See All Photos

About Onawa

Onawa is a city located in Monona County, Iowa. It is the county seat as well as the largest city on the Iowa side of the Missouri River. It's best known for being home to the widest main street it the country. It is about seventy five feet wide. In 1920, the Eskimo Pie was created here by Chris Nelson who was an ice cream shop owner. Because a young customer could not decide between an ice cream sandwich and a chocolate bar. Nelson had the idea to combine the two and called it the "I-Scream Bar". In 1921, the ice cream shop owner enter an agreement with the Russell Stover Company. The handwritten agreement is on display at the Monona County Historical Museum. The city was also the cite of a POW camp sometime between 1944 and 1946. According to historical documents, no more than 50 German POW's were kept in the camp at a time.

-- Latest Update 2010/07/08 by Mclaren105