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• pre-1673. Native American tribes make Iowa their home. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1673. With the coming of the white man, Iowa’s pre-historic age ends, starting what archaeologists call Iowa’s historic age (1673-1885). (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8)
• 1673. Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet explore the Mississippi River Valley – set foot on Iowa soil. (2)
• 1674. Johann Nickel Böhlers is born in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
• 1682. Rene Robert Cavelier and Sieur de La Salle retrace Marquette & Jolliet’s trip.
• 1700. Descendants of the Oneota Culture, the Ioway (Báxoje) Tribe have become the primary inhabitants of eastern Iowa – including today’s Johnson County. (2)
• 1701. The Meskwaki (Fox) tribe fights against the French in what is now called the Fox Wars (1712-1735). (2), (3), (4)
• 1707. Pieter van der Aa – map of the New World. (2)
• 1718. Guillaume De L’Isle – map of Louisiana. (2)
• 1735. Sauk and Meskwaki (Fox) tribes flee to Illinois/Iowa Mississippi River Valley, forced from Wisconsin by the French. (2), (3), (4)
• 1735. Georg Friedrich Böhlers is born in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
• 1767. Sauk Chief Black Hawk is born in Saukenuk – near today’s Rock Island.
• 1769. Spain takes ownership of Louisiana from France.
• 1775. Georg Friederich Böhler is born in the German community of Hennweiler, Rhineland-Palatinate.
• 1787. Meskwaki Chief Poweshiek is born in Rock River Valley of Illinois. (2), (3)
• 1781. Lead is discovered in present-day Iowa.
• 1788. Julien Dubuque arrives at Catfish Creek on the Upper Mississippi River. (2)
• 1790. Elizabeth (Zook) Boller is born in Chester County, Pennsylvania. (2)
• 1793. Jacob & Anna Miller buy farmland in Casselman Valley, Pennsylvania.
• 1793. George F. Boller is born in the Rhine River Valley of today’s Germany. (2), (3)
• 1796. Julien Dubuque acquires 189 sq. miles from Spain (Mines of Spain) for lead mining.
• 1797. Carl W. Boller is born in the German community of Darmstadt, Hesse.
• 1799. Chauncey Swan, Iowa City founding father, is born in New York.

• 1800. Governor Robert Lucas’ Quaker family moves from Virginia to southern Ohio, freeing their slaves, and becoming a part of the anti-slavery movement.
• 1801. Napoleon takes back ownership of Louisiana from Spain.
• 1803. Napoleon sells Louisiana to the United States for $15 million. (2), (3)
• 1803. Iowa becomes part of the District of Louisiana, administered by Indiana Territory, governed from St. Louis. (2), (3)
• 1804. Lewis & Clark depart St. Louis on their Louisiana Purchase expedition.
• 1804. Treaty forces the Meskwaki (Fox) & Sauk tribes out of Illinois – relocate on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1804. Philip Clark, one of Johnson County’s first white settlers, is born in Ireland.
• 1805. Iowa becomes part of the Territory of Louisiana, with the capital in St. Louis. (2)
• 1805. Zebulon Pike and his team depart St. Louis on their expedition of the Upper Mississippi River, meets Julien Dubuque en route. (2), (3), (4)
• 1805. Stephen Sumner “Hawkeye” Phelps is born in New York. (2)
• 1808. Fort Bellevue (later called Fort Madison) is constructed in Lee County.
• 1810. Julien Dubuque dies, buried on site near Mississippi River.
• 1812. Louisiana attains statehood, Iowa becomes part of the Territory of Missouri, with the capital remaining in St. Louis. (2)
• 1815. Frederick Boller is born in Bavaria (Germany) – will join come to Johnson County, Iowa in 1852.
• 1816. George F. Boller travels from Bavaria (Germany) to the United States – the Boller family arrives in America! (2)
• 1816. Fort Armstrong is built upon Rock Island in the Mississippi River.
• 1819. Isaac Augustus Wetherby, Iowa City’s first photographer, is born in Rhode Island.
• 1820’s. French fur traders begin exploring eastern Iowa’s rivers.
• 1820. George F. Boller & Elizabeth Zook are married in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. (2)
• 1821. Missouri attains statehood – Iowa is left without official jurisdiction (“unorganized”). (2)
• 1823. The Steamboat Virginia makes the first successful trip on the Upper Mississippi River. (2), (3)
• 1825. Sumner “Hawkeye” Phelps and brothers form S.S. Phelps Fur Trading Company on the Mississippi River at Yellow Banks (Oquawka), Illinois. (2)
• 1825. George F. Boller and his family have relocated to Wayne County, Ohio. (2)
• 1825. Jacob B. Boller is born in Wayne County, Ohio, Catharine (Smucker) Boller is born in Alsace-Lorraine, France.
• 1827. In Galena, Illinois, the men working the lead mines created some interesting nicknames for those from Illinois and Missouri.

• 1832. Robert Lucas becomes Ohio’s 12th governor – serving two terms before becoming Iowa’s Territorial Governor in 1838.
• 1832. The Black Hawk War ends – Sauk and Fox (Meskwaki) Tribes are forced to relocate to areas west of the Black Hawk Purchase. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9)
• 1832. Meskwaki Chiefs Poweshiek, Wapashashiek, and Totokonock relocate camps to Iowa River Valley – Johnson County. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7)
• 1832. Sumner “Hawkeye” Phelps canoes up the Iowa River to continue business with Chief Powesheik and others. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1833. The Black Hawk Purchase is opened to white settlers. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7)
• 1833. Antoine Le Claire settles on the western edge of the Mississippi River and begins calling the area IOWA – using a familiar Sauk word that means “This Is The Place”.
• 1833. Dubuque, The Key City, forms as the first white settlement in “unorganized” Iowa. (2), (3), (4)
• 1833. Alexander Levi arrives in Dubuque – Iowa’s first Jewish settler.
• 1833. Burlington, City on Flint Hills, is organized on the Mississippi River.
• 1834. Iowa becomes part of the Territory of Michigan, with the capital in Detroit. (2)
• 1834. The American Fur Company buys out S.S. Phelps & Company, servicing Phelps trading post on the Iowa River. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1834. Author/explorer J.B. Newhall arrives in Burlington. (2), (3)
• 1834. Missouri slave, Ralph Montgomery, comes to Dubuque lead mines to work for his freedom.
• 1835. Albert M. Lea and his team depart Ft. Des Moines on their expedition up the Des Moines River. (2), (3), (4)
• 1835. John Gilbert (Prentice) arrives in Johnson County to oversee the American Fur Company trading post on the Iowa River. Gilbert is Johnson County’s first white settler. (2), (3), (4)
• 1836. The name IOWA is popularized by Albert M. Lea’s book/map on The District of Iowa. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1836. Iowa becomes part of the Territory of Wisconsin (The District of Iowa), with the capital in Belmont, Wisconsin. (2), (3)
• 1836. John King publishes Iowa’s first newspaper, The Du Buque Visitor. (2), (3)
• 1836. Judge David Rorer arrives in Burlington.
• 1836. John Plumbe, Jr., writer/visionary arrives in Dubuque.
• 1836. Judge T.S. Wilson flips a silver dollar – chooses Dubuque as his new home.
• 1836. Chief Keokuk agrees to sell the Keokuk Reserve in a treaty at Ft. Armstrong, Illinois. (2), (3)
• 1836. Indiana farmers, Philip Clark and Eli Myers of Elkhart County, stake-out property in Johnson County, moving here in 1837. (2), (3)
• 1836. In Henry County, the county seat of Mt. Pleasant is established. A farm community, in the 1950’s, Mt. Pleasant becomes the host city of the Midwest Old Settlers and Threshers Reunion. (2)
• 1837. The 25th U.S. Congress publishes 1837 survey map of Iowa District – Wisconsin Territory.
• 1837. Burlington becomes the temporary capital of Wisconsin Territory.
• 1837. Judge Charles T. Mason relocates from Belmont, Wisconsin to Burlington.
• 1837. The Second Black Hawk Purchase is negotiated, which will force the Ioway, the Sauk and the Fox tribes further west. (2), (3), (4)
• 1837. John Gilbert leaves American Fur Company, building a larger independent trading post on the Iowa River where it serves the growing population. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7)
• 1837. Johnson County, Iowa is formed and officially recognized (Dec 21). (2), (3), (4), (5), (6)
• 1837. The United States Post Office authorizes the first stagecoach mail service in Iowa – Burlington, the Iowa Territorial capital, to St. Francisville, Missouri. (2), (3)
• 1837. Frenchman Alexander Levi, living in Dubuque, becomes the first foreigner to be naturalized (U.S. citizenship) in Iowa.
• 1837. Gilbert D. Dillon & his wife, Mary, relocate to Dubuque – G.D. becomes cashier of Iowa’s first banking institution, Miners Bank.
• 1837. John F. Rague, architect of Old Capitol (1840), designs the State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois.

• 1838. In January, seven pioneers gather at Gilbert’s Trading Post to plan out the future of Johnson County. Five white men, one black man (Mogawk), and one Native American woman (Jennie), working alongside three Meskwaki chiefs, make for extraordinary diversity. (2), (3)
• 1838. Iowa becomes the U.S. Territory of Iowa, which includes all of present-day Iowa, Minnesota, and parts of the Dakotas. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1838. L Judson and Henry J. Abel publish maps of Iowa Territory.
• 1838. Territorial Governor Robert Lucas, with personal secretary, T.S. Parvin as part of his traveling party, arrive in Burlington to take up new position. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1838. Judges Charles T. Mason, T.S. Wilson, and Joseph Williams are appointed to Iowa’s first Supreme Court. (2)
• 1838. The Iowa Territorial Legislature meets for the first time in Burlington.
• 1838. John Gilbert and Pleasant Harris travel to Burlington to present an expansion idea for Johnson County. Gilbert tells his Little White Lie – telling Gov. Dodge the population is 1500. (2), (3)
• 1838. Sauk Chief Black Hawk dies in Iowaville and is buried near the banks of the Des Moines River.
• 1838. Judge David Rorer and Burlington newspaperman, James G. Edwards, popularize the name Hawkeye for Iowans. (2), (3), (4)
• 1838. Dubuque postmaster & newspaper publisher, John King, makes a rather large postal error on July 4, 1838.
• 1838. New York ship captain Frederick M. Irish rides a horse into Iowa, arriving in Burlington. In 1838, he relocates to Iowa City, eventually working with Chauncey Swan in the early construction of the new capitol building. (2)
• 1838. In Napoleon, John Gilbert, the small group of citizens of Johnson County, and the Meskwaki tribes join together for a festive July 4th celebration. It’s here, Chief Poweshiek offers his final blessing.
• 1838. The first county court house of Johnson County is opened in Napoleon. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1838. Governor Robert Lucas announces that Iowa Territory will relocate its capital from Burlington to a more centrally-located site. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1838. On All Hallows’ Eve, on the streets of Burlington, two attorneys – C.S. Jacobs and David Rorer – have the ultimate political tussle.
• 1838. Chief Poweshiek, his Meskwaki tribe, and others are forced to leave their camps in Johnson County. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6)
• 1838. Surveyors Albert M. Lea and Dr. James Davis are commissioned to survey the Iowa/Missouri border – a precursor to The Honey War of 1839.
• 1839. Territorial Legislator Laurel Summers casts his vote for Iowa City – giving Governor Lucas’ plan for a new capital city in Johnson County a 13-12 victory.
• 1839. With the influx of new settlers and land investors, the citizens of the county form the Claim Association of Johnson County.
• 1839. Oliver Cock (Cox), Iowa’s first Masonic Grand Master, arrives in Burlington.
• 1839. Rev. John Batchelder, one of the first pastors to use Old Zion, arrives in Burlington.
• 1839. Ohio native Cyrus Sanders arrives in Iowa, first in Burlington, and later in Johnson County – writing his adventure in a journal all along the way. (2)
• 1839. John Gilbert, Iowa City’s first white settler, founder of Napoleon, and its first postmaster, dies. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7)
• 1839. Iowa City’s first resident physician – Dr. Henry Murray – arrives, hangs up his shingle, and begins a 40-year-long commitment to caring for Johnson County residents.
• 1839. Iowa Territorial Commissioners Chauncey Swan, John Ronalds, and Robert Ralston are assigned to find a suitable location for the new territorial capital in Johnson County. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12)
• 1839. Johnson County settler, Philip Clark, saves the day by riding his horse to find the second commissioner needed to keep Johnson County as the host of the Territory’s new capital. (2), (3)
• 1839. Iowa City is named county seat for Johnson County, first commissioners’ gathering meets in log cabin home of F.M. Irish. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6)
• 1839. In their first court hearing, the newly-formed Iowa Supreme Court makes a landmark decision by granting Dubuque miner, Ralph Montgomery, freedom from his Missouri-based slave owner. (2), (3), (4)
• 1839. John Plumbe, Jr. – book/map of Iowa Territory. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8)
• 1839. L. Judson – first city map of Iowa City – July 4th. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11)
• 1839. Johnson County pioneers celebrate July 4th with special city-wide gathering. (2), (3)
• 1839. Robert R. Hutchinson – wood-worker from New Hampshire comes to Iowa City. Helps build Iowa City’s first log cabin – occupied by Matthew & Salome Ten Eyck. (2), (3)
• 1839. Iowa City’s planners choose 24 names for the brand new streets of Iowa City. (2)
• 1839. After surveyors plot out one-square mile of the new Iowa City, 180 lots sell at two auctions, with the most expensive ones located on Clinton Street. F.M. Irish builds Lean Back Hall. (2), (3)
• 1839. Iowa City pioneers erect a limestone marker at the southeast corner of the new city. (2)
• 1839. The first ferry to cross the Iowa River is built by Benjamin Miller, operating at Napoleon. (2), (3)
• 1839. Lyman Dillon plows the first section of The Military Road (86 miles) from Dubuque to Iowa City. (2), (3), (4)
• 1839. Contract for $46,000 is let to Springfield, IL architect John F. Rague for designing Old Capitol. (2), (3), (4)
• 1839. Iowa/Missouri Line War (The Honey War). (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1839. Lee County’s pioneer – Col. William Patterson – steps in and brokers peace in The Honey War. (2)
• 1839. Edward Foster receives Iowa City’s first license to open a general store. Soon, others follow, including C.H. Buck – who opens the first “grocery” store. (2)
• 1839. Sylvanus Johnson, brick-maker from Connecticut, arrives in Iowa City. (2)
• 1839. Chauncey & Dolly Swan’s five-year-old daughter dies, becoming Johnson County’s first pioneer death and the first burial in Oakland Cemetery. (2)
• 1839. Abner Kneeland, a pantheist, arrives in Iowa after being arrested in Massachusetts for his religious beliefs. He and his followers seek to practice their religion freely.

