The “mother” of the Iowa State Patrol was from Washington and this weekend she’ll be celebrated along with the 82nd anniversary of the organization. Ola Babcock Miller was born in Washington County in 1871 and in 1932 was elected the first female Iowa Secretary of State. She began the Iowa Highway Safety Patrol in 1935.

This weekend The Mother Road Tour will have vintage and enforcement vehicles make the trek from the Ola Babcock Miller Building in Des Moines to Washington Sunday. The tour is being led by a 1935 Ford Tudor Sedan Patrol Car and will take Highways 163 and 92. The tour is expected to reach Washington about 11:45 a.m., with the tour stopping by Miller’s grave, a commemorative ceremony at noon, and a lunch around the square at 1 p.m.

The goal is to celebrate Miller, raise awareness of the role of the Iowa State Patrol, and to aid in recruitment for those interested in being part of the Iowa State Patrol.