March 13, 1961 – Iowa Governor Norman A. Erbe signs a bill officially designating the oak as Iowa’s official tree.

The Iowa General Assembly chose the oak because it is abundant in the state and serves as shelter, food and nesting cover for many animals and birds. It is difficult to find a tract of natural woodland in Iowa that does not harbor at least one species of oak.

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March 12, 1844 – The Steamboat Agatha arrives at Iowa City.

“During the first forty years of Iowa history, every seventh year was a very wet one when all our creeks and rivers were bank full during the whole season, and with 1844 being the second in this septennial period, it may be counted as a steamboat year.” Historian H.W. Lathrop

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March 11, 1894 – Iowa City’s Civil War-time postmaster – J.R. Hartsock – dies and is buried in Oakland Cemetery.

During the Civil War, moving mail quickly across the nation was a high priority. Here in Iowa City, we had a dedicated postmaster who took this job seriously, and in the process, won over the hearts of Iowa Citians. Upon J.R. Hartsock’s retirement in 1872, the new building/hotel on the southeast corner of Clinton Street & Iowa Avenue was named after him.

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This Day In History is an Our Iowa Heritage blog series that offers you a little bit of Iowa trivia from a large selection of stories on our website. Subscribe to this FREE blog and you’ll get a new email from us daily. Click to learn more.

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