• 1840. A building contractor in St. Louis writes a letter of recommendation for qualified workers for the new state house project in Iowa City. (2)
• 1840. Cornerstone of the new Iowa Territorial capitol building (State House) is dedicated on July 4 – architect John F. Rague walks out nine days later. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14)
• 1840. Iowa pioneer Isaac Galland publishes his 28-page book – Galland’s Iowa Emigrant. (2), (3)
• 1840. A surveying project begins for improving the road between Bloomington and Iowa City – one of Johnson County’s earliest road projects.
• 1840. Robert R. Hutchinson – owner of a local quarry – builds a one-story limestone house on the west side of the Iowa River. (2)
• 1840. Iowa’s Military Road (The National Road) is completed from Dubuque, through Iowa City, to Keosauqua. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7)
• 1840. Stagecoach travel comes to Iowa City. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6)
• 1840. H.D. Downey, a 21-year-old Pennsylvanian, arrives in Iowa City. Before he dies at age 48, he’ll become our first lawyer, first banker, a real estate mogul, and state representative.
• 1840. The first Mass in Iowa City was celebrated by the frontier missionary, Father Samuel C. Mazzuchelli, who became the founding pastor of St. Mary’s. (2), (3)
• 1840. Walter Terrell arrives in Iowa City – obtains permit to build an Iowa River mill and dam, which he opens in 1843. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1840. The first flatbed ferry business, owned by John D. Able, opens on the Iowa River at the National Road crossing (Iowa Avenue) in Iowa City. (2), (3), (4)
• 1840. Early settlers build their first homes on Blocks 96-99 on the riverfront in Iowa City. (2)
• 1840. Iowa City’s North Presbyterian Church is officially formed. (2)
• 1840. The town of Crooked Creek (Wayland, Iowa) is founded.
• 1840. Elizabeth (Zook) Boller dies in Wayne County, Ohio.
• 1841. J.B. Newhall publishes his Iowa guidebook – Sketches of Iowa, (2), (3), (4)
• 1841. Iowa Territorial Agent – Jesse Williams – is assigned to raise extra funds to finance the completion of Iowa’s new capitol. (2)
• 1841. President William H. Harrison suddenly dies in office – setting off 30 days of mourning across the U.S.
• 1841. Warner Lewis recommends Dubuque’s Dr. John W. Finley for Iowa Territorial Militia Hospital Surgeon.
• 1841. The first mill & dam in Johnson County is built on Clear Creek near the Iowa River. (2)
• 1841. William Crum and Thomas Hughes publish Iowa City’s first two newspapers, The Iowa City Standard and The Iowa Capital Reporter. (2)
• 1841. Iowa Territorial Legislature meets in Walter Butler’s two-story frame building in Iowa City. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8)
• 1841. Oliver Weld – Van Buren County’s representative to the Iowa Territorial Legislative Sessions in Iowa City – has an adventure getting here from Keosauqua.
• 1841. The steamboat Ripple, Iowa City’s first visiting steamboat, arrives on the Iowa River. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7)
• 1841. Gilman Folsom, lawyer and entrepreneur from New Hampshire, arrives in Iowa City.
• 1841. Eleven-year-old, George H. Yewell, comes to Iowa City from Ohio with his mother. Yewell ends up becoming one of Iowa City’s best-known artists. (2)
• 1842. Representative William L. Toole talks about the Iowa Territorial Fourth Legislative Assembly in Iowa City in a letter to Laurel Summers. (2), (3)
• 1842. Chauncey Swan and his wife, Dolly, take over The National Hotel – opening the Swan in Iowa City. (2)
• 1842. Iowa Territorial Legislature meets in the new stone capitol in Iowa City for the first time. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11)
• 1842. Mechanics Academy is built adjacent to City Park, two blocks east of Capitol Square in Iowa City. (2)
• 1842. The Lyceum movement comes to Iowa City – with a group forming in Matthew & Salome Ten Eyck’s two-story log cabin on Dubuque Street.
• 1842. Frederic & Theodire Sanxay build a two-story Greek Revival home on Market Street.
• 1842. Johnson County’s second court house opens in Iowa City. (2), (3), (4)
• 1842. The steamboat Rock River, Iowa City’s second visiting steamboat, arrives. (2)
• 1842. Rev. W.W. Woods arrives in Iowa City to pastor the new Presbyterian congregation – Stone Church, sponsored by the American Home Missionary Society.
• 1842. The Iowa Capitol Reporter offers readers the top three hotels in the city.
• 1843. An east-central Iowa county, where many of the Meskwaki people settled after being moved out of Johnson County, is recognized, calling it Poweshiek County, in the chief’s honor.
• 1843. Iowans call for a Territorial Constitutional Convention to begin statehood process. (2)
• 1843. An Iowa City businessman writes an informative 3-page response letter to a good friend back East – giving an informative overview of everyday life in Iowa Territory.
• 1843. The small congregation of North Presbyterian Church begin construction of a new building – the pre-curser to today’s Old Brick.
• 1843. Iowa City settler E. Eastman writes a very informative one-page letter to his uncle back home in Salisbury, N.H.
• 1843. Surveyor William McCormick writes a one-page letter on his survey work for a new road across Cedar Township of Johnson County.
• 1843. The foundation is laid for North Presbyterian Church’s first church in Iowa City.
• 1844. Chauncey Swan takes a group of friends up to the unfinished cupola of the new Capitol Building for a sightseeing tour of Iowa City.
• 1844. Lee County, Iowa farmers sign a remonstrance – telling their Representative in Iowa City where they want, and don’t want, a new road!
• 1844. A Territorial Census is taken in preparation for statehood. Statehood is voted down by Iowans due to boundary issues with Congress. (2)
• 1844. Governor Robert Lucas builds his home in Iowa City – Plum Grove. (2), (3)
• 1844. The Iowa City Manufacturing Company opens Iowa’s largest mill and dam on the Iowa River – the future site of Coralville, (2), (3)
• 1844. Sheriff Walter Butler, builder of Butler’s Capitol (1841) in Iowa City, suddenly dies at age 43.
• 1845. The first church bell, an 1844 bronze beauty, rings out in downtown Iowa City. (2)
• 1845. A.H. Palmer – “The Old Growler” and owner/editor of The Iowa Capital Reporter – sends a stinging letter to a fellow Democrat – a friend and supporter back home in Ohio. (2)
• 1845. Col. George Davenport hosts a meeting of ten businessmen to discuss building a railroad from Chicago to Rock Island.
• 1845. The office of Territorial Judge Joseph Williams in Iowa City oversees a land dispute in Bloomington (Muscatine).
• 1845. James H. Gower moves his family to Iowa City – over the next 32 years, he becomes one of the busiest land sales agents in Iowa.
• 1845. William Windrem builds a two-story brick & limestone home on Iowa Avenue.
• 1845. The Sauk and Fox Tribes are forced to leave Iowa for reservations in Kansas. (2)
• 1845. The Dubuque Brewing Company, Iowa’s first brewery, opens.
• 1845. Forty-one Davis County pioneers petition Iowa City for a new Territorial Road.
• 1845. Big Grove Township is established in Johnson County, Iowa.

• 1846. Ten townships – including Iowa City’s Lucas Township – are incorporated in Johnson County, Iowa.
• 1846. J.B. Newhall publishes his third Iowa guidebook – A Glimpse of Iowa in 1846. (2), (3)
• 1846. Samuel Augustus Mitchell publishes map of Iowa just prior to statehood. (2)
• 1846. Nine-year-old Susannah A. Yarborough (Irish) arrives in Johnson County with her family.
• 1846. First settlers – Daniel & Susanna (Miller) Guengerich – arrive in Washington Township – Johnson County. (2)
• 1846. Iowa’s famous statesman – James B. Harlan – gets his professional career started by moving to Iowa City to oversee Iowa City College.
• 1846. In preparation for Iowa statehood, a 32-person Constitutional Convention convenes in Iowa City in May.
• 1846. On October 28, Ansel Briggs is elected Iowa’s first state governor, taking office on December 3 – 25 days prior to Iowa statehood., (2)
• 1846. Iowa attains U.S. statehood as the 29th state in the Union, with the capital at Iowa City. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7)
• 1846. Almon Barnes builds a simple one-story yellow-brown sandstone home on N. Johnson Street.
• 1847. The Iowa State Legislature approves the development of a State University of Iowa (SUI) – the Marion Meteorite affirms their decision. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1847. Iowa City attorney Peter H. Patterson successfully petitions the State Legislature on the behalf of Iowa City keeping SUI when the capital heads west.
• 1847. The U.S. Postal Service issues its first postage stamps.
• 1847. Iowa City shoemaker Jacob Wentz builds a two-story yellow-brown sandstone home on North Gilbert Street.
• 1847. The Mississippi & Missouri Railroad is formed by four businessmen in Davenport, Iowa.
• 1848. Blacksmith John Conrad Hormel arrives in Iowa City, builds a small shop on Lot 4 of Block 46 (eventual location of John’s Grocery).
• 1848. State representative Wright Williams from Louisa County writes an insightful letter to his brother-in-law in Indiana – offering a descriptive picture of both politics & religion in Iowa City.
• 1848. Van Buren County’s Josiah H. Bonney begins his two-year term as Iowa Secretary of State. (2)
• 1848. Iowa City hosts its very first pioneer circus as it rolled into town setting up on Capitol Square.
• 1848. The Iowa State Prison Warden files his Annual Report to Governor Briggs in Iowa City.
• 1848. George F. Boller, living in Ohio, begins to purchase land in Iowa for future family use.
• 1848. On Christmas Day, Iowa City lawyer Curtis Bates writes his attorney in Defiance, Ohio, leaving us with a lot of details about life in Iowa City in the 1840’s.
• 1849. The infamous Hummer’s Bell incident occurs in Iowa City. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1849. Gold Fever hits Iowa City – Chauncey Swan & others leave for California., (2), (3)
• 1849. A $3,000 state appropriation finally gives Old Capitol its unique reverse-spiral staircase, giving full access to the second floor.
• 1849. Dubuque’s C.H. Booth is named by President Polk as General Surveyor for Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota.
• 1849. U.S. Supreme Court on the 1839 Iowa/Missouri Honey War lawsuit. (2)
• 1849. Secretary of State Josiah H. Bonney, from his office in Iowa City, works with Jonas Wescoatt, the Monroe County clerk, who is looking for $18.59 in reimbursement. (2)
• 1849. F.M. Irish builds Rose Hill in his 30-acres called Irish’s Woods. (2), (3)
• 1849. Vermont native H.H. Winchester came to Iowa with his family in 1839, now 10 years later, he writes a beautiful 4-page letter back home singing the praises of living in the Hawkeye State.
• 1849. Artist/Entrepreneur Henry Lewis opens his Mississippi River Panorama in St. Louis – features key images of Iowa up and down The Great River.
• 1849. Iowa City lawyer Curtis Bates starts The Iowa Star – Des Moines’ first newspaper.
• 1849. Jacob B. Boller marries Catharine Smucker in Butler County, Ohio. (2)
• 1849. As Asa Whitney stumps for a transcontinental railroad, small groups of Iowans are working toward it as well.
• 1849. In the midst of Iowa’s banking crisis, the Keokuk County Treasurer writes the Iowa State Treasurer’s Office in Iowa City seeking clarification on which bank notes and coins they will accept for payment.

