WILLOW RUN COUNTRY CLUB

Dr. E.H. Stumme and Paul Buenneke walked in to Ernest Griese's cow barn back in the late 1960's on behalf of some citizens looking for some recreational facilities, and Willow Run Country Club is the result of their efforts... Learning later while getting a haircut at Duane's Barbershop the group was now interested in 40 acres Charlie and Louie Knief owned south of town, Griese was open to discussion. Half of the Griese Farm was then non-tillable, used primarily for grazing cattle. If the committee wanted just a 65-acre site for a 9-hole course, Ernest had some land available. "My son Loren was drafted for the military in 1967 and plans for a family operation that would include dairy, sort of went down the drain," said Griese. The sale had to be approved by not only Ernest but his sisters Elda, Elnore, and Edna, left in charge of a group estate established by their parents John and Caroline in 1959... "Denver and Tripoli were the last communities in Iowa to qualify for an FMHA loan..

Primary location: Denver United States