by We stopped at the John Wayne Birthplace Museum in Winterest, Iowa (new state in the van!) not so much because we were John Wayne fans, but mostly because we know an icon when we see one. There isn’t too much to the museum, though, so I’m not sure it was worth going out of the way for (though Doug will disagree as he found the movie mementos much more interesting).
There’s a film on Wayne’s career, a few personal effects, some movie props, and lots of movie posters and other fillers. Next door is the home in which he was born in 1907 (cover photo to this post), but it has no original furnishings in it and is not terribly exciting. There’s really not much about his personal life, and I expected more for $20 a person.
Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison, which was his legal name throughout his life. John Wayne was his professional name. He was nicknamed “the Duke” before ever reaching Hollywood, where he became famous for his roles in Western and war movies. He appeared in 179 film and television productions!
Wayne only lived in Winterest for a short time. He mostly grew up in Southern California, where he began working for the Fox Film Corporation after dropping out of college when he lost his athletic scholarship due to injury. He was in his 30s before he achieved stardom, in John Ford’s Stagecoach (1939). He died of stomach cancer in 1979.
