# New book uncovers a dark side of Des Moines history

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/river-to-river-1060576/new-book-uncovers-a-dark-side-of-des-moines-history
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/river-to-river-1060576/new-book-uncovers-a-dark-side-of-des-moines-history.md
Podcast: [River to River](https://stenobird.com/podcast/river-to-river-1060576)
Published: 2026-07-15T12:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.iowapublicradio.org/podcast/river-to-river/2026-07-15/new-book-uncovers-a-dark-side-of-des-moines-history
Audio file: https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/4c9587f2-e550-4709-b293-ad0300ce922d/5d200c83-8a20-48a7-ab87-ad51012cafbe/d4f4485c-5063-48d2-8160-b4870106db96/audio.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/river-to-river-1060576/episodes/new-book-uncovers-a-dark-side-of-des-moines-history
Duration seconds: 2875

## Resource

A history of murder, prostitution and police corruption have been buried for a century in Des Moines. On today's episode, we hear the true story of Erastus Wallace Scott, the saloon keeper the 'Des Moines Register' called 'the wickedest man in the wickedest part of town.' He was a killer, a con man and the head of a crime family that terrorized East Des Moines for a decade. We talk with Dave and Rose Donovan about their new book 'The Nastiest Saloon in Iowa: Murder, Prostitution, and Corruption in the Heartland.' The book uncovers century-old murder and corruption hiding in downtown Des Moines, and in Rose's own family tree.

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## Transcript

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