Manwarren Excavating

About Manwarren Excavating

Emmetsburg sits along a bend of the Des Moines River, not far from Five Island Lake, where the same cold settles over both bodies of water most winters, ice locking in earlier on the shallow lake than on the moving river current. Manwarren Excavating turns its equipment from moving dirt to moving snow once winter sets in, clearing driveways and lots across town with the same machines that dig foundations and grade lots on any other job. Palo Alto County wind has a long, flat run at Emmetsburg from every direction, and a clear morning can turn into a drifted-shut driveway by afternoon if the wind picks up off the open fields north of town. The crew's routes reach from the streets near downtown out to the properties closer to the lake, where cabins and houses alike need a driveway open through the coldest stretch of the year. By evening, with the light fading fast over the frozen lake, most of the company's routes for the day are already finished.