Did You Know? Christmas 1848.

Posted on December 23, 2022 by Our Iowa Heritage

**Curtis Bates – The Christmas Day Letter From Iowa City.**

In the 1840’s, Curtis Bates – a young lawyer/politician from Ohio came to Iowa City to start up a new law office – one of twenty that opened in this decade!

During his ten years in Johnson County (1841-1851), Curtis Bates made quite the impression before moving off to become the owner/editor of Polk County’s first newspaper – The Iowa Star – the forerunner for today’s Des Moines Register.

On Christmas Day, 1848, Bates sent off an informative letter from Iowa City to his attorney and good friend – William Carter – back home in Defiance, Ohio. In it, he gave us all some great insights on living in Johnson County during the 1840’s. Come, check out his writings!

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Did You Know? 1996.

Posted on December 21, 2022 by Our Iowa Heritage

Grant Wood – Iowa’s Iconic Artist.

In 1996, Grant Wood’s “Young Corn” (1931) appeared on the Iowa State Sesquicentennial USPS stamp.

Grant DeVolson Wood was born on a farm located four miles east of Anamosa, Iowa on February 13, 1891, the son of Francis M. Wood and Hattie (Weaver) Wood. When Grant was ten years old, his father died, and Hattie moved with her four children to Cedar Rapids. While attending school, Wood worked at odd jobs, including apprenticing in a local metal shop, to help support his family. On occasion, Grant entered art competitions, and in 1905, his drawing of oak leaves took third place in a national contest sponsored by Crayola.

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Did You Know? Christmas 1951.

Posted on December 19, 2022 by Our Iowa Heritage

**It’s Beginning To Look Like A Meredith Willson Christmas.**

1951 was a big year for Iowa’s Music Man Meredith Willson with several of his songs finding big success across America.

On September 18, 1951, Perry Como released a new Meredith Willson Christmas song which quickly hit the charts and has remained a Yule-time classic even to today. Backed with The Fontane Sisters and Mitchell Aryes & His Orchestra, RCA-Victor released the 45-RPM single (47-4314) and the 78-RPM single (20-4314) with its then abbreviated title – It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas. Meredith later re-titled his hit tune – It’s Beginning To Look (A Lot) Like Christmas – but either way, Como’s single made it a huge success, which only became bigger when Bing “White Christmas” Crosby released his classic version on October 1st, 1951.

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