Dixie Shipley & Delta Grocery

April 15th, 1962 was just like any other day for Dixie Shipley. Every day of the work week, Dixie would drive to Oskaloosa for her office job at an overall factory. On this particular April day, her life would completely change. Returning home from Oskaloosa, her husband Melvin, better known as Tobe, announced to her that, “You don’t have to drive to Oskaloosa to work anymore; I bought the grocery store for you.” It was a bit of a shock for her as she said, “I didn’t know I minded driving to Oskaloosa to work.” She wasn’t too upset though and put in her notice at the factory, joining her husband in owning and operating the Delta Grocery, which she has done ever since.

Fortunately, the grocery store wasn’t the young couple’s first introduction to owning a business. They had already owned a restaurant in Delta, which had two locations between 1959 and 1967. Tobe also ran a clock shop from 1967 until 2001, so they were certainly capable of running and maintaining a business.

Prior to their business ventures, they started dating between Dixie’s junior and senior years in high school. One night, while walking to a pizza parlor after their shift as carhops, Tobe pulled up in his car and offered to give Dixie and her friends a ride to their destination. Dixie and Tobe began dating after that. They were married a year later in December of 1961 and were the owners of the Delta Grocery just six months after marriage. Tobe passed away in 2001, and Dixie has continued to run the grocery ever since.

Owning a grocery store wasn’t all that Dixie had her hands on. She spent 24 years as a substitute mail carrier for the post offices at both Eldon and Sigourney. Tobe spent his time at the clock shop at the back of the grocery store or in Sigourney painting signs for businesses. He also painted freehand designs for demolition vehicles and did some oil painting; the Delta covered bridge being his most popular subject matter.

Over the years Dixie has seen many changes inside and outside of her store. When she first started, all of the inventory was delivered. Today, only Little Debbie, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper makes deliveries. Because of that, she has to restock her inventory on Sunday afternoons before opening at 4pm. She has also seen changes in the kinds of things she has sold over the years. There weren’t any electronics sold in 1962, hunting and fishing licenses, lottery tickets, nor were there credit cards to pay with. All of those things are common in today’s grocery stores. Dixie has seen plenty of change on the outside of her walls as well. The elementary school closed years ago in 1974, the bank closed its doors in 1988, and the post office said goodbye to Delta in 2008. One of the bigger blows to Dixie was the loss of the bank. When it was open, she would pop in to make deposits and get quarters for change. Now, without a bank in town (and one that was right across the street) Dixie is forced to close the grocery if she needs to travel to one.

One thing that makes her grocery store so unique is all of the things that grab the attention of visitors. Dixie enjoys collecting Christmas gifts, salt and pepper shakers, and miniature lighthouses, among all of the other treasures she has collected over the years. She has an entire aisle dedicated to her personal collections, which are not for sale. She is an avid collector of Delta memorabilia and has a display case of various Delta treasures. She also keeps her wedding album in the store and is more than happy to allow anyone to look through her memories.

She is on a first name basis with all of her regular customers; many come in to grab a snack but also to say hi and check on her. Dixie says that a lot of her customers are from the area and quite a few are residents of Delta. She also catches travelers on their way between Ottumwa and Waterloo.

If Dixie has any thoughts of retirement, she hasn’t indicated them yet. When asked about her future plans, she said, “I guess I don’t really know. I just take one day at a time.” As a young girl she always “figured I would just work for somebody local”. She never imagined that she would be working for herself. Looking back at her life as a grocery store owner, Dixie says, “I’ve enjoyed what I’ve done and the people that I’ve met have been very special to me.” As long as she has customers, it’s inconceivable that Dixie will ever close the Delta Grocery.

Delta Grocery
101 N Center Street
Delta, Iowa 52550
(641) 624-2080
Hours: Sun 4pm-6pm; Mon-Sat 8 am-6pm

Photos: Jacob Glandon
Video available at https://youtu.be/ipELSxXfC3M

Photo: Jacob Glandon

Solar Eclipse 2024

– Jacob Glandon, Black Oak Films

The long awaited total solar eclipse of 2024 is over. People across the United States and the world traveled to the areas of totality to experience a truly once in a lifetime moment. For the folks in Carbondale, Illinois, this wasn’t their first opportunity to view a total eclipse from the comfort of their backyards. Back in 2017, another solar eclipse swept across the United States, passing through southern Illinois. So the people of Carbondale, in a seven year period, have seen two total solar eclipses. That’s an incredibly rare occurrence in such a short amount of time. While planning their eclipse festivities, Carbondale took advantage of these circumstances and chose, “Once In A Lifetime. Again” as their slogan, something that certainly sums up the rarity of two total solar eclipses. The city is also being called the “eclipse crossroads of America,” after it has had such great luck with the last two eclipses.

