Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 165; Update; The Death of the John Rochel House; The house is dead

THe developer or the contractor, neither of which shall be named destroyed the John Rochel House before the stated date of July 10, 2009. It was destroyed on either June 30 or July 1. Someone lied about when the house would be demolished. My guess is the developer, that or the contractor hired to do the job got in too much of a damn hurry. Now that whole area looks a barren landscape. I honestly hopes it stays that way. I hope the developer looses his ass on the deal financially and the school is unable to raise the money to build their new campus. I have also learned that there is someone who is ready and willing to donate the remainder of the money needed to build the school campus, but will only do so if the school changes from being a catholic to a christian school. Knowing how the catholic church operates that will never happen, thus the money will not be donated and the school campus will not be built unless the school district can come up with the funds some other way.

If something is not done to this barren area of the city and because it is Loess Hills soil it will start to erode away. Which means we will loose even more of the beautiful Loess Hills that are often called fragile giants. When it starts to erode it will erode right into the new Perry Creek flood control channel causing all kinds of problems. The city just got done with the Perry Creek project last year to control flooding. Now the food control is in jeopardy because of some jackass developer who was only thinking about money and only saw the dollar signs. They never thought to focus on the negative impact this has on the community.

The obituary for the John Rochel House has been changed;
Born/Built/Created/Constructed Date; 1881
Death/Destruction/Demolition/Razed Date; July 1, 2009
Preceded in death by who knows how many other historical buildings in this area all in the name of so called progress.
After 128 years of life may the John Rochel rest in piece, or rather pieces.

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 164; New Sioux City Public Museum

Currently the Sioux City Public Museum is at the Peirce Mansion at 2901 Jackson St. Plans are moving forward for the new Sioux City Public Museum that will be at the J. C. Penny building in downtown Sioux City. On Sat. June 27, 2009 there was an open house that I attended. Right now the new Museum does not look like much and is in the pre-construction stage. Museum Director Steve Hansen to answer questions and give presentations on the progress of the new museum. Construction should begin in Sept. of 2009 and be near or at completetion in Aug. of 2010. As I have more info. I will post updates.

Article on the open house.;
Museum announces open house at new site

Link to info. on updated progress of new museum.;
Our New Museum - Downtown!

Photo's I took of the new museum as it looks now, and the plans of what it will look like.;

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 163; Update; Sculpt Siouxland

I originally posted about the Sculpt Siouxland project in September of 2008. Here is the original post; Sioux City History & Culture by Bicycle Part 1: Sculpt Siouxland Since the original post there have been new statues added as part of the Sculpt Siouxland project. The new statues were put in place in the last couple of months. As of right now there are no name plates with the statues so I do not know what they are called. When I have the info. I will post another update. For now here are the photo's of the new statues.;

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 162; Update; The Death of the American Linseed Oil Co. Building?

I have found out the fire that damaged the American Linseed Oil Co. Building only damaged the back 20% of the building. State Steel, the company that owns it still plans on restoring/renovating it to be used for their offices. I am glad to see an old historic building that will be renovated anc continue to be used.

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 161; What is Worth Saving?

Here is a recent article asking the question what is worth saving when it comes to Sioux City's past.; Historic preservation: What's worth saving? The article asks what is worth saving. There are some good answers like not everything can be save and not everything should be saved. The article also states just because a building is old does not mean it is significant. These answers come from Jim Jung of the city's Historic Preservation Commission and museum director Steve Hansen.

I have discussed this with people. Some think tear it all down to build new buildings. Some think save and restore all old buildings regardless of historic significance. While others think save the buildings that have historic significance and don't worry about the others regardless of how old they are, this is the one I agree with. Save and restore the buildings with historic significance and don't worry about the others. Use the others if they can be used, but if they are razed, so be it. A good example of this is the area just north and west of downtown Sioux City that is being leveled. Granted not all of the hosues are historical homes. But the ones that are are being destroyed along with everything else.

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 160; The Death of the American Linseed Oil Co. Building?

Another recent fire that has partially destroyed an historic building in Sioux City occured at the old American Linseed Oil Co. Building. On the resent past it has been used by Bekins for storage and is owned by the State Steel. I think at one time State Steel was looking at renovating/restoring the old building for office space. Now it's futrue is uncertain and in question and all because of possible arson. With what has happened to this building and the Florence Crittenton Home I can not help but wonder if Sioux City's historical buildings are now targets. The fire in this building and the Crittenton could very well be linked to the same person or people. I hope the criminals are caught before any more buildings are destroyed.

Here is some info. on the American Linseed Oil Co. Building.;
2 blocks south of 4th St on the Northeast corner of 2nd & Court Streets is the American Linseed Oil Company Building. Thomas P. Gere of Sioux City and Rensselaer D. Hubbard of Mankato, Minnesota founded the American Linseed Oil Company at this location in 1883. At that time, flax oil was used primarily in the production of paint and varnishes. The original mill burned in 1890. Later that year, a new mill (pictured above) was designed by Sioux City architect William McLaughlin and constructed on the foundation of the original structure. By the early 1890s, it was the largest linseed oil mill in the world, processing 800,000 bushels of flaxseed annually. It continued to operate as a linseed oil mill until 1928. Since that time, it has been used as a warehouse by Kay Dee Feed Company, the Bekins Company and Grant Tire. The building is owned by State Steel.

I will post more information as I receive it.

Article about the fire;
Fire destroys historic warehouse downtown

Here is a photo of the building;

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 159; The Death of the Florence Crittenton Home?

Recently there have been a couple of fires at some of Sioux City's historical buildings. One of those was the Florence Crittenton. You may remeber I psoted about htis building in this post; Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 110: William Labarth Steele Part 5: Florence Crittenton Center and; Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 66: Florence Crittenton Center In the previous posts I mentioned it is not known what is going to happen to the building. The Crittenton Center who still owns the building received some stimulus money to turn the building into low rent apartments. Which means the building was going once again to serve the community and help those less fortunate by providing a place to live they can afford.

Now because of a devastating fire that future in uncertain and in question. Here are the news stories about the fire;
Former Florence Crittenton Home damaged by fire
Fire in second historic building called intentional
Fires damages second historic building
Fire officials: Historic building fire suspicious
Protect empty buildings from possible arson

If it is arson I hope the criminals responsible are caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Obviously these hoodlums doing this have no pride in this community nor do they understand what kind of historical value they are destroying. As I have more information I will post it as it becomes available.

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 158; The Death of the John Rochel House

Because of a project to build a new high school by the catholic school districts, supported by the catholic diocese in Sioux City an important part of Sioux City's history is being destroyed. mid-town holding llc bought the property and is the developer who is destroying an entire neighborhood. It is not known whether or not they were hired by the private school district to buy and destroy this entire historic neighborhood for a new school campus. There is also no guarantee at all whether or not a new school campus will be built. This land may sit empty for years to come.

This is very disturbing and aggravating. Sure the neighborhood is not that great and is run down. It is where people with out a lot of income live. They make do with what they have and do the best they can and most of the properties are rentals. But this is no reason for a developer, a private school or a religious organization entity to destroy an important part of Sioux City's history. All this shows if someone has the money they can do pretty much what ever they want. I think the catholic school district and diocese needs to remember a certain historical figure, William L. Steele, responsible for a lot of Sioux City's history in the 1900's that helped them become the church and school district they are today. I imagine Steele is rolling over in his grave if he knows what the school district and diocese that he once did work for is doing. I think he would say shame on you for destroying an important part of Sioux City that he himself helped design. While there may be no Steele designed buildings in the neighborhood that has been leveled and while Steele did not design the John Rochel House he did design a lot of buildings in the surrounding area.

The catholic school district and diocese in question could have easily built their new school, which will no doubt be an ugly monstrosity in a different location. The developer and the catholic school district are not done leveling some of Sioux City's history. The have yet to level an area further north and west of what they already have. I wonder how big of a darn campus does one school district really need? There is plenty of other land that is either empty or has empty buildings on it with no historical value that the private school district and the developer could have purchased for the new campus. Why didn't they? The City of Sioux City is also involved in this, yet because it is not a public project, the public is not informed of it. However one group that is informed of it, the historical preservation commission is given only a 30 day notice, not nearly enough time, to go in and document what they can and if at all possible save the important historical structures that are otherwise razed.

I am going to find out more info on how much historical value the surrounding are had and how much the area that has yet to be leveled has.

Some other ways to look at this, for those that don't think one house or a neighborhood has significant historical value is think about other buildings in your area. How would you feel if some developer bought the property and wanted to level it to build something else. Now go further and compare this to an entire neighborhood. Now go outside of your community and compare it to an historical county, state and federal or National Landmark or building. Where does it stop? I don't know, but I can tell you where it starts. In the local area. Next this will happen at the county level, then state and eventually the federal or national level.

Another thing to consider is a lot of the tenants who are renting won't see a dime of the money being offered by the developer and they have no money to relocate. This will impact the economy and put a further burden on a bad situation with the economy. When a developer and a private school district destroys an entire neighborhood such as it is, run down or not, it is not progress or good sound development. It is a mistake.

There a total of 4 entities who share in the responsibility for destroying this historical part of Sioux City's past. Up until now I have talked about 3 of them, the developer, the catholic school district and the catholic diocese. The 4th is the former owners of the properties that have been or are going to be purchased by the developer. These owners sold out a very large and important piece of Sioux City's past. Apparently nothing is sacred anymore in the name of progress and some people have a price at which they will sell regardless of the consequences of doing so. Just as developers will buy at any price, again despite the consequences. In all honesty I sincerly hope the private school district is unable to raise the rest of the mone and the school is never built. I also hope the developer is unable to sell the properties to anyone and loses their shirt over it. It would be poetic justice. How? Well John Rochel lost his shirt in the late 1800's during the depression of the time that hit. As a result he was forced to move to another less ornate home on Summit St, not to far from his original home.

Some of the people who support this effort, to destroy an entire historic neighborhood in Sioux City, feel buying these properties, destroying an entire historical area of Sioux City's past is a good idea because they think a majority of the people who live in this neighborhood are either on drugs or part of some sort of criminal element. When asked to provide statistical proof of this they rebutted with they do not need to do so because they witnessed this for themselves. Granted it may be true that they witnessed some sort of criminal behavior, I am hard pressed to believe a majority of the people who reside in this area of Sioux City are drug addicts or criminals. I refuse to believe that until statistical proof is provided showing this to be true. Granted on the other side of the coin I have no proof that a majority of the people who live there are not criminals or are not on drugs. Then again I have never claimed nor will ever claim that they are not on drugs or are not criminals unless I have proof. I really dislike it when someone makes a bold statement and uneducated statement, such as "90% of the people are on drugs or criminals", with out any sort of proof. Yes this area does have an/or attract part, not all, of the city's criminal element. But that does not mean everyone living there is a criminal as some people have suggested. A lot of these people are decent hard working individuals who are trying to live their lives, provide for their families and are doing what they can to get by. The last thing they need is to be uprooted and left on their own to relocate.

Please note in this blog post I have not, nor will I name the catholic school district or diocese that is doing this and the name of the developer is in lower case letters. This is my way of showing disrespect toward both entities. I have no respect at all toward the developer and have lost a lot of respect for the catholic diocese and school district because of this. In fact I am debating with myself whether or not I will continue working with the archivist at the diocese office in my research in to the history of the catholic church in Sioux City. In the course of my research I was being loaned documents that I digitally scanned and when I returned the documents I would include a copy of the digital scans on a CD, thus helping to further preserve the documents. Now because of this I am not sure if I will continue with that effort.

I usually try not to interject my personal feelings and opinions in these historical posts. But this one I had to say something about and express my concern, attitude and disgust toward what is happening.

Obituary for the John Rochel House;
Born/Built/Created/Constructed Date; 1881
Death/Destruction/Demolition/Razed Date; July 10, 2009
Preceded in death by who knows how many other historical buildings in this area all in the name of so called progress.
After 128 years of life may the John Rochel rest in piece, or rather pieces.

Here is a link to the article about the death of the John Rochel House.;
Efforts to save 1881-era house fall short

This brings to mind a commercial I hear or see every now and then about preserving the local history of our communities. In the radio version you hear someone talking about the place they got married, it goes something like this; "My husband and I got married at the gas station on the corner." There is a pause between before the words gas station because if you have never heard the commercial before you expect the person to say church. A similar commercial talks about an historical school building that goes something like; "I went to school at the shopping mall on (enter street name here)." Again there is a pause before the words shopping mall because you expect to hear the person say the name of the school. I can imagine at some point in the near future people who grew up in this neighborhood and lived in these houses, including the John Rochel house will say something to the effect of; "I grew up and/or lived in the new (enter name of the private school)." Or something similar if the school is not built. Again I ask where will it stop?

Here are the photo's I took of this beautiful and historic house and the surrounding area. Keep in mind these will likely be the last photo's that have possibly been taken of the house before it is destroyed. The houses in the back ground, some of whcih could be historical homes, may soon be gone as well.;

History and Culture by Bicycle Part 157; History and Culture Outside of Sioux City Part 7; Utica, Illinois War Memorial.

In Utica, Illinois near the little league field and I & M Canal Trail access is the town war memorial. It serves as a tribute for the veterans that served in all branches of the U.S. military.

Photo's;

History and Culture by Bicycle Part 156; History and Culture Outside of Sioux City Part 6; Herbert Hoover National Historic Site.

The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site is located in West Branch, Iowa and is easily accessible by bicycle. There is a bike rack near the visitor center. Please enjoy this virtual tour and then visit the site for yourself via a bicycle.

Born in a two-room cottage, Herbert Hoover could have been any small town boy. Orphaned at age nine, he left West Branch, never to live here again. The landscape and buildings of the early years remain, however, to tell how family, faith, education, and hard work opened a world of opportunity—even the presidency of the United States—to a child of simple beginnings.

The future president was born in a small, two-room cottage in 1874. Today the Birthplace Cottage, along with other historic buildings associated with his early childhood in West Branch, is the centerpiece of Herbert Hoover National Historic Site. The site is adjacent the historic district of downtown West Branch.

Herbert Hoover, the first President born west of the Mississippi River, was born in a small two-room cottage on August 10, 1874.

Herbert's father Jesse and grandfather Eli Hoover built the cottage in 1871. The Hoover family lived in it until 1879.

The little house was near the center of the small but growing town of West Branch. Jesse and his wife Hulda hosted family gatherings and church group meetings here.

In the 1930's, President and Mrs. Hoover purchased and restored the cottage, which Hoover said was "physical proof of the unbounded opportunity of American life."

Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover are buried on a hillside overlooking the president's birthplace. The landscape of the National Historic Site celebrates and commemorates Herbert Hoover's accomplishments and ideals.

Herbert Hoover died on October 20, 1964 and was laid to rest five days later in this quiet hillside overlooking the cottage where he was born. He was ninety years old.

His wife Lou Henry Hoover, who died in 1944 and was buried in California, was moved to rest beside her husband shortly after his burial.

The simple stones of Vermont marble are in keeping with the Quaker ideal of simplicity. The view of the Birthplace Cottage is the central vista in a landscape that commemorates Hoover's Iowa childhood and his adulthood achievements.

A little piece of interesting trivia about Herbert Hoover is he was the 31st President of the United States. During the last years of his life he lived on the 31st floor of the Astoria Hotel in New York City. His neighbors included Douglas MacArthur and Lucky Luciano.

Link to information about the site.;
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

Photo's of the historic site I took during a recent trip.;

History and Culture by Bicycle Part 155; History and Culture Outside of Sioux City Part 5; Iowa 80 Truckstop and Trucking Museum

Along Interstate 80, near Walcott and Plainview, Iowa is the Iowa 80 Truckstop and Trucking Museum. Opened in 1964, it is now the worlds largest truckstop, or rather travel stop. It caters to any type of roadway traveler. I recommend that only experienced cyclists visit the Iowa 80 and ride in from either the Walcott or Plainview areas if riding bike to do so. The reason is as it is right off of the interstate it is very busy with all types of motor vehicle traffic.

Web site link;
Worlds Largest Truckstop, Iowa 80

Here are the photo's I took during a recent visit to the Iowa 80.;

History and Culture by Bicycle Part 154; History and Culture Outside of Sioux City Part 4; Starved Rock State Park

Starved Rock State Park is a great place for a cyclist to ride to, enjoy camping, hiking and fishing at the park. It is located just outside of Utica, Illinois, along the Illinois River. From the park cyclists can ride into Utica to enjoy what the town has to offer, including the historical value of the are and take a ride on the I & M Canal Path into LaSalle, Illinois.

Web sites with information about the park, including history and what the parks has to offer visitors.;
Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Starved Rock State Park
Illinois Starved Rock State Park

Photo's I took of the park while on a recent visit.;

History and Culture by Bicycle Part 153; History and Culture Outside of Sioux City Part 3; Westclox Building

The Westclox building in Peru, Illinois has a long and proud history. Today the building stands empty but serves as a reminder of a time when high quality American industry, before selling out to cheaper labor in foreign countries, was a higher priority then it is now.

The building is along the Grand Illinois Trail route. I have had the pleasure of riding bike by it on more then one occasion.

Company History Overview

Westclox began as the United Clock Company of Peru, Illinois in 1885. Charles Stahlberg headed a group from Waterbury, Connecticut, who came to Peru in 1884 to build clocks based on a new idea by Stahlberg. They incorporated the United Clock Company on December 23, 1885. We have not yet located a clock by United Clock Co. (which is different from the United Clock Corp. of Brooklyn, NY, a maker of electric clocks in the 1930's - 1960's).

Stahlberg's ideas were patented on Sept. 22, 1885 as US patent #326,602. His patent describes the process of making gear assemblies of lead alloy with hard metal acting parts. This patent also describes the casting of the movement plates from this lead alloy, with inset brass bushings for the pivots! Please tell us if you know of a movement like this, as we have not yet located one.

After United Clock Company went bankrupt, it was reorganized as the Western Clock Company in 1887. After another bankruptcy, it was reorganized by F. W. Matthiessen as The Western Clock Mfg. Co. in 1888. In 1912 the name was shortened to Western Clock Company. In 1916 the trademark “Westclox” was registered, but the name had appeared on the backs of clocks as early as 1909. In 1930, Western Clock Company was merged with Seth Thomas Clock Company as “General Time Corporation”, and in 1936 it was renamed the Westclox Division of General Time Corp. In 1968, General Time was acquired by Talley industries, and in 1988, General Time was bought from Talley Industries by the current management. In 2001, General Time declared bankruptcy, and the trademarks Westclox and Big Ben were acquired by Salton, Inc.

"On August 7, 2001 we acquired all of the trademarks, molds, intellectual
property, rights and patents related to the Westclox(R), Big Ben(R) and
Spartus(R) brands for $9.8 million. " Salton Inc · 10-K · For 6/29/02

"WESTCLOX, BIG BEN AND SPARTUS BRANDS - On Aug. 7, 2001 Salton announced that it acquired the trademarks, other intellectual property assets and molds, intellectual property, rights and patents related to these brands for $9.8 million of the Westclox(R), Big Ben(R), and Spartus(R) brands from the bankrupt General Time Corporation, until recently, the largest producer and marketer of alarm, wall and occasional clocks in North America." Salton Inc · 10-K · For 6/29/02

"GENERAL TIME: Salton Acquires Timekeeping Brands For $9.8MM
Salton, Inc. (NYSE:SFP) announced the acquisition of the Westclox(R), Big Ben(R) and Spartus(R) brands from the bankrupt General Time Corporation, until recently the largest producer and marketer of alarm, wall and occasional clocks in North America.

