MY MEMORIES

Charles Glenn Petersen

1946 - Terril Years

Cars

I got my learner's driving permit shortly after I turned 14 (the legal age for getting the permit in Iowa). With it, I could drive at any time as long as one of my parents was sitting in the passenger seat, eventually moving up to driving all the way to Spencer 21 miles away. In those days, driving out of Terril meant driving on gravel roads. It was 9 miles of gravel north to Highway 9 near Superior, 9 miles of gravel east to what is now Highway 4 near Walingford, 12 miles of gravel south past Lake Center to Highway 18, and 9 miles of gravel west to Highway 71 just south of Milford. I remember the first time I drove to Spencer, I thought my right leg would never be the same after holding it in a steady position on the accelerator for 21 whole miles.