—Daily Freeman-Journal file photo Humanities Iowa presenter and historian Rod Stanley educated attendees at Mulberry Center Church on Bonnie and Clyde’s infamous trip to Dexter, IA last June. This Saturday, Stanley will return to MCC to speak about Truman’s visit to Dexter.

Historian Rod Stanley is inviting the public to his latest public program at Mulberry Center Church. This Saturday, Stanley will be presenting “Harry Truman’s Whistle-Stop at Dexter, IA – 1948” at 1 p.m. at the historic Webster City church. The event is free and open to the public.

“I think attendees are going to find this program interesting,” said Stanley.

Stanley’s presentation will show Harry S. Truman’s journey through Iowa, specifically Dexter, where he spoke with Midwest farmers. Truman took his campaign to the people via train throughout his campaign tour for president. An estimated 100,000 people heard Truman speak in a field near Dexter on September 18, 1948 at the National Plowing Match.

At that time, Truman was running for re-election against Thomas Dewey, who was favored to win according to the polls.

“The stop in Dexter that day, Truman actually came out for the National Plowing Match which was being held north of Dexter and he was the keynote speaker that day, even though the group that was putting on the event had invited Thomas Dewey to come out and give the speech that day,” said Stanley. “Dewey turned them down and didn’t think it was necessary to come out and talk to a bunch of farmers.”

This was Truman’s first major speech during his 1948 campaign.

His infamous Whistle-Stop speech was broadcast nationally is credited with turning around his presidential campaign. Some historians say it caused the biggest election upset in American history.

“Basically Truman was so far behind in the polls that everybody was thinking he wouldn’t be re-elected,” said Stanley. “That was historic in the sense that it turned his campaign around, and from that point on, although he trailed in the polls all the way to end, I think that’s what got his campaign going. And it all started in Dexter, IA.”

Stanley is a retired school teacher. He taught history and Iowa history for 35 years.

After he retired, he worked at the Dallas County Conservation Museum in Perry, IA for five years. Stanley’s work at the museum led him to lead programs about Dallas County’s history.

Stanley, a Dexter native, began hearing these historical stories as a child. Stanley visited Webster City last June to bring the story of Bonnie and Clyde’s shootout near Dexter to life.