May 2, 1855 – Henry Farnam and Thomas Durant – both actively involved with the C&RI Railroad and the Rock Island bridge project – sign a contract to become the two movers-n-shakers of the Mississippi & Missouri Railroad in Iowa.

With its headquarters in Davenport, the M&M Railroad had lofty goals of building three lines in Iowa – the first running east/west from Davenport to Council Bluffs via Iowa City, the second running south from Muscatine to the Missouri border via Oskaloosa, and the third running north from Muscatine toward Minnesota via Marion/Cedar Rapids. Over the first ten years, much of the work entails casting vision, partnering with eastern-based railroads, and raising funds.

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May 1, 1839 – In order to secure a quorum for the Territorial commissioners meeting in Johnson County, Philip Clark rides on horseback 35 miles to bring John Ronalds to the meeting.

On May 1, 1839, three Territorial commissioners were to report to Johnson County, with the assignment of picking the location for the new Iowa capital city. By mid-day, only one man – Chauncey Swan – had arrived, leaving the good people of the county seat of Napoleon wondering if the whole project would be lost.

Thankfully, a 35-year-old farmer named Philip Clark saved the day! He mounted his horse, made a 35-mile trip through the wilderness, fetching a second commissioner – John Ronalds. They arrived in the nick of time – saving the future hopes of Johnson County before the strike of midnight.

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April 30, 1904 – The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World’s Fair, opens in St. Louis.

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World’s Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds totaling $15 million were used to finance the event. More than 60 countries and 43 of the 45 American states maintained exhibition spaces at the fair, which was attended by nearly 19.7 million people!

In our collection are both a souvenir postcard and a stereoscope picture card from the fair. Both feature The State of Iowa Exposition Building. On the back side of the picture card, we find a delightful informational piece that describes the Iowa State Building as “one of the most imposing of the state buildings” at the 1904 World’s Fair.

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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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