The Lighthouse Inn started out as a roadside inn when the road to Iowa city from Cedar Rapids was the main road when Iowa city was Iowa's capital. Travel at night was not done due to poor headlights and poor road conditions. You would drive till dusk, find a roadside inn, have a hearty meal, then rent a cabin among the oak trees, arise early the next morning and continue your journey. Part of the attraction of a roadside inn with cabins was the avoidance of the hotel taxes that were common . We also have the dubious distinction of being a local hang out for some of the well known Chicago boys..........Al Capone, John Dillenger, and some local men of a more colorful nature. the local police were often out gunned by these men and did not venture outside of the city limits.