Under the terms of the acquisition, Salton has agreed to purchase all of the trademarks, molds, intellectual property, rights and patents related to these select brands. In addition, Salton agreed to purchase inventory related to these brands held in the U.S., Europe and Canada. Additional financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Leonhard Dreimann, Chief Executive Officer of Salton, stated, "Leading surveys rank Big Ben and Westclox, second only to the Timex(R) brand of time products in terms of name recognition and customer satisfaction. Following the close of this transaction, Salton's Home Decor Division, Salton at Home, will control three of the World's leading timepiece brands that will solidify our growing position as a leading marketer of time products in the U.S. and Europe. Looking ahead, we are excited to market this expanding line of time products in North America, as well as in Europe through our newly acquired European distribution network." Troubled Company Reporter Thursday, August 9, 2001, Vol. 5, No. 155

"Sale of Time Products Business - On July 18, 2007 Salton, Inc. ("Seller") and NYL Holdings LLC ("Buyer") entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement as amended on August 23, 2007 ("Agreement"). The terms of the Agreement provided for Buyer to purchase Seller's clock inventory and certain time products related trademarks and tooling and molds. The closing occurred in October 2007, when all inventory was transferred to Buyer".

"The assets included in the Agreement totaled $2.8 million in inventory, net of reserves, and less than $0.1 million in tooling as reflected on the Company’s balance sheet as of September 29, 2007. There was no book value for the trademarks. The assets were sold at book value."From a 10-Q SEC Filing, filed by SALTON INC on 11/13/2007.

Westclox Hours of Work
1889 At least 60 hours/week
1903 57 hours/week
1908 Hours shortened to 9 hours/day or 54 hours/week. But no Saturday afternoon work in summer - an innovation at that time.
1918 Saturday afternoons off all year round. Westclox one of the leaders in this change.
1920 8 1/2 hours/day M - F, 4 1/2 hours on Saturday (47 hours/week)
1927 8 hours/day M - F, 4 1/2 hours Saturday (44 1/2 hours/week)
1933 Stopped working Saturday mornings. (40 hours week)
References:

Tick Talk April 23, 1937, p. 8.
Tick Talk September 1952, p. 4 - 5.

The February 20, 1923 Tick Talk reports on the Westclox workers' opposition to a proposed 8 hour/day law. If passed, workers would would work 8 hours/day M - F and 7 hours on Saturday, instead of the 8 1/2 hours/day M - F and 4 1/2 hours on Saturday. A vote was taken by the Women's Problem Committee, and 2176 voted in favor of the current schedule (against the 8 hour law) and 49 voted for the 8 hour law.

Company Names and Dates
December 23, 1885 United Clock Company

May 14, 1887 The Western Clock Company

July 7, 1888 The Western Clock Mfg. Company

October 13, 1908 Board of directors resolved to change company name to Western Clock Co.

June 11, 1912 Stockholders approve name change to Western Clock Co.

November 12, 1930 Stockholders of Western Clock Co. approve of plan uniting the company with Seth Thomas Clock Company by the formation of a holding company named General Time Instruments Corporation

Late 1936 Westclox Division of General Time Instruments Corporation

1968 General Time Corp. bought by Talley Industries.
1988 General Time Corp. was acquired from Talley Industries by management
2001 General Time closes all operations and the trademarks Westclox and Big Ben were sold to Salton. Inc.
2007 NYL Holdings LLC buys Westclox from Salton, Inc.

Not only does the Westclox building have a long and proud history in Peru, Illinois but it is where some of my family history took place. My inlaws met at Westclox. My father in law was a security guard working for the company contracted by Westclox to provide security for the facility and my mother in law was an employee for Westclox and worked in the government assembly line. the line she worked on produced the time mechanisms for the ordinance used in our nations defense. Including the hydrogen and nuclear bombs built during the Cold War as well as other powerful weapons that required timing devices to help activate the explosive power of the weapon. The way they met was after work one day my father inlaw met my mother inlaw at the door she was exiting out of and asked her to accompany him off to the side. She thought she was in trouble for something because of the assembly line she worked on. It was because he wanted to aske her out for a date, she said yes. They courted for a while, married, moved to Michigan where my wife was born. Were it not for Westclox I never would have met my wonderful wife and become a part of her family. I would like to imagine there are similar stories like this because of Westclox as well.

The building has some beautiful architecture on it, though I do not know the style or design. When I find out I will post an update.

Link to the history of Westclox;
Westclox History Main Page

Here are the photo's I took of the building. They include the outside of the building plus an exhibit at tbhe LaSalle County Historical Society Museum in Utica, Illinois.;

History and Culture by Bicycle Part 152; History and Culture Outside of Sioux City Part 2; LaSalle County Historical Society

On January 26, 1907, at 2 p.m., a group of interested citizens of the county held an organizational meeting in the Supervisors Room of the courthouse for the purpose of forming a LaSalle County Historical Society.

About 60 persons of the county met with Terry Simmons of Marseilles acting as chairman. They adopted a constitution for the Society and elected Horace Hall of Ottawa as the first president.

The Society obtained its certificate of incorporation under the General Not-For-Profit Corporation Act of the State of Illinois on September 5, 1924, under the name of LaSalle County Historical Society. The purpose of the Society was set forth: “To search out, procure and preserve in permanent form, facts and data in the history of the County of LaSalle, Illinois, as related to persons, places and all objects therein.”

In 1931, LaSalle County celebrated its Centennial and the Historical Society enjoyed a surge of new members as each community sifted through the old records of its early pioneer families and the events of 100 years of growth.

The organization had no formal home and meetings were conducted in church meeting halls, school auditoriums, service organization halls, and private homes. Programs featuring speakers and presentations were part of the meetings, which were conducted mostly on a quarterly basis.

In 1952, after a centennial group met, they decided to re-organize and restore an active Society. A public appeal was made for artifacts, records, photos, and items that illustrated some part of the county’s history and the museum’s collection was established.

The Society was re-chartered in 1953 and in 1955 a goal was announced to find a location to store the collected historical artifacts. An extensive search led to detailed discussions of several alternatives, and in 1963 the Clark warehouse and granary in Utica became available.

The 1848 building was saved from demolition and in 1965 the Society began a fund drive to remodel the warehouse into a museum.

In October of 1966 the LaSalle County Historical Society conducted its first annual meeting in the remodeled museum building and 130 area residents attended an open house.

Title to the building was transferred to the Society in December of that year and in May of 1967 the new museum building was dedicated and opened to the public. More than 750 people attended the grand opening.

Steady growth of the collection ensued and the Society added the Kidd Blacksmith shop in 1972, the vintage barn in 1988, and the Aitken one-room schoolhouse in 1991.

The Society celebrated the fortieth anniversary of the museum building in 2006 and at the annual meeting announced expansion plans to increase the building’s usefulness and to improve the display of the collection.

Link to historical society site;
LaSalle County Historical Society

Photos I took of the historical buildings and exhibits;

History and Culture by Bicycle Part 151; History and Culture Outside of Sioux City Part 1; LaSalle, Illinois Part 1; I & M Canal Path

Completed in 1848 and in operation until the railroad caused it to cease to operate the Illinois & Michigan Canal was a major part of industry and the economy in Illinois. Here is a brief history of the canal and the people who helped make it happen, including what it is today;

Building the Canal

The I&M Canal brought people and prosperity to Chicago and the entire Midwest. It revolutionized the transportation system of Illinois and helped establish Chicago as a passageway for goods and people traveling throughout the continent. Today, Illinois is still a leader in transporting goods and people, but few realize that it all started with the I&M Canal.

Throughout history water has been the best way to transport people and goods. From 1673 on, explorers, politicians, investors, travelers and farmers alike saw the advantages of building a canal near Chicago that would link the waters of Lake Michigan with those of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, thus providing a water passage all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. In 1825, when the Erie Canal opened as a link between the Great Lakes and Eastern seaboard, the proposed Illinois canal gained impetus because its construction would provide a continuous water highway stretching from New York to New Orleans.

After years of planning, the Canal Commissioners began building the I&M Canal in 1836, but faced numerous hurdles including a shortage of workers, and a national financial panic in 1837. Irish, as well as German, Swedish and other immigrants, attracted by the promise of abundant jobs, flocked to Illinois to begin the arduous work of digging the canal by hand.

The workers lived in rude shanties, and many died of diseases, including cholera and dysentery. During the summer months the men feared contracting malaria. On one occasion, workers, arguing that the whiskey would protect them from the disease, demanded that they be supplied with whiskey before they venture into the water to fabricate the canal's foundation. The hard-pressed contractor relented. In many cases canal workers were paid a dollar and a gill of whiskey per week.

The economic crisis of the late 1830s and early 1840s resulted in wage reductions for canal workers, and violence erupted on several occasions. For several years virtually all work on the canal was halted. By the early 1840s the state of Illinois was virtually bankrupt. Although unfinished, the completion of the I&M Canal was the one tangible hope for a brighter future. Fortunately, loans from European and American investors allowed the project to carry on, and the canal was completed in 1848.

Canal Operation

Even before it opened, the canal attracted people to the Midwest. As a result land values along the canal and in Chicago skyrocketed. Indeed, it was one of the most frenzied periods of real estate speculation ever. Chicago's incredible growth stemmed largely from the I&M Canal. By 1848 Chicago's population was around 20,000. This figure is modest by today's standards, but it represented a 500 percent increase in just 10 years.

1848 was a pivotal year in northern Illinois. The opening of the I&M Canal in April brought prosperity to the region by opening new trade markets and making passenger travel quicker. In January the first telegraph message was received in Chicago, bringing the region into communication with the rest of the country. Construction on the first railroad in Chicago began the same year. The Chicago Board of Trade was founded in March 1848, in anticipation of the increase in grain trade brought by the I&M Canal. The first steam-powered grain elevator also opened in 1848, and were soon to become a prominent feature in Chicago's skyline. After the Mexican War dramatically increased the size of the nation, Chicago and northern Illinois were transformed from a frontier into a metropolis linking both halves of the country.

In its first few years the canal exceeded the expectations of even its most ardent supporters. Corn and wheat flowed into Chicago in huge quantities, as did lumber cut from the hardwood forests of Michigan and Wisconsin, making Chicago the lumber capital of the world. Beef , pork, stone, coal, sugar and salt were among the commodities shipped on the canal.

The canal contained 17 locks, plus two near Chicago, four aqueducts, and a pumping station at Bridgeport in Chicago. It covered 96 miles, from Chicago to La Salle. The water supply came via the Chicago, Des Plaines, Little Calumet, Kankakee, and Fox rivers. The canal was 60- feet wide at the top, 36- feet wide on the bottom, and six- feet deep. Bridges, dams, locktenders' houses, and the towpath for the mules that pulled the boats were also constructed along the canal.

The I&M Canal carried on a lively passenger trade between 1848-1852. Canal packet boats carried thousands of people back and forth between Chicago and La Salle. Within five years, however, the completion of railroads that paralleled the canal route ended passenger traffic. The I&M Canal established Chicago as a transportation hub. Trains, cars and trucks, and airplanes all followed in its wake.

The canal had an immediate and lasting impact on the Midwestern economy. First and foremost, it opened the region to development. Before the canal, northern Illinois had no paved roads or railroads. Farmers and others found it difficult to ship goods to market. Without reliable transportation, many farmers only grew enough to supply themselves or their local community with food. During rainy seasons the few trails turned into rivers of mud, and in the summer, clouds of dust choked horses and people alike. With the canal open, a journey that in 1818 took fur traders three weeks, and in the 1830s took farmers days on muddy roads, took only 24 hours on a canal boat. Suddenly people, corn, wheat, stone, and other products poured into Chicago, and finished goods from the East Coast streamed into the West.

The I&M Canal was the last great American waterway built during the canal era. In the 1850s and 1860s the nation increasingly shifted to rail transport and thousands of miles of railroad were built. Railroads had many advantages over canals: they could run all year long, while canals were closed during the winter when the water froze; were faster and more flexible than canals, could be built anywhere and could build spurs to existing industries. Despite these advantages, the I&M Canal remained profitable until 1866, and shipped a record tonnage in 1882. The canal could best compete with the railroads by shipping heavy bulk items such as limestone, coal, and salt, and this competition kept railroad rates lower, giving Chicago an advantage over other Midwestern cities like St. Louis.

After 1900 use of the canal declined dramatically. There was a brief resurgence during World War I, but after this the canal fell into disrepair and was dubbed a "tadpole ditch." The opening of the Illinois Waterway in 1933 ended the shipping history of the canal, and saw the beginning of its transition to recreational use.

Passenger Travel on the Canal

With the opening of the I&M Canal in 1848, people in northeastern Illinois experienced a revolution in travel. In April of that year passenger boats began making the 96-mile trip from Bridgeport to LaSalle, and vice versa. For five years, before railroads paralleled the route of the I&M Canal, thousands of people experienced the joys and travails of traveling via canal packet boats. Indeed, the I&M Canal ushered in a new era in trade and travel for the entire nation. As the final link in a series of waterways, the I&M gave travelers the option of taking an all water route that connected Buffalo, Chicago, St. Louis, and New Orleans. These water highways provided a mud and dust-free alternative to overland travel.

In the nineteenth century, boats that traveled a regular route and carried passengers and mail were called packet boats. (The term packet originally meant a parcel of letters.) There are numerous accounts of travel on American canal packet boats, by esteemed literary figures such as Charles Dickens, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

In general, people enjoyed traveling on packet boats during the day. In fair weather one could loll about on the deck, enjoying the passing scenery. Some played cards or backgammon, while others sang or read the latest newspapers. Since a trip on the I&M took anywhere from 17-24 hours, meals were also served. The sleeping arrangements aboard packets, however left much to be desired. As many as 120 people were crammed into the small cabin. Children slept on the floor, while wooden shelves served as beds for the adults. The fear of malaria meant that all windows were ordered closed, making for a long hot night in close quarters. Thus, we can conclude that travel on packet boats was something of a Jekyll and Hyde experience: pleasant during the day, much less so at night.

Even chief engineer William Gooding recorded some of the calamities that overtook him on a canal packet trip. The German canal driver complained of one horse in the team “vot wouldn’t go,” but Gooding laconically remarked that the driver was “as obstinate as the horse and a great deal less sensible.” The captain and crew were ‘hard cases” who seemed in no hurry, to the consternation of the passengers. The “villainous smell” of whiskey and tobacco constantly permeated the closed cabin, but Gooding reached the end of his endurance when he discovered that the boat contained no food, “except a little ginger bread, which a poor, half-starved, cadaverous looking passenger had thoughtfully stuffed into his pockets.”

By the end of 1852 the Chicago And Rock Island Railroad paralleled the canal, effectively ending the I&M canal packet boat. But the canal’s role in changing the face of travel did not go unrecognized. One local historian noted the impact of the packet boat trade. “As the horses drawing them trotted along through the country, it seemed a decided improvement to the settlers over the old ox team, beset by mosquitoes, and moving at a snail’s pace, without mentioning the inconveniences incident to camping in all kinds of places, as well as hunting stray oxen in the morning… The change from the ox team to the packets was as great to the early settlers, as that of the boat to the palace [Pullman railroad] cars has been to later generations.”

National Significance of the I&M Canal

The I&M Canal was the final link in a national plan to connect different regions of the vast North American continent via waterways. Linking the waters of the Illinois River (and ultimately the Mississippi River) with those of Lake Michigan, the idea of the canal went back to Louis Jolliet and the early French fur traders of the 1670s.

Since the birth of the new nation, American leaders had recognized the urgent need for a network of “internal improvements” to ease the problem of continental transportation. The success of the Erie Canal, completed in 1825, marked a period of intensive canal building in the U. S. Indeed, the years from 1790-1850 have been characterized as the Canal era. This chapter in our nation’s history has been largely overlooked, as most historians have focused on the railroads as the prime force behind America’s development.

The I&M Canal is nationally significant for many reasons. In 1827 the Federal Government gave the State of Illinois nearly 300,000 acres of prime farmland, the sale of which would finance construction of a canal. The I&M Canal shares with the Wabash Canal in neighboring Indiana the distinction of being the first American canals to receive federal land grant toward its financing. This precedent is of great historical interest, as it later served as the model for the first federal land grant to support a railroad-the Illinois Central Railroad.

In 1843, with construction of the I&M Canal stalled due to the State of Illinois’s near bankruptcy, investors from New York, England and France put up $1.6 million to complete the canal.

On its completion in 1848, the I&M Canal created a new transportation corridor. Travelers from the eastern U. S. took the Erie Canal to Buffalo, New York, where steamboats brought them through the Great Lakes to Chicago. Transferring to canal boats, a 96-mile trip on the I&M Canal brought them to LaSalle/Peru. Here people boarded river steamers bound for St. Louis and New Orleans. During the years of the California Gold Rush many emigrants traveled part of the journey on the I&M Canal. During the nation-wide cholera epidemic of 1849, the disease came to Chicago via passengers on the I&M Canal.

Abraham Lincoln trumpeted the effects of the I&M Canal. While acknowledging that the I&M Canal was entirely within the confines of one state, (Illinois) he noted that its benefits extended far beyond those borders, reducing the cost of transporting goods, thus benefiting both buyers and sellers. “Nothing is so local as not to be of some general benefit,” wrote the future President. “the benefits of an improvement are by no means confined to the particular locality of the improvement itself.”

While the canal enjoyed only five years free of railroad competition, these years were absolutely critical in launching Chicago on its path to urban greatness, and in spawning a dozen other towns along its banks that would soon industrialize and help consolidate the western end of the American Manufacturing Belt in northern Illinois. The opening of the Illinois & Michigan canal radically reduced the costs of transferring goods, particularly grain, lumber, and merchandise, between Midwestern prairies and the East via the Great Lakes trading system. For the first time, the canal allowed goods from the southern U. S., including sugar, salt, molasses, tobacco, and oranges, to be shipped to Chicago. By cutting travel times, the I&M Canal also precipitated a new era of travel for people from the south to the north, and vice versa.

Architecture and the Canal

Whatever your taste from Greek Revival to Italianate to Romanesque Revival to Queen Anne—-one can find a wide variety of architectural gems in the I&M National Heritage Corridor. There are many nationally recognized architectural and engineering structures preserved throughout the corridor. Many towns, including Morris, Lockport, and Ottawa, have well-preserved downtowns.

The I&M Canal brought new kinds of architecture to the area, including grain elevators, the "cathedrals of the prairie," and huge warehouses. The canal itself was an engineering triumph, with its limestone walls and wooden locks, yet it did not disrupt the landscape as much as the railroads and highways later would. The towns that grew up along the canal developed thriving commercial districts, which soon came to be surrounded by residential areas. Today, along the leafy streets of canal towns, many of these homes are still providing visitors with views of our shared architectural legacy.