Back here in Iowa, we were unfortunately not given the opportunity to view a total eclipse. Iowans did travel to the areas of totality, but myself along with many others, stayed home to view the eclipse. Although it didn’t get completely dark like the areas of totality did, the amount of light reaching Iowa did decrease enough to be noticeable. The temperatures also dropped upwards of 7 degrees in our area despite not losing all of the sun’s light.

Without solar glasses, people would have only noticed the decrease in light and drops in temperatures. It’s amazing to think that hundreds of years ago people may not have had any idea an eclipse was happening if they weren’t within the area of totality.

Graphic: Data: AirDNA; Map: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals

Looking back on the eclipse, we can see the lengths that people went to view it. Airbnbs across the path of totality were completely booked, creating an amazing map that illustrated the amount of people who were staying in the eclipse zone. As the days and weeks go by, we will surely hear about more stories about the experiences of people who made their way to see the full eclipse.

While the eclipse has come and gone, we still have other astronomical events to look forward to. 12P/Pons-Brooks, or the Devil Comet, is viewable right now until April 21st. It is currently approaching the Sun on its 71 year orbit. The Lyrids Meteor Shower will reach its peak on April 21st and on April 23rd, April’s full moon, the pink moon will reach its fullness. The next total solar eclipse will be on August 12th, 2026 but will only be visible as a partial solar eclipse in parts of the United States. It won’t be until 2044 that a total solar eclipse is seen from the continental United States, but it will only reach Montana and North Dakota. A year later on August 12th, 2045, another total solar eclipse will carve a path from California to Florida but will once again only be visible as a partial solar eclipse from Iowa. By then, a whole new generation will be experiencing a solar eclipse for the first time. I just hope it won’t be cloudy!

The Death of a Circus Gorilla In Sigourney, Iowa

What’s a circus without exotic animals? In the heyday of circus culture, many circuses had a menagerie, which featured exotic animals like elephants, tigers, lions, zebras, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, snakes of all kinds, and of course, gorillas. Gorillas were the prime exhibit of most circuses that had them and there have been a few notable ones over the years such as Gargantua the Great who saved the Ringling Brothers Circus from bankruptcy. Rather than talk about Gargantua, I’m here to discuss his lesser known predecessor, Colossus, the ill fated circus gorilla who met his end to tuberculosis in Sigourney, Iowa.

Source: The sigourney news review

In early 1918, the Sells-Floto Circus was preparing for its upcoming tour of the western United States. The circus was owned by Harry Heye Tammen and Frederick Gilmer Bonfils. The two started the circus in 1902, originally called the Floto Dog and Pony Show. Tammen and Bonfils hired William Sells to manage the circus in 1906 and later renamed it to the Sells-Floto Circus that same year, not after William Sells but after the popular Sells Bros. Circus and after Denver Post sports journalist, Otto Floto. They began their 1918 tour in Albuquerque, New Mexico on April 6th. They would do shows in New Mexico and Texas before moving west for shows in Arizona and California. On Tuesday, April 23rd, 1918 the circus was in San Bernardino and while there acquired their big act: Colossus, a nine year old gorilla, who Tammen acquired after a near world-wide search. He weighed 205 pounds and stood five feet tall. Tammen had arranged some months prior to purchase Colossus from a zoo in town as the circus had already advertised the gorilla as part of the show from San Bernardino onward. Unfortunately, Colossus began to lose weight almost immediately after being placed in the care of the circus. As the circus continued on its route, Colossus became more and more sick and more and more violent. He would shake his cage with enough force to tip it over, resulting in the cage being chained to the floor, and on May 13th, while in Modesto, California, he severed part of his keeper’s hand. As the circus approached Iowa, Colossus was likely on his death bed. His final day was spent in Sigourney, Iowa on Saturday, August 3rd, 1918. By then he weighed 140 pounds, losing an average of 20 pounds per month while in the possession of Sells-Floto. The circus did a show at 2:15 Saturday afternoon but it’s unknown if Colossus was exhibited due to his health. By 6 pm he was dead, losing his long battle with tuberculosis. Henry Gentry, the circus president and manager, arranged for his body to be embalmed at Baylor’s Undertaking Parlor. It remained there for two days and several hundred people observed his body. Apparently, a better view could be obtained of Colossus while dead rather than while alive and on exhibition. He was shipped to the Denver Post in Denver, Colorado on Monday, August 5, 1918 after being on exhibition in Baylor’s for two days.

