The First Licensed Ferry

Historical marker location:

Des Moines, Iowa

( Marker is on Grand Avenue, on the right when traveling west.)

Marker installed: 1933

In the early 1900s, the town of Villisca, Iowa was the site of a gruesome murder that remains unsolved to this day. On June 10, 1912, eight people were bludgeoned to death with an axe in their home. The crime is known as the Villisca Axe Murders and has been the subject of numerous books, films, and TV shows.