Dexter, IA

Dexter is a Dallas County city just north of Interstate 80, part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines metropolitan area. The 2020 census counted 640 residents. Founded in 1868, the city sits among the farm roads west of Des Moines, with Interstate 80 giving the small downtown a direct regional connection. The West Central Valley Community School District serves Dexter; it began in 2001 when the Dexfield and Stuart-Menlo districts merged.

ATTRC. M. Wilson / Public domain

Dexter’s most famous chapter took place at Dexfield Park, a former amusement park and campground north of town. Bonnie Parker, Clyde Barrow, and the Barrow gang hid there for several days in July 1933 after a gunfight in Missouri. On July 24, a posse surrounded the camp; the escape and shootout became one of Dallas County’s enduring local stories. The Dexter Museum holds artifacts, photographs, and maps connected to the episode, while the White Pole Road Scenic Byway links the park area to the city and nearby farm country. Dexter is a small interstate-era town with a school district, a museum, and a notorious campground story.