Emmetsburg Showcases their Destination Town

Emmetsburg was an overnight town during RAGBRAI 2022. Although my team’s time in the community was short the community intrigued me. It intrigued me enough to make the community the subject of my first video interview on Rural Resurrection.

Early Emmetsburg

In 1856 a group of immigrant families worked their way westward to find their new community. They were attracted to the rich farm grounds of Northwest Iowa. They eventually settled on the banks of the Des Moines River.

The original town of Emmetsburg didn’t last long. The railroad was expanding westward through this part of Iowa. They offered choice lots for business owners in a new location a short distance away that was more favorable to the railroad. Eventually, business after business relocated to the new site (the current location of the community).

Many of those who originally settled Emmetsburg were Irish in descent. In fact, the town’s name was in honor of Robert Emmet a leader in Irish rights.

In July of last year, the community hosted thousands of bikers, and their support crews, to town as part of the annual ride across Iowa. They were welcomed with decorations and activities that clearly had flare than leaned on the town’s Irish roots.

Emmetsburg RAGBRAI; Courtesy Gretchen Reichter – Emmetsburg RAGBRAI 2022 Facebook Page

A Destination Town

Emmetsburg has grown and evolved as a community over the years. The community has done things right over the past few decades and it shows. The RAGBRAI overnight stop just served as the community’s “coming out party”. To those who I talked to about Emmetsburg, there was quite a bit of praise for this town of 3,600.

In my interview below with Gretchen Reichter and Deb Hite we discuss Emmetsburg’s history, events, RAGBRAI, and a few of the many things that help make Emmetsburg a Destination Town.

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