 This route, however, traveled a more northern route than the Great White Way.The route passed through Neola, Elk Horn, Guthrie Center, Adel, Des Moines, Newton, Marengo, Iowa City, and Wilton.The route's origins trace back to the 1909–10 winter season which brought, on average, of snow more than the previous year, which was followed by an unusually dry spring.