Source: Albuquerque morning journal

H.H. Tammen, one of the owners of the circus, would have him stuffed by a taxidermist and placed in a museum. It is unknown what museum Colossus was placed in or where he is today.

Several newspapers in Iowa reported on the news of Colossus’ passing. The Evening Journal, in Washington, Iowa published the following: “The reason that you didn’t see the famous Gorilla with the circus yesterday was due to the fact that this specimen of our ancestry had passed to the great beyond while in Sigourney. Sigourney was more than he could stand. He was embalmed and returned to the place from where he came. This is not criticism on our part, but we believe a Leonard refrigerator might have saved his life”. Eventually Sells-Floto ceased to advertise Colossus to future stops. His final appearance was in The Fairfield Daily Journal on August 16th, 1918.

Source: The Great Divide

qualities. According to an article by the Sigourney News, “This animal resembled a human being in many respects. Its ears and fingers especially were quite similar to those of a man.

With the exception of length, a striking resemblance could again be found in the arms. The gorilla’s arms were approximately 12 inches longer than those of the average man. According to statements made by the manager of the circus, the comparison is further justified, in regard to its food and its manner of eating. It is said that at one time the keeper gave the animal a dish of blackberries and cream, and the result was that very human traits were displayed, as it made way with the fruit. It was also fond of smoking cigars and cigarettes.” It would be plausible that his death of tuberculosis had something to do with his consumption of cigars and cigarettes. This information can also be used to give consideration to the quality of life that he would’ve received in the captivity of the circus and that it may have not have reached the standards of care gorillas in captivity receive today.

The story of Colossus the Gorilla doesn’t end here though. It has been discovered that he may have been falsely represented all these years. It is believed that he was never a gorilla but a chimpanzee. The circus portrayed him as a gorilla though. Gordon M. Carver, a writer for Bandwagon Magazine, writes an explanation for this as the following: “However, Colossus was actually not a gorilla, but a large nine year old chimpanzee. But he was big and the show could be sure that only rarely would anyone suspect or know that he was not actually a gorilla”. The circus also described Colossus as standing 7 feet 8 inches, a height far exceeding the average height of an adult gorilla. Upon closer examination, it’s revealed that he was listed at that height with “hands up”, a bit misleading but not untrue. The circus would also claim Colossus to be the “only full grown gorilla ever to live in captivity”. That claim is difficult to prove because there may have been other full grown gorillas living in captivity at that time. Also taking advantage of people who had never seen such a creature before, they described him as “half man, half beast- scientific mystery of creation – walks upright like a man; crumbles bricks in one hand…”. While the research surrounding primates was not as concrete as it is today, there is some exaggeration in that statement, but people who had never seen a gorilla might have had the same sentiment when observing Colossus for the first time. Those kinds of claims are not unusual for a circus to make, they are well known for their colorful gimmicks and taglines- it’s how they get people in the door.

Another theory is that Colossus was in fact a gorilla but a female one. That would explain its weight; an adult female weighs around 159-216 pounds. If Colossus were nearing maturity, its listed weight of 205 pounds would be plausible of that of an adolescent. This can also be used to rule out the possibility of Colossus being a chimpanzee on the basis of weight as an adult male chimpanzee weighs up to 132 pounds.

So the story of Colossus ends here. His story is one of peculiarity and one of the many examples of showbiz exaggeration. His current whereabouts are not known but I’d like to think that he brings delight to the faces of children in a museum somewhere, we may never know.

Thanks for reading this very unique episode of Homegrown Stories. If you would like to learn more and watch my corresponding video on YouTube, just search for Black Oak Films. I’ll catch you next time!

I would like to thank Rick Tollenaar at the Keokuk County Historical Society for bringing this story to my attention.