Rivalry Shaped Linn County Growth By Marion and Cedar Rapids
A retrospective on how Marion and Cedar Rapids influenced Linn County development. The piece traces early settlement, education, industry, fraternal groups, and culture, noting Marion’s rise with the county seat contests, schools, and social clubs, and Cedar Rapids’ later growth and influence on infrastructure and prosperity. It highlights cross-town ties, shared institutions, and lasting cooperation between the two communities.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago
A. Allen
Marion
Grove City
Iowa
Cedar Rapids
Jim Plumb
Chicago Blues
Jake Davis
Baden
McClelland
America
Light and Gas Utilities Grow With Industry in Cedar Rapids
A historic survey traces how Cedar Rapids utilities paralleled industrial growth from 1838 to 1945. It details the Iowa Electric Light and Power Company evolution from a barn plant to a modern multi-town system, the Crandie railway unit, and the shift from coal to gas as a key industrial fuel. It notes leadership changes, name changes, and the rise of gas in manufacturing, bakeries, kitchens, and heating, culminating in gas’s dominant role by 1945.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Marion Institute
C.O.P. Club
Iowa
Cary Club
Marion
Luman Strong
Robert Smyth
Cedar Rapids
S. L. Dows
Dubuque
Ivanhoe
Linn County
Safety Brothers
Iowa Electric Light and Power Company
Sutherland Dows
Old City Auditorium
First Street
The
Tony
C. G. Greene
Dr. Smith
W. G. Dows
Mr. Smith
Smith
Yale
Cedar Rapids Electric Light and Power Company
Iowa City Railway and Light Company
Iowa Railway and Light Company
Iowa Railway and Light Corporation
Iowa Electric Light ,and Power Company
Cedar Rapids Candy Company
Quaker Oats
J. G. Cherry Company
T. M. Sinclair Company
Hawkeye Lightning Rod Company
Cedar Rapids Gas Company
Syndicate Clothing Company
Also Mentioned on This Page
Marvin Oxley
Linncounaz
Cyrenus Cole
Muscatine
Davenport
Moscow
Prairie du Chien
Usher's Ferry
Newhall
George Greene
Higleys
Daniels
Cedar River
Rapids Township
Keokuk
St. Louis
Marion Township
Pennsylvania
Marion Independent
Lincoln
Des Moines
Pacific Coast
William Reynolds
Coe College
First Lyceum
Lyceum
Linn
Marion Lodge No
A.F
A.M
Cedar
Knights Templar Service
Marion Knights Templar
Congregational Church
Apollo Commandery
Greene
Grace Church
Jules Lombard
Boone and Dubuquet
J. H. Palmer
New York City
Cornell College
Mt. Vernon
Jackson Bowdish
Stevens Bank
Main Street
R. D. Stephens
Mitchell
Milwaukee
Field
Middle West
Stephens
County Recorder
Bill Bryant
J. F. Starbuck
Europe
Cherry Sisters
New
York City
Jefferson
Minnesota
Union Bus Depot
Second Street
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Light and Gas
W. J. Greene
Ae B. Smith
Seore
J. H. Smith
E. E
Crandie
Boone
Perry
First Avenue
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!