Hog Walk 2025

Finally, something worth writing about!

Hog Walk 3, Van Buren County, Iowa, November 1st, 2025

“Hog Walk?  What’s that?”  I’ll try to be brief. 

A few years back, my hubby Greg read an 1880’s historical account of an 11-mile, late October walk, with two men and two boys followed by a horse and wagon, guiding some 60 hogs on the hoof south to market in Bonaparte from their farm three miles east of Stockport; this event was described in Tarpleywick, a book by Henry C. Taylor, which recounts the history of a farm in Van Buren County. The farmer chose to walk the hogs starting at 5 pm to keep the animals cool. He also hoped there would be less traffic on the road at night. The small group walked about one mile an hour and got to Bonaparte early in the morning. The hogs rested a while before being sold, probably to be transported by train to a bigger market. After the sale, the group was able to ride in their horse-drawn wagon back to their farm, which was also called Tarpleywick. Voilà: a 19th Century Hog Walk, Greg’s inspiration for our 21st Century Hog Walk.

Greg thought that we should enact this local, “historical” event. He wanted to do it as close to the exact account as possible. So, in late October, 2023, we drove to the intersection near the old Tarpleywick farm. We departed the corner of Vine and 130th Street in NE Van Buren County at 5 pm. It was gravel and very flat at first.

We had to cross Highway 16 (which runs east and west) and continue south, and from here on, the north-south road (Vine, aka W40) was paved. (None of the roads in the 1880s were paved. We didn’t have any hogs along with us in 2023, either.) But we had a few enthusiastic historical reenactors, bundled up for the late October weather. The sun set very soon and an almost full moon rose to our southwest. We noticed rises and falls in the previously perceived flat countryside. We noticed a closed clapboard church (Harrisburg Baptist)  on the west side of the road and and enormous Cottonwood tree further down on the left. Soon we were seeing large, tidy Amish homes with clothes lines and buggies, and later, once it was completely dark, a mystical herd of horses that ran together along the eastern fence, probably as surprised by the slow-moving band with fluorescent jackets as we were surprised by their movement in the night. 

We were finally just north of Bonaparte, and the road started curving, there also appeared trucks and tractors, heading north up the road on which we were trekking south. But the shoulders were small or non-existent, and there were deep ravines on each side.  And the road seemed to be very busy, perhaps because it was harvest season. A huge combine was coming toward us; my cousin and I quickly slid down in the ditch. It was difficult to climb back up to the road!  And as soon as we did, another vehicle came speeding up the road.  Down we went again.  We finally reached Bonaparte, and were happy to cross the road and walk toward the tall brick Bonaparte school before we took a few quiet streets to Eric & Cathy’s Victorian farmhouse on the northwestern edge of town where we would have our feast.  Problem was it was after 10 pm when the last walker trudged in, cold and tired with wet, muddy feet.

Many folks had already taken advantage of our sag wagon support and had been enjoying the warmth of the home for a few hours in anticipation of our arrival.  We all agreed it was fun, but dangerous and painful for many of us.  Only two people, Greg and his daughter Elizabeth did the entire 11 miles. No kids walked the first year.

The second year, 2024, we had more walkers, and our first child: our nine-year-old granddaughter named Joanie.  We decide to leave Tarpleywick at 3 pm to avoid getting in so late.  We had nicer weather and no mud.  New walkers joined us, from as far as Washington State and Washington, Iowa!

Many good conversations were had, new friends made, beautiful photographs taken, by Eric Weston, and our sag vehicles (driven by 90-year old ellis Andrews and Andy) made sure everyone was able to quit whenever they chose.

This year a group of farm kittens welcomed the merry band of walkers, but wouldn’t let them go without trailing along. A huge semi barreled over one of the kitties, and miraculously did NOT flatten it.  However, this traumatized the 9-year-old and her father and anyone who witnessed the near-death of an innocent creature. The kitty was stressed and scratched a couple of our walkers who tried to take it back to its home. What a drama!  Just a mile or two down the road, the same busy road with the trucks, tractors, combines, and Friday night traffic north of Bonaparte made arriving to town around 8 pm still very unpleasant and dangerous. Cathy had made our arrival even more special this year. Candles in the windows, Tiki torches in the front yard and the delicious smells of our harvest feast along with candles inside made arrival at our friends’ home a true comfort.  More people walked the entire 11 miles this year.  Leslie set the pace this year, and helped keep the rest of us moving, always straining our eyes to see her far ahead in the distance. A good time was had by all inside, and three tables of people and overflowing tables of food made it magical. But all of the dishes were left for our kind hosts, who would NOT let anyone else help! So we all headed home very late and happy to have completed Hog Walk 2.

But a few weeks after hog walk 2, the walkers  spoke up: We will not walk on that busy road ever again! We will not walk in the dark!  And one person insisted:  We will not leave mountains of dishes for our friends ever again!  Something had to change.  So, much to Greg’s disappointment, Hog Walk 3 would not be on the same route, nor at the same time, nor to the same destination as the original historical event. 

Hog Walk 3 made everyone happy! We had a good time together.  The faithful crew insisted we keep the original name, no matter where or when we walk.

So, to recap this year’s 2025 event.  A group of 19 Iowans (and two Illinois folks) gathered in Van Buren County on  Saturday, November 1st to walk south and west, from the old Veatch homestead (built circa 1852 by Greg’s forebears) located northeast of Stockport, down dirt and gravel roads, taking in the mostly harvested fields of corn and soy beans, eventually ending in the historic village of Bentonsport, for a potluck. 

Why? To continue the tradition.  To walk just for the sake of walking and getting close to what rural Van Buren County really is. To have a rest stop at the old stone school located next to the old Phillips place at the corner of Teal and 170th Street, and recall that once a school, later a hog building, now just a beautiful old building that we never would have noticed without walking this route.  (We did get permission from owners Sheryl Chapuis and Terry Phillips to have our 5-mile or so rest stop here. Too bad it was in the rain.) 

We had even more rain and some cold, but fortunately, it passed, and once we got south on Spruce Avenue (aka W30), the blue skies returned, gorgeous white clouds appeared, and we saw Amish horses and even a tom turkey and his harem on the road before we turned right on Ridge Road and passed the Amish school on the left and a very small cemetery also on the left before passing the main Bentonsport Cemetery on the right before descending into beautiful Bentonsport with the 1851 Bentonsport Presbyterian Church to our right.

Some walkers sagged and others joined us for the last few miles. The two children had fun playing school  in the Stone House in Bentonsport, where we had our potluck this year. We got in earlier than planned, giving plenty of time to visit or play games. Some folks had time to explore Bentonsport and even crossed the river on the pedestrian bridge at sunset.

We missed the candles and the late-night arrival in Bonaparte, but we loved the safe, easy route with no trucks or semis, no combines or tractors. We loved the soft dirt roads, the nice gravel underfoot when it was raining. We loved the spacious open machine shed just when we needed a shelter.  We loved the cows, the sheep, the horses and the trees and the few remaining fields of soybeans we passed. 

A few Amish waved at us, probably wondering what in the heck we were doing. And, should anyone think this year’s Hog Walk had nothing to do with hogs, we did smell the recently spread manure (from hogs) and we passed at least three hog confinements.  Hog Walk 3 was a success, not perfect, as nothing ever is, but it was another time for friends and family to get together and walk the land that we call home. There is always something to learn from the land we pass over on foot (or on bicycle) and from those we travel beside. 

Thank you to all those who came this year. 

We hope to continue the tradition, and we will let you know what the route is for Hog Walk 4 – as soon as we have it figured out! It looks like it will be October 31st, 2025, somewhere in Van Buren County!