Although there is much industrial, utilitarian architecture along the corridor, more ornate buildings also are found. The Second Empire style of the massive Hegeler-Carus Mansion (1874) in La Salle provided an elegant framework for the printing presses of the Open Court Publishing Company, which were housed in the two-story basement. The Italianate Reddick Mansion (1858) in Ottawa, opposite historic Washington Square (site of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate in 1858), is a sumptuously appointed nineteenth-century home.

Some of the most impressive structures in the corridor are built of native limestone. This stone was used to great advantage in buildings such as the L-shaped Joliet Public Library (1903), designed by noted Chicago- architect Daniel Burnham, and the Joliet Penitentiary (1858). Many limestone churches are also prominent in the corridor. St. James of the Sag Church in Lemont dates back to 1833, with the present structure erected in 1853 and later modified. Used not only for public buildings but residential and industrial structures as well, the distinctive limestone is also evident in many homes throughout the region, such as the Fitzpatrick House in Lockport.

Area residents not only designed and constructed fine buildings, they also published manuals which showed the common man how to build his own house. In 1857 Ottawa native William E. Bell published a book called Carpentry Made Easy, detailing an ingenious method of building called the balloon frame. The method was developed in the 1830s by Chicagoan George Washington Snow. This simple method, utilizing standard size boards and machine cut nails, allowed even unskilled workers to build houses, quickly, cheaply, and easily. Balloon frame construction helped to make possible the incredible growth of the western U.S., where trees were scarce. Wood from the Midwest, cut into standard-size boards, was shipped by rail to the West. Most wooden buildings erected today still use a method of construction derived from this system.

Any discussion of agriculture in Illinois must begin with the prairies. Contrary to some reports, which state that 2/3 of Illinois once contained prairies, other researchers have used a figure of 50% or less. Clearly, pre-settlement northeastern Illinois contained far more than prairie. All of the river valleys were fringed by forests, and wooded areas (prairie groves) were common. Wood was perhaps the most important commodity, essential for building houses, heating, and cooking. In fact, prairie lands were considered worthless by some due to the lack of timber.

The first wave of Europeans to settle in Illinois, beginning around 1800, were frustrated in their attempts to grow crops. The plows that they brought with them from the east could not break through the deep roots of the prairie plants. Around 1837 a Will County farmer named John Lane invented a new steel plow from old saw blades, and within years the plow became the new symbol of a prairie transformed. Illinois’ rich prairie soil now became some of the world’s most productive farmland.

However, farmers still faced a major impediment: a lack of a reliable means of transporting crops to market. Before the canal, the only way to move goods was by horse or mule power. Chicago had emerged as a major settlement in the late 1830s, but it was many miles distant from the richest farmland. Thus, farmers grew only enough to meet local needs. In 1848 the canal created a new transportation corridor that linked the rural districts of LaSalle, Grundy, and Will counties with the increasingly urban enclave of Chicago. Farmers now had an incentive to plant more acreage, giving agriculture a major impetus.

The opening of the canal in 1848 had a profound impact on agriculture in northeastern Illinois. According to Sauer (1918, pp. 72-3) the prairie soil of northeastern Illinois grew corn more readily than any other crop. “Previous to the building of the canal, however, its bulk had made it unprofitable except for home consumption, and wheat, being of less bulk relative to its value, was the chief cash crop. The canal, by reducing the cost of shipping, made corn the most profitable crop of the prairie. As a result the production of corn increased tremendously, whereas the growing of what was almost abandoned.” Corn also had the added advantage of being used as livestock feed. The canal propelled corn to its pre-eminent status as the major cash crop of northeastern Illinois, a position it has held ever since. Thus, the pattern established by the canal continues to hold true today, over 150 years later.

Large-scale agriculture also led to the destruction of Native American burial mounds. Fortunately, two of these have been preserved at the Briscoe Burial Mounds near Channahon. Agriculture has also been a threat to other archaeological sites, most notably the Zimmerman Site near Utica, opposite of Starved Rock. Also known as the Grand Village of the Illinois, the town once was home to as many as 10,000 Native Americans. This is one of the most important archaeological sites in Illinois, yet it was threatened with development until the State of Illinois purchased the land in 1991.

Beginning in the late 19th and early 20th century, individual farmsteads steadily grew in size, as did productivity. Total acreage devoted to farming decreased dramatically, however, especially in Cook and Will counties. A great deal of research has been done on the changes in agriculture in Will County (Will County Rural Historic Structural Survey, 2003). This report notes that a significant portion of Will County agricultural land was obtained by the U. S. Army in 1940, land that became the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant. Today of course, this same land is being reclaimed as a natural area by the federal government and local partners. The accelerating pace of farmland being converted to other uses is illustrated by the fact that between 1964 and 1992 the number of farms in Will County declined from over 1,800 to barely 1,000. Most of this decline is due to the increasing suburbanization of the United States, as urban areas around big cities continue to spread and sprawl at an uncontrolled rate. The tension between these two very different types of land usage is illustrated by an incident that occurred in the late 1980’s, when a Will County farmer was arrested after residents of a nearby subdivision complained to police that he was plowing his fields at night.

Industry and the I&M canal

Illinois' industrial prowess began with the I&M Canal. The canal’s proximity to a rich bounty of natural resources, including coal, limestone, and sand, led to the development of new industries. Today industry is still critical to the local economy. Petrochemical plants in Lemont and Joliet continue the tradition of heavy industry, and there are also steel mills and numerous sand and gravel operations in the corridor.

In the nineteenth century the canal provided waterpower to a number of industries, particularly in Lockport. The water level dropped 40 feet at this point, requiring five locks. Hiram Norton became one of Will County's richest men when he acquired the leases for the Hydraulic basin in Lockport. This powered a variety of milling operations. The Norton family's fortunes were tied to the canal, and they became bankrupt in 1896, as a result of declining use of the canal.

A thriving coal industry developed around La Salle and Morris in the mid 1850s, but it largely died out by WWI1 as more abundant and cheaper sites were developed further south. The St. Peter sandstone found between Ottawa and Utica provided almost pure silica sand and was used in a variety of industries, including glassmaking. There were many breweries in Joliet and Morris including the Gebhard Brewery, founded in 1866. Marseilles had a large paper and cardboard industry, later taken over by Nabisco. The Westclox factory in Peru became one of the world's largest manufacturers of alarm clocks.

In digging the canal, large quantities of a magnesium-rich limestone called dolomite were exposed. Within a few years a new industry was born, and dozens of quarries opened in Lemont, Lockport and Joliet, creating thousands of new jobs. This heavy, durable stone was easily and cheaply transported on the canal, and was used in many buildings throughout the corridor, including the Joliet Penitentiary and the Chicago Water Tower. By about 1900 the local building-stone industry was largely eclipsed when superior Indiana stone came to be favored. Today the regional stone industry produces crushed stone, used in the construction industry and for erosion control along lakes. Quarries still operate in the corridor at McCook, Romeoville, Joliet, and Lemont.

In August 1998 the Joliet Iron Works Historic Site [INSERT PHOTO] opened, telling the story of one of America's most innovative manufacturing plants. Located along a stretch of the I&M Canal, this cultural park is devoted to the history of the iron and steel industries. Originally opened in 1869, the Joliet plant soon added Bessemer converters to convert iron into steel. As a major producer of steel rails and barbed wire, the Joliet Iron Works dominated Joliet's economy for many years.

Many industrial barons played larger roles in their communities than just providing jobs. Two German immigrants with backgrounds in engineering, Frederick W. Matthiessen and Edward C. Hegeler, opened a zinc-smelting and refining works in La Salle in 1858. Matthiessen donated the land for the state park that bears his name. Hegeler bankrolled the Open Court Publishing Company, and another industrialist, Louis Gebhard donated the land for Gebhard Woods State Park.

Dubbed "Porkopolis," nineteenth-century Chicago became famous for its slaughterhouses and meat- packing industry. A number of former canal workers labored in meat- packing plants, many located near the I&M Canal along the South Branch of the Chicago River. Working conditions in these plants were horrendous, and Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle (1906) exposed the unethical practices and unsanitary conditions of the meatpacking industry. This remarkable book led to tough federal regulation of the industry.

The twentieth century brought new innovations in industry along the canal. World War II transformed the town of Seneca from a sleepy agricultural hamlet into a vital cog in the war effort. Due in part to its proximity to the Illinois River and several rail lines, Seneca was chosen to manufacture thousands of landing ship transports. These amphibious vehicles were used in many campaigns, including the invasion of Europe (D-Day) in 1944. At the start of the war the town's population was barely a thousand, but by 1944 the plant employed over 10,000 workers. After the war the town resumed its smaller size and more leisurely pace.

Waterways

The I&M Canal was the first in a succession of waterways that shaped the development of northern Illinois. Canals played a central role in shaping the American economy. During the canal era in the U. S., from about 1790-1860, over 3,000 miles of canal were built. In 1825 the Erie Canal opened a water route to the West. The I&M followed soon after, giving Illinois the key to the mastery of the mid-continent. The I&M Canal created new trade and passenger routes, and transformed the frontier into a transportation center. By 1900 the I&M had largely outlived its usefulness, although it continued operating until 1933. The larger Sanitary and Ship Canal opened in 1900. The Cal Sag Channel, completed in 1922, also served industry. The Illinois Waterway, opened in 1933, established a deep-water shipping route between the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan. Today this route continues the tradition of water transport that helped define the Midwest. The latest link, the St. Lawrence Seaway, opened in 1959 and connected the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes allowing ocean-going ships to dock at Lake Calumet.

In July 1871 the I&M played a central role in one of the boldest engineering feats ever attempted-—the reversal of the Chicago River. Contemporary observers called the river a "sluggish, slimy stream, too lazy to clean itself." Sewage and other waste dumped into the Chicago River, which emptied into the lake, had polluted Chicago’s water supply for years. The canal was deepened, allowing the waters of Lake Michigan to flow down the canal and into the Illinois River. Residents of canal towns, afraid of diseases being brought by the canal, were furious, and complained of the terrible smell, and reduced property values.

However, this achievement did not constitute a final solution, and in 1900, the Sanitary and Ship Canal permanently reversed the flow of the river. Many people today confuse the much wider and deeper Sanitary and Ship Canal with the I&M Canal; they run parallel to each other. The Sanitary and Ship Canal also performs the same functions as the I&M, namely the shipping of bulk goods and the transport of sewage. Most nineteenth- century canals were replaced by railroads or other means of transportation, but here in Illinois water is still an important means of delivering goods.

People Before Us

People have lived in the Heritage Corridor for at least 10,000 years. Although little is known about the first Native Americans who lived here, we do know that by 2,000 years ago they had developed elaborate civilizations. By 1700 the rapid spread of large-scale pioneer settlements seriously jeopardized Indian cultures. Tribes forced from their homelands in the eastern part of the U.S. encroached on the territories of Midwestern tribes, resulting in wars and the disruption of tribal traditions. The Black Hawk War of 1832 ended in defeat for a mixed band of Indians, and as a result the federal government implemented its policy of removing all Native Americans from Illinois. The tribes were forced to sign the Treaty of Chicago in 1833 and gave up their territories in exchange for lands west of the Mississippi River.

Remnants of the Indian tribes that once inhabited northern Illinois can be found in Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Michigan, and Indiana. Today over 20,000 Native Americans live in Chicago alone, but most are not related to the tribes that once held sway here.

The French also had a hand in shaping our culture. French Canadian fur trappers and missionaries began to arrive in the Midwest in the late 1600s. Many Frenchmen intermarried with the Native Americans and some adopted their customs. Two of the most famous Frenchmen in Illinois were Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette. In 1673, following the suggestion of Native Americans who had long known of the route, they traveled from the Illinois River to the Chicago River and on to Lake Michigan. Jolliet was the first, but by no means the last, to suggest that a canal be built to connect Lake Michigan and the waters that flowed to the Mississippi River.

The English were also a presence in northern Illinois. The Kinzies, early Chicago's "first family," were among the earliest English traders at Fort Dearborn. By 1850 the English were an important presence in La Salle and Grundy Counties. Many were farmers, and by the 1860s others had moved into mining.

Towns along the I&M National Heritage Corridor tell the story of the many immigrant groups who came to live and work in the region. The people who came to Illinois in the early nineteenth century were either recent immigrants or migrants from the eastern part of the US. In either case, they constituted a special breed, willing to start fresh, take any job, and work hard in a largely undeveloped place. They shared the American dream of freedom and economic prosperity.

The Irish, German, and Scandinavians were among the earliest groups to make the bold choice of living on the prairie frontier. These groups all worked on the construction of the I&M Canal. They transplanted their culture as best they could, but many of the amenities that they had grown accustomed to were not available in the Midwest.

The Irish began arriving in northern Illinois in large numbers in 1836, to work on the I&M Canal. They continued to pour into the area during the Great Potato Famine of 1845-7, during which time the population of Ireland decreased by over two million people through death and emigration. After 1848 many Irish moved to the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago, where they worked in meat-packing plants and brickyards. Other Irish spread throughout northern Illinois, often becoming farmers in canal towns.

From 1860-1920 hundreds of thousands of immigrants arrived in the United States. Most were from southern and eastern Europe. Poles, Italians, Czechs, Greeks, Slovaks, Russians, Hungarians, Lithuanians, and Slovenians all flocked to the Corridor, taking jobs in a variety of industries. The tradition of closely-knit ethnic neighborhoods still characterizes many communities in the corridor today.

African Americans have lived in northern Illinois since the earliest days of the fur trade. The earliest African American in the corridor was Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the first known person to settle in what is now Chicago. In the early nineteenth century, portions of the Heritage Corridor were stops on the Underground Railroad. This informal network of individuals ferried blacks to freedom in the North. One of the stops was the American House Hotel in Joliet. The first blacks to migrate to the region in large numbers arrived to work on the construction of the Sanitary and Ship Canal between 1892 and 1900, and migration from the south increased dramatically during the first half of the twentieth century.

Today, the Chicago-area and surrounding communities have become even more ethnically diverse. Immigrants from all over the world are attracted to the jobs and quality of life here. In recent years Illinois has seen an influx of people from Asian countries such as Korea, India, and Japan. In addition, immigration from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Cuba have added to the rich ethnic mix of the canal region.

Natural History

Imagine yourself sitting by a large tropical ocean. Marine invertebrates swim through coral reefs, warm breezes caress you, and the pungent smell of salt fills your nostrils. Welcome to northern Illinois, 400 million years ago. What is now Illinois was once 20 degrees south of the equator. The limestone (dolomite) bedrock underlying most of northeastern Illinois contains the remains of extinct trilobites and squid-like animals. One can still find fossils in these rocks throughout the corridor.

Fossils are also common near Morris; in fact this is one of the most famous fossil localities in the world. 300,000 million years ago, large, swampy forests harbored a variety of life here. The Mazon Creek fossil beds contain the remains of sharks, ferns, cockroaches, dragonflies, and spiders. Also found here is Illinois's state fossil, the bizarre Tully Monster, a worm-like creature which has never been found anywhere else.

More recently, about 2 million years ago, a series of glaciers, moving down from the north, ushered in the Ice Age. Despite the harsh conditions, many huge animals lived here. Giant beavers, some weighing as much as 300 pounds, cavorted near rivers, and mastodons and mammoths roamed the plains and forests. Although they are all now extinct, their bones can still be found. The last of the glaciers retreated about 12,000 years ago, a mere blink of an eye to geologists. Lake Michigan, the prairies, our rivers, all were created by the movement of these glaciers.

The Illinois River Valley, which makes up much of the I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor, has long been a haven for wildlife. The valley is also an important flyway for many species of birds. Many species have disappeared from the region, including bison, bears, and elk, but one can still find an abundance of wildlife, from the state-endangered black-crowned night-herons to bald eagles and coyotes.

The prairies that once covered almost half of Illinois are largely gone, but you can explore remnants of the original prairie landscape at several places in the Canal Corridor. The Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area in Morris, the Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve, and the Santa Fe Prairie in Hodgkins are just three of the places to see these magnificent tall grass prairies.

Just as significant are the many wetlands that dot the area. Many have been drained for agriculture and other development, but the few that remain provide spectacular glimpses of wildlife. Lake Renwick in Plainfield, once a quarry, is home to huge colonies of black-crowned night-herons, cormorants, and other large water birds. The Heidecke State Fish and Wildlife Area near Morris attracts fishermen and other nature lovers from all over the state.

One of the more spectacular efforts in prairie restoration is taking place right now in Joliet. During World War II, the Joliet Army Arsenal manufactured 5.5- million tons of TNT each week, making it the largest TNT plant in the world. Today, the site, named Midewin, is being transformed into a spectacular 19,000- acre preserve. Midewin comes from the Algonquian Indian word "Midewiwin"which refers to a Grand Medicine Lodge or healing society. Indian burial mounds on the site indicate that the area has been used by man for thousands of years. At least sixteen state-endangered animals and plants are found here, making it an important natural refuge in an increasingly crowded metropolitan area. There are plans to reintroduce bison (buffalo), the symbol of the prairie. Just an hour from downtown Chicago, Midewin will attract visitors from all over the world.

The many state parks in the corridor afford ample opportunities to see forests, prairies, wetlands, and other habitats. Starved Rock State Park is perhaps the best known park in Illinois. Each year millions of people climb the stairs to the top of Le Rocher, as the French called Starved Rock. For many, this site connects us to our Native American past as no other place can. The canyons, forests, and trails are beautiful year-round, and fishermen can try their luck in the Illinois River. Just opposite the park is the Illinois Waterway Visitor Center, a terrific place to watch modern boats going through a lock.

The canal corridor has a number of trails for hiking, biking, or strolling. The longest is the I&M Canal State Trail, which runs 61.5 miles from Rockdale to La Salle. There are also the 2.25 mile Gaylord Donnelley trail in Lockport, the 4 mile Lemont Canal Trail and the 11 mile I&M Canal Bicycle Trail loop in Willow Springs.

Bibliography of above info.;
I&M Canal History

Link to Illinois Department of Natural Resources info.;
Illinois and Michigan Canal

Here are the photo's I took of Lock 14 at LaSalle, Illinois, Utica, Illinois and along the trail. They include the museum exhibit on display in Utica, brief descriptions of what life was like along the canal, brief decriptions of hte now historical figures involved with the canal's success and what is happening along the canal today.

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 150; Notable People Part 22; Sergeant John R. Rice

In August 1951 Sioux City became embroiled in a bitter controversy that erupted when officials at Memorial Park Cemetery refused to bury Sergeant John R. Rice, a decorated World War II veteran and Korean War casualty, because of his Native American ancestry. The event provoked public outrage both locally and nationally and eventually required the personal intervention of President Harry Truman. The treatment of Rice tarnished Sioux City's reputation with the stigma of racism and left a wound between the city and local Native American groups for the next fifty years. However, it also created the opportunity for reconciliation between the two sides five decades later and the long overdue redemption of Sergeant Rice and his family.

