This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Guthrie County Historical Village and Museum (GCHV) in Panora. There are about a dozen buildings and several other exhibits for the public to enjoy. One aspect of Guthrie County history visitors can learn about is the Panora Speedway.

The speedway was the nickname in the early 1900s for the stretch of road between Des Moines’ Hyperion Club to Guthrie Center. The road ran through other communities along the way including Panora, Dallas Center, and Grimes. GCHV Board Member Rod Stanley estimates the road was about 40 miles long.

Stanley talks about the history behind the name. “It got the name the (Panora) Speedway, because people could take their Model T’s, or whatever they were driving at that time, and they could drive basically as fast as they wanted to because they weren’t going to have to worry about any curves. There’s actually very few hills that are in that area as well.”

The road was initially a gravel road in the 1920s before it was paved in the 1930s. The Panora Speedway ended in Guthrie Center, where it connected with the River-to-River Road.