In 1834, Massachusetts native John B. Newhall arrived in Burlington, opening up a general store with two relatives. Over the next fifteen years, Newhall – who wrote editorials for the Burlington Hawk-Eye newspaper, and was known to his readers as Che-Mo-Ko-Mon – became nothing short of a regional celebrity. Between 1840 and 1846, Newhall authored three guidebooks that proved to be invaluable for those who were relocating to this beautiful “this is the place” land called Iowa. His 1840 Sketches of Iowa also provided us an amazing first look at Iowa City as it was in its infancy – literally, only months after its creation in May 1839. Two years later, Newhall was one of those illustrious travelers who came into Iowa City on June 20, 1841 on the steamboat Ripple, and was one of the featured speakers at the festive gathering that celebrated this special event.

CHECK OUT THE COMPLETE BLOG SERIES – Iowa City’s Top 50 Influencers – Part I

Back in 1979 – The Iowa City Press Citizen ran a special seven-page section called Chronology 1841/1979 and it featured Iowa City’s famed historian – Irving Weber – and his look at 25 People Who Left Their Stamp On Iowa City. So, here we are – forty-four years later – and now, I’m offering these two posts – dedicated to those who have greatly influenced our city over the first 100 years or so. This page features the First 25, and as you can see, each of the 25 names has a brief overview with a link(s) to read more, if you like. Enjoy!

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