• 1850’s. Franklin Kimball opens a three-story brick market on Dubuque Street with the third floor being the Franklin Market Music Hall. Meanwhile, Charles H. Berryhill opens The Athenaeum Theatre on Market Street near Clinton.
• 1850’s. The Patterson brothers buy out James Harlan’s drug store, building a variety of businesses on Dubuque Street (Patterson Block).
• 1850. The Presbyterian congregation in Iowa City complete their first building project. Sadly, the building is destroyed by fire in 1856 but replaced by what is today known as Old Brick.
• 1850. A group of Iowa Citians who helped saved Hummer’s Bell take it with them as they head westward toward California gold. Later, they sell it to the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City.
• 1850. Iowa City businessmen form the Davenport & Iowa City Railroad Company. (2)
• 1850. Investors begin purchasing land across Iowa, forming Lyons – Iowa Central Railroad.
• 1850. Secretary of State J.H. Bonney chooses the proper memorial stone that will represent Iowa in the construction of the Washington Monument in Washington D.C.
• 1850. State Auditor Joseph T. Fales in Iowa City writes a RSVP letter to his friend – Judge Charles T. Mason – in Burlington.
• 1851. The town of Crooked Creek changes name to Marshall, Iowa (Wayland).
• 1851. Gilman Folsom offers to build Iowa City’s first bridge over the Iowa River, but Governor Hempstead vetoes the plan, even after approved by the state legislature.
• 1851. Louis T. Reno builds a two-story fixer-upper home on the site of Iowa City’s first taven/inn on Brown Street.
• 1851. Walter Terrell builds a majestic home on North Dubuque Street adjacent to his grist mill and dam.
• 1852. Chauncey Swan dies in New York City en route from California to Iowa City.
• 1852. Lawyer Gilman Folsom receives letter from Oregon, Illinois asking help in dealing with Iowa City’s “very slippery fellow,” Boyd Wilkinson.
• 1852. Iowa City pioneer Ferdinand Haberstroh opens The Park House, one of the city’s finest gathering places for statesmen and legislators alike.
• 1852. Frederick Boller arrives in Johnson County – begins farming in Washington Township. (2)
• 1853. Iowa City – while formed in 1839 – is officially incorporated as a city and our first mayor – Jacob P. DeForest – is sworn into office. (2)
• 1853. Jacob Boller and his family relocate from Butler County, Ohio to farmland in Washington Township of Johnson County – The Boller family arrives in Iowa! (2), (3)
• 1853. M&M Railroad hires Peter A. Dey and Grenville M. Dodge to survey the 300-mile route across Iowa. (2)
• 1853. George H. Yewell’s political cartoon, Muscatine Opposition (poking fun at the fierce competition between Muscatine and Iowa City for the railroad) opens up Yewell’s future in the arts. (2)
• 1853. LeGrand Byington & William Penn Clarke sweeten the deal with the Mississippi & Missouri Railroad – offering $50K if Iowa City becomes its first station stop. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7)
• 1853. Judge T.S. Wilson and his law partners win the case Chouteau v. Molony – giving the citizens of Dubuque a monumental victory over land settlement.
• 1853. Louis Englert opens Englert City Brewery – Iowa City’s first brewery located at 319 Market Street. (2), (3)
• 1853. Professor Samuel Bacon arrives in Iowa City to become the leader of the newly-formed, state-sponsored Iowa School for the Blind.
• 1853. Abolitionist Dr. J.M. Shaffer of Fairfield hosts the planning meeting for the first Iowa State Fair.
• 1853. The Red Rock Wild West Murder Mystery has a big breakthrough after Governor Hempstead offers a hefty reward.
• 1853. Construction on the Mississippi River Railroad Bridge begins in Rock Island. (2)
• 1853. Ground-breaking ceremony for M&M Railroad is celebrated in Davenport.
• 1854. The anti-slavery movement in Iowa takes a big step forward as James W. Grimes is elected Governor of Iowa. (2), (3)
• 1854. Two townships – Jefferson & Union – are incorporated in Johnson County, Iowa.
• 1854. The Western Stage Company buys out Frink & Walker, opens for business across Iowa, announcing daily four-horse coaches running in and out of Iowa City in all directions.
• 1854. J.H. Millar and George H. Yewell publish their illustrated Iowa City and Its Environs map. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7)
• 1854. Photographer Isaac Wetherby buys land in Johnson County, produces his first pictures of Iowa City. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1854. Iowa City banker Hugh D. Downey and barber Henry C. Nicking both build new homes that will eventually become two of Iowa City’s oldest extant properties.
• 1854. The Chicago & Rock Island (C&RI) Railroad completes its line from Chicago to Rock Island. (2)
• 1854. Scott County’s long-time attorney and president of the Rock Island Railroad – Judge James Grant – is now mayor of Davenport and lays the cornerstone for the first bridge to cross the Mississippi River. (2), (3)
• 1854. The Lyons-Iowa Central Railroad -The Calico Railroad – goes bankrupt just months before reaching Iowa City.
• 1854. Meskwaki Chief Poweshiek dies in Kansas.
• 1854. Gilman Folsom opens Iowa City’s first toll bridge over the Iowa River. (2), (3)
• 1854. Craft Coast and his family move to Iowa City – his son, William P. will start Coast & Sons Clothier in 1890.
• 1854. Fairfield hosts the first Iowa State Fair. (2)
• 1854. Carl W. Boller and four children leave Darmstadt, Hesse for America.
• 1855. Beginning in Davenport, M&M Railroad lays its first tracks in Iowa.
• 1855. 18-year-old John B. Sueppel arrives in Iowa City, and over the next 165+ years, six generations of the Sueepel family contribute mightily to our city.
• 1855. SUI rents Mechanics Academy, holding first classes and opening the first SUI library – becomes known as the Cradle of the University. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7)
• 1855. As SUI opens in Mechanics Academy, the only successful part of the school over the next 5 years is the Normal School – offering two-year degrees for teachers in training.
• 1855. The first church bell in Iowa City (1845) sells to SUI and is used in Mechanics Academy for first classes. St. Mary’s installs their first church bell. (2)
• 1855. M&M Railroad ships its first locomotive – The Antoine Le Claire – across the Mississippi River using a flatboat. (2)
• 1855. George H. Yewell’s sketches offer unique views of early Iowa City. (2)
• 1855. Samuel & Jane Kirkwood come to Johnson County, Iowa to join family business at Coral Mill. (2), (3)
• 1855. N. Howe Parker publishes Iowa – As It Is – A Handbook for Emmigrants.
• 1855. Johnson County secures 160 acres west of Iowa City, opening a county Poor Farm which remained open well into the 20th century – attempting to care for those in our community who could not care for themselves.
• 1855. M&M Railroad completes its first lines – west to Walcott, the Wilton Y-Junction, and south to Muscatine.
• 1855. Passengers on their way to Iowa City for the Grand Railroad Festival face a wintry, life-endangering train ride from Detroit to Chicago.
• 1856. The Iowa Land Bill helps finance four major railroads in Iowa – funding the national race toward the completion of a Transcontinental Railroad.
• 1856. The Mississippi & Missouri Railroad completes their first line into Iowa City (before midnight on New Years Eve-1855) and the first train with passengers arrives on January 3. (2) (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10)
• 1856. In February, M&M Railroad ships its new locomotive – The John A. Dix – across the ice to Davenport on a frozen Mississippi River. (2)
• 1856. In February, Governor James W. Grimes invites the anti-slavery movement to form a new political party across Iowa – the beginnings of the Republican Party has begun.
• 1856. H.D. Downey opens Iowa City’s new Banking House on Banking Corner – the SE corner of Clinton & Washington Streets. (2)
• 1856. R.H. Sylvester & A.G. Tucker open The Franklin Printing House on Dubuque Street – home of The Capital Reporter, The Daily Cresent, and Frankling Printing Company.
• 1856. The Rock Island Railroad Bridge – the first bridge built over the Mississippi River – opens, giving Iowans direct rail service to Chicago and New York City. (2), (3)
• 1856. The Iowa City Republican offers readers the top three hotels in the city.
• 1856. Daniel J. Boller is born in Johnson County, Washington Township, (2)
• 1856. Muscatine educator, D. Franklin Wells, comes to Iowa City to oversee the new SUI Normal School – over the next decade his leadership keeps SUI alive.
• 1856. Dr. Abram O. Blanding of Massachusetts, moves to Lyons (Clinton) – during the Civil War, Blanding served as a surgeon for the Union army.
• 1856. Oxford Township is incorporated in Johnson County, Iowa.
• 1856. In Tama County, School Fund Commissioner L.S. Frederick steps in to oversee the sale of land which will create more funding for Iowa schools.
• 1856. Rev. Josias Ritter and his wife, Christiana, arrive in Iowa City to pastor the first German Lutheran Church (1856-1858).
• 1856. First Presbyterian Church opens new building (Old Brick) on Market Street in Iowa City.
• 1856. George D. Woodin and others open up the Lane Trail, part of the Underground Railroad across Iowa.
• 1856. John E. Bealer, Sr. takes position as new manager of The Capitol Quarry near North Liberty.
• 1856. Alexander Levi, who came to Dubuque in 1833, organizes Iowa’s first Jewish congregation, meeting in a rented hall.
• 1856. Christian & Catherine (Boller) Zimmerman start farming near Morse in Johnson County, Iowa.
• 1857. Johnson County opens its third County Court House. (2), (3), (4)
• 1857. The Iowa State Legislature writes a new state constitution. (2), (3)
• 1857. The economic boom of the 1850’s suddenly ends with the financial Panic of 1857.
• 1857. An inventory list of 47 steam locomotives is published by M&M Railroad. (2)
• 1857. An early-November snowstorm hits just as the state capital is moving 120 miles westward to Des Moines. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1857. As the state capital moves to Des Moines, the legislature better defines the state-sponsored university, giving the now-vacated state capitol building to the State University of Iowa (SUI) for classroom and office space. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1857. The Sauk and Fox Tribes (Meskwaki) return to Iowa, buying 80 acres in Tama County. (2), (3)
• 1857. Two townships – Graham & Fremont – are incorporated in Johnson County, Iowa.
• 1857. Charles & Matilda Aldrich relocate from New York to Iowa – a newspaperman, Aldrich becomes known as the first “Conservator of Iowa History.”
• 1857. Simeon Hotz opens his first brewery in Iowa City, joining with Anton Geiger in 1868 to form Union Brewery. Just down Market Street, George L Ruppert opens Great Western Brewery as well. (2)
• 1858. Two townships – Sharon & Hardin – are incorporated in Johnson County, Iowa.
• 1858. The mysterious death of one “very slippery fellow,” Boyd Wilkinson, stirs up excitement in Iowa City.
• 1858. George H. Yewell paints portraits of some of Iowa’s most famous leaders of the day.
• 1859. The 19-year old pastor, Johann F. Doescher, comes to Iowa City to take over leadership of the German Lutheran Church (Zion Lutheran).
• 1858. In 1848, two old-school Democrats who supported slavery were appointed as Iowa’s first U.S. Senators, but by 1858, both were gone – replaced by two new faces who better represented Iowa’s anti-slavery viewpoint. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1859. The Great Iowa City Tornado sweeps through the south side of the city – bringing death and destruction. Iowa City artist & photographer Isaac Wetherby takes the story to a national audience.
• 1859. Following the death of her husband in the 1859 Iowa City Tornado, the Johnson County pioneer – Calista Clarinda Worden Berry – refused to quit, and over the next 30 years became a living testimony to others – overcoming countless family tragedies to finish strong at age 80.
• 1859 – From the late 1850’s through to the 1880’s, Mrs. C.C. Berry kept a photograph album that featured family and friends – including Ezekiel Clark – founding father of Coralville.
• 1859. With the help of Iowa City’s William Penn Clarke, John Brown, the abolitionist, networks through Iowa, via the Underground Railroad, on his way east to Harpers Ferry, Virginia, where his death serves as a catalyst to the Civil War. (2), (3), (4)
• 1859. Samuel Kirkwood and Augustus Dodge crisscross Iowa – debating the pros and cons of slavery in the Iowa Gubernatorial Election. In October, Kirkwood is elected – becoming Iowa’s Civil War Governor.
• 1859. The U.S. Hebrew Association of Iowa City was founded for the purpose of establishing a cemetery – Agudas Achim Cemetery – that serves the Jewish population of Johnson County.

• 1860’s. After a devastating fire, Daniel Ham opens Ham’s Hall on Dubuque Street, while Robert Hutchinson builds a massive three-story brick building on the corner of Washington & Dubuque Streets, and on the third floor, he opens The Metropolitan Hall.
• 1860. Iowa City’s first “free” bridge opens at Burlington Street, but partially collapses in 1863. (2), (3)
• 1860. The Mississippi-Missouri Railroad bridge over the Iowa River in Iowa City opens. (2) (3), (4)
• 1860. Madison Township is incorporated in Johnson County, Iowa.
• 1860. Iowa City hosts the Seventh Iowa State Fair – with large crowds attending despite rainy October weather.
• 1860. While some limited classes are offered between 1855-1859, it is only now, in 1860, when the State University of Iowa actually opens up a full slate of college-level courses. (2)
• 1860. A Horse Barn is built adjacent to Old Capitol, just west of the planned South Hall (1861). (2)
• 1860. Abraham Lincoln is elected President of the U.S. on the wings of the massive support from the “Wide-Awake” youth movement.
• 1861. Governor Kirkwood calls for Iowa citizens to join the Union Army’s effort in the Civil War.
• 1861. Meet a quartet of Iowa Citians – four young men – all with Richland, Ohio connections – who enlist in the Union Army.
• 1861. After the start of the Civil War, the U.S. Postal Service replaces all existing postage stamps with a new series. Postmasters have a six-day window to make the exchange.
• 1861. James R. Hartsock is appointed Postmaster in Iowa City by President Lincoln.
• 1861. South Hall is built adjacent to Old Capitol on University Square.
• 1861. The nickname Athens of Iowa first appears in Iowa City newspapers. This cognomen will be used to describe our city over the next 65+ years.
• 1861. About eighty Johnson County pioneers gather to organize the first business meeting of the Old Settlers’ Association (OSA). (2), (3)
• 1862. The first bell rings out from Old Capitol, replacing the bell used in Mechanics Academy (1855).
• 1862. Camp Pope opens in Iowa City – a mustering-in camp for Iowa men signing up for Civil War service in the Union Army. (2), (3), (4)
• 1862. Captain A.B. Cree and the 22nd Iowa Infantry – the Civil War’s Johnson County Regiment leaves Iowa City for its 3-year tour.
• 1862. Four Iowa soldiers are promoted for brave service via letters of recommendation sent to Governor Kirkwood and U.S. Senator Harlan.
• 1862. Mt. Pleasant (Henry County) newspaperman and statesman Samuel MacFarland, like 3,000 other Iowans, dies in action, fighting in the Civil War.
• 1862. Isaac Wetherby opens his larger, state-of-the-art photography studio on the west side of Clinton Street, just south of University Square.
• 1862. Rev. Heinrich W. Wehrs comes to Iowa City to work alongside Rev. Johann Doescher, serving as a 200-mile circuit preacher before taking over the German Lutheran Church (Zion Lutheran) from 1863 to 1866.
• 1862. The Sisters of Mercy (BVM) open St. Agatha’s Women’s Seminary in Iowa City and over the next fifty years (1862-1911) offer women one of the nation’s finest opportunities in equal education. (2)
• 1863. Sgt. Major Alexander Clark of Muscatine presents troop flag to 1st Colored Regiment of Iowa in St. Louis as they head southward into the Civil War.
• 1863. President Abraham Lincoln issues a proclamation for a national day of Thanksgiving.
• 1863. President Abraham Lincoln issues his Emancipation Proclamation.
• 1863. Political cartoonist Thomas Nast publishes his first rendition of St. Nicolas – Santa visiting Union soldiers during the Civil War.
• 1863. The volatile and abrasive Danish-born chemist, Gustavus D. Hinrichs, begins his illustrious 23-year teaching career at SUI.
• 1863. The Methodist congregation enlarge their building in downtown Iowa City, adding colored glass windows and a tall steeple.
• 1863. Barbara (Miller) Boller is born in Johnson County, Washington Township.
• 1864. John P. Irish becomes owner/editor of The Iowa State Press – a position he will hold in Iowa City until 1882.
• 1864. Governor Stone calls for able-bodied Iowa men to enlist as 100-day soldiers, troops that will help the North bring the Civil War to a much-needed conclusion.
• 1864. T.S. Parvin, as secretary, assists with the formation of the State Historical Society of Iowa.
• 1864. A second bell, one that will remain until 2001, replaces the cracked one (1862) in Old Capitol.
• 1864. The Chicago & Northwestern Railroad establishes the first RPO (Railway Post Office) in the U.S., running from Chicago to Clinton, Iowa. For over 100 years, RPO’s serve as the fastest and most economical way to move mail across the country. (2)
• 1864. The 17-year-old child prodigy – Vinnie Ream – begins her amazing sculpting career through a personal invitation from President Abraham Lincoln.
• 1864. Dr. Washington F. Peck, surgeon, arrives in Davenport to start a new medical practice.
• 1865. On June 19th, the last remaining group of African American slaves – living in Galveston Bay, Texas – were told that the Civil War had ended and that they were now free! Juneteenth, 1865.
• 1865. Photographer Isaac Wetherby takes iconic photo of Old Capitol memorial service for President Abraham Lincoln. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7)
• 1865. Construction begins on North Hall adjacent to Old Capitol on University Square. (2)
• 1865. Elmer J.C. Bealer returns to Iowa City after serving in the Civil War, begins work with his father in offering construction of buildings, roads, and bridges.
• 1865. Iowa Supreme Court Justices Chester C. Cole and George W. Wright start the first school of law west of the Mississippi River – which soon becomes the SUI College of Law.
• 1865. As the Civil War ends, more African-Americans settle in Iowa City – building simple homes on Blocks 96-99 on the riverfront. (2)
• 1865. J.G. Fink partners with H.J. Wieneke to open Fink’s Cigar Store in Iowa City. (2)
• 1865. Educator William McClain moves to Iowa City – forms the Iowa City Commercial College and Iowa City Academy over the next five years.
• 1865. Samuel D. Guengerich returns to Amish, Iowa to begin 60+ year career as a well-known religious educator.
• 1866. The steamboat Iowa City makes her final run into Iowa City – the dream of a Port of Iowa City dies. (2)
• 1866. After a Harvard zoologist visits Johnson County in 1864 – lecturing about the rich deposits of fossilized coral in the area, the people of Clarksville rename their community Coralville. (2), (3)
• 1866. On June 21, the Old Settlers’ Association (OSA) holds its first festival/reunion – a Johnson County tradition that continues to 1925. (2), (3)
• 1866. The Mississippi & Missouri Railroad is purchased by the Rock Island Railroad. (2), (3)
• 1867. The Iowa State Normal Academy of Music opens in Iowa City.
• 1867. The cornerstone for St. Mary’s Catholic Church – Iowa City is laid. (2)
• 1867. Joseph M. Beck of Ft. Madison is appointed to the Iowa Supreme Court – will serve 24 years til 1891.
• 1867. The Cedar Rapids & Missouri River (CR&MR) Railroad arrives in Council Bluffs – becoming the first Iowa railroad to reach the Missouri River.
• 1868. A. Ruger – Bird’s Eye View of Iowa City map. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6)
• 1868. F.M. Irish writes a first-hand, four-part historical account of Johnson County history – published in Annals of Iowa. (2)
• 1868. A devastating fire destroys numerous buildings on South Dubuque Street in Iowa City. (2)
• 1868. The University Reporter begins as a 16-page monthly newspaper covering news for SUI.
• 1868. William G. Hammond moves from Des Moines to head up the new SUI School of Law.
• 1868. The Iowa Supreme Court rules in favor of Alexander Clark and his family, when Muscatine school board refuses to allow their daughter, Susan, to attend a public school. (2)
• 1868. The African-American community in Iowa City starts Zion AME Church (later renamed Bethel AME). (2)
• 1868. LDS (Mormon) leader Brigham Young writes Iowa City’s First Presbyterian Church stating Hummer’s Bell is secure in Salt Lake City.
• 1869. The Congregational Church on North Clinton Street in Iowa City opens with the tall spire becoming a major landmark.
• 1869. Mark Twain comes to Iowa City to give a lecture at Metropolitan Hall.
• 1869. Iowa farm boy, David Heizer, after serving in the Civil War, attends the State University of Iowa, before heading west to Kansas, finally becoming the mayor of Colorado Springs (1907).

