unique to the Loess Hills and their presence in Pottawattamie County. The artwork is intended to honor those people who protected and preserved this natural landscape, and raise awareness to the rare beauty that is the Loess Hills.

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