Iowa Stories

“American Gothic” by Grant Wood is what one art historian called “America’s Most Famous Painting,” and in fact, one of the most recognizable paintings in the world.  It is also the subject of diverse interpretations and the source of countless parodies. 

Since 1933, Dexter, Iowa's Dexfield Park has been known for  the shootout that occurred there with the Barrow Gang. At that time, the gang consisted of Clyde Barrow, his girlfriend Bonnie Parker, Clyde’s older brother Marvin “Buck” Barrow and his wife Blanche, and teenager W. D. Jones. 

It was an election year. New York Governor Thomas Dewey was expected to soundly beat President Harry Truman. Iowa was chosen to host the 1948 National Plowing Match, giving the little town of Dexter nine months to get ready for it. They decided to invite Gov. Dewey to be their main speaker. 

He declined. 

(Author's note: This essays draws heavily from Dorothy Schwieder’s Iowa: The Middle Land.) 

(Author's note: This essay draws heavily from Dorothy Schwieder’s Iowa: The Middle Land.) 

Waves of immigrants swarmed onto the Iowa prairies to settle the state from river to river in the 19th century. For the most part, they came from northern Europe and the British Isles.  While they represented an ethnic diversity, their shared Anglo-Saxon ancestry made them able to assimilate fairly easily into mainstream American society, especially in the second and third generations.

Starting in 1854 and lasting until 1929 a system which become known as the Orphan Trains came into being. It is estimated that over 300,000 children ranging from babies to teenagers were transported by railroads to every state and territory in the Union. 

Aldeen Davis (1916 to 2000) 

Alexander G. Clark (February 25, 1826–May 31, 1891) 

Charles Nordhoff, Communistic Societies of the United States (New York: Harper & Bros., 1875).    This is a history of utopian communities in the U.S. in the late 19th Century, with a wonderful description of the Amana colonies.  (Good drawings of Amana, too.)  The chapter on Amana is about 30 pages long and very useful. 

https://archive.org/details/communistsocieties00nordrich/page/30

 

"She seems to be the only woman in Iowa to publicly espouse Women's rights in the years before the Civil War." 

— Louise R. Noun, Strong-Minded Women, 1969 

Read about the Spotted Fever Epidemic in Grinnell in David Connon's blog, Confederates from Iowa: Not to Defend, but to Understand. Blog post link provided by the author.

Anna Christensen Opel  (May 22, 1884 – October 27, 1978) 

Anna Opel had a prolific presence in the garden world in Muscatine for over forty years, from  the mid-1930’s until her death in 1978.  Anna is listed or mentioned in over 200 entries in the Muscatine Journal for sharing her plant knowledge expertise with various church and community groups as well as her beloved Garden Club.   

Annie Savery was an early leader of the women’s suffrage movement but her commitment to improving the lives of women was broader than the vote alone.  Iowa historian and activist Louise Noun praised Savery as “the most admirable woman I have found in my research on Iowa feminists."  

Through the last half of the 19th C., Germany provided more immigrants to Iowa than any other ethnic group.  They often settled together in cities, towns, or rural neighborhoods and preserved many aspects of their traditional culture.  German was the language in the home, in the school, in church, and in many business connections.  German language newspapers covered local, national, and international events of interest to their readers.  While Germans often formed a majority along many of the larger Mississippi River cities like Dubuque and Davenport and in western Iowa

The Civil War began in April 1861 and thousands of Iowa men quickly volunteered to fight the Confederacy.  Many Iowa soldiers served in Missouri, a state that did not secede.  This helped secure the western side of the Mississippi River for the Union.  In 1862 General Ulysses S. Grant and his army moved into Tennessee. Nearly 20,000 Iowans had joined the Union army by then, most fighting in state bordering the Mississippi River.  After capturing two Confederate forts guarding the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers, Grant’s army moved south. 

The southeast Iowa town of Buxton became a center for coal mining in the early 1900s.  It was also an integrated town in a state almost entirely white.  Historians Dorothy Schwieder, Joseph Hraba, and Elmer Schwieder argued that it was an “atypical mining community in many respects.”  A majority of its early twentieth century population of about 5,000 was African-American.  Blacks and whites were paid the same for labor; the two races lived together in residential areas.  Blacks and whites mingled at work and in town.  

Many historians credit Carrie Lane Chapman Catt with the strategy and organizing abilities that led to the final passage of the Nineteenth Amendment that granted women the right to vote.  Growing up in Charles City, Catt attended Iowa State College (now ISU), moved to Mason City where she taught school and became school superintendent, and then married the local newspaper editor Leo Chapman in 1885.

Catherine Roxana Miller (1908-2008) was a global citizen, progressive educator, and social activist. To honor her and her passion for global education, the Stanley Center on Peace and Security established the Catherine Miller Explorer Award which annually funds summer international experiences for selected Muscatine teachers. 

This article is a memoir of Cedar Rapids almost 100 years ago and daily life in the city, from sports to cars, radio, and movies.  This is a good example of how daily life began to change, and became more recognizably modern, in the early 20th Century.  Think about how communications and transportation are similar to today.

In the 20th century, a Swedish immigrant came to this country with $20 to his name.  Col. Emil Tyden played a big part in Iowa's agricultural and manufacturing past and present.   

Historian and Blogger David Connon explores Confederates from Iowa in a series of blog posts:

Conger Reynolds (1891-1971)

Cora Chaplin was born on July 31, 1844, in Quincy, Illinois. When she was five years old, her family moved to Muscatine. Her father, Charles Chaplin, was a riverboat engineer. She was a member of the Congregational Church from childhood and focused upon her education and the learning of languages including German and French. As an adult, she was a member of the First Congregational Church Choir and participated in neighborhood Bible classes. Cora progressed to being a teacher and principal in the Muscatine School System. 

Dexfield Park opened in 1915 and was the largest amusement park in the state of Iowa at the time. Located between Dexter and Redfield, about three miles from both, on the south side of the Raccoon River, it was open every Sunday. People came from miles around, including from Des Moines. 

The park had a large cement swimming pool fed by “Marshall Springs.” There was also an open-air dance hall and skating rink, as well as games, free movies, and programs, a Ferris wheel, shooting gallery, picnic tables, and a campground. 

The 1917 Dexter Community Building, also known as the Roundhouse, is constructed with 8-inch hollow blocks throughout. The roof is dome shaped, elliptical, and without a single support except at the walls with several steel girths. 

It houses an auditorium with a stage, and was used for Lyceum courses, Chautauquas, moving pictures, plays, special church services, political gatherings, and basketball games. There was a seating capacity for about 1000. Bleachers flanked the stage on both sides for games, chairs and tables added for other activities.