Iowa History

Iowa History: State Fair of 1868: Gloomy, But Motivational

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Iowa History, a weekly column, appears at IowaWatch on Saturdays. Cheryl Mullenbach is a former history teacher, newspaper editor, and public television project manager. She is the author of four non-fiction books for young people. Double Victory was featured on C-SPAN’s “Book TV” and The Industrial Revolution for Kids was selected for “Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People.” Her most recent book, Women in Blue traces the evolution of women in policing. Visit her website at: www.cherylmullenbachink.com

The Iowa State Fair of 1868, the 15th annual, was a disappointment in some ways.

Iowa History

Iowa History: War Hero Not Trying to Get Kissed

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I’m not going around trying to get kissed. I haven’t done anything brave. No one but a darned fool would have gone on that Merrimac trip.” Stuart, Iowa, native Osborn Warren Deignan was being modest when he claimed he hadn’t done anything brave. Most Americans in 1898 disagreed with the Spanish-American War hero when it came to his statement about bravery.

Iowa City Automobile Club

Iowa History: Rubber Neck Jaunts In Eastern Iowa

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In February 1910 a small group of individuals in Iowa City formed the Iowa City Automobile Club which allowed them the opportunity to enjoy the sights around the eastern part of the state. Their “rubber neck wagon jaunts” took them to various small communities where the sight of automobiles was not an everyday occurrence.

Iowa History

Iowa History: Circus Train Derails Near Eddyville

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Doctors from Eddyville and Ottumwa rushed to the scene of a train wreck near Eddyville in August 1885 when news of injuries reached the two towns. The circus train consisted of several cars loaded with wagons containing tents and seats that could accommodate 8,000 audience members, as well as animals and performers.

Cheryl Mullenbach

The Sooner, The Better

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It was both a “horrible and wonderful spectacle.” That’s how Roger Lewis, a Manchester, Iowa native, described the view from his billet near the town of Monthairon, France, where he was stationed with the 110th Ammunition Train during World War I in 1919. They were situated in the Meuse River valley, and Roger reported the soldiers could see gently rolling hills for miles in either direction.

Cheryl Mullenbach

Royal Mounties Battle Iowa Fugitive in Mid Air

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“Just wait, I’ll explain everything,” Joseph Gadbury pleaded as Deputy Sheriff Anthony Row of Britt prepared to transport the fugitive from Winnipeg, Canada, back to Iowa. “I thought the check was good.”

Cheryl Mullenbach

Where To Find Iowa Stories

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The Iowa Stories series produced by Cheryl Mullenbach and published on IowaWatch on Saturdays has ended. You can keep up with Mullenbach’s latest efforts on her website, www.cherylmullenbachink.com.

Black Hawk

Iowa History Pulsates With Life

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A new book on Iowa history was released in the fall of 1931, and it was “no drab account of records and dates” according to some who had seen it. The author, Edith Rule, had spent the summer at the University of Iowa completing research “amid the exhaustive” documents of the state’s beginnings and consulting with professors.