• 1870. The State University of Iowa opens its College of Medicine (South Hall) in Iowa City. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6)
• 1870. The Universalist (Unitarian) Church (Unity Hall) opens on the corner of N. Clinton and Iowa Avenue. (2)
• 1870. The Western Stage Company runs its last stagecoach from Des Moines – the stage coach era in Iowa comes to a close.
• 1870. Lincoln Township is incorporated in Johnson County, Iowa.
• 1871. Dr. Otto Heinsius moves from Iowa City to Solon in order to open his medical practice and drug store.
• 1871. Iowa historian, Benjamin F. Shambaugh is born in Clinton County, Iowa.
• 1871. The generation three Boller children attend the newly-formed Independent Union Sabbeth School near Kalona, Iowa.
• 1871. Charles C. Yoder opens his Dry Goods Store in Amish, Iowa
• 1872. Iowa City’s largest hotel – The Clinton Inn – is destroyed by fire.
• 1872. The St. James Hotel opens in downtown Iowa City. (2), (3)
• 1872. P.T. Barnum brings his Greatest Show on Earth to Iowa City – the first circus to come to our fair community.
• 1873. Iowa City’s Lucas Township is divided at the Iowa River, making East Lucas and West Lucas Townships in Johnson County, Iowa.
• 1873. The State University of Iowa Hospital opens in Mechanics Academy, with the help of the Sisters of Mercy from Davenport. (2), (3)
• 1873. The BCR&N Railroad opens the Iowa City Plug Line from Elmira switching center. (2)
• 1873. The community of Coralville is incorporated and is included in Johnson County’s new Lucas Township. (2)
• 1873. Judge Joseph M. Beck, Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court rules in favor of Emma Coger, an African American woman who was wrongfully discriminated against on a Mississippi RIver boat in September 1872. (2)
• 1873. Mary Beth Hickey becomes the first woman graduate from the SUI School of Law.
• 1873. John P. Dostal purchases Great Western Brewery in Iowa City, and one year later, Conrad Graf is hired as brew-master of Union Brewery. (2)
• 1874. The first SUI Astronomical Observatory is built (near the north end of Clinton Street).
• 1874. Peter Dooley builds The Dooley Block Building on East College Street in Iowa City.
• 1874. Herbert Hoover is born in West Branch, Iowa. (2)
• 1874. St. Mary’s of Iowa City parish add the tall spire and bell tower to their building.
• 1874. William H. James keeps the family tradition going by opening James Photography on Clinton Street in Iowa City.
• 1875. A.T. Andreas publishes atlas featuring maps of Iowa – including Iowa City. (2), (3)
• 1875. Joseph Slezak opens Slezak (National) Hall on Bloomington Street, and over the next forty years, it will become the area’s Bohemian cultural center. (2)
• 1875. F.M. Irish dies suddenly in a freak sleigh accident in Iowa City.
• 1875. Iowa’s Civil War Governor, Samuel J. Kirkwood, is re-elected governor.
• 1875. SUI Professor Gustavus D. Hinrichs develops the beginnings of the Iowa Weather Service by building a weather observation lab on the roof of his house.
• 1876. Iowa Avenue in Iowa City (the site of the National Road and the first ferry crossing) finally gets a steel bridge – The Centennial Bridge – celebrating the U.S. Centennial (1776-1876).
• 1876. The College of Homeopathic Medicine opens at SUI – closes in 1919. (2)
• 1876. The Boerner family, immigrants from Prussia, opens Boerner Pharmacy – one of Iowa City’s first drug stores. From its new location on Washington Street (1883), Boerner’s will serve Iowa City for 63 years.
• 1877. George F. Boller dies in Elkhart County, Indiana.
• 1877.  Bankers Ezekiel Clark & Thomas Hill open a three-story brick building, housing Iowa City Bank Company on the first floor, and The Grand Opera House on the third. Soon, the name changes to the Coldren Opera House, becoming the finest theatre of 19^th century Iowa City. (2)
• 1877. P.T. Barnum brings his Greatest Show on Earth to Iowa City for the third time in this decade – promotional circus posters from this circus mysteriously appear years later in the Englert family.
• 1877. John J. Englert takes over as owner of Englert City Brewery. Iowa City’s oldest brewery. (2)
• 1878. SUI appropriates funds to open the first Homeopathic Medical Building on N. Clinton Street.
• 1878. SUI Science Professor Gustavus D. Hinrichs redefines a massive 1877 Iowa thunderstorm by naming it a derecho.
• 1878. The newly-weds – General Richard L. Hoxie & the renowned sculptor, Vinnie Ream – are married, and over the next 36 years make their summer home in Hoxie’s hometown of Iowa City.
• 1878. Frederick & Matilda Schmieg of Burlington purchase a Steinway Concert Grand Piano made in 1876. 130 years later (2006) ‘Rose’ finds a new musical home in the Senate Chamber of Old Capitol in Iowa City.
• 1878. After 24 years of multiple locations, the Iowa State Fair is moved permanently to Des Moines.
• 1878. Mayor Ricord appoints Deputy Marshal L.A. Clearman to oversee the problem of livestock roaming the streets of Iowa City.
• 1878. Chauncey F. Lovelace designs and builds Iowa City’s first architect-designed commercial building – The College Block Building on East College Street.
• 1878. Iowa City’s famed bridge builder – Elmer J.C. Bealer – relocates to Cedar Rapids.
• 1878. Grocer Samuel Baker builds state-of-the-art grocery store at 401 E. Market Street (eventual home of John’s Grocery).
• 1879. The SUI Power Plant/Armory is constructed adjacent to Old Capitol, bringing steam heat to University Square. (2), (3), (4)
• 1879. Alexander Clark, Jr. becomes the first African American graduate of SUI School of Law – his father, Alexander Clark, Sr. follows in his footsteps in 1884.
• 1879. Charles B. Elliott, who becomes a renowned lawyer in Minneapolis, enters law school at SUI.
• 1879. The BCR&N Railroad expands through Johnson County – Kalona (Bulltown), Iowa is born. (2)
• 1879. William E. Shrader opens Shrader Drug Store on the corner of College & Clinton Streets in Iowa City.

• 1880. The Victorian-style Water Closet (bathrooms) is constructed adjacent to Old Capitol, replacing traditional outhouses (1840’s), and a small building (Weights & Measures Building) is constructed just north & west of North Hall. (2), (3)
• 1880. Iowa City pioneer Cyrus Sanders begins writing a regular column on Johnson County history for The Iowa City Daily Republican. (2)
• 1880. The Iowa City Board of Trade publishes Sketch of Johnson County – a 28-page booklet that focuses on current business in the area. (2)
• 1880. J.A. Leighton comes to Iowa City to open Iowa City Glass Works – a promising business that becomes the city’s largest employer in 1881, but closes by 1882.
• 1880. Originally settled as Crooked Creek in 1840, the small community in Henry County (Marshall) renames itself – Wayland, Iowa. (2)
• 1880. Sumner “Hawkeye” Phelps, first white trader in Johnson County, dies in Oquawka, Illinois. (2)
• 1881. Thomas B. Wales III & Brookbank Farm of Iowa City becomes the “hub” for Holstein cattle-breeding in the United States (1881-1891).
• 1881. The Iowa City Telephone Exchange opens, serving about thirty-five phones from its location on East Washington Street, just above the Western Union Telegraph Office.
• 1881. Iowa City opens its new City Hall at the corner of Linn and Washington Streets. (2)
• 1881. Iowa’s first marching band, under the direction of the SUI military, makes its first public appearance. (2)
• 1881. Emlin McClain, farm boy from Tipton and 1873 graduate of SUI, is invited to come back to Iowa City as the first law student to become a SUI law professor.
• 1881. Daniel J. Boller and Barbara Miller are married in Johnson County, near Amish, Iowa. (2)
• 1881. William Hollis Boyer is born in Ohio – Boyer family moves to Trenton, Missouri in 1883.
• 1882. S.U.I. Library relocates from Old Capitol to North Hall.
• 1882. The Medical Building opens on University Square. (2)
• 1882. A SUI campus map includes nine university buildings and eleven downtown facilities important to SUI students.
• 1883. History of Johnson County, Iowa containing a History of the County and the Townships, Cities and Villages from 1836 to 1882 is published – a 966-page instant classic. (2), (3), (4)
• 1882. J.J. Lefevre opens his grocery store in the Odd Fellows Building at the corner of Dubuque & College Streets.
• 1883. The SUI Marching Band makes its first appearance at an Iowa intramural football game – Iowa at Cornell College.
• 1883. The Englert family opens Englert Brothers Wood & Ice Company – supplying Iowa City with firewood in the winter and ice in the summer.
• 1883. Carrie C. Lane (Catt), age 24, becomes school superintendent of Mason City schools, one of the first women in US to hold such a position.
• 1884. Waldo E. Boller is born in Washington Township, Johnson County, (2)
• 1884. Construction on the Science Building (Calvin Hall) begins on University Square. (2)
• 1884. H.W. Hill & Co. of Decatur, Illinois produce a wildly-popular pig poster featuring the nicknames of the 38 U.S. States & 9 U.S. Territories.
• 1884. Tensions over prohibition across Iowa explode in Iowa City with the Iowa City Beer Riots.
• 1884. Irishman Frank McInnerny opens his tavern on S. Dubuque Street, featuring a 150-foot-long bar.
• 1884. Charles M. (C.M.) Reno – son of Mayor Morgan Reno – is elected mayor of Iowa City for the first of three separate terms (1884-86, 89-93, 97-97). (2)
• 1885. Iowa City’s baseball club, The Neversweats, complete a near perfect season. (2)
• 1885. Emil Boerner single-handedly starts SUI’s College of Pharmacy, serving as its first dean and only faculty member.
• 1885. Educator Eldon Moran oversees the SUI School of Short-Hand & Reporters’ Bureau while writing & publishing numerous textbooks that reach a national audience.
• 1885. The Masonic Grand Lodge of Iowa – under the direction of T.S. Parvin and his Newton R. Parvin – relocates from Iowa City to Cedar Rapids, opening their new library. (2)
• 1886. The new capitol building opens in Des Moines, completing the move from Iowa City that began in 1857.
• 1886. Iowa City’s Deputy Marshal L.A. Clearman and his 15-year old son take a 138-day Rite of Passage trip down the Mississippi River.
• 1887. On June 21, The Iowa City Republican published an 8-page overview of Iowa City.
• 1887. Olive Alice (Hulme) Boller is born in Henry County, Iowa. (2)
• 1887. Seniors at SUI choose Old Gold as the school color.
• 1887. Frederick Boller dies – buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Amish, Iowa. (2)
• 1888. The Sanborn Map & Publishing Company publish maps of Iowa City (1880s-1920’s) for Fire Insurance coverage. (2)
• 1888. George Washington Carver relocates to Winterest, Iowa, enrolling at Simpson College in 1890, and becoming the first African-American student and faculty member at ISU (1891-1896).
• 1889. The members of the Old Settlers’ Association (OSA) erect two log cabins at the Johnson County Fair Grounds. (2), (3)
• 1889. Iowa City’s Mayor J.J. Holmes suddenly dies in office – from self-inflicted gunshot wound.
• 1889. Eva Emery Dye – the American novelist known for writing poetic history – has her Iowa City story published in The Magazine of American History.
• 1889. SUI plays its first season of football – one game vs. Iowa College in Grinnell, Iowa – the first collegiate football game west of the Mississippi River. (2)
• 1889. Iowa City resident, M.H. Bailey orders furniture from Montgomery Ward & Co. using their Wish Book, a mail-order catalog that turned retailing on its ear beginning in 1872.

• 1890. The Iowa Hawkeyes play their very first “home” football game in Iowa City. (2)
• 1890. Construction of the controversial Chemistry Laboratory & Pharmacy Building (East Hall Annex) begins. (2)
• 1890. The Forest City, Iowa meteorite involves SUI-trained lawyer, Charles B. Elliott.
• 1890. The Chancellor of the SUI School of Law, Emlin McClain, is selected as a new Justice on the Iowa Supreme Court.
• 1890. William P. Coast starts Coast & Sons Clothier in Iowa City – a successful men’s shop on Clinton Street from 1890-1935.
• 1891. Close Hall (YMCA/YWCA) opens – located on Iowa Avenue near University Square. (2)
• 1891. Artist Grant Wood is born on a farm near Anamosa, Iowa
• 1891. The second Astronomical Observatory is built on the northwest corner of University Square.
• 1891. SUI Professor H.F. Wickham begins his 40-year career in entomology – known by his many students as Bugs.
• 1891. Meet Paul & Rachel Ward – an older African-American couple living on Iowa City’s riverfront – Block 98.
• 1892. SUI football hires its first “paid” coach – Edwin A. Dalton.
• 1893. Iowa City opens its first high school on southwest corner of Centre Market square.
• 1893. Professor Benjamin Shambaugh publishes Iowa City – A Contribution to the Early History of Iowa.
• 1893. SUI President Charles A. Schaeffer leads a push to build an Athletic Park on campus – a project that will include a baseball stadium, a track, and a football field.
• 1894. The new Dental Building opens on University Square, housing the growing Dental School which opened in 1883 (South Hall).
• 1894. Architect Chauncey F. Lovelace and the Moon Brothers build The Crescent Block Building on East College Street in Iowa City.
• 1894. The first Iowa-Iowa State football game is played in Iowa City – Iowa Field. (2)
• 1894. When a variety of golden shades are used on campus, students at SUI vote to make Old Gold the “official” school color.
• 1894. SUI’s big rivalry football game with Iowa College from Grinnell ends with a controversial play resulting in the Pioneers forfeiting to the Hawkeyes 6-0.
• 1894. Edith Mae Agee (Boyer) is born in Trenton, Missouri.
• 1895. The new Homeopathic Medical Hospital opens on the corner of Dubuque & Jefferson Streets.
• 1895. SUI reaches its golden moment of the nineteenth century – The Red Brick Campus. (2)
• 1895. Clinton Street is the first Iowa City street to be paved with bricks – beginning an eight-city-block paving project in the summer/fall of 1895.
• 1895. Iowa Field opens, home of the Iowa football team – located along the Iowa River between Iowa Ave. and Burlington St. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1895. SUI becomes one of the first colleges in America to place an African American on a varsity athletic squad – Frank “Kinney” Holbrook in track & football.
• 1895. Iowa City Mayor C.M. Reno is elected to his third non-consecutive term (1884-86, 1889-93, 1895-97).
• 1895. Business college owner Elizabeth Irish becomes the only woman in the Iowa City Commercial Club – a forerunner to the Chamber of Commerce. (2), (3)
• 1896. Daniel J. Boller and his family relocate from Grinnell to Wayland, Iowa, opening Boller Furniture Company. (2), (3)
• 1896. The nation’s first-ever collegiate 5-on-5 basketball game is played in the gymnasium/basement of Close Hall (Iowa vs. Chicago). (2)
• 1896. SUI wins its very first conference title in football behind the amazing athletic ability of Tipton, Iowa’s very own iron man – Frank “Kinney” Holbrook. (2)
• 1896. Successful tavern owner Frank McInnerny opens his wholesale liquor house on S. Clinton Street.
• 1897. Mechanics Academy is razed, making way for new SUI Hospital. (2)
• 1897. The Sisters of Mercy open Mercy Hospital – Iowa City.
• 1897. North Hall is struck by lightning, fire destroys SUI Library & auditorium on the second floor. (2), (3)
• 1897. As a result of the North Hall fire, the SUI library and other student-related activities move into the Unitarian Church (Unity Hall) – located across Clinton Street from University Square.
• 1897. SUI President Charles Schaeffer calls for a long-range facility plan – proposes a contest to design a new Liberal Arts Building (Schaeffer Hall).
• 1897. The first street in Iowa City is paved with bricks – Clinton Street across from University Square., (2)
• 1897. The Iowa City Public Library opens its first location on Iowa Avenue.
• 1898. The first wing of the SUI Hospital on Iowa Avenue opens (East Hall).
• 1898. Rock Island Railroad opens new depot in Iowa City.
• 1898. William Hollis Boyer begins 53-year career with the Rock Island Railroad in Trenton, Missouri.
• 1898. The U.S. government approves the production of postcards by non-government-related companies. The penny-postcard boom begins! (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1899. First formed in 1896, the Western Conference invites Iowa and Indiana to join, making The Big Nine Conference. By 1916, with Ohio State on board, the Big Ten Conference is open for business.
• 1899. Daniel & Barbara Boller head up planning committee to start a new Mennonite church in Wayland.
• 1899. The W.F. Main Company and O.S. Kelly Manufacturing build new plants just east of the Iowa City – the beginnings of East Iowa City and the Rundell neighborhoods.
• 1899. William E. Shrader opens Shrader Drug Company in Iowa City.
• 1899. Emil Boerner teams with William Fry to build a commercial, state-of-the-art pharmaceutical laboratory on Washington Street in Iowa City.
• 1899. German-born Otto Kuntze becomes one of America’s finest mineralogists opening his Iowa Mineral Office in Iowa City.
• 1899. Iowa City Deputy Marshal L.A. Clearman solves two major crimes, elevating his detective skills to a high demand job across the state.
• 1899. 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration for Jacob & Catharine Boller in Kalona, Iowa, (2)

