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Louis' Lair LbNA #19776

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Dec 29, 2005
Location:
City:Algona
County:Kossuth
State:Iowa
Boxes:1
Planted by:jojoroo
Found by: birdwith3eggs
Last found:Sep 2, 2012
Status:FFFFFFF
Last edited:Dec 29, 2005
Louis’ Lair

Welcome to Algona, Iowa!

Highway 169 runs north and south through our town. Take HWY 169 one block north of State Street (our main street). Turn west on Call Street.

Proceed to Dodge Street and turn north. Park in the Iowa State Bank parking lot on the southwest corner of the intersection of North and Dodge. It is cater-cornered from Bryant Elementary School.

Walk west from the parking lot on the north side of North Street.

Pass Call City Park, the site of the Asa and Sarah Call cabin and later Call houses. Asa and his brother Ambrose were the founders of Algona.

Cross North Thorington and walk north. North Thorington was once called “the richest street in Algona.” In the beginning, it was the main street into town from the north.

Pass 305 N. Thorington, the former home of Julius Chrischilles, a son of Theodore Chrischilles, and second owner of the Chrischilles store.

Walk by 315 North Thorington. Theodore Chrischilles had this house built. He was the original owner of the Chrischilles Store, a dry goods and clothing store in Algona for 120 years. This was the first shingle style house in Algona. Four generations of the family lived here.

331 North Thorington, an Italianate Style house, was built by H.V. Swetting, an attorney and businessman in Algona. Note the long window. It was once the door to Swetting’s office. This is one of the oldest houses on the street.

Turn west on Swetting Street. All the Thorington houses originally had back yards that extended to Hall Street and beyond, so the houses on Swetting date from the 1940’s.

Turn south on Hall Street. On the southwest corner of Call and Hall you can see the former Kossuth County Sheriff’s residence. The county jail was attached to the back, and the sheriff’s wife fed the prisoners. The chain link fence outlines the exercise yard.

Turn east on Call. Pass the Algona City Offices and Algona Municipal Utilities. On this location once stood the elegant Thorington (later, European) Hotel.

Turn south on Thorington Street. Pass the 1953 courthouse.

Turn west at the “sign of the times.”

Follow the red brick road to reach Louis’ Lair.

Look Louis (Kossuth) in the eye. Turn 306 degrees and walk to an evergreen bush.

You will find the microbox and a gavel there.

Please do your stamping and write me a note. Then put everything back just as you found it. I hope you enjoyed your short historical hike in Algona!