Manson, IA

Manson is a Calhoun County city built near the center of a meteorite impact structure about 74 million years old. The crater is more than 23 miles across and sits roughly 200 feet below town, so you will not see a bowl in the landscape; you see a city shaped by what lies under it. Manson itself began when the Illinois Central Railroad reached the area in 1870. Settlers, a post office, and early public services moved toward the tracks, and the town was platted in 1873.

ATTRUnknown author Unknown author or not provided / Public domain

Manson has rebuilt more than once. A fire swept through the east side of Main Street in 1882, and on June 28, 1979, an F4 tornado cut through the center of town, killing three people and destroying much of the built-up area. The city's history is therefore not just the crater or the railroad; it is also the habit of putting streets, businesses, schools, and public services back together. Manson-Northwest Webster schools serve the community, while the surrounding farm country keeps the town tied to the everyday work of north-central Iowa.