• 1900. SUI President George MacLean announces his “New University” facility plan – the beginnings of the Pentacrest. (2), (3)
• 1900. Iowa City’s best-known historian, Irving Weber is born.
• 1900. The Huebinger Survey and Map Publishing Company produce a massive Atlas of Johnson County. (2)
• 1900. The Johnson County Atlas shows both Clarksville and Coralville on its city plat map.
• 1901. A massive fire destroys both South Hall and the Medical Building on University Square. Buildings are replaced with temporary buildings, one affectionately called the Sheep Shed (razed-1909), and the other – the Mining Engineering Laboratory (razed-1908). (2), (3)
• 1901. The Vidette-Reporter combines with the SUI Quill to form The Daily Iowan. (2)
• 1901. Jacob (Jake) E. Reizenstein returns to Iowa City to become city editor of The Iowa City Daily Press.
• 1901. Johnson County opens its newest County Court House on South Clinton Street. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6)
• 1902. The Liberal Arts Building (Schaeffer Hall) opens on University Square.
• 1902. Tavern owner Frank McInnerny introduces his special product: Iowa First Capitol Whiskey.
• 1902. Catharine (Smucker) Boller dies in Kalona, Iowa.
• 1902. Composer Meredith Willson is born in Mason City, Iowa, (2)
• 1903. Iowa City opens its second high school on northeast corner of Centre Market square.
• 1903. Waldo Boller, age 19, and his brother, Frank, age 17, comprise half of Wayland High School’s second graduating class. (2), (3)
• 1903. Ida Mae Boller receives first of two Certificates of Attendance in Prairie Dale/Johnson County School.
• 1904. On August 5, the Iowa Daily Press publishes their Mid-Summer Industrial Edition celebrating business & commerce in Iowa City.
• 1904. The Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Railway (CRANDIC) completes its Iowa River bridge, connecting Iowa City to Cedar Rapids by Interurban rail. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1904. The new Iowa City Carnegie Public Library opens on Linn Street. (2)
• 1905. At the turn of the 20th century, a set of decorative penny postcards was produced by the Meskwaki Tribe in Tama County, Iowa.
• 1905. The Science Building (Calvin Hall) is moved across Jefferson and Capitol Streets to make way for the new Natural Science Building (MacBride Hall). (2), (3)
• 1905. The new SUI Armory opens adjacent to Iowa Field. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1905. A $20 prize is awarded to senior John C. Parish for writing the lyrics for Old Gold, SUI’s first official song. The first performance comes at commencement in June 1909. (2)
• 1905. The decorative hexagonal drinking fountain/watering trough opens on Iowa Avenue.
• 1905. Albert “Punch” Dunkel buys Ham’s Hall – renaming it The Majestic Hall. (2)
• 1906. SUI purchases Unity Hall (Unitarian Church), expanding it in 1911 to become the first Student Union. (2), (3)
• 1906. 26-year-old Effie Mae Proffitt starts her music studio in Unity Hall and over the next three years it develops into SUI’s School of Music.
• 1906. The Iowa City business community publishes “Our Live Ones” featuring cartoon pics of 40 prominent city leaders. (2)
• 1906. Otto Fink partners with H.J. Wieneke, managing Fink’s Cigar Store in the St. James Hotel. (2), (3)
• 1906. The new Iowa City Post Office opens for business on Linn Street.
• 1906. Iowa City’s City Park (78 acres) opens. (2)
• 1906. Iowa City hosts its first Chautauqua in Hutchinson’s Grove.
• 1906. Waldo Boller “officially” joins his father, D.J. Boller, in managing Boller Furniture Company of Wayland, Iowa. (2)
• 1906. Ding Darling becomes the political cartoonist for The Des Moines Register. (2)
• 1907. Jacob B. Boller dies in Kalona, Iowa.
• 1907. The long-standing Horse Barn (1860’s) is razed, making way for the construction of the new Physics Building (Jessup Hall). (2)
• 1907. Iowa City’s first three movie houses open – Brown’s Nickelodeon, Dreamland & Bijou’s Dream. (2), (3), (4)
• 1907. The State Historical Society of Iowa elects Benjamin Shambaugh Superintendent/Editor. (2)
• 1907. Lulu M. Johnson, Johnson County’s namesake, is born in Gravity, Iowa.
• 1907. The influential Dunkel Family has been in Iowa City since 1840 with many of their exploits appearing in local newspapers. 1907 is no exception! (2)
• 1908. In response to the national outbreak of tuberculosis, the State of Iowa opens Oakdale Hall sanatorium.
• 1908. The Hall of Natural Science (Macbride Hall) opens on University Square. (2)
• 1908. The decorative Water Closet (bathrooms), located adjacent to Old Capitol, is razed. (2), (3)
• 1908. Burch the Bear makes his debut performance at Iowa football games. (2)
• 1909. SUI’s first Observatory (now a carpenter’s shop) is razed, making way for the construction of the new SUI President’s home on N. Clinton Street. (2), (3)
• 1909. Miss Tillie Hanson of St. Louis receives her first in a series of 12 colorful penny postcards from her cousins and friends in Iowa City.

• 1910. Captain Tom Baldwin brings his Red Devil aeroplane to Iowa City for first successful flight in Iowa.
• 1910. Burch the Bear escapes his cage and ends up frozen in the Iowa River. (2)
• 1910. On March 21, Iowa Citians narrowly approve a vote to annex large portions of land outside the city limits – doubling the size of Iowa City.
• 1910. The Iowa City Electric Railway begins operation with a single trolley car running between the Rundell neighborhood on the east side to downtown Iowa City.
• 1910. 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration for Jacob & Catherine Miller in Deer Creek. (2)
• 1911. Young photographer, Fred W. Kent, begins undergraduate work at SUI. (2), (3), (4)
• 1911. Robert N. Carson, AAA member, organizes the Red Ball Route – an improved roadway from St. Louis to St. Paul, running through Iowa City. (2)
• 1911. In Muscatine, rioting breaks out as pearl button manufacturers go head-to-head with employees – the Iowa governor calls in the state militia.
• 1911. St. Agatha’s Seminary in Iowa City closes after 50 years of offering fine educational opportunities to women – the building is renamed Svendi Hall and serves as a women’s dorm for SUI students.
• 1911. In late November, Iowa City receives a visit from Klondike Bill and his seven-team dog sled.
• 1911. The Pastime Movie Theatre opens in downtown Iowa City.
• 1912. Iowa City’s new baseball club – The Gold Sox – play their first season in Rundell Park.
• 1912. SUI hosts its first Homecoming Weekend.
• 1912. The Physics Building (MacLean Hall) opens on University Square.
• 1912. Clarence Ray Aurner publishes Leading Events in Johnson County, Iowa – Volume 1, and Volume 2 follows in 1913.
• 1912. Waldo E. Boller marries Olive Alice Hulme in Wayland, Iowa. (2), (3)
• 1912. Teresa Dolezal Feldevert commissions a 9-foot-high bronze statue to place over her family’s gravesite in Oakland Cemetery. The beginnings of Iowa City’s infamous “Black Angel”.
• 1912. William & Etta Englert open The Englert Theatre in Iowa City – a state-of-the-art theater that seats 1,079 patrons. (2), (3)
• 1913. Fred Racine – Iowa City’s famed cigar store owner – buys out the Gold Sox – renaming the Iowa City baseball club – The Racine Ramblers.
• 1913. The Johnson County Old Settlers’ Association (OSA) erects a double log cabin in City Park – honoring John Gilbert’s 1837 Trading Post. (2), (3)
• 1913. Iowa defeats Iowa State 45-7 at Iowa Field, ISU fans take Iowa’s Victory Bell, hiding it in the belfry of Unity Hall. (2)
• 1913. The Iowa City Daily Press celebrates the opening of the Jefferson Hotel with a special edition which includes a Reizenstein article on the history of Iowa City hotels.
• 1913. SUI Student Union relocates from Unity Hall to Brunswick Bowling Parlor on Iowa Ave. – Unity Hall becomes the home for the School of Music. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1913. The Women’s Gymnasium opens on Jefferson St. (renamed Halsey Hall in 1975).
• 1914. The SUI Student Union moves into the St. James Hotel. (2), (3), (4)
• 1914. The Mississippi Valley Electric Company buys out the Iowa City Electric Company, keeping Iowa City street cars running until being replaced in 1930 with motorized buses.
• 1915. John T. Frederick, an undergraduate at SUI, starts Midland Magazine.
• 1915. Fred W. Kent becomes the “official” photographer for all SUI events. (2), (3)
• 1915. William Hollis (Hollie) Boyer marries Edith Mae (Edie) Agee in Trenton, Missouri.
• 1916. On Good Friday, the St. James Hotel burns to the ground. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6)
• 1916. SUI football hires its 11th football coach – Howard Jones.
• 1916. Kathyrn Anna Boller is born in Wayland, Iowa, daughter of Waldo & Olive Boller – lives only one day (Nov 29).
• 1916. Prohibition begins in seven states, including Iowa, four years before national prohibition.
• 1916. The Strand Theatre opens in Iowa City – making it 13 movie houses at 11 different locations over the last nine years. (2)
• 1916. A telephone pole on the corner of Dubuque & Washington Streets in Iowa City becomes the world’s record holder for displaying the most road identification signs, including the Red Ball Route.
• 1917. SUI holds its first Homecoming Parade.
• 1917. The Daily Iowan moves its offices from 28 S. Clinton into Close Hall – George Gallup serves as editor in the early 1920’s. (2)
• 1917. After years of labor, child welfare advocate Cora B. Hillis finally convinces the state legislature to fund the Iowa Child Welfare Research Station (ICWRS) at SUI – becoming the nation’s top research center for childhood development over the next 57 years.
• 1918. Iowa City opens the first commercial airport west of the Mississippi River. (2)
• 1918. The Old Settlers’ Association moves one of their 1889 log cabins from the Johnson County Fair Grounds to City Park. (2), (3)
• 1918. Nile Kinnick, Iowa’s only Heisman Trophy winner, is born in Adel, Iowa.
• 1918. Mildred Whitcomb, of Ottumwa, Iowa, is named editor of The Daily Iowan, becoming the newspaper’s first female editor and one of the first women to head an American college daily newspaper.
• 1918. Olive Hulme Boller’s brother, John Dill Hulme dies in France during WWI.
• 1919. W.R. Law writes the SUI song, “On Iowa,” (2), (3)
• 1919. Professor P.G. Clapp begins his 34-year role as Director of SUI’s School of Music.
• 1919. SUI Engineering students erect their first Homecoming Corn Monument.
• 1919. Harry L. Bremer – in a “gigantic publicity stunt” – flies into Iowa City several hundred pounds of new menswear from Chicago.
• 1919. SUI Children’s Hospital opens on the west side of the Iowa River.
• 1919. Ding Darling meets Herbert Hoover for the first time at the Ft. Des Moines Hotel.