Rice's story had its beginnings on the battlefields of Korea where he was killed on September 6, 1950 while leading a squad of riflemen against an enemy assault near the village of Tabu-Dong . Nearly a year passed before his body was shipped home to Winnebago, Nebraska in August 1951. Thereafter, Evelyn, who was white, purchased a lot for her husband at Memorial Park Cemetery in Sioux City without incident. During the funeral on August 28 a cemetery official noticed the large number of Native Americans at the service and was subsequently informed that Rice was himself part Native American. At the conclusion of the service Evelyn and the rest of the Rice family were informed of the cemetery's "Caucasians only" policy and were forced to take his body back to Winnebago. Cemetery officials later defended their actions saying, "Private cemeteries have always had a right to be operated for a particular group such as Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Negro, Chinese, etc., not because of any prejudice against any race, but because people, like animals, prefer to be with their own kind." They continued to assert that they had a legal obligation to deny Rice's burial or face prosecution from lot owners for breech of contract.

When the local media received word of what had transpired at Memorial Park, the news was quickly put out over the newswire and began making national headlines. Across the country people responded with a combination of disbelief and outrage that an American war hero and his family could be treated in such a fashion. Oliver LaFarge, spokesman for the Association of American Indian Affairs said, "This is horrible. The manifestation of such an inhuman and anti-American attitude brings disgrace upon our country." When President Harry Truman learned about the incident during a press conference the following day he rebuked both the cemetery officials and Sioux City's leaders. He also authorized his military aid Major General Harry Vaughn to send a telegram to Rice's family offering to bury him in Arlington National Cemetery .

In Sioux City the reaction was every bit as negative as it had been on the national level. The Sioux City metropolitan council of the United Packinghouse Workers of America adopted a resolution condemning the actions of the cemetery and declared that the flag should not be flown "in such an un-American place." Though the city council passed a resolution expressing regret for the incident and Mayor Dan Conley traveled to Winnebago and personally apologized at an American Legion meeting there, Evelyn Rice and her family rejected all offers to bury Sergeant Rice locally. He was finally laid to rest with full military honors on September 5, 1951 in Arlington National Cemetery .

The legacy of the Sergeant Rice affair is one of injustice, betrayal, and bitterness, but it is also one of redemption and hope. The event scarred Evelyn Rice and her family permanently and it severely damaged Sioux City's reputation. Yet, despite the damage it caused, Sergeant Rice"s ordeal also laid the groundwork for future progress. Memorial Park eventually abolished its race restriction and has been open to all races for years. The incident was a pivotal moment for the Native American civil rights movement because it illuminated the prejudice and injustice faced by Native Americans while emphasizing their positive roll in American society. It also began a process by which the people of Sioux City began to confront the less savory aspects of their past. At a memorial ceremony held in honor of Sergeant Rice and his family in August 2001, Native American rights activist Frank Lamere's read statement spoke poignantly of the Rice affair. He was quoted to have said "We have come far at the expense of Sergeant John Rice and the Gold Star family he left behind. Our respect for one another this day is their legacy and speaks to the possibilities. The bridges we can build tomorrow will be strong if we do not forget that the foundation was laid on a battlefield in Korea."

Sioux City History web site link;
Sergeant John R. Rice

There you have it. Some of the people who helped make Sioux City what it is today. If it was not for these pioneers in Sioux City's early history this community would not be what it is today. For this we owe them our thanks and gratitude

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 149; Notable People Part 21; Leo Kucinski

"Lets make music together." Leo Kucinski (1904-1998), long time Sioux City conductor, educator and musician often spoke those words in his efforts to bring the best possible music to the people of Sioux City. In his long career, he exposed thousands of school children to the finest music, nurtured a little orchestra into a superb symphony and brought extraordinary music to the community of Sioux City.

Leo Kucinski was born in Warsaw Poland on June 28, 1904. He was the oldest of eight children and the son of a pattern maker for steel companies. He started to study the violin at the Warsaw Conservatory of Music at the age of six. He studied with Edward Idzikowsk until his father decided there would be greater opportunities in the United States for his talented son.

The Kucinski family moved to Lorain, Ohio, where Leo began his study of music at the nearby Oberlin Conservatory of Music. When Kucinski was just fifteen years old, he conducted a festival grade school orchestra in Lorain. He later organized and played first violin in the Lorain String Quartet.

While at Oberlin, he studied with internationally known artist Charlotte Demuth Williams. Kucinski continued his studies at the Cleveland Institute under the guidance of the great Swiss violinist Andre de Ribeaupierre. He also received a fellowship in conducting at Juilliard Graduate School of Music. He later received a degree in music education from Morningside College in 1936, and he was awarded an honorary doctor of music degree from Morningside in 1958.

However, it was Kucinski's connection with Charlotte Williams that led him to Sioux City. While Williams was visiting Sioux City as a guest artist with the Civic Concert Course, she mentioned Kucinski to her host, Professor Paul MacCollin of the Morningside Conservatory. She praised Kucinski's abilities, and soon he had a job offer to teach violin at Morningside College.

When Leo Kucinski came to Sioux City in 1923, not long after graduating from Lorain High School, he immediately began to impact the music community, an influence that is still evident today. His incredible abilities and passion for good music inspired his students and others around him. He played his violin for concerts and recitals, and he established an excellent reputation as a gifted violinist.

In 1925, he took over leadership of the Morningside Orchestra. The small orchestra was originally organized to give students the opportunity for orchestra experience, but under his direction, the orchestra began to include musicians from the community and surrounding area. By 1929 the orchestra had grown to fifty members and was called the Sioux City Community Orchestra. That growth continued until the organization became the Sioux City Symphony orchestra in 1946. Kucinski conducted the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra until 1977. While director, he brought a national reputation to the orchestra, conducting many famous performers including Van Cliburn, Benny Goodman, and Meredith Wilson.

Kucinski was a perfectionist who demanded the best from those working under him. He was never satisfied until the results were as perfect as possible. Whether the piece was a light-hearted polka or difficult symphony, he treated each with respect. "All music worth playing at all is worth playing to the best of our abilities," he said.

Kucinski took on additional duties when in 1929 he became the director of the world famous Monahan Post American Legion Band. The band won many awards, including seven first place prizes at international competitions from San Francisco to Paris.

Kucinski was a leader in the effort to erect a band shell in Grandview Park. He felt the award-winning Monahan Post Band deserved a respectable place to play.

"At first we were crestfallen," Kucinski said in a 1936 Sioux City Journal interview, "when the opponents of the project obtained an injunction against the building of the band shell, saying that such an edifice would be an eyesore. We were downhearted then. But our sorrow soon turned to joy, and now, in place of a $15,000 band shell, we have a $60,000 pavilion that is famous nationally and even internationally."

Despite the fact that Kucinski rehearsed, trained and conducted the Monahan Post Band, he could never lead it during the competitions because he was not a member of the American Legion. The situation was remedied when at the age of thirty-eight Kucinski joined the United States Army in 1942. Members of the Monahan Post Band paraded from their headquarters to the Milwaukee railroad station, where Kucinski lead them in four selections before boarding his train.

He served as bandmaster in the Army Air Corps, spending time in the South Pacific during World War II. When he returned to the Monahan Post Band podium, Kucinski was an official card-carrying member of the American Legion.

The Monahan Post Band eventually became the Sioux City Municipal Band, and Kucinski remained its leader until 1980.

Leo Kucinski was convinced that good music was an important part of any community, and he worked tirelessly to develop the finest music programs for Sioux City. He also worked with Sioux City School Superintendent M.G. Clark to bring violin and orchestra instrumental classes to the music curriculum in the public schools.

As early as 1946, Kucinski introduced "pops concerts" designed to appeal to the young people of the city. "We want to expose these young people to good music presented briefly and in an attractive way," Kucinski said.

In his long and distinguished career, he also conducted the Lincoln, Nebraska Symphony for eight years and the Sioux Falls Symphony for fourteen years.

Sioux City History web site link;
Leo Kucinski

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 148; Notable People Part 20; Stella Sanford

Stella Sanford was born Stella Wolf in New York on November 10, 1900. She was educated in the Ethical Cultural Schools, experimental institutions based on Felix Adler's philosophy of "deed not creed". The schools began with a free kindergarten for children of the New York City slums and then grew to include high school and teacher training. The students all received scholarships from the sponsoring organization. When the schools enlarged to include the children of the sponsoring group, of which the Sanford family was a part, Stella attended. "Always, however, 40 percent of the pupils must be on scholarships," Sanford recalled.

Sanford went on to business college for a semester and then to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T) to join a cousin who had enrolled there. There were only 50 women out of a total enrollment of 3000. She majored in biology and public health. Her family's involvement with the Hudson Guild settlement house in New York encouraged a sense of community service, and Stella developed an interest in social work.

It was her marriage to Arthur Sanford that brought Stella to Iowa, and she and her husband arrived in Sioux City in 1921. She was lonely at first, until one day she was stopped on a street corner and asked to give a donation to the Community House. That peaked her curiosity and she decided to investigate. She immediately became involved with the Community House as a volunteer teacher and counselor for a child who could not speak. Before long, she taught a women's class in English and became a member of the board of directors. When the time came to erect the new Community House building on Morgan Street, she was the chairman of the building committee.

At the same time, Sanford became involved in the efforts of Elzona Trosper as she worked with the Booker T. Washington Center on the city's west side. The Booker T. Washington Center was founded in 1933 for Sioux City's black population, though both black and white people in the neighborhood used it.

As the programs of the Booker T. Washington Center continued to grow, Mrs. Sanford saw the need for expanded facilities. She and her husband decided to make a gift from their Stellart Charitable Foundation for the benefit of the Booker T. Washington Center. Stellart Foundation was a fund started by Arthur and Stella Sanford for civic projects of a welfare nature. Their $100,000 gift made the new community center a reality and the Booker T. Washington Center's board of directors unanimously voted to name the new building "The Sanford Center" in honor of the donors. The Sanford Center, constructed at 1700 Geneva Street, was dedicated on June 17, 1951.

The plaque near the entrance of the building is inscribed:
"Given to the people of Sioux City by Stella and Arthur Sanford to further interracial understanding and better community living. The building was inspired by the ideals and work of Mary J. Treglia, administrator, and Elzona B. Trosper, director."

Sanford remained active in the programs for the Community House and the Sanford Center. When the Community House honored Stella for serving 50 years on the board, the director Mabel Hoyt said: "Her intelligence, her compassion, her concern for people, her quiet and gracious personality, have done much for this agency. She has devoted many years of service to the Community House and has been a friend to everyone with whom she worked."

Sanford served for six years on the Sioux City Board of Education. Her husband, Arthur, was a builder who built the Sioux Apartment, the Orpheum Electric Building, Warrior Hotel, Bellevue Apartments, Frances Building, Davidson Building and Insurance Exchange Building.

Sanford and her husband also donated $25,000 to the Mary Treglia Community Center in 1965 to expand the center and create a playground area. Their foundation also donated the funds to create the Stella Sanford Day Care Center and gave the Eppley Auditorium organ to Morningside College.

Sioux City History web site link;
Stella Sanford

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 147; Notable People Part 19; M. G. Clark

One of the most respected and popular educators in Sioux City throughout the years has been M. G. Clark. Doctor Clark served as superintendent of Sioux City Schools for twenty years.

Mel Clark was born in Belleville, NY, in March of 1868. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1898. He served as superintendent of schools in several towns in Illinois before accepting the job in Sioux City. When he took over the schools, the district was in very bad shape. The buildings were old and rundown. Over the years he was able to build new schools and improve the ones the district already had.

His most important contribution to education was in the field of instruction. Doctor Clark had very specific ideas in regard to textbooks. When he could not find textbooks available that he felt met his standards, he wrote his own. He wrote MOTIVATED LANGUAGE and HABITUATED ARITHMETIC in 1919. APPLIED ENGLISH was published in 1924 and LANGUAGE IN USE, books I, II, III, in 1926. He also wrote a book based on his idea of a "spiritualized citizenship", that children should learn from the study of our history. He called this book PROGRESS AND PATRIOTISM. Many districts throughout the country used the books he wrote
Clark was also very active in the community and educational organizations as well. He served as the first President of the Iowa State Education Association and served on both state and national committees. He served as a leader of the Men's Bible Class at First Presbyterian Church, was a leader in the Rotary Club and was president of the Sons of the American Revolution.

When Doctor Clark had a heart attack and died while still working as superintendent, the whole school district was closed down in mourning. Praise for this great educator arrived from all over the United States. The faculty of Sioux City Schools wrote the following:

"Two decades ago, the school system of Sioux City had disintegrated to such a degree that the term "system", as applied to it was a misnomer. A crisis in the educational development of the city had come, and someone to meet the challenge was called, a man forceful, dynamic, of tireless energy, of indefatigable industry. Gifted with unusual constructive ability and extraordinary foresight, he soon succeeded in reducing to order the educational chaos which existed when he came. This man had in him something of the spirit of the adventurer, yet he Comprehend his trust and to the same Kept faithful with a singleness of aim."

An elementary school on the north side of Sioux City is named in his honor.

Sioux City History web site link;
M. G. Clark

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 146; Notable People Part 18; Mary Treglia and the Mary Treglia Community House

A devoted friend to Sioux City immigrants and their families, Mary Treglia (1897-1959) dedicated her life to helping those in need. For over 33 years, she served the immigrant population of Sioux City as director of the Community House.

Mary Treglia was born in Sioux City on October 7, 1897, the only child of Italian immigrants Rose and Anthony Treglia. Her parents left Italy in the 1880's and came to Sioux City where they opened a fruit stand at 415 Pierce. The family lived upstairs. Sadly, Mary's father died when she was just 22 months old, leaving Rose as the only provider for her little girl. Rose supported herself and her daughter with a confectionary and fruit store located at Sixth and Douglas. She sold candy, fruits, canned goods and her famous boiled ham.

As Mary grew up, she attended public schools in Sioux City and graduated from Central High School. She developed an incredible ability to play baseball and soon discovered that she could throw a baseball farther than most boys in her neighborhood. Sometimes she worked as an umpire for men's baseball games. Occasionally, she accompanied well-known umpire Bobbie Blank as he traveled across the district where he officiated. Mary gave pre-game exhibitions and amazed the crowds with her ability to catch high balls and throw the ball farther than most men.

In 1919, Mary's mother's health began to fail and she longed for the sunny warmth of her native Italy. Mary used her baseball earning to take her mother to the warmer climate of California. There, Mary was asked to play with the "Bloomer Girls" women's baseball team. While playing baseball in California, Mary also had a chance to act in several silent movies. At first she worked as an extra for $3 a day. Eventually, she even received a few bit parts. Later in her life, she recalled that while she enjoyed acting, she liked the technical aspects of movie-making the best.

In 1921, Mary's mother wanted to go home to Sioux City. Soon after their return, Mary attended the opening of the Community House, located on the second floor of a building at 1604 East Fourth Street. She volunteered to organize a club there that she called Alpha Sigma, for working girls of many nationalities. "I saw so much maladjustment," she would later say. "So many square pegs in round holes." Mary volunteered for a while, and then she was hired as an assistant to the Community House director, Dorothy Anderson.

Mary Treglia was sensitive to the needs and traditional values of the immigrant population. At a time when most settlement house workers were well-educated, middle class women, Mary brought a unique perspective to her job. She intimately understood the poverty, troubles and problems of the immigrant population. Her knowledge didn't come from books. She lived it every day.

In the 1920's, settlement house workers were expected to be educated professionals and Mary realized that she lacked the necessary education. She began to resolve that situation by taking special courses at the University of Minnesota. She also completed fieldwork at the New York School of Social Work and received experience at Ellis Island. She worked for a year at United Charities in Chicago and started classes at Morningside College in 1925.

Mary's studies at Morningside were interrupted when she was named executive director of the Community House in 1925. Faced with ever-increasing duties there, she still managed to finish her degree in 1933.

The Community House opened in 1921, sponsored by the YWCA. At that time, people of over 20 nationalities lived on the city's east side, sometimes referred to as "the bottoms". A survey conducted by the YWCA found that immigrant families lived in isolated little groups with others of their own nationality. Also, their children did not have the opportunity to learn English before they started school. A community house would provide a gathering place for immigrants where they could find help, companionship and education. The original purpose was to bring immigrants together, "Americanize" them, and prepare them for citizenship.

Community houses often used clubs to bring people together. The clubs gathered people of similar ages or interests in a comfortable informal setting. Sometimes the clubs lasted only a season, and sometimes they lasted for years. The "Women of All Nations Club" lasted for decades, serving the mothers of the neighborhood. Rose Treglia, Mary's mother, showed great interest in the club and spent many hours visiting homes in the neighborhood, encouraging mothers to participate.

Under Mary's direction, the Community House offered "Americanization classes". The classes, held day and night, taught English reading, writing, conversation, current events and citizenship. Workers helped immigrants complete their naturalization papers. They helped fill out forms and assisted with interpreting.

The services of the Community House Interpreting Bureau reflected the diversity of the immigrant population. They offered services for the following languages, free of charge: Armenian, Bohemian, Chinese, Danish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Jewish, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, Spanish, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Russian, Romanian, Syrian and Swedish.

Mary Treglia counseled troubled children and helped those involved with the courts. She helped neighbors solve disputes, mediated quarrels, distributed clothing, helped with medical problems, made funeral arrangements, and encouraged pre-natal care. The Sioux City Journal in 1931 noted, "It has not been unusual to have mothers come to the house with problems of the husbands or their children or a father, a foreigner who was unable to adjust himself to the new world." Because of the language barrier, many immigrants made the Community House their first stop when they had a problem. Workers tried to solve the difficulty or refer them to the needed agencies.

Mary served immigrants in need in many other ways. In the aftermath of the Swift Explosion in 1949, the Journal reported, "Miss Mary Treglia, director of the Community House, helped identify the bodies. Many of the Swift employees were those with whom she worked at the Community House, she explained."

She also helped immigrants find jobs. In 1931, she began a campaign to find jobs for the unemployed workers in the neighborhood. Her "Help Fight Hard Luck" campaign received the cooperation of industrial plants and businesses. Treglia started files that detailed workers' needs and skills. She convinced the newspaper to publish the case histories and advertise the workers' abilities. The plan was successful, and from August 1931 to April 1932, 782 unemployed workers found jobs though the Community House effort.

Treglia objected to the east side neighborhood being referred to as "the bottoms". "Law abiding citizens who have lived in this district for two decades or more and newcomers as well, many of whom are home owners, resent having their neighborhood referred to as "the bottoms", she stated. "It is time for home, church, school, social agencies and law enforcement groups to unite to make for good citizens in all parts of the city without discrimination."

In 1933, the building that housed the Community House was condemned and Treglia went to work raising money for a new building. Although it was during the Depression, plans for a new house were made. Treglia started a "buy-a-brick" campaign that was well received in the business community. She found funding with government agencies and asked for donations of building materials from demolished buildings. With the help of workmen who contributed their time, a new building at 513 Morgan Street was erected in 1933.

The excitement of moving into a new building was dimmed, however, when the Floyd River rose out of its channel and flooded the gymnasium. Floods were a fact of life for that neighborhood and Treglia worked to find solutions to the problem. She organized the neighborhood residents and campaigned for flood control. Over a period of 2 years, Treglia chaired 215 meetings on flood control.

"Their homes mean just as much to them as more pretentious homes in other residence districts mean to their occupants'.Yet under present conditions, every spring they have to worry about the possibility of flood."

In November of 1956, a testimonial dinner was held in honor of Mary Treglia. At the dinner, a plaque was presented, officially changing the name of the Sioux City Community House to the Mary J. Treglia Community House.

