He Drove a Lawn Mower 240 Miles to See His Brother

In the summer of 1994, a 73-year-old Iowan who could not legally drive a car set off for Wisconsin on a riding lawn mower. Six weeks and 240 miles later, he got there.

A Brother 240 Miles Away

Henry Straight lived near Blue River, Wisconsin. In June 1994, at 80, he had a stroke.

His younger brother, Alvin, lived in Laurens, Iowa, about 240 miles away. Alvin wanted to go to him.

There was a problem. At 73, Alvin was in poor health, with diabetes and emphysema, and his eyes were too weak for a driver's license.

The Associated Press reported at the time that neither brother could see well enough for a driver's license, and neither wanted anyone else doing the driving. So when Alvin heard about the stroke, he bought a riding lawn mower.

Five Miles an Hour, Flat Out

On July 5, he set off on it: a 1966 John Deere riding lawn mower. On good days he averaged about 5 miles an hour along U.S. 18.

Behind it he towed a 10-foot trailer loaded with gasoline, clothes, food and camping gear. He drove along the shoulders of the highway.

About four days and 21 miles in, the mower broke down in West Bend, Iowa. Alvin had it repaired with new parts, including a condenser, plugs, a generator and a starter, and kept going.

Roughly 90 miles past West Bend, in Charles City, Iowa, he ran out of money. He camped there and waited for his next Social Security check before moving on.

Two Miles Short

On August 15, 1994, Alvin was almost there. About two miles from Henry's house, the mower broke down again.

A farmer stopped and helped him push it the rest of the way.

The trip had taken about six weeks. Henry had not known his brother was coming. He told The Associated Press:

"All I could do was unhitch his mower," he said. "It ain't hard to unhitch."

Alvin did not ride home. His nephew, Dayne Straight, drove him back to Iowa in a pickup truck.

From the Highway Shoulder to the Big Screen

The story made national news. Alvin turned down invitations from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the Late Show with David Letterman.

After the trip, a John Deere dealer in Seminole, Texas, gave him a new riding mower. In April 1995 he set off on a mower again, this time for Sun Valley, Idaho, but cold weather turned him back.

That year he signed a deal for the film rights. He said he had not made the trip for fame or money.

Alvin died on November 9, 1996, at 76. A lawn mower like the one he rode joined his funeral procession to the cemetery in Ida Grove, Iowa.

Henry recovered from his stroke and moved back to Iowa to be closer to his family. He died in 1998.

In 1999, director David Lynch, best known for Twin Peaks, made the trip into The Straight Story. Walt Disney Pictures put it out in the US, and it is the only Lynch film ever rated G.

Richard Farnsworth played Alvin and earned an Academy Award nomination. Like most films based on real people, it dramatizes parts of the brothers' story.

The Mower Is Still in Laurens

The mower now sits in the Straight Story Building on West Section Line Road in Laurens. Pocahontas County's tourism office lists it as open by appointment and invites visitors to sit on the actual mower Alvin drove.

A travel writer who visited in 2021 told readers to ask at the Laurens Public Library, where visitors are directed to the building.

The machine that carried Alvin Straight from Iowa into Wisconsin is still there.