• 1920. SUI Power Plant/Armory (Hall of Electrical Engineering) adjacent to Old Capitol is razed, following a fire. (2), (3)
• 1920. The last homes and businesses located on Blocks 96-99 on the Iowa River – west of Old Capitol – are scheduled for removal – making way for the new SUI Student Union. (2), (3)
• 1920. The Interurban Railway (CRANDIC) is finally convinced to re-build their bridge over Iowa Avenue, yet when built to 1920 standards, the bridge, even to today, continues to wreck havoc on high-profile vehicles.
• 1920. The first airmail flight from Chicago to Omaha has a single stop in Iowa City.
• 1920. The hard work of Iowa’s own Carrie C. Catt and others culminates in the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote.
• 1920. Waldo E. Boller takes over management of the family business, Boller Furniture Company in Wayland, Iowa. (2)
• 1920. The Daily Iowa State Press and The Iowa City Citizen merge – making The Iowa City Press-Citizen. (2), (3)
• 1920. Press-Citizen contributing editor – Jacob E. Reizenstein – begins two columns on Iowa City history that continue into the 1950’s.
• 1921. H.D. Short and his two sons become Iowa City’s first black businessmen, opening their Shoe Repair business at 18 S. Clinton Street.
• 1921. George Edward Boller is born in Wayland, Iowa. (2), (3), (4)
• 1921. Christian K. Nelson pitches a chocolate-covered ice cream bar to Iowa City’s Russell Stover. The result – the Eskimo Pie is born.
• 1921. The Iowa State Legislature officially approves Dixie C. Gebhardt’s design of the Iowa State Flag.
• 1921. Iowa’s March King, Karl L. King, helps pass The Iowa Band Law, which opens up opportunities for community bands nationwide.
• 1921. All-American Duke Slater leads Iowa to a mythical national championship in college football, highlighted by a 10-7 victory over Knute Rockne’s Fighting Irish. (2)
• 1921. A 120-page volume entitled University of Iowa Songs is released featuring Old Gold and other Iowa-related spirit-songs.
• 1921. A full-scale rehabilitation of Old Capitol begins, shoring up many unfinished facility issues, including replacement of the spiral staircase, and making the building more useful as SUI’s administration building. (2)
• 1922. Emma J. Harvat becomes an international celebrity when she was elected as, not only Iowa City’s first female mayor, but the first woman mayor of a United States municipality with a population exceeding 10,000!, (2)
• 1923. SUI’s second Observatory and the Weights & Measures Building are razed, making way for the Pentacrest’s University Hall (Jessup Hall). (2), (3)
• 1923. Dixie Lee (Boyer) Boller is born in Trenton, Missouri. (2), (3), (4)
• 1923. H.J. Wieneke, long-time Iowa City businessman, dies.
• 1923. Cornerstone for SUI’s Iowa Memorial Union is laid – Unit I opens in 1925, Unit II in 1927. (2), (3)
• 1923. Melissa Dunham buys the Terrell/Sanders Mansion and opens The Red Ball Inn on North Dubuque Street.
• 1923. Samuel W. Mercer moves Economy Advertising to expanded building on N. Linn St.
• 1923. The Iowa City Public Schools name their new athletic field – Shrader Field – honoring Lt. Edwin Shrader who was killed in a airplane crash in 1922.
• 1923. Iowa City’s Russell & Clara Stover open a small candy company in their home in Denver, Colorado. Mrs. Stover’s Bungalow Candies will become Russell Stover Candies by the 1940’s.
• 1924. Iowa City newspaperman – John Springer – writes an 18-page article for the Old Settlers’ Yearbook – Reminiscences.
• 1924. The SUI Homecoming Committee distributes its first Homecoming Badge.
• 1924. EKKO Radio Stamps hit the market promoting over 600 radio stations across the country, including Iowa City’s WSUI and KFQP.
• 1924. The School of Journalism moves into Close Hall. (2)
• 1924. University Hall (Jessup Hall) opens on University Square.
• 1924. The BCR&N Railroad ends passenger service to Iowa City.
• 1924. The 1924-25 Old Settlers’ Association Yearbook publishes a Johnson County “firsts” article.
• 1925. SUI President MacLean’s dream of a “New University” is nearly complete. The set of five buildings on University Square is dubbed The Five Spot by SUI students, but a contest in The Daily Iowan produces the name . . . The Pentacrest. (2), (3)
• 1925. Professor A. Craig Baird comes to SUI, beginning a 45-year career where he will become known as “The Father of International Debate”.
• 1925. The first Iowa-related US postage stamp – honoring Norse-American heritage – has a first-day release in Decorah and Algona, Iowa.
• 1925. Newton R. Parvin – son of T.S. Parvin – dies, ending an 80-year Parvin-family run as General Secretary of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Iowa. (2)
• 1926. 5-year old George Boller attends his first Iowa football game with his dad, Waldo Boller. (2), (3), (4)
• 1925. The Iowa City Fire Department’s two loyal horses – Snow Ball & High Ball go into retirement after 13 years. (2)
• 1926. Union Field opens (Block 98) south of the new Iowa Memorial Union.
• 1926. Carrie C. Catt is featured on the cover of Time magazine.
• 1927. Iowa Field House and Armory open on the west side of the Iowa River. (2), (3)
• 1927. Prohibition has shut down all liquor sales across Iowa, but that hasn’t stopped Johnson County’s Dingleberry Brothers from making some fine ‘hooch’.
• 1927. SUI Professor of Natural History, C.C. Nutting dies – visionary for natural science displays in Macbride Hall.
• 1927. First commercial air flight (from Chicago) into Iowa City.
• 1927. Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover addresses The Iowa Society of Washington DC on the subject of his “Boyhood Days In Iowa.”
• 1928. SUI University Hospital opens its first wing (including the Hospital Tower) on the west side of the Iowa River. (2), (3)
• 1928. Iowa plays its last football game in Iowa Field, while construction begins on a new Iowa Stadium on the west side of the Iowa River. (2)
• 1928. Famed bridge-builder and building contractor, Elmer J.C. Bealer, dies on the same day Cedar Rapids dedicates his new Veteran’s Memorial Building.
• 1928. Iowa-born Herbert Hoover is elected President of the US. (2), (3), (4)
• 1928. Aviator Paul B. Shaw moves to Iowa City – begins Shaw Aircraft Company. (2)
• 1929. Iowa Stadium opens on the west side of the Iowa River. The first game was Oct. 5 with Iowa beating Monmouth 46-0. The dedication game (Oct. 19) was rain-drenched with Iowa and Illinois playing to a 7-7 tie. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6)
• 1929. The Homeopathic Medical Building is destroyed by fire. Corner of Dubuque & Jefferson Streets is made into green space until 1960’s.

• 1930. Artist Grant Wood creates his iconic painting, American Gothic.
• 1931. Allyn and Helen Lemme return to Iowa City – opening their home to African American SUI students who are shut out of dorms due to racial prejudice.
• 1932. Rex the ROTC Dog welcomes Ossie Solem, Iowa’s new football coach. (2), (3)
• 1932. SUI’S School of Music moves into the refurbished Isolation Hospital Building on Gilbert Street, adding a new Rehearsal Hall as well.
• 1932. Ronald Reagan begins his stint as Sports Director at WHO Radio in Des Moines.
• 1933. Prohibition comes to an end, Iowa City begins issuing liquor licenses to local merchants. Joe’s Place is the first tavern to open in Iowa City.
• 1933. Unity Hall (Old Unity) is razed, is replaced (1945) with temporary quonset hut classroom space during WWII. (2), (3)
• 1933. As Unity Hall is razed, Iowa’s Victory Bell is discovered in the belfry, hidden there by ISU fans in 1913. The Victory Bell goes to the winner of 1933 Hawkeye/Cyclone game. (2)
• 1933. 12-year old George Boller travels with family friends to Chicago to take in the World’s Fair.
• 1933. On August 17, the little town of Nira, Iowa (population 20) becomes the center of attention, when USPS issues a stamp honoring Franklin Roosevelt’s NRA work relief plan. (2)
• 1933. In 1986, Irving Weber took his readers back to 1933 to re-visit the large collection of Iowa City neighborhood grocery stores. (2)
• 1934. The Fox Head Tavern opens for business in Iowa City.
• 1934. Iowa City artist Mildred Pelzer debuts her eight murals celebrating Iowa City historical events. The murals are displayed in The Jefferson Hotel until the 1949. (2)
• 1934. Racial targeting of All-American Ozzie Simmons at Iowa’s Homecoming game raises tension between Iowa and Minnesota. The two governor’s cool things off with a friendly wager in 1935 using a prized hog named Floyd of Rosedale. (2), (3), (4)
• 1935. As part of Roosevelt’s New Deal, the WPA – Works Progress Administration – begins putting Iowans back to work all across the Hawkeye State.
• 1935. The Iowa City election for mayor is all about the question surrounding M.O.L. – Municipal Ownership of an Electric Light Plant. (2)
• 1935. SUI-trained lawyer, Judge Charles B. Elliott dies in Minneapolis.
• 1936. Fifteen months before her untimely death, America’s aviator – Amelia Earhart – comes to Iowa City – speaking to a sellout crowd at the ISU Memorial Union.
• 1936. Joseph A. Helmer opens Helmer’s Tavern in Iowa City – renames it The Hilltop Tavern one year later. (2)
• 1937. The Iowa City Press-Citizen opens its state-of-the-art production facility on Washington Street – publishes a 92-page special edition.
• 1937. George & Stella Coan are arrested for bootlegging liquor at The Red Ball Inn in Iowa City.
• 1937. The Hawkeye Marching Band, under the leadership of ROTC since its inception in 1881, becomes part of the School of Music. The Scottish Highlanders make their first football appearance. (2)
• 1938. FDR’s WPA programs sponsor artists, musicians, writers, actors, and historians – resulting in numerous benefits to Iowa City and the fine arts.
• 1938. Iowa celebrates the 100th anniversary of becoming a US Territory. USPS issues a commemorative stamp featuring Old Capitol. (2)
• 1938. George Boller begins his college studies at SUI.
• 1938. George Kanak obtains his liquor license – opens George’s Buffet in Iowa City.
• 1939. SUI football hires its 15th football coach – Dr. Eddie Anderson.
• 1939. Nile Kinnick wins the Heisman Trophy as he leads the Iron Men of Iowa to college football fame and fortune. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9)
• 1939. Iowa City celebrates its 100th anniversary. (2)
• 1939. The CRANDIC Railway brings six new ‘Red Devil’ cars into service – making riders a bit dizzy with higher speeds over uneven tracks. The joke – “Come Swing & Sway the CRANDIC Way” begins to circulate with some calling the cars Vomit Comets.
• 1939. Two major Iowa River WPA beautification projects begin.
• 1939. Iowa City opens its third high school locating it on the Johnson County Fairgrounds east of the city.
• 1939. Aviator Paul B. Shaw begins CAA Civilian Pilot Training Program at Iowa City Airport – first class includes SUI coed Sally Johnson. (2)
• 1939. Jake & Fannie Kobes purchase The Red Ball Inn on North Dubuque Street – renaming it The Mayflower Inn.
• 1939. On the 100th anniversary of Iowa City, Benjamin Shambaugh publishes his classic book, The Old Stone Capitol Remembers. (2)

• 1940. A New Year’s Day fire destroys the second floor of Close Hall.
• 1940. The keel is laid in place for the USS Iowa in New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn.
• 1941. Lulu Merle Johnson became the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. from an Iowa institution and among about a dozen black women in the nation to achieve such status at that time.
• 1941. Meredith Willson has two love songs that become chart-toppers recorded by Hollywood’s top stars.
• 1941. Waldo E. Boller (age 57) dies in Wayland, Iowa. (2)
• 1941. Boller Furniture Company closes after 45 years of serving the people of Henry County. (2), (3)
• 1941. Paul Engle begins the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in temporary quonset hut classroom on N. Clinton St. in Iowa City.
• 1942. In the midst of WWII, the USS Iowa battleship is launched.
• 1942. The U.S. Navy begins its Pre-Flight Training School at SUI & over the next 3 years will train 2,500 pilots – with most going on to fly warplanes in the Pacific during WWII. (2)
• 1942. George Edward Boller enters the Army (WWII), assigned to Japanese Relocation Camp in Heart Mountain, Wyoming, where he meets Dixie Lee Boyer, who is a school teacher there. (1944). (2)
• 1942. As a result of WWII, food rationing becomes a common household issue. Meet one Iowa City family as they learn to work with U.S. Government Ration Books.
• 1943. Nile Kinnick dies while piloting his Navy fighter in WWII training exercises. (2)
• 1943. Two young men from Michigan finish their training at the Navy Pre-Flight School in Iowa City. Fortunately, the family took some amazing 8mm color home movies!
• 1943. The USS Iowa carries President Roosevelt to Tehran to meet with WWII allies, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin.
• 1943. War rationing forces the SUI Homecoming Badge to be made of cardboard, not metal.
• 1944. Bing Crosby introduce Meredith Willson’s first pop song dedicated to his home state of Iowa.
• 1944. Druggist & hometown artist E.E. Taber designs humorous ‘Greetings from Iowa’ postcards to sell in his drugstore in Clarion, Iowa.
• 1944. During WWII, journalism student Dorothy “Dottie” Klein becomes the editor of SUI’s Daily Iowan, overseeing the DI’s first all-female staff, including a sports writer who was the first female reporter allowed on SUI’s press row for sporting events.
• 1944. Jim Zabel becomes Sports Director at WHO Radio in Des Moines, beginning his 70-year career with Iowa Hawkeye sports.
• 1945. George Boller & Dixie Boyer exchange love letters during WWII. (2)
• 1945. George Edward Boller marries Dixie Lee Boyer in Billings, Montana. (2), (3)
• 1945. The USS Iowa serves as the Third Fleet’s flagship in Tokyo Bay as Japanese surrender, ending WWII.
• 1946. Iowa celebrates 100th anniversary of US statehood. USPS issues State Centennial commemorative stamp in Iowa City, and US Mint issues a commemorative half-dollar. (2), (3)
• 1946. Eric Hollis Boller is born in Wayland, Iowa. (2)
• 1946. Daniel J. Boller dies in Wayland, Iowa. (2)
• 1947. SUI celebrates its 100th anniversary. (2), (3)
• 1947. Following in the footsteps of Benjamin Shambaugh, William (Steamboat Bill) Peterson is appointed Superintendent/Editor of the State Historical Society of Iowa. (2)
• 1947. Fred W. Kent founds the SUI University Photo Service.
• 1948. Richard Spencer III creates Herky the Hawk, SUI’s famous mascot. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6)
• 1948. USPS celebrates George Washington Carver, who was educated in Iowa, and made a huge contribution to the world of agriculture and science. A second commemorative is released in 1998 as well.
• 1948. William Edward Boller is born in Wayland, Iowa, dies after two days (Dec 5). (2)
• 1948. USPS celebrates Iowan Carrie C. Catt and her role in Woman’s Suffrage.
• 1948. In Cedar Rapids, Tait Cummins becomes Sports Director for WMT-Radio, while Bob Brooks begins his long career in sportscasting.
• 1948. Gene Claussen and three other investors open KXIC Radio in Iowa City, with Claussen serving as sports editor over the next forty years.
• 1948. President Harry S. Truman brings his 1948 Presidential campaign whistlestop to Iowa City.
• 1948. John & Emma Alberhasky open John’s Grocery on Market Street in Iowa City.
• 1948. Sandy Boller’s parents – Jack Unrue and LaVonne Holm – marry in Warsaw, Indiana. (2)
• 1949. North Hall, built in 1865 adjacent to Old Capitol, is razed.
• 1949. The first Midwest Old Settlers & Threshers Reunion is held in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.