In 1959, Mary learned that the Floyd River flood control project would mean that the river would be rechanneled through the very east side neighborhoods she served. The Community House she worked so hard to build would have to be razed along with many homes in the area. She began to search for ways to preserve the neighborhood, but she died October 10, 1959.

Much of the area that Mary Treglia served so courageously is gone now. The frame homes of the immigrants were sacrificed to create space for the new Floyd River Channel. In 1963, the Mary Treglia Community House moved to 900 Jennings Street, where it remains today.

Sioux City History web site link;
Mary Treglia and the Mary Treglia Community House

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 145; Notable People Part 17; Dr. Agnes Eichelberger

Sioux City's first woman doctor, Dr. Agnes Eichelberger (1864-1923) devoted her life to the care of women, children and infants. Known for her generous heart and great kindness, the pioneering Dr. Eichelberger brought quality maternity care to all women of Sioux City, regardless of financial status.

Born in Lewiston, Illinois in 1864, Eichelberger's first job was as a clerk in her father's department store. She dreamed, however, of becoming a medical missionary, a career that her father opposed. With her mother's encouragement, she attended Hartman and Oberlin Colleges. Next, she enrolled in Northwestern University in Chicago and obtained experience in the Women's Division of Cook County Hospital. She graduated with honors in 1888 and received an internship at Cook County, where she acted as house surgeon in 1889.

While in Chicago, Dr. Eichelberger met Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Manley of Sioux City. They influenced her to locate in Sioux City and she opened her office here in 1890. For the first year, her residence was in the Manley home.

Dr. Eichelberger practiced general medicine with an emphasis in children's diseases. Her strong humanitarian spirit and love of children led her to found the Women's and Babies Home in 1898 which was located in a large home at 29th and Jones. In 1903, the Women's and Babies Home was merged into the Florence Crittenton chain of homes.

Dr. Eichelberger became the physician in charge of the Florence Crittenton home. Friends recalled, "Dr. Eichelberger gave scientific care to each unfortunate girl with no thought of recompense." Dr. Eichelberger also cared for and found good homes for orphaned children and worked to help abused and neglected children.

Dr. Eichelberger was instrumental in the decision to erect a new building for the Florence Crittenton Home. That structure was erected in 1906 at 28th and Court.

Her strong belief that woman and babies should be separated from other hospital patients led to the building of a maternity hospital next to the Florence Crittenton Home. She worked within the medical community to make sure the hospital was sustained by all of the physicians of the city, so the work would be continued beyond the life of any one of them. Dr. James F. Taylor, one her colleagues, recalled, "She was a wonderful organizer and the Maternity Hospital--founded and fostered by her--will stand as a glorious memorial." The maternity hospital, however, only operated until 1928, when other Sioux City hospitals began to provide separate wings for maternity patients. The building was sold to the Methodist Hospital for use as a nurses' residence.

Dr. Eichelberger continually worked to further her education. She spent the summers of 1899 and 1902 in studying in Europe, attending clinics in London, Paris and Berlin. She worked to bring the best medical advances to her patients in Sioux City.

After her death, a friend recalled, "She came to Sioux City at a time when but a few women had entered the medical profession, but she soon became fused with the life of the people here. Her heart was so generous and her sympathies so broad and her mind so tolerant that she belonged to no one group, but to us all."

Sioux City History web site link;
Dr. Agnes Eichelberger

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 144; Notable People Part 16; Reverend George Haddock

It was a dark and stormy night. Reverend George Haddock was returning the carriage and horses to the Jerry Merrill Livery stable at the corner of Third and Water Street when he noticed a group of men standing watching him. The time was 10:15 p.m.. Reverend Haddock and a fellow minister had been visiting Greenville, a town 2 miles east of Sioux City. They had been looking to see if the town was violating the state liquor law.

Never a person to back away from a confrontation, Rev. Haddock started across the muddy, rain soaked street. With a rope attached to an iron wheel in his hand and he walked toward the men. Two men started to walk toward him. One put his hands in front of his face and the other walked behind him. A single shot rang out and Rev. Haddock dropped to the muddy ground in the middle of the street. He got to his feet and stumbled to the sidewalk, falling again. He never got up. He died on the sidewalk that night.

How did a murder like this happen in a small Midwestern city? Sioux City had 11 public schools and 18 churches at this time (1886). It also had 75 saloons, 2 breweries, and several licensed gambling houses. The city's population was swelling from 20,00 1880 to over 38,000 in 1890. A police department was established in 1885 to deal with the increases in lawlessness affecting this frontier town.

In 1882 the voters in Iowa passed an amendment to the state constitution making liquor illegal in all of Iowa. Called the "Clark Law" for Senator Talton Clark who was the primary advocate of this law. The city of Sioux City ignored the law. With all the saloons and breweries, Sioux City officials fought to keep the liquor flowing. They passed a law requiring bars and breweries to pay a fine or fee of between $25 and $100 a month to stay in business. This raised a lot of money for the city.

In the summer of 1886 2 murders took place in gambling houses. Both these murders involved people who had been drinking. The city was in an uproar. Haddock gave strong sermons expressing his beliefs that alcohol and gambling should be eliminated in accordance with the Iowa law.

First Methodist Church sought help in the form of Reverend Haddock. The Reverend had been fighting for prohibition all over the Midwest for over ten years. He was only five feet seven inches tall, but he weighed two hundred pounds and was often referred to as a fighting preacher. Haddock gave rousing sermons and testified against saloons in court. Other ministers who agreed with him were threatened and some left town. Rev. Haddock stayed, he knew the risks but thought his cause to be that important.

After the murder, people were interviewed and several men were identified as being responsible. The man who pulled the trigger killing Rev. Haddock was identified as John Arensdorf, the foreman of a local brewing company. He and the others were tracked down and Arensdorf went to trial accused of murder. Even though the prosecutor had eyewitnesses who saw the murder take place, Arensdorf was found not guilty at his second trial. The picture below shows Arensdorf and the members of the jury that set him free out drinking in the town the day of his acquittal. Arensdorf is in the bottom row in the middle with his arms crossed.

After his death and the acquittal of his murderer, Haddock accomplished what he could not while he was alive: liquor and gambling were made illegal and forced out of Sioux City. All the saloons and gambling houses moved across the river to what is now South Sioux City, Nebraska. Five years later the law was repealed outlawing liquor.

The acquittal of Arensdorf drew the attention of newspapers all over the nation. The Logan Observer wrote: "The Arensdorf trial at Sioux City is turning out to be a regular farce. The prosecutions proved clearly by several witnesses that Arensdorf killed Haddock." The Chicago News wrote: "Even should the spirit of Dr. Haddock himself enter the room and point to Arensdorf and say 'Thou art the man,' the jury would still not convict the accused." The Dakotian newspaper asked, "Does god rule, or the devil, in Sioux City?" The Davenport Democrat stated, "If cities were punished for their wickedness in these times, a disastrous earthquake might be predicted for the vicinity of Sioux City."

Sioux City History web site link;
Reverend George Haddock

Previous posts about Reverend George Haddock;
Sioux City History & Culture by Bicycle Part 23: George C. Haddock Memorial Marker

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 143; Notable People Part 15; William Gordon

William Gordon (1857-1933) was an enthusiastic Sioux City promoter who made his fortune during the boom years of the city's growth. Nearly wiped out by the disastrous floods of 1892 and the Financial Panic of 1893, he rebuilt his business and remained a staunch Sioux City supporter until his death in 1933.

Gordon was born in Ireland in 1857. He was educated in Irish schools until he went to work for William Gregg and Son, iron merchants in Belfast, when he was fourteen years old. His next job was with a building materials company in Liverpool and London. Then, in 1882, Gordon decided to venture to Australia, by way of the United States.

Gordon landed in New York, and quickly found a job with Cambria Steel Works in Philadelphia. Before long, however, he left that job for a position with the Russell and Erwinn Hardware Company of New York City. He didn't stay there for long either, and soon Gordon was headed west to seek his fortune.

He stopped in Chicago, where he became acquainted with George Fowler, who owned a meat packing business. Fowler sent the young Gordon to Kansas City, then on to New Mexico. Then, Gordon headed back northeast across Oklahoma and Kansas, traveling by horseback. Upon his return to Chicago, the president of the Illinois Central Railroad asked Gordon to inspect rail lines in northwest Iowa and visit the little town of Sioux City. Thus, William Gordon arrived in Sioux City, Iowa on May 25, 1883, and he made the town his home for the next fifty years.

Gordon found a job with Davis and Wann, grain merchants and became active in the business community. He left the city for a short time to take the job of bookkeeper for F. H. Peavey and Company of Minneapolis, but soon returned to Sioux City. He helped establish Security National Bank and became its first bookkeeper. However, Gordon's true interest was in real estate, and he plunged into development, business and speculation.

Gordon was instrumental in bringing the Fowler Packing Company to the Stockyards. In 1888, he erected the Iowa Building at Fifth and Pierce, and in 1889 he built the Gordon Building at the corner of Fourth and Iowa. Also in 1889, Gordon formed the Boston Investment Company, which spent over a million dollars to finance the Massachusetts Building, the Plymouth Block and the Boston Block. His company built the Sioux City Engine Works, Paris Stove Works, a large shoe factory, and other industries. He began industrial development in Leeds, and he became a director in the Sioux City Northern and the Nebraska and Western railroads.

Gordon was a dreamer and an innovator. He was instrumental in the development of the Sioux City Rapid Transit Company, which built the Sioux City elevated railway. A supporter of the Sioux City Corn Palaces, he chartered a train from Boston and brought back a group of eastern investors to see the second corn palace. An article in the Sioux City Journal quotes him as saying, "It cost me $4,000, but I made $30,000 out of it."

Throughout his entire life, Gordon remained a supporter of riverfront development. After a particularly disastrous flood in 1888, Gordon was instrumental in obtaining $250,000 in federal funds to stabilize the Missouri riverfront and put the river back in its channel. In its tribute to William Gordon at the time of his death, the Sioux City Journal noted, "Downtown Sioux City owes its present existence to the work of Mr. Gordon."

The big Floyd River Flood of 1892, combined with the national Financial Panic of 1893, brought an end to the boom years of Sioux City. It also wiped out the fortunes of William Gordon and his fellow speculators. Gordon left for California for a brief while, but returned to re-establish his real estate business in Sioux City. The 1894-95 edition of R.L. Polk and Company Sioux City Directory lists William Gordon's profession as Real Estate and his home as 2719 Jackson Street. He remained a successful and respected businessman, with a special interest in riverfront and railroad development. He was instrumental in the development of major railroad yards in the suburb of Riverside. Because of his great interest in riverfront development, the road along the riverfront was named Gordon Drive in his honor. He called Sioux City his home until his death in 1933.

At the time of his death the Sioux City Journal reflected: "In the boom days Mr. Gordon was younger than other men active in development enterprises and he may not have been equipped to do business in such large figures as some of his colleagues, but he dreamed the same dreams that the Hedges and Garretsons and the Peirces dreamed, and he had the same confidence that these men had in the future greatness of Sioux City. In faith, hope and enthusiasm, he never could be outdone by any man.

"Throughout the 40 years that have passed since the collapse of the boom, Mr. Gordon kept that same faith, hope, and enthusiasm. He was an optimist when others have felt down in the mouth. Sioux City will miss him with a definiteness with which it would miss few others, because he belonged to an almost extinct type of community booster- a class of loyalists of whom Shakespeare might have said "We shall not see their like again."

Sioux City History web site link;
William Gordon

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 142; Notable People Part 14; Andrew G. Anderson

Andrew G. Anderson was born in Sweden in 1854. At the age of nineteen he immigrated to the United States and arrived in Sioux City. He was hired to work in a government warehouse. He could speak no English at this time. He soon got a job working on a ferry that carried people across the Missouri River to Nebraska. During this time, it is said that he rescued several people from the waters of the Missouri.

In 1876, at the age of 22, he served on the first steamship to make the trip up the Yellowstone River in Montana. He returned to Sioux City, and three years later married Margaret DeSmet. They lived in the Prospect Hill area and had three children, two girls and one boy. Their children all died within three weeks of each other during the diphtheria epidemic.

The Andersons moved to the Springdale area and had three more children. Andrew was a hard worker and very thrifty person. He purchased several pieces of property including two houses and two store buildings. He got a job as a stationary engineer at the Green brickyards in Springdale. While he was an experienced riverman, he would never swim in the Floyd River because of the swiftness of its current.

On May 18, 1892 one of the greatest disasters in the city's history struck. A wall of water swept through the Floyd river, destroying everything in its path. Hardest hit were the Leeds and Springdale areas of town directly bordering the river. With little or no warning, the flood struck with savage fury. Many climbed to the roofs of their houses to escape the torrent. Anderson, thirty-eight years old at the time, is credited with saving 27 people from the swirling waters before he drowned.

Three times during the day his friends forced him to leave his boat because of the great danger. Three times he fought to go out again. "How can anyone rest when people are drowning?" he asked. While trying to rescue the Frank T. Henderson family, the husband, wife and infant daughter, Andrew died when his boat was struck by a log. The family had been trapped in their attic and after three attempts, Anderson had been able to reach their house and break a hole in the roof for them to escape. He was able to get them in his boat in spite of the six foot waves ripping through the area. When the boat capsized, Henderson tried to hold his wife and daughter. A log rolled over the family and all three were drowned.

Hundred of people attended Anderson's funeral at Trinity Lutheran Church. He was buried in Logan Park Cemetery, which is located on the way to Stone State Park. Sixteen years later a monument in his honor was placed in the cemetery by the Knight of Pythias lodge. The monument was made of granite mined in Sweden, approximately forty miles from the town where he was born.

In 1921, through the efforts of August Williges, a park was established in his memory. While there were many discussions as to placing a plaque or monument, nothing was ever done. By the 1950's the park had fallen into disrepair.

Sioux City History web site link;
Andrew G. Anderson

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 141; Notable People Part 13; Arthur Garretson

Arthur Garretson was a Sioux City banker, businessman and promoter. Born in Ohio on November 7, 1851, he arrived in Sioux City in 1874 at the age of 23. In 1876, he accepted a position as teller at First National Bank. He stayed there until 1880, when he organized the Sioux National Bank and become its cashier.

Garretson was known for recognizing opportunities. He had a reputation for tireless energy, honesty and business genius. He had a keen understanding of business conditions and possibilities, and soon he became involved in many business ventures. He was one of the five men who built the Sioux City and Northern Railway. He was associated with five others who established the Union Stock Yards in 1887. He was also one of the organizers of the Boston Investment Company, which invested over two million dollars in Sioux City. He had a hand in most large ventures in the city, including the Corn Palaces, Peavey Grand Opera House and elevated railway.

Garretson assisted in the construction of the Garretson Hotel (which stood at the northeast corner of Fifth and Pierce streets). He was also a promoter of Morningside College and the City Library Building.

In 1870, Garretson married Belle Smith, daughter of O.A. Smith. Together, they had eight children.

The Garretsons built a mansion near Peters' Park in Morningside. They lived in the home until 1906, when it was purchased by Morningside College. The Sioux City Public Library bought the home in 1931, remodeled it and turned it into the Morningside Branch Library. In a storm of controversy, the Library Board voted to tear down the old mansion in 1967 and build a new branch library on the site.

Sioux City History web site link;
Arthur Garretson

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 140; Notable People Part 12; Edwin Peters

Edwin Peters (1836-1917) was an early Sioux City promoter, developer and speculator. He is perhaps best known for developing and promoting the area of the city known as Morningside.

Peters was born on a farm in Pennsylvania October 23, 1836. He graduated from the National Law School of Poughkeepsie, New York when he was just 21 years of age. After a move to Niagara Falls, he spent a year with the law office of A. P. Floyd. Then, in 1861, President Lincoln appointed Peters to the position of deputy United States Marshall. Later, he was commissioned Deputy Collector of Customs at Niagara Falls. While in Niagara Falls, Peters married Sarah Scott and also developed a growing interest in insurance and real estate.

During the spring of 1870, Peters left Niagara Falls and came to Sioux City to take a position with the bank of Weare and Allison. While at the bank, Peters continued his interest in the insurance business. Soon, he joined with George Murphy in purchasing the insurance branch of the bank and together they opened the first savings bank in Sioux City

During one of his frequent walks near the city, Peters discovered a lovely parcel of land southwest of the city limits. He became captivated by the area and recognized its potential. So, just the second year after his arrival in Sioux City, Peters bought the 300-400 acre tract at a cost of $7 to $10 an acre. With a group of others who had come with him from Niagara Falls, Peters built a house on the site and established the settlement he named Morning Side.

Peters promptly bought an additional 120 acres and built the house his family would call home until 1892. The land eventually became part of what is now Morningside College and the house served as a campus building.

Unfortunately, not long after opening his insurance business and establishing Morningside, Peters suffered a head injury, which left him unable to work for nearly four years. In 1877, he traveled to the Black Hills of South Dakota, where he had an appointment as the first treasurer of Pennington County. Later, he was commissioned there as a probate judge.

Peters did not stay long in the Black Hills, however. Just one year later, in 1878, he came back to Sioux City to stay. He returned to his home in Morningside and devoted much of his time to the development of the suburb. Many prominent Sioux City families established homes in Morningside, including the Garretsons, Jacksons and Pelletiers.

Peters helped establish the Sioux City Rapid Transit Company, becoming its president in 1888. In 1890, that company began construction of the Elevated Railroad, an elevated and ground railway system that provided convenient access to the developing suburb of Morningside. He was also involved in the founding of the University of the Northwest in Morningside, which eventually became Morningside College. He became a vice president and chairman of the executive committee. The University purchased part of the Peters estate for its campus.

The Peters family lost most of their fortune in the Financial Panic of 1893. In later years Peters recalled, "Before the crash, we were millionaires. If I had turned my holdings in Morningside three months before the bubble broke I would have been worth upwards of $1,500,000. After the crash I was penniless. I was wiped out, and I found paper on my hands that left me $7000 in debt."

Despite the heavy losses, Peters stayed in Sioux City and worked hard to repay all of his debts. He continued to be a respected leader in the community.

In an article celebrating Peters' 80th birthday, the Sioux City Journal stated, "Besides being the father of Morningside, Mr. Peters might also be termed the father of the park movement in Sioux City." He was head of the Park Commission that presented Grandview Park to the city in 1908.

Sioux City History web site link;
Edwin Peters

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 139; Notable People Part 11; John Peirce

John Peirce was one of Sioux City's greatest promoters and most colorful figures. He believed in this city's success and did everything he could to help it succeed early on.

One of the most colorful figures in Sioux City history, John Peirce was born in Pennsylvania March 17, 1840. He came to Marion, Iowa, at the age of 21. There he married Alice Granger.
Soon after his marriage, Peirce joined the Sixth Iowa infantry and fought in the Civil War. In April of 1862, Peirce lay seriously wounded on a battlefield, a severe wound to his chest. A confederate surgeon passed by him, saying that Peirce could not be helped. According to the often-told story, Peirce opened his eyes, raised up on his elbow and said, "Like hell I'm as good as dead! I'll still be alive when you Johnnies are licked."

Peirce lost a lung as a result of his wounds, but after spending a long time in the hospital, he recovered and the Peirces moved to Sioux City in 1869.

