A 22-year old pioneer – Cyrus Sanders – came to Johnson County (1839) just as Iowa City was being formed. Fortunately, Cyrus was a dedicated diary keeper because, today, his journal about his earliest days here in Iowa provide us with an amazing overview of our city’s history. Around 1880, at the suggestion of Iowa City Daily Republican editor Herbert S. Fairall, 63-year-old Sanders began writing down the early history of Johnson County. As Cyrus wrote, combining his first-hand knowledge with his wit and wisdom, Fairall published the material, and Iowa Citians absolutely loved it. Knowing that the Sanders’ column was helping to sell newspapers, Fairall created a new department at The Republican, calling it Early Iowa, with Cyrus as the primary contributor for material. In 1882, a bit of under-handed shannanigans literally stole away much of Cyrus Sanders’ material, publishing it under other people’s names! But today, we’re giving honor to where honor is due, for without the writings of Cyrus Sanders, much of Iowa City’s early history would have been lost.
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!
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