Chinch Bug Ended Iowa Wheat Boom and Mills
Iowa once led in wheat with widespread mills along rivers and a strong market, but chinch bug invasions in 1861 1871 and 1887 ended the wheat boom. Farmers shifted away as mills closed and other crops failed to develop, leaving few vestiges like Motor Mill south of Elkader.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Iowa
Ira Lewis
Shellsburg
Benton County
Clayton County
Dean Mallory
Elkader
Illinois
al Ehrhardt
Ehrhardt
Dubuque
Rhine River
Mississippi
Rhine
Turkey River
Women’s role in Cedar Rapids history explored in 1939 booklet
Local collector Louisa Peak details scarce records of women in Cedar Rapids through hospital and school board minutes, obituaries, and interviews. She cites Frances Graves Greene and S C Bever donating land for St Luke’s Hospital in 1882, and notes nurses, teachers, librarians, and organizers like Ada Van Vechten and Jane Boyd shaping early civic life.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cedar Rapids
Louisa Peak
Dalewood Avenue
St. Luke’s Hospital
Peak
Imogene Emery
Frances Graves Greene
George Greene
S.C. Bever
Salome Beardsley
Winslow
Harriett Belt
Henrietta Dows
Nellie Sherwood
Lincoln rewarded with land for Black Hawk War service
Abraham Lincoln received land in recognition of his role in the Black Hawk War. The award reflects how veterans and participants from the conflict were compensated in land grants, highlighting Lincoln’s early public service and regional ties.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Abraham Lincoln
Nostalgia for Revolution and the Meaning of History
A reflection on choosing good over evil and the resilience of the human spirit across centuries. It argues history records human foibles and achievements and that ultimate meaning lies beyond any single lifetime or era, with hope sustained through centennials and beyond.
Franklin Quotation on Imitation and Counterfeiting
Ben Franklin warned that copying a person is not the same as imitating him, noting a sharp difference between imitation and counterfeiting. The remark emphasizes authenticity over mere replication in behavior and character.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ben Franklin
Also Mentioned on This Page
By Gail Cooper-Evans
Ada A. van Vechten
Public Library
R.M. DeCatello
YWCA
Leota Swem
PTA
Polk School
Ruby Byers
Harrison
Jennie Post
van Buren
Frances Prescott
Jackson
Elizabeth Cook
College Club
Minnie Fletcher Blazier
Susan Abbe
Abbe Creek School
Linn County
E.J. Lund
Industrial Home
Emma Jewell Neal
Keokuk, Iowa
Lincoln
Youtoy
Coca Cola Bottling Company
66Th Avenue
S.W
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!