A major promoter during Sioux City's boom years, Peirce become involved in the real estate business. He was instrumental in developing the north side, grading the hills and building a cable line the full length of Jackson Street all the way to 40th Street. At its end, the cable line looped around a wooden pavilion that provided shelter and soft drinks for customers. Dances held at the pavilion were a popular activity. A power plant at 29th and Jones Streets provided power for the cable line and street lights in the area.

Peirce was active in promoting projects for the development for Sioux City including cable lines, businesses and railroads. He built a stone mansion for his family at 29th and Jackson (now the Sioux City Public Museum). In 1890, Peirces sold their old home at 21st and the Boulevard to the Sisters of Mercy as a site for a hospital. Apparently, the Peirces left all of the furnishings behind for the sisters, including the horse, buggy and cow.

Mr. Peirce lost most of his fortune in the financial panic of 1893. He sold his mansion though a lottery, which later was shown to be fixed.

The Peirces left Sioux City in 1901 and moved to Seattle, where Peirce went about the business of creating another fortune. He and his wife left on a long-planned trip to Europe, where his health started to decline. Despite his poor health, the Peirces traveled through France, the Holy Land, and India before they returned home. Soon after his return to the United States, Peirce died of cancer, which had developed in his wounded chest. He died June 14, 1910.

On February 12, 1901, Peirce and his family left Sioux City for Seattle. It was at that time that Peirce delivered his bittersweet "Farewell to Sioux City".

Farewell to Sioux City

Goodbye, Sioux City, perhaps for aye. You are at once the birthplace of all my ambitions and the graveyard of all my hopes.

After dedicating thirty years of my best strength to your development, you are not a city but a town, with an interesting past, an uneventful present, and a peaceful and conservative future.

No devotion of mine could prevent the calamity which spread your broken idols all around, and unrelenting fate still holds the ruins in her embrace. No period of prosperity can lend new animation to your fettered limbs, for commerce has her lines not laid within your favored zone.

Yet, old girl, there burns within my bosom that youthful first love that knows no death, and my hope is that, while you lie bound Prometheus-like, no vultures will further pluck your vitals.

Goodbye, goodbye.

Sioux City History web site link;
John Peirce

Previous posts about John Peirce;
Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 41: Pierce Mansion

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 138; Notable People Part 10; James Booge

James Booge was one of if not the first grocer in Sioux City. He later helped start the packing industry business in the area as well.

James Booge was born in Vermont in 1833. His family lived for awhile in Canada and then moved to Indiana, where he helped on his father's farm. His education was limited.

In 1854, Booge went to California to work in the mining industry. Then, in 1858 he moved to St. Louis, where he worked for the Wabash Railroad. On October 11, 1858, Booge arrived in Sioux City, then a little town of only 500 residents. He brought with him a supply of apples, flour and whiskey, and he opened a wholesale grocery company.

Soon after making Sioux City his home, Booge bought a steamboat's water-logged load of wheat. He fed the grain to a herd of hogs, butchered the hogs and sold the meat. His customers included the local butcher shops, but most of the meat was sold to Army outposts further west. With this venture, Booge started a meat-packing business that helped make him a wealthy man. His first pork-packing business was little more than a shack located along Perry Creek at the corner of Fifth and Water Streets. By 1873, he had constructed a three-story building on the same site and was slaughtering 123,000 hogs per year.

The city was growing as rapidly as Booge's packing house business. The downtown location was no longer practical for his expanding industry. So, in 1881, Booge built a plant in the stockyards area that began to slaughter 1,600 hogs a day in winter and 800 per day in the summer. Half of the plant's products were sold in Liverpool and London.

Booge became a very prominent businessman and Sioux City promoter. He became involved in the Union Stockyards Company, National Bank of Sioux City, Sioux City and Northern Railroad, the elevated railroad and many other ventures.

Sioux City History web site link;
James Booge

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 137; Notable People Part 9; Mary Wilkins

Sioux City's education and school system goes back as far as 1857. The first teacher, Mary Wilkins arrived in 1857 to start teaching the uneducated tudents, some of which were adults themselves, in the area.

Even in it's infancy, the citizens of the town realized the need to start a school to educate the children. Local businessmen pledged money to run the school for the first six months. On April 26, 1857, the new teacher arrived on the first steamboat of the spring season, the Omaha. Mary Wilkins, a nineteen year old from Keosauqua, Iowa became the first teacher. The salary for her first term was fifty dollars per month. She lived with a married couple she had met on the steamboat.

When Mary arrived, she was interviewed by two of the school board members and asked questions to see if she was qualified. They approved.

Mary experienced many problems when setting up the new school. The building scheduled to be completed May 1st was not close to being finished. There were no books. Not waiting for the building to be completed or the books to arrive, Mary started school. She started with 15 students ranging in age from 6 to 19 (her age). Many of these students were the children of pioneers and had always lived in wilderness areas, so even though they were older, they had never been to school and could not read or write or do math. Miss Wilkins was in the front of the room on a raised platform and the students sat at table with benches. The small children sat in front and the larger in the rear.

Within the first six weeks the school was finished, books arrived and the number of students attending school had more than doubled.

With the completion of her first successful term, the school received public funds. This meant Mary was now to be paid by the taxpayers of the city. Some objected to paying a young single girl fifty dollars per month. The school board thought Mary was worth the salary so worked out a compromise that satisfied all sides. Mary's salary was lowered to thirty dollars per month for fifteen students. For each student more than fifteen she would receive more money. Because of the number of students, Mary wound up making more money than she had the previous term! Mary taught for two years and then married a local man named C. B. Rustin and later moved to Omaha. She lived there until her death in 1934.

Sioux City History web site link;
Mary Wilkins

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 136; Notable People Part 8; George Weare

George Weare was the founding father of Sioux City's banking system. He had a primitive and rocky start though. At one time Iowa had a law prohibiting banks in the state. Had Weare not succeeded many pioneer business would never have gotten started.

The first bank in Sioux City was a tin box about the size of a cake box. George Weare brought the box with him to Sioux City December 26, 1855. At the time of his arrival from Cedar Rapids with the tin box with $1000 dollars in gold, Sioux City consisted of 6 log cabins! Three or four feet of snow covered the ground.

He found a place to work in the attic of a log cabin on the corner of third and Pearl . The bottom floor was occupied by the United States Land Office. His furniture consisted of an old drygoods box that served as the counter and his tin box that served as his safe. The box is now on display in the Public Museum

This was a difficult time to start a bank in Iowa. The state constitution prohibited banks in the state. Many small banks had started and then collapsed leaving their investors with no money. People were suspicious of putting their money into something that could close at any time.

In the spring, George built a log building to serve as his bank on Douglas Street near sixth. He stayed here until 1857 when his banking business was expanding and he needed more room.

In September of 1860, Weare formed at partnership with John P. Allison and a new bank was built. The old log building was purchased by the pioneer school board and moved to Fifth and Pierce. The new building was of frame construction and painted to look like it was made of stone.

By 1862 the business district had moved west so Allison and Weare moved again. Still later in 1878 the partners built the brick structure pictured here. They continued to be partners in their success bank until they merged their bank with the Iowa State National Bank in 1901.

Mr. Weare served the city as alderman and mayor. Had it not been for his leadership, many pioneer businesses would not have been started.

Sioux City History web site link;
George Weare

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 135; Notable People Part 7; Dr. John Cook

Dr. John Cook was the first person to plot the land that now makes up Sioux City. Cook Park and the Cook Fountain are both named for him.

Dr. John Cook was born in England. He went to school at Oxford University and was a graduate of the London College of Medicine and Surgery. Before moving to the United States, he served in some of Londons most famous hospitals.

Cook decided to move to the United States. Many of his friends had already made the trip and wrote letters describing this new land. Arriving in Illinois, Cook decided to work as a surveyor for the government. Here he met a young woman who lived in a neighboring settlement and asked her to marry him. The woman had been married before and had a daughter named Henrietta.

Several years passed and all the surrounding lands in Illinois had been surveyed. More and more people were settling the land. Cook was asked by the United States Government to move to Iowa where the lands were to be surveyed. He moved his wife and daughter to a small town on the Missouri River named Kanesville. This town is now named Council Bluffs. There he met a man named James Jackson. Mr. Jackson and his partner, Milton Tootle owned several small stores located in towns south of Kanesville. Mr. Jackson fell in love with Henrietta, Cook's stepdaughter, and married her.

Mr. Jackson had met and dealt with Theophile Bruguier for several years. Bruguier had complained to Jackson that he had to come a long distance just to purchase needed goods. He asked Jackson to consider building a store near the area where he lived. Jackson was not enthusiastic about traveling so far north into a country with sparse population except for migrating bands of Indians. However, encouraged by his wife, Jackson made the trip in 1852 and was very impressed with the location between the mouths of the Floyd and Sioux Rivers. He came back to Kanesville and spoke with Doctor Cook, who was quite interested.

Doctor Cook, James Jackson, Iowa Representative Bernhart Henn, United States senators George W. Jones and Augustus C. Dodge, and Jesse Williams, Iowa territorial official, formed the Sioux City Land Company. Cook served as both president and representative for the group. Cook moved to the area and discovered that much of the land had already been settled by Joseph Leonais. Leonais's land encompassed the area from the Missouri River to Seventh Street and from what is now Water Street to Jones Street. Cook then claimed the only land left available, 160 acres west of Leonais' claim across Perry Creek.

He then began the job of plotting of his new city. Shortly after beginning this survey, Dr. Cook found many Yankton Indians camped at the mouth of the Floyd River. Led by their leader Smutty Bear, Cook was ordered to quit his survey and leave or there would be violence. Dr. Cook reportedly replied that if Smutty Bear were not peaceable, he would go at once for white men of sufficient number of exterminate (kill) the tribe. The Indians chose to leave and the survey was completed.

Dr. Cook realized that the members of the company would not be very happy with his location for the new city. For the city to be successful, it would need a levee built so steamships would be able to stop, load and unload needed goods. He visited William Thompson and offered to buy his land. But Thompson wanted to start his own town, so he refused to sell.

Dr. Cook had been staying at Leonais' cabin and began to try to convince him to sell his land. He first offered Leonais $100 for the land. That is what Leonais had paid Bruguier for the land. Leonais had plenty of customers at his store and had already raised three crops of corn on the property, so he wasn't interested in selling. Cook responded by increasing the offer to $500. Leonais looked to his sister, Mrs. Lapore, who was living with him for advice. She told him not to sell. Dr. Cook told them he wanted the land to build an orchard to sell fruit to the pioneers. They did not believe him. They had figured that he wanted the land to build a town, and said they were going to stay and sell lots themselves. Dr. Cook then asked Leonais how much he wanted for his claim, to which Leonais replied, "three thousand dollars". While this was quite a shook to Cook, he finally agreed to the price, knowing he had to have the land for the city to develop. This area was called the East Addition.

Sioux City History web site link;
Dr. John Cook

Previous posts about Dr. John Cook;
Sioux City History & Culture by Bicycle Part 24: Cook Park Fountain

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 134; Notable People Part 6; Rosalie Menard Leonais

Rosalie Menard Leonais, otherwise known as First Bride was the first white woman married in what became Sioux City. After her death she was buried on a bluff that later becamse South Ravine Park in the Morningside area of Sioux City. Rosalie married Joseph Leonais, one of the earliest developers of Sioux City.

Tucked in a pocket of South Ravine Park, a series of steps leads up into the woods. At the end of the trail is the First Bride's Grave.

The First Bride's Grave monument was built in 1938 by the Woodbury County Pioneer Club near the grave of Rosalie Menard Leonais. The Pioneers Club called her the "first bride" because she was believed to be the first bride of a non-Native American in the area that would become Sioux City.

Rosalie was born in 1838, the daughter of French/Canadian fur trader, Louis Menard, and his Native American wife, Klanhaywin. She had two sisters and four brothers.

Sometime around 1852, Rosalie's family moved into the area of Perry Creek and the Missouri River. There, the family became acquainted with Joseph Leonais, another French/Canadian fur trapper making his home in the area. Rosalie and Joseph were married by a traveling Catholic priest in 1853. She was in her teens and her husband was about twenty-nine.

Rosalie and Joseph had four children together: Joseph II, Josephine, Rosalie and William. At first, they lived in the cabin Joseph had built near Perry Creek, close to what is now 2nd and Water Street. Later they moved to a farm along the Floyd River.

Rosalie died in 1865, shortly after the birth of their son William. She was 27 years old.

Sioux City History web site link;
Rosalie Menard Leonais

Previous blog posts on Rosalie Menard Leonais, (First Bride);
Sioux City History & Culture by Bicycle Part 9: First Brides Grave.

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 133; Notable People Part 5; Joseph Leonais

Joseph Leonais purchased a track of land from his friend Theophile Bruguier in 1852 for $100. This area is now downtown Sioux City. In 1854 Dr. Cook arrived and started plotting the land and further helped develop it into the town of Sioux City, Iowa.

Joseph Leonais was born in the province of Quebec, Canada in 1818. His parents were French and lived on a small farm. When Joe turned eighteen, he left home and moved to Mackinac Island on Lake Michigan. He got a job as a fur trapper.

Because many people were moving to the area, Joe decided to head west. As Bruguier had also done, Joe got a job working for the American Fur Company. He traveled up the Missouri River to Dakota Territory where he would trap furs all winter. In the spring the company would gather all the trappers' furs together and send them down the Missouri River to St. Louis. Only the most trusted employees were given this job. Joe was one of the men that made this trip many times. The men would float down the Missouri through the plains of Dakota to the tree lined bluffs of Iowa.

Many times the men would camp below a bluff that had a small wooden cross that marked the grave of Sergeant Floyd from the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Joe married Rosalie Menard daughter of Louis Menard, a fur trapper, and his Indian wife. A year later, in 1852, Joe and his wife decided to settle down. He remembered this good land between the Sioux and Floyd. He stopped by a log cabin and discovered his old friend Bruguier lived there. He purchased from Bruguier a claim for 160 acres of land for $100. This land is today the downtown area of Sioux City.

Legend has it, Bruguier and Leonais celebrated the land deal by having a little party. After having drank too much liquor, Leonais left on his horse. Bruguier worried about his friend riding in such an intoxicated condition and sent his son to try to bring him back. Leonais saw the boy coming and thought he wanted to race, so he set off on his horse as fast as it would go. At top speed the man and his horse crested Prospect Hill and went over the cliff. Joe was lucky, his fall was stopped by a mulberry bush and he was pulled back up to safety by four Indians who had witnessed this amazing event. His horse fell all the way to the bottom and drowned in the river.

Leonais built a cabin near what is now Second and Water streets and began to farm the land, planting corn and trading with Indians in this region. His first of four children was born here in 1853. The family grew in 1854 when Leonais' sister, Mrs. Anna Lapora and her two children moved in with them. Her husband had died in Canada and she came to visit but decided to stay. She became the first white woman to live in Sioux City and later the first white woman to be married here.

In 1854 Doctor Cook arrived and began plotting out the city. He approached Joe to buy his land because of the ideal location. His land was desperately needed to build a levee on so steamboats would have a place to dock. Mrs. Lapora advised Joe not to sell. He listened to her advice and told the doctor no. She realized how important this land was to the development of a city and encouraged Joe not to sell at any price. They could sell the lots themselves. Joe held out until the price of three thousand dollars was offered. He then sold without discussing it with his sister.

Joe and Rosalie had four children. She died during the birth of their fourth child. She was buried on a hill overlooking South Ravine Park in Morningside. There is now a monument there naming her the first bride to die in the city.

Joe remarried twice in his life. He second wife, Victoria Ganon, died in the 1890's. His third wife Rosalia was alive at the time of his death.

Sioux City History web site link;
Joseph Leonais

Sioux City History and cultre by Bicycle Part 132; Notable People Part 4; Chief War Eagle

War Eagle was father in law to Theophile Bruguier. Despite his name he was instrumental in the pursuit of peace in the area that becamse Sioux City. Had it not been for efforts it is thought the area may have elapsed into conflict and may never have been developed or would have been developed much later then it was.

Wambdi Okicize is commonly known as War Eagle. He was born in either Wisconsin or Minnesota around 1785. His Indian name means "Little Eagle" but whites always referred to him as War Eagle. This is odd because all through his life War Eagle sought to keep peace. He even left his home tribe the Isanti (sometimes referred to as Santee) to avoid a battle as to who was to become chief.

War Eagle served as a riverboat guide or pilot on the upper Mississippi, he worked for the American Fur Company delivering messages, and during the War of 1812 he carried messages for the government. Having spent all this time with the whites greatly affected his view toward these people. He saw them as friends rather than enemies.

After marrying Mazakirawin in Minnesota, he was adopted into the Ihanktonwan or Yankton Sioux around 1830. War Eagle and his wife had seven children, four girls and three boys.

One of the things War Eagle was most proud of was a silver medal he received from the President of the United States, Martin Van Buren in 1837. His family still proudly displays this medal. By this time he had been elected chief of the tribe and been invited to travel to Washington, D.C. with other tribal leaders from around the nation to negotiate peace treaties.

War Eagle was related to the commander of the Vermillion trading fort, William Dickson. Mr. Dickson had married a cousin of War Eagle. War Eagle also had two of his daughters, Dawn and Blazing Cloud marry Theopile Bruguier. Bruguier had been accepted into the Yankton tribe and traveled with War Eagle's band for several years. He told War Eagle of a dream he had of a beautiful place where two rivers joined together. War Eagle told Bruguier he had been to that place and would show it to him.

Bruguier claimed the land at the confluence of the Sioux and the Missouri river. Here in 1849, he built a cabin and with his two wives began to homestead the land and trade with the Indians. War Eagle and his band visited the area often and stayed in teepees and log cabins located on the property.

In the fall of 1851 War Eagle died. He was buried on top of a bluff overlooking the Missouri River Valley. Along with War Eagle his two daughters Dawn and Blazing Cloud, and several others including grandchildren were buried on this bluff. Today the bluff is part of War Eagle Park and the monument pictured honors the great chief.

War Eagle is best remembered as a person who believed in peace and worked his whole life toward that goal. Because of his leadership among the tribes, the Indians and the whites learned to work together without having to resort to violence.

Sioux City History web site link;
Chief War Eagle

Previous blog post on Chief War Eagle;
Sioux City History & Culture by Bicycle Part 8: War Eagle Park

Sioux City History and Cultuer by Bicycle Part 131; Notable People Part 3; Theophile Bruguier

Theophile Bruguier was created as the first white settler in what became Sioux City in the history books even though William Thompson was before him. Bruguier was instrumental to the early development of the area. As an independant fur trapper he did a lot of business with the people of the Lakota Sioux. He married into Sioux Nation and was accepted as a member of the Lakota Sioux. He settled in the area and eventually sold a large track of land to Joseph Leonais.

Theophile Bruguier was the first white settler on land that would become Sioux City. He was born on August 31, 1813 in a small town near Montreal, Canada and was educated to become a lawyer. Soon after he had begun to practice law, Bruguier became engaged to a young French girl, Marie. Just before the marriage, she became very ill with cholera and died. A grieving Bruguier left Canada to begin a rugged life as a fur trader/interpreter with the American Fur Company in St. Louis. He was sent to Fort Pierre, Dakota Territory, arriving there January 1, 1836. Bruguier could speak English and French, and he quickly learned the Dakota language of the Sioux Indians.