• 1950. Sandra Elaine (Unrue) Boller is born in Warsaw, Indiana. (2)
• 1950. Meredith Willson composes May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You, debuting it on national radio – The Big Show. (2), (3)
• 1950. In response to a challenge for a new school song, Meredith Willson writes The Iowa Fight Song, debuting it on The Big Show. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7)
• 1950. Meredith Willson writes & records Till I Met You – the unsuccessful precursor to The Music Man‘s Till There Was You.
• 1951. Martin Jay Boller is born in Wayland, Iowa. (2), (3), (4)
• 1951. Cruise across the Hawkeye State with this “official” Iowa Highway Map.
• 1951. Herbert Hoover is awarded the first Iowa Award, the highest honor given to an Iowa citizen. (2)
• 1951. Dr. James Van Allen takes over the leadership of the SUI Physics & Astronomy Department.
• 1951. Iowa City’s local government transitions to a council/manager format meaning our mayor is chosen by the City Council rather than by general election. (2)
• 1951. Meredith Willson is asked by NBC-Radio executives to write a song celebrating NBC’s Silver Jubilee and its famed 3-note trademark. The result came in October – Three Chimes of Silver.
• 1951. Meredith Willson’s Christmas classic – It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas – is released by Perry Como & Bing Crosby.
• 1952. Veterans Hospital opens in Iowa City, adjacent to University Hospitals.
• 1952. SUI football hires its 19th football coach – Forest “Evy” Evashevski.
• 1952. City Park’s Amusement Rides begin their 66-year run.
• 1952. General Dwight D. Eisenhower brings his 1952 Presidential campaign whistlestop to Iowa City.
• 1953. Following in the rich tradition of Ding Darling, Frank Miller becomes the political cartoonist for The Des Moines Register. (2)
• 1953. The CRANDIC Railway runs its last passenger car between Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. (2)
• 1953. The Iowa City Airport opens its new Admin Building & Terminal – designed by Iowa City architect Henry L. Fisk. (2)
• 1954. The Hawkeye spirit-song “Roll Along, Iowa” debuts at Iowa Stadium.
• 1954. Professor Himie Voxman replaces Dr. P.G. Clapp as Director of SUI’s School of Music.
• 1954. The U.S. Supreme Court rules against segregated schools in Brown v. Board of Education, 86 years after the Iowa Supreme Court made the same decision.
• 1955. United Air Lines produces a 30-minute film that features a short segment on flying in and out of the Iowa City Airport. (2)
• 1955. Ding Darling is awarded the second Iowa Award, the highest honor given to an Iowa citizen. (2)
• 1955. Barbara (Miller) Boller dies in Wayland, Iowa. (2)
• 1956. A live red-tailed hawk named Herky performs at Iowa football pep rally.
• 1956. 5-year old Marty Boller attends his first football game with his dad, George Boller – the Hawkeyes win the Big Ten championship and are invited to their first Rose Bowl (1957) overpowering California 38-12. (2), (3)
• 1956. Iowa City architect Henry L. Fisk invites young intern – Roland C. Wehner – into his practice. (2), (3)
• 1956. Director Fred Ebbs introduces ‘The Boom’ – the Hawkeye Marching Band’s long-standing pre-game tradition that kicks off each show. (2), (3)
• 1957. The Boller family relocates from Wayland to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. (2), (3)
• 1957. Meredith Willson’s Broadway smash, The Music Man, debuts in the Majestic Theatre in New York City. (2), (3)
• 1957. William Hollis (Hollie) Boyer, long-time employee of Rock Island Railroad, dies in Trenton, Missouri. (2)
• 1958. The Explorer Space Program launches three satellites into orbit, pushing the US into the space race with Russia. Equipment designed and built by Dr. James Van Allen and his SUI team detect rings of radiation around our planet – rings eventually named the Van Allen Radiation Belts.
• 1958. Rev. Fred L. Penny and his family move to Iowa City to take over leadership of Bethel AME Church. (2), (3)
• 1959. SUI Physicist, Dr. James Van Allen, appears on the May cover of TIME Magazine.
• 1959. Capitol Records releases Meredith & Rini Willson’s LP – …And Then I Wrote The Music Man – an amazing record that gives a unique listen to Willson’s Broadway classic.
• 1959. After a huge Rose Bowl win, sports historian Dick Lamb produces a LP Record dedicated to the Evy era in Iowa football – Hooray For The Hawkeyes. (2)
• 1959. Dottie Ray premieres on KXIC Radio, The Dottie Ray Show, which will successfully run in Iowa City for 55 years.
• 1959. A&P Grocery Store moves into new 21,000 sq. ft. facility at 700 S. Clinton Street.
• 1959. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks to a standing-room-only crowd gathered in the SUI Memorial Union Ballroom.
• 1959. Presidential candidate – Senator John F. Kennedy – visits Iowa City – taking in the Notre Dame-Iowa football game at Iowa Stadium.

• 1960. Under the direction of William J. Peterson, the State Historical Society of Iowa opens the Centennial Building in Iowa City. (2)
• 1960. The Old Gold Singers begin performing SUI’s Alma Mater, making it a popular song selection on campus.
• 1960. The SUI School of Music releases two LP records featuring the University Band, Men’s Chorus, the Scottish Highlanders, and the Old Gold Singers. (2)
• 1961. Thelma B. Lewis becomes Iowa City’s second woman mayor.
• 1961. Simon Estes, music student at SUI, meets vocal instructor Charlie Kellis, who opens doors for Estes to become the world-renowned opera singer he is today.
• 1961. SUI Physicist, Dr. James Van Allen becomes the fourth winner of the coveted Iowa Award. (2)
• 1962. The movie version of Meredith Willson’s The Music Man, debuts in Mason City. (2), (3)
• 1962. It’s Homecoming 1962 – The Daily Iowan publishes a special story on SUI’s four most popular spirit-songs.
• 1962. Iowa City’s first registered architect – Henry L. Fisk – suddenly dies, leaving Roland C. Wehner with three major city projects in process. (2)
• 1962. Brothers Fred & Herb Gartzke rescue the 1881 bell and clock from Iowa City’s old City Hall before its razed.
• 1962. Iowa City mayor Dorr Hudson dies in office after serving for just less than three months.
• 1963. Eric Boller and his Mt. Pleasant HS Panthers football team finished season ranked #1 in Iowa – undefeated, untied, un-scored upon.
• 1963. A disasterous fire destroys Bremers Clothing Store on Washington Street in Iowa City.
• 1963. Photographer Fred W. Kent takes iconic photo of Old Capitol memorial service for President Kennedy. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1964. The Beatles appear on Ed Sullian’s TV show, making Meredith Willson’s Till There Was You a big-time pop hit.
• 1964. After 117 years, the State University of Iowa (SUI) changes its name to The University of Iowa (UI). (2)
• 1964. The City of Iowa City acquires 17.5 acres of F.M. Irish’s property, birthing Hickory Hill Park. (2)
• 1965. Undergraduate Frank Patton releases a LP record album featuring audio sound bites from across the SUI campus called Echoes of Old Gold.
• 1965. The Mayflower Inn on North Dubuque Street hosts its final dinner party before the 114-year-old structure is demolished to make room for an apartment complex that will share its name.
• 1965. 14-year-old Marty Boller and his mom, Dixie, and two grandmothers, Edie & Olive, attend USPS Herbert Hoover stamp day in West Branch with 22,000 other attendees. (2), (3), (4)
• 1966. The Hawkeye, George E. Boller, comes back home to Iowa City, taking a new job with The Daily Iowan. The Boller family relocates from Mt. Pleasant to Iowa City. (2), (3), (4)
• 1966. First Presbyterian Church of Iowa City announces their plan to demolish Old Brick replacing it with a new church building.
• 1967. The Palimpsest magazine publishes a special edition dedicated to Iowa City Through The Years – featuring articles by famed Iowa historians, Benjamin F. Shambaugh & William J. Petersen.
• 1967. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass sellout UI Field House (12,000) for one night concert. (2)
• 1967. The Johnson County Historical Society was organized in 1967 as the Mormon Trek Memorial Foundation with its purpose to commemorate the Mormon Handcart Expeditions. The Foundation resolved to create a local history museum, so the name was changed to the Johnson County Historical Society (JCHS).
• 1968. Photographer Fred W. Kent takes iconic photo of Old Capitol memorial service for Martin Luther King, Jr., (2), (3), (4), (5), (6)
• 1968. Close Hall is closed – demolition begins (1970).
• 1968. The Tom Davis-era (1968-1972) begins with the Hawkeye Marching Band. Martin Boller will join the sousaphone section 1969-1972. (2), (3)
• 1968. Sandy Unrue graduates from Concord High School in Elkhart, Indiana – enrolls as music major at Northwestern University. (2)
• 1969. Martin Boller graduates from Iowa City High School – enrolls at UI as music major. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 1969. Olive Alice (Hulme) Boller dies in Iowa City, Iowa. (2), (3)
• 1969. Ron Gonder begins his long career as Sports Director at WMT-Radio in Cedar Rapids.
• 1969. Lolly Parker Eggers comes in staff at the Iowa City Public Library. Over the next twenty-five years she becomes a true mover-n-shaker for women’s rights across Johnson County.
• 1969. One year after her death, the Iowa Art Guild publishes Sketches of Historic Iowa – a collection of art from Harriet P. Macy – an art teacher from Des Moines – 38 years – who taught the beauty of diversity to all of her students.

• 1970. Iowa City opens a new elementary school, naming it after long-time civil rights activist and community leader, Helen Lemme.
• 1970. The last two Rock Island Rockets roll into Iowa City, ending 114 years of passenger rail service.
• 1970. 69-year-old Mae Driscoll opens her boarding house for mentally-impaired friends – one of which is Iowa City’s famed icon – Bill Sackter.
• 1971. The University of Iowa’s School of Music moves into a brand new facility on the west side of the Iowa River, adjacent to the new Hancher Auditorium.
• 1972. Old Capitol becomes the first building in Johnson County to be designated on the National Register of Historic Places.
• 1972. Iowa Stadium is renamed honoring Iowa’s only Heisman Trophy winner, Nile Kinnick. (2), (3)
• 1972. Campus tension over the Vietnam War increases. The student-led Homecoming Committee announces that traditional Homecoming will be renamed Old Capitol Week.
• 1972. Meredith Willson comes to Iowa City for the Hancher Auditorium debut performances of The Music Man. Marty Boller was a senior in the Hawkeye Marching Band and was part of this memorable performance. (2), (3), (4)
• 1972. Sandy & Marty both present senior recitals in order to graduate with music degrees from college.
• 1973. The Chemistry Laboratory/Pharmacy Building (East Hall Annex) is razed.
• 1973. Dr. Christine Grant becomes the University of Iowa’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women – a national pioneer and influential voice for gender equity in collegiate athletics.
• 1973. The Iowa City Press Citizen begins publishing articles on Johnson County/Iowa City history by Irving Weber. (2), (3)
• 1973. North Presbyterian Church (Old Brick) becomes the fourth building in Iowa City to be accepted on the National Register of Historic Places. (2)
• 1973. The Hawkeye Alumni Marching Band is formed under the direction of Tom Davis. (2)
• 1973. In preparation of America’s Bicentennial the USPS issues a series of stamps saluting Postal Service Workers.
• 1974. The Rock Island Railroad has its final passenger run into Iowa City. (2)
• 1974. Marty Boller & Sandy Unrue meet and have their first date.
• 1975. Martin Jay Boller marries Sandra Elaine Unrue in Skokie, Illinois – move to Buffalo Grove to continue their music teaching jobs in School District #21 – Wheeling, Illinois. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7)
• 1975. The original Dental Building (1894) is razed, clearing the Pentacrest of any remaining Red Brick Campus (1895) buildings.
• 1975. In an effort to save Iowa City’s second oldest surviving building, Friends of Old Brick is formed.
• 1975. Iowa’s March King, Karl L. King, becomes the seventh recipient of the coveted Iowa Award. (2)
• 1975. After nearly 50 years of serving Iowa City, A&P Grocery closes its doors.
• 1975. Davenport High School graphics art teacher, John Holladay, sells his first sports art poster at an art show in Omaha.
• 1976. The Iowa City Press-Citizen publishes a special 76-page Bicentennial section which features stories and pictures from Iowa City’s past. (2), (3)
• 1976. Old Capitol celebrates the U.S. Bicentennial by re-opening on July 4 after several years of complete restoration. (2)
• 1976. USPS celebrates America’s Bicentennial by issuing a sheet of stamps featuring all 50 State Flags.
• 1976. Irving Weber publishes his first book with the first article filled with fun facts about Old Capitol.
• 1976. Mary C. Neuhauser becomes Iowa City’s third woman mayor.
• 1976. George Boller: A Hawkeye Football Nut, by sports writer Al Grady, is published in the Iowa City Press Citizen (Homecoming Oct 1976). (2), (3)
• 1977. After a 11-year battle, Old Brick of Iowa City is offically saved from the wrecking ball.
• 1977. After a 43-year drought, Iowa and Iowa State renew their football series in Iowa City. Hawks win – 12-10!
• 1977. The University of Iowa purchases the Hutchinson-Kuhl home on Park Road – making it the new home of the U of I Press.
• 1978. James Alan McPherson becomes the first African-American to win a Pulitzer Prize for fiction with his collection of essays, “Elbow Room.”
• 1978. W.P. Kinsella, a Canadian studying at UI Writers Workshop, writes a 20-page story called “Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa.” (2), (3), (4)
• 1978. Bill Sackter’s hometown newspaper – The Minneapolis Tribune – publishes an eight-page spread featuring Bill’s story. It’s publicity like this that prompts CBS Television to pursue Bill’s story for the 1981 made-for-TV hit movie “Bill”.
• 1978. Marty & Sandy Boller’s oldest son, David Boller, is born in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The Bollers move to Evanston to start new job – managing Logos Book Store. (2), (3)
• 1979. The Iowa City Press Citizen publishes Irving Weber’s “Chronology – 1841-1979: 25 people who left their stamp on Iowa City.”
• 1979. UI football hires its 24th football coach – Hayden Fry.
• 1979. UI Football Coach Hayden Fry introduces the Tiger Hawk logo. (2)

• 1980. On March 31, a 125-year Iowa City tradition ends when the last Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific (CRI&P) Railroad freight train rolls through town.
• 1980. Marty & Sandy Boller’s oldest daughter, Debbie Boller, is born in Evanston, Illinois. (2), (3)
• 1981. Under the leadership of Lolly Parker Eggers, the Iowa City Public Library opens its new downtown facility. (2)
• 1981. CBS broadcasts ‘Bill’ – Barry Morrow’s amazing story of ‘Wild Bill’ Sackter and his Coffee Shop that opened in 1975 in the UI School of Social Work. Bill not only survived 44 years in a Minnesota mental institution, but went on to become a national celebrity – an icon of hope for impaired people. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6)
• 1981. Iowa City’s last telephone operator – working for Northwestern Bell Telephone – concludes 100 years of continuous telephone exchange service.
• 1982. USPS issues one of its most popular commemorative series – a 50-stamp sheet featuring the official state bird and flower of each state. The Iowa stamp features the Eastern Goldfinch and the Wild Rose.
• 1983. After 30 years with The Des Moines Register, serving as senior poltical cartoonist, Frank Miller suddenly dies of a heart attack at age 57. (2)
• 1983. Following in the footsteps of Ding Darling and Frank Miller, Brian Duffy becomes the political cartoonist for The Des Moines Register. (2)
• 1983. Marty & Sandy Boller’s youngest daughter, Jenny Boller, is born in Evanston, Illinois. (2), (3)
• 1983. UI School of Social Work Professor Tom Walz takes the vision of Bill Sackter and his coffee shop and over the next 35 years spreads the work across Iowa City and beyond.
• 1984. Composer Meredith Willson dies, and is buried in Mason City, his hometown. (2)
• 1984. Whiteway Supermarket closes after 42 years of business at 212 S. Clinton Street.
• 1985. Iowa City’s historian Irving Weber takes a Memorial Day walk through Johnson County’s six major cemeteries.
• 1985 #1-ranked Iowa vs. #2-ranked Michigan play in Kinnick Stadium. Hawks win 12-10! (2)
• 1986. Iowa City’s Frankling Printing House on Dubuque Street is designated on the National Register of Historic Places.
• 1986. Marty & Sandy Boller’s youngest son, John Boller, is born in Evanston, Illinois. (2), (3)
• 1986. George Boller retires from his University of Iowa job – The Daily Iowan/UI Printing Service 1965-1986 and Dixie Boller retires from Mid-Prairie Schools. (2)
• 1987. Marty & Sandy Boller and family relocate from Evanston, Illinois to Iowa – Iowa City (1987), Cedar Rapids (1990). (2), (3)
• 1988. Meredith Willson is posthumously awarded The Iowa Award, the highest honor given to an Iowa citizen. (2)
• 1988. USPS celebrates Iowa Territory Sesquicentennial with a postcard issued in Burlington.
• 1988. USPS celebrates Iowa-born William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody. A second commemorative is released in 1994 as well.
• 1988. Edith Mae (Edie) Agee Boyer dies at age 94 in Trenton, Missouri.
• 1989. Herb Gartzke donates the 1881 bell from Iowa City’s old City Hall prior to the city’s 150th anniversary.
• 1989. Iowa City celebrates its Sesquicentennial (1839-1989) on May 4th-5th-6th. (2), (3)
• 1989. W.P. Kinsella’s story, “Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa” is released as “Field of Dreams” blockbuster movie. (2)

