This view of Stone City from the west was taken in April 1996. The farm in the foreground is on the left side of the river in Grant Wood's painting Stone City. Immediately above the farm house is the new bridge across the Wapsipinicon River. This bridge uses one of the the original stone supports that the old iron truss bridge used.
The stone building above the bridge served as the general store, post office and railway station. Grant Wood excluded the railroad, leaving only its water tower in the painting. The Milwaukee Railroad tracks crossed the Wapsipinicon at the station and continued west between the small farm and the road shown in the left side of the painting.
Some of the quarry is visible at the left of the picture. The road along the river in the photograph leads only to the quarry. The road in the painting makes a large arc (not shown in the photograph) and begins to climb the hill as seen in the upper left of the photograph. A second quarry, not included in the painting, is seen at the right.
Another view from the west showing the General Store more clearly.
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