Bruguier worked for the American Fur Company and later as an independent fur-trader, buying furs from the Sioux Indians and selling them to small fur companies. Often he traveled along the Missouri River. In his work, he met and developed a friendship with a Yankton Sioux Indian tribe led by Chief War Eagle. Bruguier dwelt among the tribe, learning their customs and earning their respect. His friendship and knowledge of the Sioux people helped ease the tensions between the white settlers and the Indians on many occasions. Bruguier later married two of War Eagle's daughters, Flaming Cloud and Dawn. With these wives he had thirteen children.

According to legend, Theophile Bruguier told his friend War Eagle about a dream he had of land where two rivers joined together near a high bluff. War Eagle told him that he knew of just such land near the mouth of the Sioux River on the Missouri. So in 1849, Bruguier decided to settle down and establish a farm and trading post on the land of his dream. His farm included several log cabins and many teepees used by members of War Eagle and his family.

Bruguier claimed the land from the mouth of the Big Sioux River east along the Missouri River to near the Floyd River. In 1852 he sold part of this land, from Perry Creek east to the Floyd River, to Joseph Leonais.

At about this time, Bruguier encouraged James A Jackson, a fur trade outfitter, to come to this area from Council Bluffs (then Kanesville) to start a trading post. Jackson, in turn, convinced his father-in-law, Dr. John Cook, of the area's potential as a future city. Cook was the government surveyor who would later establish the little town of Sioux City, staking out its lots and streets.

As Sioux City grew, Bruguier continued in the trade business, also serving as an Indian commissioner and a wagon freighter. He was one of the 17 people who cast their votes in the first election in Woodbury County in August 1853. He was even appointed Clerk of Courts, but never served his post and was replaced after a year.

A prominent early Sioux Cityan, J.C. Hoskins, described Bruguier as a man of medium height, quick action, athletic build and splendid physique. He had black hair and a full black beard. Others credited him with courage, wit and great physical and mental strength. He was usually armed and ready for combat should the need arise.

After the death of his wives in the late 1850s, Bruguier traveled to St. Louis on business and met Victoria Turnott, a widow. He married her in the 1860's and brought her back to Sioux City. With his new wife, he settled on 500 acres that he owned in the Salix area, raising crops and livestock. He was reportedly well known and liked in the Salix area during his later years.

Bruguier died of pneumonia on February 18, 1896. He was buried in the Catholic Parish Cemetery north of Salix. In 1926, his body was re-interred on the bluff of War Eagle Park, near the graves of War Eagle and his first two wives.

Sioux City History web site link;
Theophile Bruguier

Previous blog posts on Theophile Bruguier;
Sioux City History & Culture by Bicycle Part 3: Bruguier Cabin
Sioux City History & Culture by Bicycle Part 8: War Eagle Park

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 130; Notable People Part 2; William Thompson

William Thompson was the first white settler to move into the area near Floyd's Bluff. So named because of where Sgt. Floyd is buried.

"Indians encamped on the Missouri River Bluffs looked up in silence and made no move as they watched a white man of giant stature in his early thirties walk into their midst, rifle in hand.

He was alone and he was angry. The Indians know why, for not long before they had helped themselves to one of the white man's horses. The white man took his horse and stalked out of the camp with complete disregard and disdain for the large group of Indians who watched him closely.

They made no move to halt him, for the man's reputation for toughness, violence and courage had spread through the Indian tribes and they were afraid of him. In fact, there was no one within range of his reputation, white or Indian, who failed to have a healthy respect for him." ( Louise Zerschling, SC Journal 1954)


William Thompson was born in a small town in Illinois in 1818. He grew up, married and lived there until 1847 when his wife died. He enlisted in the United States Army and fought in the Mexican War.

After the war, he was discharged from the army and headed up the Missouri. When he got to Floyd's Bluff, he decided this was the place he would stay. Although Thompson was the first person to settle in the area, it was well known because of the marker for Sergeant Floyd. Later in the fall his brother Charles came to visit. He stayed all winter.

The following years several French trappers and their Indian wives built cabins in the area. This did not please William because he liked being alone. He did not like people or the laws they made. In the past he had had trouble following the law. But as long as people were coming he decided to make the best of it. He decided to found a town called Thompsontown and sell lots to people to earn money.


In 1852 one of the Frenchmen, a Mr. LaCharite had a dance at his home. Thompson, the French and Indian neighbors attended the party. An Indian agent named Major Norwood also attended. The Major was planning on marrying Sophie Menard and Thompson was dancing with her. Thompson decided to make fun of Norwood by taking the wig off Norwood's head. This made Norwood very mad and he stabbed William slightly injuring him. Thompson left for home and Norwood, realizing the trouble he was in tried to escape. Thompson caught up with him and crushed his skull in with the butt of his rifle, killing Norwood. He was tried for murder but never punished because people were so afraid of him.

He had his own set of values. In the winter of 1855, Thompson had an unusually large supply of flour on hand. The settlers needed this flour to make bread. He was the only one in the area with extra to sell. He could have raised his prices but he refused. All people were allowed to buy the wheat at the standard price.

In 1858 he traveled to Kanesville (Council Bluff) to register a plat of his town he now named Floyd's Bluff, but the town never became a success. He did have a chance to have his town developed when Dr. Cook offered to purchase his land to build Sioux City. Thompson was too stubborn and wanted too much money so Cook was forced to look somewhere else.

He continued to live on his land, marrying again in 1869 to Martha Jane Blackwell. He died in 1879 at the age of 61.

Sioux City History web site link;
William Thompson

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 129; Notable People Part 1; Sergeant Charles Floyd

Sioux City and the surrounding area has a long list of notable people who helped contribute to the historical value. I am going to post about these historical figures in Sioux City's history and the impact they had and continue to have on this community. I will try to post in chronological order starting with Sergeant Charles Floyd. Some of these historical people have been posted about before. Where that is the case I will provide a link to the original blog post that has to do with that person. For the most part the posts about the historical people will be copied and pasted as quoted text directly from a sioux City history web site. All one has to do is visit and ride bike around Sioux City see and enjoy the historical impact these people continue to have on this area, even to this day.

While Sioux City did not exist when the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery came through this area over 200 years ago, it should be agreed had it not been for Sgt. Floyd dying and being buried where he was this area may have never developed into the community it is today.

Here is the info. on Sgt. Floyd;

Sergeant Charles Floyd is best known as the only member of the crew to die during the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and the first United States soldier to die west of the Mississippi. Floyd was born in Kentucky around 1782. In 1803, he joined the Corps of Discovery, the military expedition that would explore the Louisiana Territory.

The night of August 19th 1804, as the explorers reached the area just south of Sioux City, Floyd became seriously ill with "bilous cholic". Although expedition leaders did everything they could to help the young soldier, Floyd became weaker. At the last, he told Captain Clark, "I'm going away and I want you to write me a letter." He died sometime after 2:00 in the afternoon on Monday, August 20, 1804.

Captain Clark read the funeral service for Charles Floyd and noted in his journal: "We buried him on the top of the bluff Mile below a Small river to which we Gave his name, he was buried with the Honors of War, much lamented." Patrick Gass, another member of the expedition noted that they buried him "in the most decent manner our circumstances would admit." His grave was marked with a cedar post with the inscription "Sergt. C. Floyd died here 20th of August 1804."

It is now believed that what was described as "bilous colic" was likely appendicitis. At that time in history, there was no cure for that disorder, and Floyd would likely have died even in the best hospital.

Two years later, as the expedition returned from the mouth of the Columbia River, the men visited the site of Floyd's Grave. They found it had been disturbed, perhaps by animals. They restored the grave and replaced the fallen cedar marker.
In the years that followed, Floyd's Bluff and the cedar post became a landmark for white travelers in the area. The famous painter George Catlin later painted the gravesite while passing through the area in 1832.

Over the years, the Missouri River eroded Floyd's Bluff, and rain eroded the end of the grave, washing away the cedar post. In 1857, concerned citizens of the little town of Sioux City recovered what remains they could find and placed them in a walnut coffin. They buried the coffin 600 feet back from the river and remarked the grave.

In 1894, Floyd's Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition were rediscovered, renewing interest in the young soldier and his gravesite. However, for nearly forty years cattle had trampled the grave and souvenir hunters had carved away the wooden markers. It took considerable searching, but the grave was rediscovered on Memorial Day 1895.

His remains were placed in two earthenware urns and reburied again on August 20, 1895. The citizens held a special re-interment service. This time a marble slab, four feet by eight, was placed over the grave. The Floyd Memorial Association was also formed in 1895 for the purpose of honoring Sergeant Floyd in a more fitting way, with a permanent monument in his memory.

The Memorial Association secured $13,400 from the United State Government, the state, the county and other private sources. Colonel Chittenden of the United States Engineer's Office in Sioux City, donated his services. The railroads even transported the materials free of charge.

Construction of the monument took about a year. The foundation was laid May 29, 1900. The cornerstone was laid with a great deal of ceremony on August 20, 1900, on the ninety-sixth anniversary of Floyd's death. The umbrellas in the photograph are for protection from the heat.

The Floyd Monument is an Egyptian-style obelisk, 100 feet high and built of Kettle River sandstone. It is capped with aluminum connected to copper grounding wires as protection from lightning strikes. It has a solid concrete core in which Floyd's remains are sealed. The capstone was placed at the top on April 22, 1901.

The Dedication was held on Memorial Day, May 30, 1901. Thousands attended the dedication ceremonies, and many came by a special train that was provided free by the Sioux City and Pacific Railway Company.

Sioux City History web site link;
Sergeant Charles Floyd

Here are links to the previous blog posts about Sgt. Floyd;
Sioux City History & Culture by Bicycle Part 10: Sgt. Floyd Museum.
Sioux City History & Culture by Bicycle Part 11: Sgt. Floyd Monument
Sioux City History & Culture by Bicycle Part 12: Lewis & Clark Discovery Corps

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 128; Abraham Lincoln Statue

Abraham Lincoln was one of America's most beloved and favorite President's. Almost every American city has a statue or some sort of tribute to him. Sioux City is no exception. Located on 24th St just inside the south entrance to Grandview Park is a statue of Lincoln that was erected at the city's Centennial. Buried next to the statue is a time capsule that is not to be opened until 2054, Sioux City's 200th celebration.

Photo's;
Abraham Lincoln
Plaque
Time Capsule

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 127; History in the making

May 2nd to May 7th was Sioux City's Historical Preservation week. There were events happenong all week long, one of which was the annual gala I wrote about in a previous post. But there is much history to visit, view and enjoy then just the 5 days a year during the preservation week. I have posted about several places to visit in this blog. The next historical piece I will post about is a statue of one of America's greatest President's that was built during Sioux City's Centennial celebration in 1954. Stay tuned for the upcoming post about a tribute to this great man.

Here is a failry recent article from one of the free publications, The Weekender about the area's history and the preservation society;
History in the making

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 126; Siouxland Historical Preservation Society Annual Gala

Tonight, May 6, 2009 is the Siouxland Historical Preservation Society is holding their annual gala. It wil be held at the Scottish Rite Temple on 8th and Douglas in Sioux City. The event is from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. It is free and open to all. The event will include food, music and will introduce a new film by G. R. Lindblade & Co., "The Last Great Neighborhood, a look at the South Bottoms."

I posted about the South Bottoms a while back.

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 125; Taking a break from William L. Steele

For the time being I am taking a break form posting about William L. Steele. Right now I am unable to conduct enough research on him ton continue posting the series about his work. I am not saying I will give up posting about Steele, not at all. I am going to post about other historical and cultural events one can attend and visit by bicycle in the Siouxland area. I do not want this blog to sit idle because I am waiting to research about Steele so I can post something abotu him. When I am able to research and post about Steele's work I will fit it in between other postings about differant historiocal and cultural sites and events.

Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 124; William L. Steele Part 19; Promoting Prairie School in the Heartland

Earlier this month I received the article written by Richard Guy Wilson, Promoting Prairie School in the Heartland. This is one of the possible titles for the article. The article is mainly about William L. Steele, his work, Prairie School Architecture and Steele's relationship with other architects and people through out his career in the Sioux City area. It has a biography of Steele as well. The author of the article, Richard Guy Wilson holds the Commonwealth Professor’s Chair in Architectural History at the University of Virginia (Thomas Jefferson’s University) in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he is also Chair of the Department of Architectural History. I believe this article was written in the 1970's. The only editing I did was some corrected spelling in Word.

Here is the article;

"Possible title: "Promoting the Prairie School in the Heartland: William L. Steele of Sioux City, Iowa" or "William L. Steele and the Viscousitudes of the Prairie School.

(Introduction)
The Prairie School was an attempt by a group of Chicago based architects to create a regional image and ideology in architecture and the decorative arts. Sophisticated in appeal the success of the Prairie School (also known as the" Western or Chicago School") occurred in two distinct cultural areas of the middlewest. The initial work came in the large metropolitan centers and suburbs during the later 1890s and 1900s. But beginning about 1908 and fully evident by 1912 the future of the Prairie School no longer lay in the cosmopolitan centers but instead in the rural heartland from whence it had derived its imagery of the long horizontal of the prairie and simple forms and complex details, and ideology of small town, participatory democracy. In small towns and cities of rural Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Iowa a new chapter in the life the Prairie School was constructed in the form of banks, stores, houses and public buildings. Out in the providences the Prairie School took on a different and much more public image, no longer primarily a domestic house style, it became a symbol of the community. William L. Steele (1875- 1949) of Sioux City, Iowa, was an important figure associated with the continuation of the Prairie School; only in 1914 did he begin to design buildings in the idiom. One of the most public spokesman for the Sullivan cause, Steele collaborated with George Grant Elmslie to design the famous (but seldom seen) Woodbury County Courthouse, the only major public structure in the Prairie style in the United States. Steele used variations on the Prairie School idiom for a number of other buildings in Sioux City and the surrounding region for a number of years. His adoption, success, and subsequent abandonment of the Prairie style helps provide an understanding of its appeal in the heartland of America.

(Main body)
William LaBarthe Steele was born in Springfield, Illinois, in 1875 and educated locally before entering the architectural program at the University of Illinois in 1892. Nathan Clifford Ricker headed the Department of Architecture at Illinois and while following many of the Beaux-Arts precepts common in American architectural education also emphasized engineering, introduced German architectural texts and expressed sympathy to some of the new ideas of Chicago architects like Dankmar Adler. After graduation in 1896 Steele headed for Chicago and worked briefly in the office of S. S. Beman and then from 1897 to 1900 he was employed as a draftsman in the office of Louis Sullivan. There is little record of Steele's years with Sullivan though he later became one of Sullivan's strongest proponents; as he later remembered Sullivan's nickname among his draftsmen was the "Sun god." He also developed a close friendship with Sullivan's chief assistant George Grant Elmslie. By 1900 time was running out in Sullivan's office and Steele moved to Pittsburgh to work for Thomas Rodd, the architect for the Westinghouse Company. Subsequently, Steele worked for two other Pittsburg firms, Adlen & Harlow (prior to 1896 Longfellow, Alden & Harlow) who had designed the Carnegie Institute and Library, and then Sidney F. Heckert, who specialized in educational buildings and churches. In 1901 Steel married his college sweetheart, Mariane Greene and their first daughter was born in early 1903. In time they were to have six children. Seeking greater status and financial remuneration Steele looked about for a practice to join and in 1904 he accepted a position with Wilfried W. Beach in Sioux City, Iowa. Beach had come up through the building trades and had a successful practice, but he was getting on in years. Steele with his credentials of education and what appeared to be cosmopolitan experience in the design of major commercial, ecclesiastical and educational structures put the profession of architecture on a new footing in Sioux City. He became a partner of Beach's in 1905, and in 1906 at 31 years of age he opened his own office in Sioux City.

Located at the big bend of the Missouri River where the states of Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota meet, Sioux City was the major metropolitan center for the rich farming region of the area. Its economic influence stretched further than the tri-state area into southern Minnesota, North Dakota, western Montana, and even portions of Colorado. Sioux City was the county seat of Woodbury County from its inception. First settled in the 1850s as a supply point for those headed west it grew throughout the nineteenth century into a major trading center; steamboats were replaced by railroads and by 1900 it was serviced by 12 railroads including the Great Northern, Illinois Central, Union Pacific, and Chicago Northwestern. Large wholesale firms with warehouses were established and it became a center with grain elevators, stockyards and meat packing. The city had boomed in the 1880s and early 90s--it even had an elevated railroad--and its nickname was "little Chicago." Then came the disastrous depression of the mid 1890s when it actually lost population. But by 1900 it was on the rebound, the city population stood at 33,111, and the small towns and farms of Woodbury County had 21,474. Major growth took place in the next twenty five years, as Sioux City grew from 47,828 in 1910 to 71,227 in 1920, and 75,411 in 1925. The county population stayed at the same level of approximately 20,000 through these years. But then the growth of Sioux City leveled off, and in 1930 the population had grown only by 2900.

During these twenty five or so years, Sioux City was of a hustling town full of recently earned money and while it was not Chicago or Minneapolis, neither was it that archetype of the rural Midwest- Sinclair Lewis's Gopher Prairie. It was a big-little town, filled with pretentions to sophistication and conscious of its inferiority, it had a sizeable population and yet it retained a small town atmosphere. Filled with boosters, who claimed an ever increasing economy--five hundred more dwellings than last year--a two hundred and fifth percent increase in value of building permits--it was a city conscious of its appearance where the newspaper ran contests asking readers to name the architect, builder, and material supplier of recent houses. Not all was harmony though in Sioux City, it had the most active labor union organization in the state and from 1914 through the early 1920s it gained a reputation as the "Wobblie Capital" when the Industrial Workers of the World (I. W. W.) won several local elections.

In Lewis’s Gopher Prairie, Carol Kennicott could only dream of introducing cosmopolitan ideas but the citizens of Sioux City could go much further. In 1921 the Chamber of Commerce could proudly claim that Sioux City was among the one hundred largest American cities with a rank of ninety-ninth. In 1911 the city had successfully petitioned Andrew Carnegie's fund for $75,000 to help with a new library; the Italian Renaissance design was by Edward Tilton (a former McKim, Mead & White man) of New York, and William Steele was the supervising architect. The growth of the city would necessitate branch libraries which Steele would design. The Sioux City Symphony was established at part of the local Morningside College in 1915 and by 1918 they were giving 6 concerts a year. The Sioux City Society of Fine Arts was formed in 1914 with the aim of holding exhibits of paintings, sculpture and prints borrowed from New York and Chicago galleries and encouraging local artists. The Sioux City Journal noted that businessmen "supposed to be the last one[s] . . . interested," actively supported and headed up the Society. The Society of Fine Arts would claim space in the new County Courthouse though Steele discovered that businessmen could question new ideas on architecture.

