Our Story

Colony Country was built on a pasture of the Colony family farm, starting in 1988.  Edgar and Ellen Colony were RVers (ever since that 1972 trip to Alaska) before they were RV Park owners. They noted what made a campground a great place to stop and planned that into Colony Country.  Grass and shade trees were important and sites were laid out with plenty of space between them.

Edgar planted each tree, starting with the crabapple in site #1. There are pin oak, black oak, hackberry, ash, pine, cherry, Bradford pear, maple, birch, linden, chestnut and red bud trees in the park. A large variety of birds visit. You won’t be awakened with road or railroad noise but you may have the birds as your alarm clock.

The office building was built (in 1988) from parts of one of the old barns on the family farm. Inside you can see the peg construction on the 8” X 8” beams.  Outside you can see the large door for a hay mow, now partly covered with a barn quilt. The quilt design is painted on a 6 foot square board and was installed above the main door of the office in July 2010. Barn quilts are a recent idea, here meant for design. In some nearby counties  there are driving tours of barn quilts, meant to stimulate interest in preserving barns and in visiting small towns.

Our barn quilt was designed and painted by Edgar. It’s a starburst that is also like  a compass rose. Edgar always thought you should know where you’re going and a compass just might help.

In 2003, Edgar and Ellen’s daughter, Beth, joined the workforce at Colony Country. Growing up on the farm gave lots of experiences that are useful at the RV park. From cleaning bathrooms to fixing water breaks, from mowing to greeting guests, every day presents something different.

Edgar passed away on July 4, 2010. Ellen continues an active role in the park, doing most of the flower gardening, lots of odd jobs and chatting with everyone. Beth manages the park and is helped by camp hosts, Linda and Ken. They winter in Arizona and spend the summers here at Colony Country. They help keep everything looking great and are on call to help folks in the evening.

During the winter of 2010-2011 new bathrooms were completed. The old men’s room and women’s room were demolished and four new family bathrooms were put in. Each bathroom has a shower, sink, and toilet as well as a large area for changing clothes and helping children or spouses. One bathroom is fully handicapped accessible and features a walk-in shower and plenty of space for using a wheelchair.

The new laundry was completed at the same time as the new bathrooms. It has 3 household washing machines (one is front-loading for handicapped accessibility) and 2 household dryers. The laundry room is open 24 hours and laundry is paid for in the office either before or after your laundry is done.

We welcome overnight campers and those who can stay longer. Weekly and monthly rates are available but long term sites are limited. We regularly have folks stay with us who have reasons to visit the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

We work to provide a peaceful, relaxing place to unwind from a day of travel or a day of sightseeing. Plan to spend some time with us when you’re in Eastern Iowa.