• 1990. Marty Boller’s Calvin Hall artwork is displayed in Iowa City Press Citizen and Cedar Rapids Gazette (October). (2)
• 1991. Dixie Lee (Boyer) Boller dies in Iowa City, Iowa, buried in North Hill Cemetery in Wayland. (2)
• 1991. Marty Boller begins full-time pastoral ministry position with River of Life Ministries in Cedar Rapids, Iowa – leads to work with March for Jesus (1994-1997) and Promise Keepers (1995-2000).
• 1991. Union Park – the green space just south of IMU – is renamed for Philip G. Hubbard – SUI’s first African-American professor. (2)
• 1992. Women’s suffrage leader Carrie C. Catt is honored with the highest award for an Iowa citizen, The Iowa Award.
• 1993. The National Postal Museum opens in Washington DC – USPS celebrates with a set of 4 postage stamps.
• 1993. Iowa City historian Margaret N. Keyes releases her updated version of Nineteenth Century Home Architecture in Iowa City – classic study in historic Iowa City.
• 1994. George Edward Boller dies in Iowa City, Iowa, buried in North Hill Cemetery in Wayland.
• 1996. USPS celebrates Iowa Statehood Sesquicentennial with a commemorative stamp issued in Dubuque. (2)
• 1996. USPS celebrates Iowan Glenn Miller and his contribution to Big Band Music.
• 1996. Simon Estes is given The Iowa Award, the highest honor given to an Iowa citizen. (2)
• 1997. Iowa City’s famous historian, Irving Weber, dies. (2), (3)
• 1998. Marty & Sandy Boller and their family plant Father’s House Vineyard Church in Cedar Rapids.
• 1998. USPS celebrates Iowa artist, Grant Wood, & his most famous work American Gothic. (2)
• 1998. USPS celebrates Ioway chief, White Cloud.
• 1999. USPS celebrates Iowa’s very own Music Man, Meredith Willson with a commemorative stamp honoring Broadway composers. (2)
• 1999. UI football hires its 25th football coach – Kirk Fertenz.

• 2000. USPS celebrates the 29-star US flag (1847) after Iowa became a state (1846).
• 2000. Des Moines Register political cartoonist Brian Duffy releases his Iowa Millennium Poster – featuring 58 Iowa-related icons.
• 2001. An accidental construction fire destroys Old Capitol’s dome, bell, and cupola. Closes the building for five years for major repairs and renovations. (2), (3)
• 2001. Tower Place & Parking opens in Iowa City featuring the 1881 clockworks from Iowa City’s old City Hall. (2)
• 2002. A new bell is installed in Old Capitol, replacing the one (1864) destroyed in the 2001 fire. (2)
• 2002. George Washington Carver is given The Iowa Award, the highest honor given to a resident of our state. (2)
• 2002. Marty & Sandy Boller pay first visit to Marty’s ggg grandfather, George F. Boller’s grave site in Goshen, Indiana.
• 2003. The new golden dome is lifted onto Old Capitol, replacing the one destroyed by fire (2001). (2)
• 2004. New owners of the old Englert home on Dubuque Street in Iowa City uncover 1877 P.T. Barnum circus posters, used in a very creative way.
• 2004. USPS celebrates Iowa-born movie star, John Wayne.
• 2004. The US Mint releases a state quarter featuring the artwork of Grant Wood – Arbor Day.
• 2005. After 90 years in business, Bremers Clothing Store closes in Iowa City.
• 2005. USPS celebrates President Ronald Reagan, who began his career in show business by becoming the radio voice of the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 1930’s on WHO-Radio in Des Moines. A second & third commemorative is released in 2006 & 2011.
• 2006. Iowa City’s first mayor of color is elected: African-American Ross Wilburn.
• 2006. On April 13, a F-2 tornado hits Iowa City leaving $15 million in damage including the loss of one of the city’s oldest churches.
• 2006. After five years of renovations and repairs following 2001 fire, Old Capitol reopens to the public. (2)
• 2006. ‘Rose’ – The Steinway Concert Grand Piano, made in 1876, finds a new musical home in the Senate Chamber of Old Capitol in Iowa City.
• 2006. Marty Boller writes original version of Our Boller Story – proposing a Boller 200th Anniversary in America celebration in 2016 – the website version of OBS debuts in 2010. (2), (3)
• 2007. Renée Sueppel and her team begin The Women at Iowa Project – produced by the Council on the Status of Women and the University of Iowa cable network (UITV) and designed to tell the stories of recent Iowa women graduates. (2)
• 2008. Massive flooding of the Iowa River destroys both the Voxman School of Music Building and Hancher Auditorium.
• 2009. The Shattering Silence monument is dedicated in Des Moines, honoring Ralph Montgomery and the Iowa Supreme Court on the 170th anniversary of their landmark decision setting Montgomery free from his Missouri-based slave owner.

• 2010. Arcadia Books publishes Iowa City historian Bob Hibbs’ classic book of Iowa City-themed penny postcards. (2)
• 2012. University of Iowa celebrates its 100th Homecoming Weekend (1912-2012).
• 2012. The Meskwaki Language Preservation (MLP) Program begins teaching the native language to a new generation.
• 2012. The Iowa City Mosque purchased six acres of property with the plans of developing Al-Iman Cemetery, which will serve the growing Muslim community of Johnson County.
• 2013. Iowa City’s Roland & Marilyn Wehner’s 1959 home is designated on the National Register of Historic Places.
• 2014. Iowa City celebrates its 175th Anniversary.
• 2015. Marty & Sandy Boller begin new teaching assignment with Sustainable Faith, traveling extensively around the Midwest. (2)
• 2015. Iowa City historian/artist Marybeth Slonneger releases her fourth book on Iowa City history: Finials: A View of Downtown Iowa City.
• 2015. Marty Boller posts revised version of Our Boller Family family tree website.
• 2016. The Bollers celebrate 200 years in America by replacing George F. Boller’s broken gravestone in Goshen, Indiana.
• 2016. The Bollers celebrate 200 years in America by taking an October Road Trip, which includes stops in Iowa City, Mt. Pleasant, Wayland, and Kalona.
• 2016. The University of Iowa’s School of Music moves into the new state-of-the-art Voxman Music Building located in downtown Iowa City.
• 2017. The Stead Family Children’s Hospital opens adjacent to Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City – The Hawkeye Wave begins!
• 2018. Bethel AME Church in Iowa City celebrates its 150th anniversary. (2)
• 2019. The Muscatine Board of Education makes good on its discriminatory past, naming their new middle school for Susan Clark – the 12-year-old black student it banned from attending public schools in 1868.

• 2020. After 30 years of ministry work in Cedar Rapids, Marty & Sandy Boller relocate back home to Iowa City – This website, Our Iowa Heritage, “officially” begins. (2), (3), (4)
• 2020. Iowa City’s second mayor of color – African-American Bruce A. Teague – is elected.
• 2021. The Bollers celebrate May 11 – George Boller’s 100th Birthday.
• 2021. Johnson County officially makes African-American Lulu M. Johnson, Iowa Ph.D., its county namesake. (2)
• 2021. The Iowa City Public Library celebrates its 125th Anniversary.
• 2021. Iowa City honors Simon Estes with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
• 2021. Iowa City honors the thirty-year veteran of the Iowa Writers Workshop, James Alan McPherson, by renaming a city park in his memory. (2), (3)
• 2021. Major League Baseball comes to the “Field of Dreams” movie set in Dyersville, Iowa. (2)
• 2021. The football field in Kinnick Stadium is named for All-American Duke Slater, star of Iowa’s 1921 national championship team, and one of the first African-Americans given this high award.
• 2021. Iowa City, Johnson County, and UI all take positive steps in breaking down long-standing walls of racial discrimination, honoring James Alan McPherson, Lulu Johnson, and Duke Slater respectively, while electors welcome both a Sudanese and a Vietnamese woman to public office.
• 2021. #3 Iowa vs. #4 Penn State is the first ‘Top-Five-Ranked’ game in Kinnick Stadium since 1985. Hawks win a thriller 23-20!
• 2021. Marty Boller publishes The Christmas Eve Santa Came to Iowa – a Christmastime short story that features artwork from the ‘Father of Political Cartoons’ – Thomas Nast.
• 2021. Iowans celebrate our Quartoseptcentennial (175th) Anniversary of Statehood – December 28, 1846. (2)
• 2022. The University of Iowa celebrates its Quartoseptcentennial (175th) Anniversary – February 25, 1847.
• 2022. Meredith Willson’s Music Man enjoys yet another Broadway revival – this time featuring Hugh Jackman & Sutton Foster. Bollers joined with 28 others from Mason City, Iowa to celebrate the moment.
• 2022. A complete regilding of Old Capitol’s golden dome is completed – just in time to celebrate the University’s 175th birthday.
• 2022. A two-year, seven-million dollar renovation project begins on the Johnson County Court House.
• 2022. Johnson County’s newest historic site – Remembrance Park – is dedicated at the intersection of Sand Road & Napoleon Street in Iowa City. (2), (3), (4)
• 2022. The Johnson County Boller Family gathers in Kalona for a Third Cousin Reunion.
• 2022. Nearly 200 years after the 1838 treaty that forced the tribe from the state, the Ioway once again have land in Iowa – seven acres in Johnson County.
• 2023. The Bollers celebrate January 1 – Dixie L. Boyer Boller’s 100th birthday.
• 2023. Our Iowa Heritage posts Iowa City’s Top 50 Influencers – 1832-1939. (2)
• 2023. The City of Coralville celebrates its sesquicentennial. (2)
• 2023. The term “woke” is being used as a slam against those who, like Lincoln in 1860, are standing for social justice and racial equality. Do we understand the historical significance?
• 2023. Iowa-PBS broadcasts Meredith Willson – America’s Music Man – which includes a rare photograph from Our Iowa Heritage collection. (2), (3)
• 2023. Iowa-PBS airs the informative documentary on Nile Kinnick – Iowa’s only Heisman Trophy winner.
• 2023. PBS-Wisconsin broadcasts John McGivern’s Main Streets – Iowa City – which features a series of Did You Know? trivia questions from Our Iowa Heritage collection.
• 2023. In April, Iowa Women’s Basketball Star Caitlin Clark stopped by the Coralville Community Food Pantry to help raise funds for our Coralville neighbors in need.
• 2023. Our Iowa Heritage website aligns with Johnson County Historical Society and U of I Pentacrest Museums. (2), (3)
• 2023. Herky the Hawk celebrates his 75th birthday. (2), (3), (4)
• 2023. The UI Alumni Marching Band celebrates its 50th anniversary.
• 2023. During the fall quarter at the University of Iowa Library, the exhibit – “Hey Buddy, I’m Bill” – honoring the late Bill Sackter renews his amazing story of transformation via his buddies at the UI School of Social Work.
• 2023. Herb Alpert makes a return visit to Iowa City (1967), selling out Iowa City’s iconic Englert Theatre. (2)
• 2023. Our Iowa Heritage compiles a much-needed on-line topical index for Irving Weber’s eight classic books on Johnson County history.
• 2023. When it is announced that the historic Slezak Hall – built in 1875 & the long-time home to Pagliai’s Pizza – is for sale, a push to SAVE THE SLEZAK is undertaken by Iowa Citians. (2)
• 2023. A new NCAA record is set on October 15, when the University of Iowa Women’s Basketball team draws the largest single-game attendance for a women’s basketball game – Crossover At Kinnick.
• 2023. In October, the University of Iowa Pentacrest Museums host an exhibition of Fred W. Kent photographs.
• 2023. UI Journalism student Sophia R. Favorello interviews Marty Boller for her short video presentation: Tales of Iowa City: The Black Angel.
• 2023. The mural ‘Flights Through Time’ is introduced at the Iowa City Airport – celebrating 100+years of rich aviation history in Iowa City.
• 2023-2024. Iowa women’s basketball star – Caitlin Clark – breaks every record in the NCAA books as the UI Hawkeye Women’s Basketball Team captures America’s heart – The Catlin Clark Effect.
• 2024. Our Iowa Heritage aligns with Iowa City’s Friends of Historic Preservation – working alongside to save & preserve iconic buildings in Iowa City.
• 2024. A new preservation project begins – Saving & Preserving The Iconic 1953 Fisk Airport Terminal. (2)
• 2024. The University of Iowa Facebook Page publishes eight central campus photographs – Yesterday & Today.
• 2024. Our Iowa Heritage publishes a Google Map pin-pointing over 140 Iowa City & Johnson County historial sites.
• 2024. Krysty Bujakowska – the Iowa Women’s Basketball Team’s Kid Captain – passes away (at age 13) after a 3-year battle with bone cancer.
• 2025. Iowa women’s basketball star – Caitlin Clark – returns to Iowa City for her jersey (#22) retirement ceremony.
• 2025. Forty years after Irving Weber’s ‘Mayors of Iowa City’ articles are printed, OIH publishes a 7-page overview of Iowa City’s Mayors – 1853 to 2025.
• 2025. Iowa WBB Coach Jan Jensen and former Hawkeye WBB star Kate Martin pay a fund-raising visit to the Coralville Community Food Pantry.
• 2025. A new preservation project begins – Securing, Preserving & Renovating Iowa City’s Rock Island Depot. (2)
• 2025. First formed as Friends of Old Brick in 1975, Friends of Historic Preservation celebrates its 50th anniversary. (2)
• 2025. Marty & Sandy Boller celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6)
• 2025. Marty & Sandy Boller take the Iowa PBS Kinnick Stadium Insiders’ Tour.
• 2025. When the State of Iowa quietly announces the 2026 closure of the State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) Centennial Building in Iowa City, a growing number of concerned citizens begin the fight to save both the building and the vast historical collection housed there.
• 2025. The infamous Hummer’s Bell returns to Iowa City. (2), (3), (4), (5)
• 2025. Friends of Historical Preservation (FHP) holds its 50th Anniversary Celebration.
• 2026. In July 1976, The Iowa City Press-Citizen asked nine area students to project what life in Iowa City would be life in 50 years. Here’s their answers! (2)

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Click here for a complete INDEX of Our Iowa Heritage stories…

For more info on any of these stories found in Our Iowa Heritage, please drop me an email.