May 14, 1878 – Mayor Jacob Ricord appoints Lewis A. Clearman as Special Deputy Marshall – charged with enforcing Iowa City’s newly-passed Stock Ordinance which prohibits livestock running “at large” within the city.

Over a thirty-two year period (1872-1904) Deputy Marshal Lewis A. Clearman served Iowa City as a faithful police officer. He began in the 1870’s by simply keeping livestock off city streets, but by the late-1890’s, Clearman had made a name for himself serving as Iowa City’s super sleuth who could solve some of the most difficult crimes committed across the state.

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May 13, 1839 – The first Johnson County District Court proceedings are held in the trading house of John Gilbert of Napoleon with Judge Joseph Williams presiding.

The first white settlement in Johnson County was the small community of Napoleon – developed by the entrepreneur/fur trader John Gilbert in 1837. By the fall of 1839, Iowa City was chosen as Johnson County’s new county seat, thus Napoleon soon disappeared.

A Day-by-Day Calendar of Historical Events In Iowa, William J. Petersen, State Historical Society of Iowa, 1946, p 47

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May 12, 1869 – After much financial difficulty, the Chicago & Rock Island (C&RI) Railroad – formerly the Mississippi & Missouri (M&M) Railroad – completes the goal of reaching Council Bluffs/Omaha – connecting Iowa City with the west.

Finally reaching Des Moines in 1866, the M&M was bought out by the Chicago & Rock Island (C&RI), completing their tracks into Council Bluffs/Omaha on May 12, 1869 – just as the Transcontinental Railroad was being completed in Utah.

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