6 products
Lost Council Bluffs
9781467137478
Regular price $21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Nestled in the Loess Hills, Council Bluffs grew from a frontier settlement of wickiups and log cabins. The outpost boomed as a gateway to the West when gold was discovered in California in 1849. The Pacific House and the Ogden House became landmark hotels for the transient population. Meanwhile, residents thrived and cultivated a bustling city with the Masonic Hall, Dohany's Opera House and the Merriam block. None of these once iconic buildings remains today. Author S.M. Senden explores the perpetual rebirth of Council Bluffs through its most important buildings and relates a still unfolding story.
Campustown
9781626199903
Regular price $21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
For more than one hundred years, Campustown has served the students and community of Iowa State University. The originally residential neighborhood west of Ames was born in the early 1900s, when the school compelled students to seek residence off campus. However, local government overlooked the neighborhood, and it fell behind the achievements of Big Ames. After the boom of the previous decade, community leaders organized a secession movement in 1916. It took nearly a quarter century, but the neighborhood finally connected to the grid of public utilities. Author Anthony Capps takes readers on a journey from Campustown's roots, through its vibrant years in the 1960s to current projects breathing new life into the district.
East Village, Des Moines
9781467119627
Regular price $21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
East Village was not always the fashionable destination it is today. When the first settlers arrived in 1843 on the muddy banks of the Des Moines River, it was in direct violation of a treaty with the local natives. The settlement grew so quickly that by 1855, the fledgling city had been selected to be the state capital, and the building was constructed in East Village. The next century saw rivalries with the western half of the city, the birth and battle of one of the city's largest red-light districts and the construction of some of Des Moines' most prized historic treasures. Historian Hope Mitchell investigates the people and events that shaped the culture and landscape of Des Moines' most dynamic neighborhood.
A Brief History of Bucktown: Davenport's Infamous District Transformed
9781626199095
Regular price $21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
German immigrants created leafy beer gardens here nearly two centuries ago, establishing Bucktown as the heart of entertainment in downtown Davenport for generations. In 1916, the founding of the Tri-City Symphony Orchestra at the Burtis Opera House embodied the neighborhood's reputation for high culture. The numerous saloons and theaters, as well as the forty-two documented brothels that flourished within two blocks, lent a bawdy side to the good times. Varied industries thrived through World War II, and downtown bustled with shoppers visiting department stores like Petersen's. Later, the neighborhood struggled and declined as a farming crisis hit the region hard. With revitalized landmarks like the magnificent Hotel Blackhawk and the historic Redstone Building, the community is growing more vibrant as a place to live, work and play. Author Jonathan Turner explores this dynamic history and transformation.
Carter Lake
9781467118583
Regular price $21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
When a flood redirected the Missouri River in 1877, a small patch of Iowa landed in Nebraska--and a new town was born. Carter Lake incorporated as an independent city in 1930 as Iowa's only community west of the Missouri River. But the town continued to face Nebraska's continued annexation attempts and floods. The Flood of 1952 covered the town in three feet of water. Meanwhile, uncertainty over the state lines led gamblers to flock to Carter Lake for illicit dogfighting, cockfighting, boxing matches and alcohol. Celebrated journalist John Schreier illustrates how the border town once known for its illicit nightlife has evolved into a growing bedroom community beneath the Omaha skyline.
Hidden History of Dubuque
9781467118590
Regular price $21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Poised on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River, Dubuque provided a vital entry point for westward expansion. Explorers, Native Americans, fur traders, lead miners and pilgrims all played a part in the little-known history of Iowa's Driftless Region. It was Dubuque that contributed the first military company in the country for service at the start of the Civil War. Jefferson Davis made a foray into the city in pursuit of lead miners. And gangster Al Capone reportedly used the Hotel Julien as a retreat and hideout. Uncover these lost stories and more with author and historian Susan Miller Hellert as she chronicles the fascinating and all-but-forgotten tales of Dubuque and the surrounding region.
