As early as the 1840’s, Iowans were clamoring for the railroad to come into the Hawkeye State. Actually, in 1838, Dubuque’s John Plumbe, Jr. presented his idea of a transcontinental railroad to the U.S. Congress but was laughed out of the Chambers. In 1849, efforts were made and petitions signed that would provoke state legislators to get behind Asa Whitney’s plan for a coast-to-coast railway. By the early 1850’s, investors were now on board, and several Illinois-based lines were nearing completion, but it was the Great River – the Mississippi – that was keeping everything on hold. In May of 1853, two Iowa City representatives – LeGrand Byington and William Penn Clarke traveled by stage coach over to Davenport in order to make a sweet offer to the owners of the Mississippi & Missouri Railroad. If the M&M could complete their tracks into Iowa City by December 31, 1855, our city would give them a $50,000 bonus! In a nearly unbelievable story – on New Years Eve 1855 – the miracle happened. At the stroke of midnight, the M&M steam locomotive and its small crew limped into town – nearly freezing up under the sub-zero temperatures, and finally, the long-awaited railroad had come into Iowa City!
CHECK OUT THE COMPLETE BLOG SERIES – Iowa City’s Top 50 Influencers – Part II
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!
Did you know? 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 every Monday – Wednesday – Friday.
Join us for Our Iowa Heritage blog posts. Learn some historical facts about Iowa City, Johnson County, or Eastern Iowa. Amaze your friends. Click to learn more.