The career of William Steele almost exactly coincides with these years of activity; he arrived in Sioux City in 1904 and departed in 1928 and between, he was Sioux City's most prominent architect. During his years in Sioux City Steele and his office designed approximately 250 buildings for the city and the surrounding tri-state area. The successful practice of architecture in a remote area like Sioux City, meant salesmanship, adaptability and the willingness to do work at all sizes and types. Steele wrote reflectively years later: "The small-town architect must have tack and patience." Those who commissioned architecture were money makers, frequently of not great artistic pretensions who would rely on the advice of their architect as long as it did not seem to outlandish. Cost of a building and how well it would fulfill its purpose was uppermost, but this included its appearance and how well it aggrandized the client, either private, or public. Taste in most similar rural cities and towns were based on what was known or had been done elsewhere, new ideas were questionable. The architect had a limited clientele and if he were to survive in Sioux City he had to be willing to compromise, he could not be an ideologue with a commitment to an ideal or a style that was considered out of the ordinary unless he could rationalize it, or as Steele described: "the average client doesn't understand it."

Steele was such an architect, a businessman willing to design what was necessary in a method that would not be too upsetting to the client. Intimately involved in the local business and social scene he belonged to the country club and the boat club, was an Elk, he served as President of the Rotary Club, he was a member of the boards of the Chamber of Commerce, the Library, and the Four Minute Speakers Club, and he served on many municipal committees concerned with building codes and other affairs. Professionally Steele became president of Iowa Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1914, and went on to be a director of the national AIA, and vice-president, narrowly loosing the presidential election in 1922.

Contributing to his Sioux City success were two other factors, family and religion. Several Steele relatives lived in the area and the most prominent, Thomas J. Steele, ran an extremely profitable livestock brokerage firm and was prominent in Democratic politics and served in Congress 1915-17. A number of William Steele's commissions were for his uncle or can be traced to his influence. In religion William Steele was a Catholic and the Catholic Church was expanding rapidly in the area with many new immigrants from German, eastern and southern Europe. In 1902 the Diocese of Sioux City was founded. A significant element of the growth of Sioux City in the next 25 years was an expanding Catholic population that would need churches (eight alone in the city), schools, a college and homes. Although Steele designed for all denominations including their churches, several of his clients can be identified as Catholic. Also he designed for the Diocese itself, the Cathedral, the new (founded 1913) Trinity College, hospitals and parochial schools, both in Sioux City and the surrounding area. His resume lists twenty-four Catholic Church’s in the region, though none were done in the Prairie idiom. Socially he rose to the rank of Grand Knight Epiphany of the Knights of Columbus and would design for them a Consistory very much in the Prairie School style.

Years later William Gray Purcell wrote that the years in Sullivan's office had "apparently no effect on the quality or appearance of the hundreds of buildings he did," and in general this holds true for Steele's work between 1904 and 1914. He designed numerous warehouses for the railroad district that stretched along the river front. His several warehouses such as for O. J. Moore, or the Crane Company both 1910 are straightforward expressions of purpose: solid and impregnable they state their function as the protection of goods. The Davidson Building of 1912 1913 was the city's primary office building when erected and under its Renaissance derived terra cotta decoration there is the Chicago formula with the verticals emphasized and spandrels recessed. His design for the leading newspaper, the Journal Building, 1914-15, was a crisp flat facade of banded windows and brick and terra cotta that recalled the lower floors of Sullivan's Wainwright Building. In house design Steele followed patterns developed elsewhere. The house for O. J. Moore of 1909 1910 is a large comfortable blocky affair, faintly Colonial Revival in feeling. The house for William B. Palmer of the same date reflects the same feeling for large rectangular forms, though it is less overtly revivalist and more horizontal in feeling with the story division, hipped roof, prominent overhand and windows grouped in banks.

Steele's Chicago roots were never far way and in 1911 he addressed the convention of Iowa Cement Users Association claiming in a Ruskinian view: "The history of every nation is written in its architecture with more unerring truth than in the books," and argued that "real architecture has always found its expression in the best and most durable materials available." He argued against imitation of materials in a typically Sullivan manner: "No material is architecturally employed unless in its use if finds its own proper and legitimate expression." Near the end of his talk he specifically mentioned several of Sullivan's buildings and then quoted the master: "`If one has faithfully studied and interpreted the requirements of his structure, expressional as well as practical, and faithfully followed them out, then he does not so much design his building as he watches it grow.'" This was the first of approximately twenty articles that Steele would write in the next twenty-five years that would frequently invoke Sullivan an a prophet.

Steele's first building that can be considered in the Prairie School idiom was the 1914 Livestock National Bank addition to the Sioux City Livestock Exchange Building. The Exchange was an 1892 red brick Italianate structure, Steele's addition was discrete and separate. A solid rectangular form, the bank's elevations were treated as a tripartite division. Set into the deep red brick of the walls were swaths of Sullivanian terra cotta ornament, that did not attempt to appear as structure, but merely as decoration. The huge panel over the front window that contain the banks name is as fully as complex as any of Sullivan's designs, but it lacks a coherence of parts and is probably assembled from a stock design. Steele's sudden shift to Sullivanian inspired motifs cannot be readily explained; perhaps the precedent of Sullivan's recent banks in Iowa and Minnesota and Purcell & Elmslie's numerous banks inspired him.

Exactly contemporary with the Livestock Bank Steele obtained a Carnegie Library job from a small farming town in the center of South Dakota. The Armour Library Board of Trustees interviewed several local architects and then without meeting him, voted to accept Steele as the designer. His Designed and build between May 1914 and June 1915, the Armour Library has a large reading room on the main floor with a fireplace at one end, and a community meeting room in the basement. The exterior form is a basic rectangle with a projecting entry, and a hipped roof with extended eves. The glazed tan brick is set off with red mortar; the limestone used for the basement serves as the entrance panel. Interior trim is simple quarter sawn oak, Craftsman in feeling. There is no Sullivan ornament. While there is no direct precedent for the Armour Library in the work of Sullivan, Wright or other Prairie School designers, the simplicity of form is remindful of the various inexpensive house schemes. These two designs, the Armour Library and the Livestock Bank, mark Steele's emergence as an active Prairie School architect and in mid-1914 he began his maneuvers to obtain the commission for the new Woodbury County Courthouse in Sioux City.

In February 1914 the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors had decided that the old 1878 three story mansarded County Courthouse had become outmoded, both functionally and also symbolically as the center of a rapidly growing region. In June 1914 the voters overwhelmingly approved the expenditure of $500,000 for a new courthouse. A decision to change the site of the new courthouse to Sixth and Douglas immediately north of the Federal Building took up several more months waiting for voter approval. Meanwhile Steele had been making alliances and on September 1st a committee of trade and labor unions of Sioux City petitioned the Board of Supervisors for the use of local labor and materials in the construction of the new courthouse and also, "The committee advocated the employment of W. L. Steele to draw the building plans." There is no record of anybody else even contending for the job and Board of Supervisors officially selected Steele on January 5, 1915. The Sioux City Journal noted that Steele submitted several "rough sketches” the week before along with traveling extensively to obtain new ideas for a design. Further he would "employ one of the best designing engineers in the country to assist him in drafting the plans." Steele had won the contract without competition and with only a vague notion of what would be built. William Purcell later claimed that Steele first submitted designs for a "conventional style courthouse, with classic orders and tin dome," and this has been reinterpreted by other authors as implying a competition was held. If Steele actually prepared a full design--in contrast to "rough sketches" it was never officially accepted; the board understood that a design would be forthcoming. Needless to say, no competition ever took place. Steele won the commission through his position as Sioux City's leading architect and through his contacts with labor unions who would prove to be very important in the future of the design. Also important was his relationship with Henry Metz, who was the Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors for 1915 and also the head of the Courthouse Building Committee.

Henry Metz (1866 1929) was crucial for new courthouse. Born in Germany, Metz immigrated to the United States and settled in Sioux City in 1886. His profession was a baker and Metz rapidly rose to prominence as the owner of the largest bakery in Sioux City. Intensely interested in public affairs he served on the Sioux City Board of Alderman and in 1914 he was elected to the County Board of Supervisors as the Sioux City representative. Metz and Steele were long time business friends, and Steele had designed for him a house in 1911 and later a group of apartments. Metz was a Lutheran and a Mason, but his wife and children was Roman Catholic. Memories of Metz stress his civic mindness that he viewed the new Woodbury County Courthouse as his finest achievement, and as such he was given credit at the time by the local Journal.

Immediately upon receiving the Court House commission Steele contacted his old friend from Sullivan's office, George Grant Elmslie and asked him to associate on the job. Since there is no reference to an associate other than informing the supervisors that he would employ a designing engineer, it must be assumed that the account was garbled and he meant a designing architect, namely Elmslie. Born 1871 in Scotland, Elmlsie had come to Chicago in 1884 and worked for J. L. Silsbee and then from 1889 to 1909 for Sullivan, become his talented right-hand man. Elmslie left Sullivan to become a partner with William Gray Purcell--who had worked briefly for Sullivan--(and for a short time George Feick) in a firm with offices in Minneapolis and Chicago. Elmslie had recently completed the Merchants Bank of Winona, Minnesota, the Edison Shop in Chicago, and several houses. The Sioux City commission offered him the chance of a lifetime and he immediately came out to Sioux City.

The design of the Woodbury County Courthouse is Elmslie's work, nearly all of the drawings are by him, even down to the final tracings for working plans. Steele's initials appear only on one set of drawings, the tracings for the structural system. Steele acted as the business and political half of the venture, selling the design to the supervisors and getting it built. Time charges from the Purcell & Elmslie office bear this out, by February 23, 1915, Elmslie had spent already 108 hours on the job, and by time of completion he was to spend 1535 1/2 hours.

Although William Gray Purcell was paid only for the 34 l/2 hours he spent in obtaining the services of a sculptor, his contribution in other ways was vital. He probably suggested the basic par tee of a base and tower, he gave Elmslie extensive criticism on his designs, and as the office publicist and a "provocateur" for the new architecture, he would later write on it. He also had a plaster model, and large presentation oil by Frederick Calhoun made, which was displayed at several exhibits. As a joint venture it worked fairly smoothly though there were inevitable tensions. Two group portraits of the Sioux City office show Steele looking directly and firmly at the camera while Elmslie gazes off into space. Purcell later claimed that "Bill [Steele] had a touch of jealousy over George, never very acute, just a sort of feeling George should really have been his partner." Steele with Elmslie's approval had the buildings cornerstone and dedication plaque made with only Elmslie listed as associate architect; Purcell complained and his name was added. In December 1918 after completion of the Courthouse the Supervisors passed a resolution thanking Steele for his role and also Mr. Elmslie, of Purcell & Elmslie.

Elmslie's design solution was arrived at quickly and many of the basic elements can be seen as a rough sketch on railway stationary he made on an early trip to Sioux City. The intention is clearly evident; Elmslie saw the problem as to create a public building containing civic symbols, but in the Prairie School language. A high thick base and office tower are topped by a campanile and a flag staff that is labeled, "a flower in form & color." The County Courthouse was to be seen in contrast to the Federal Building next door, by the Office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury, a Richardson Romanesque structure with a tall clock tower modeled on the Palazzo Vechico in Florence. Elmslie's initial scheme was actually worked up but very quickly the excess baggage of the campanile was discarded for the essentials of the base and tower. By March 23, 1915, Steele had submitted and received unanimous approval of the basic scheme for the courthouse. A perspective in the local paper (fig. ) shows essentially what was to be the final building, with a few modifications. Removed were to be the hipped roof and the corner planters, the entrance and sculptural program were to be altered, and a half story basement added. while the tower would lose two stories.

The basic scheme was a great public lobby covered by a dome that would be surrounded in a massively scaled box and out which and covering the lobby was to rise a multi faceted tower. The lobby was to double as a grand meeting hall. The plan was organized so that the offices most sought by the public, the auditor, treasurer, recorder clerk, and supervisors' meeting room were located on the ground floor, while court rooms, sheriff's office and associated quarters were placed on the second floor and the more private offices, county attorney, engineer, superintendent of schools and others were in the tower. Steele noted that the organization of base and tower had a source in the recently completed Oakland (California) City Hall, 1912-14, by Palmer, Hornbostle & Jones. The design recalled a number of elements from Elmslie's previous work; the base resembled his Winona bank, and also, Purcell and Elmslie's 1913 project for Australian Capital, in which the central lobby was the organizing element.

Between late March and December 7, 1915 when the Supervisors gave final approval to Steele and Elmslie's plans, the above modifications were made and groups in the city competed for space and influence on the final courthouse design. In May, the County Bar Association asked space in the tower for a law library, in July the Sioux City Society for the Fine Arts petitioned for space in the tower for a gallery which they received, and in September the Grand Army of the Republic Association received the top floor of the tower as a meeting room.

Meanwhile controversy erupted over the unusual design which culminated in a showdown with the Board of Supervisors in the fall of 1915. Arrayed against the design was a group of businessmen who argued two points: the appearance was wrong, and the tower was nonfunctional. How much of this was a screen for limestone quarry interests who wanted to substitute their material for the locally produced Roman brick is unclear, but certainly they played a role. The basic businessmen's argument was: “The style of the building, everything considered, runs counter to all precedent, and we cannot believe that public opinion does or ever will approve it. We have yet to find a person who expressed a liking for the sketch. . .'" They attacked the tower as wasteful of space. The businessmen's brief went on: "`It is simple a question of architecture, or fitness and taste,'" and they asked for "`a courthouse of ordinary and usual design.'" Noting that important civic buildings were never of brick and that numerous recent Iowa county courthouses followed conventional designs and were built of light-colored limestone, they asked, why couldn't Woodbury County have such a design, instead of "`a very bold experiment'"? Steele it is important to note, was praised by the businessmen as an architect who could certainly give the correct design if only so directed.

Supporting the Steele-Elmslie design were the labor unions who spoke out vigorously for the use of locally produced Roman brick, and local labor for construction. The spokesman for the Trades and Labor assembly contested the businessmen's assertion of no support for the radical design, saying:`"It is strange that none of the 8,000 union men of the city has expressed such an opinion.'" Henry Metz of the Board of Supervisors reported that the contested brick was being tested by two universities. He noted, "`And you know my position.'" The Supervisors moved immediately to accept the design and called for construction bids that were due in February, 1916. Certainly the attack on the design had a stylistic basis but the defense by the unions was economically based.

One controversy that Steele and Purcell & Elmslie lost concerned the height of the tower, originally proposed as six stories. They wanted to add two stories to this, because in Purcell's words, they were "needed to balance the mass values as seen from below." To help promote this Purcell prepared a series of water color studies showing the building at different times of day. Purcell later described the colors he used in the studies, light pinks, blues, and violets, black, as representing "our especial interest in the new color that was just beginning to appear from Scandinavia, Scotland, Switzerland and Austria." The studies remained just that, the new court house was built with a six story tower.

Construction bids were due in February 1916 and after some negotiations Splady, Albee and Smith of Minneapolis were selected as contractors. On July 10th, 1916 the cornerstone laying ceremony took place with the United States Secretary of Labor, William B. Wilson, as principle speaker. Wilson's invitation came through the labor organizations in Sioux City, and he spoke about "A Lamb-Like World," in which all disputes of all men and nations would be solved in courts of law. The Journal reported that a good sized audience attended the exercises, though not as many farmers as had been anticipated: "The farmers were too busy in the fields."

One major decision still remained and that concerned the sculptural program. Initially Purcell developed a scheme of an ideal winged figure symbolizing justice with representations of labor, commerce and etc. at her feet. (Fig. ) This was presented to the Supervisors in December, 1915, but still no sculptor had been decided upon. Purcell attempted to secure the services of Gutzon Borglum who he had met when H. P. Berlage had toured the United States. Borglum's fee was double that allotted and he recommended Purcell contact his former student Alfonso Iannelli who had recently collaborated with Wright on the Midway Gardens. By March 1916 Iannelli's studies had received the approval of the Supervisors and he was hired at the fee of $4,650 to do the major sculptural groups over the entrances. The other sculpture and ornament, the eagle on the tower and the bison heads by the sheriff's entrance as well as the rich terra cotta decoration throughout and the bronze work, was carried out by Kristian Schneider. He had worked closely with Sullivan at the Northwestern Terra Cotta Company and after 1906 at the American Terra Cotta Company at Terra Cotta, Illinois. A problem existed in getting accurate bids on the extensive custom made terra cotta for a building in such a remote location and letters passed back and forth concerning sending somebody out to view the drawings. Murals for the interior took much longer to be decided upon and not until May 1918 was John W. Norton hired and paid $8,500 for the lobby murals. They were installed later that summer.

The building as completed in mid-1918 is a simplified version of the two part base and tower scheme approved by the supervisors in March, 1915. The structure exudes an intensity of elaborate design and lavish ornament. A vigorously polychromed building, the basic exterior material, a warm tan Roman brick with raked horizontal joints is set off by polished granite used at the base, and as lower courses, and as cornices. The lush terra cotta ornament in the various Sullivan-Elmslie modes: vines, geometry, flora, and fauna, (such as butterflies in the eves) are in various colors: blue, white, gold, tan, and dark red. Glazed blue tile mosaics with bits of gold appear over the two entrances. Eight lamp stanchions are arrayed along the two major street frontages. These two facades are composed of a massive lintel and strong corner piers, and a screen of thin piers, creating an incessant rhythm of civic monumentality. Behind the piers wide spandrels indicating the offices within. The back or alley walls are articulated differently and reflect the varying interior arrangements with the first floor as offices and the second floor courtrooms. The tower with the distinctive buttressed or fined top is proportionately more successful, the upward rise is continuous and the different faces that resolve themselves in the prow adds an air of dynamism to the sobriety of the base. While the public elevations of the building break down, into two distinct and somewhat unrelated parts, a view of the rear elevation (now obscured) provides juxtaposition of elements, the sheriff's entrance, the jail, the chimney stack, the base and tower that reflects a more clear relationship.

Inannelli's sculpture takes as its theme the heroic ideal of much civic art of the period, and is clearly influenced by William Blake. They insistently break forth from the wall plane, powerfully molded, they stand in contrast to the essentially linear character of the building and ornament. The major frieze with law as the mediator is dramatic but lacks integration with the architecture. The side entrance sculptures with "man" and "woman and child" appear more integrated. Civic precedent here seems to have indicated figures more in the round and of traditional origins than the "Seccionist" experiments at Midway Gardens.

The richness of the decoration on the exterior literally explodes on the interior to make in one of the most memorable and overwhelming of public spaces. Everything is designed, door hardware, signs, and all window glass. One aspect of the planning of the interior is that the elevators were placed directly on axis with the main entrance while the main stairs, frequently elaborate in public buildings, were given, relatively minor treatment. Given more prominence was a public "Information" counter and an elaborate mosaic clad public drinking fountain. The visitor from either of the entrances passes though low heavily ornamented corridors to emerge into the rotunda space and to be greeted by shining white terra cotta contrasted with the tan brickwork and the high coloration of the murals and the dome. Almost unsettling are the vibrance of the space, the overhanging balconies and the dome and the knowledge of a six story tower rising directly above. (The dome is naturally lighted during the day and is housed in the first floor of the tower which is given over solely for that use; plans never show it as a floor). A rich profusion of terra cotta covers many surfaces, it foliates and emerges as blossoms from piers; it overwhelming opulence produces a feeling similar to that of Wright's contemporary, Imperial Hotel: too much. Norton's murals add a welcome counterpoint with their coloration as does the art glass of the dome. The themes of the city, and country, justice and wisdom are painted in a semi-realistic neo-classical manner; the profile of the Courthouse appear