A wonderful life in a northwestern Iowa valley
Did the Christmas classic story originate in our backyard?
There aren’t many Americans who haven’t seen “It’s Wonderful Life.” Ranked by the American Film Institute as “the #1 most inspirational movie of all time,” this beloved film stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, who has wide-eyed dreams of travel and adventure, but runs a bank teetering on insolvency. He and his lovely wife Mary, played by Donna Reed, raise their kids in a drafty old house in an idyllic, small town.
After problems at the bank and being told he’s “worth more dead than alive,” George considers taking his own life at the iron bridge outside of town, but a novice angel intervenes and shows him what life would be like if he had never been born. George realizes his life has made a difference and “no man is a failure who has friends.”
“It’s a Wonderful Life” is a beautiful story of love and friendship, of faith, character and small town Americana. But did you know this landmark film may have been inspired by a real-life George and Mary Bailey in a small town in northwest Iowa? A town with the inauspicious name of Correctionville.
Correctionville sits nestled in the picturesque Little Sioux River valley, about 50 miles west of Elk Point, where a sign beckons visitors to “Jog Down our Main Street.” Like a lot of midwestern small towns, population has dwindled in recent decades, but in the years before “It’s a Wonderful Life,” it was a vibrant little town lined with ornate, gas-lit lanterns and a boardwalk that boasted two competing, high-end jewelry stores, a ladies hat store and an opera house. During this time, George Bailey was one of its leading citizens. He served on the city council and school board and is described in the city historical record as “one of the best known and best loved men of Correctionville.” His wife Mary “was the center of social life,” and together, they raised two sons, Edgar and George Jr., in a lovely, Queen Anne-style house, with a wrap-around porch of ornate latticework.
George was a founding member of the Sioux Valley State Bank in Correctionville, which was later renamed “Bailey State Bank” in his honor. Edgar and George Jr. also worked at the Bailey Bank, which struggled during the depression and briefly closed its doors just before Christmas in 1930.
The Correctionville of today bears little resemblance to the era, but there are remnants if you know where to look. George Bailey lived the rest of his life in Correctionville and is buried beside his wife Mary at the city cemetery on the east side of town. A “Bailey” monument fronts the headstones, shaded by a juniper tree in the older Northeast section.
The headstone of their youngest son, George Jr., lies there too, but it predates that of his parents. George Jr. was living in Sioux City with his wife Nellie, working as a realtor, when he killed himself at the age of 37.
Nellie never remarried and is buried at Graceland Park in Sioux City, alongside her brother-in-law, Edgar. Neither George Jr. nor Edgar had any children to continue their legacy and tell their story, but other structures remain.
The former Bailey State Bank building stands at the corner of Driftwood and Fifth Street, though it has been remodeled and renamed FNB Bank. The Wright Pharmacy across the street, which once boasted iron-wrought chairs, an elaborate soda fountain and ice cream, is now home to the Correctionville Consignment shop. The Bailey House, also remodeled, still stands along 10th Street, a brass plaque noting its status on the National Register of Historic Places. Likewise, the former Ritz Theater building remains on Driftwood Street, marked by long, rusting chains that once held a brightly-lit marquee. One of the three iron bridges also still exists just north of town, unused and largely hidden amongst the cottonwood and elm trees.
A few residents have long known of the “It’s a Wonderful Life” connection and presume one of the screenwriters was inspired by the story of Correctionville and the Bailey family. Mike Nagel, a loan officer at FNB Bank, says he was astounded when he first learned of the Bailey Bank roots. “There are simply too many facts and connections for it to be written off as coincidence, which is a word we sometimes use when we can’t quite put things together,” he said. Mary Westergard, a part-time historian and former owner of the Bailey House, echoes those sentiments. Says Ms. Westergard, “I don’t know if we'll ever be able to prove it, but it’s pretty easy to see those connections if you care to look.”
It has been more than 75 years since “It’s a Wonderful Life” first aired, and while much has changed in our great country and in our small towns, the central theme of the story continues to resonate. Every life has purpose and meaning. Every person can make a difference. George and Mary Bailey of Correctionville, Iowa, would be pleased and proud to know of it.
Brent “B.R.” Hoffman grew up in small-town Iowa, then served a career in the military, surviving the attack on the Pentagon on 9/11. He’s the proud father of Silas and Lydia and wrote his first book, “Life After,” in honor of his late wife. He lives in South Dakota.
 | A guest post by
|