Creston • Afton • Lorimor • Cromwell • Arispe • Shannon City • Thayer
Year-round help
Two ways to reach us
The Visitor's Center is open in season. The rest of the year, the tourism office inside the Creston Chamber of Commerce is happy to help.
Seasonal · Late May to early October
Frank Phillips Visitor's Center
FIND US
636 New York Ave.
Hwy 34 West, Creston
OPEN
Daily
late May to early October
Local Know-How
Where to fish, eat, camp or catch the sunset, from people who live here
Event info
What's happening this week, from Balloon Days to the county fair
Phillips history
Scrapbooks and stories of Frank Phillips and his Creston roots
Maps & brochures
Stop by to see the different maps and brochures we have of the area
The building
A 1931 gas station with a famous name
One of Iowa's first Phillips 66 stations, donated to the county in 1994 and restored by volunteers down to the vintage pumps, the orange and green paint and the Phillips 66 shield. It reopened in 1996 as our Visitor's Center, dedicated to Frank Phillips.
Frank Phillips, from Creston barber to oilman
1873
Born in Nebraska, raised in nearby Taylor County, Iowa
Age 14
Starts cutting hair in Creston, and later buys his own barbershops
1897
Marries Jane Gibson in Creston
1903
Hears about oil near Bartlesville and moves to Oklahoma
1917
Founds Phillips Petroleum with his brother L.E.
1931
A Phillips 66 station opens on Highway 34 in Creston
getting here
Closer than you think
Creston sits right on Highway 34, an easy drive from Des Moines and Omaha, with daily Amtrak service at the historic depot.
75 mi
southwest of Des Moines
100 mi
southeast of Omaha
Amtrak
California Zephyr stops at the Creston depot