In Plymouth County, about twenty miles north of Sioux City, stands Ruble, Iowa, a tiny dot on the map near Broken Kettle Creek.

Ruble was founded in 1900, and was never really more than a roadside pit stop, with the store serving weary travelers and regional residents under the leadership of H.C. Marbach. The small one-room country school served area students in the early days until a larger school was built on a different site.

The store once had a hitchin’ post for horses, and later, gas pumps. The store also served as the post office for Ruble, but only for six years, from 1900 to 1906.







There is a nicely maintained home that stands between the old school and the store, but either nobody lives there anymore, or they just weren’t home when we were there.

There is an underground storm shelter next to the school which would have served as protection from the powerful twisters that pass through this part of the Great Plains.

Inside the storm shelter. Hopefully tornadoes scare you more than spiders.

Inside the schoolhouse. The roof is porous, and this school needs a renovation to save it.

There is a short local history and some vintage views of Ruble, Iowa on IowaGenWeb.

Photos by Troy Larson and Terry Hinnenkamp, copyright © 2016 Sonic Tremor Media

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