FANSLER

NAME: Fansler COUNTY: Guthrie ROADS: 2WD GRID: 5 CLIMATE: Some snow in winter, usually hot in summer BEST TIME TO VISIT: Spring or fall

COMMENTS: A few "country" homes along gravel road - five miles north of Guthrie Center on IA-25 & 2 miles east on gravel (P-18). REMAINS: Some foundations & a few old out buildings & small coal mine waste piles. The inhabited houses are new or rebuilt. Have not explored hillside, but expect there are some other remains there.

Located on banks of Middle Racoon River at what are now the headwaters of (private) Lake Panorama (not submerged). Don't know the settlement's historical details, but do know it was most likely the farthest west of Iowa's coal-mining towns. It was apparently a pretty active town at one time; it had a dance-hall which my father visited during the depression when he worked for the CCC building Springbrook Lake up river (he wouldn't get more specific). There may have been a related community or part of Fansler on the east side of the river also; there are some houses/remains there too. Also, there is at least one cave/storm celler/storage celler built into the river back just above the water level on the east side north of the P-18 bridge, which may carry some interesting history. If I ever get the time, I'll explore the Guthrie County records and spend some time with the locals adn take some picture, but that may not be very soon. There was a very bad incident where an uncle supposedly killed a local child in the 1990's, so don't know how friendly they'll be. Submitted by: Larry Gibson

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