Frank D. Stout: Dubuque to California

The name Stout in Carnegie-Stout Public Library commemorates Frank D. Stout who donated the land for our Library. Encyclopedia Dubuque lists his Romanesque mansion at 1105 Locust Street as another of Stout's legacies.

The people of California are also the beneficiaries of a legacy honoring Frank Stout's memory. The Frank D. Stout Memorial Park consists of 44 acres of giant redwoods located on the Smith River about ten miles north of Crescent City. "The Stout Grove is the most scenic redwood grove in existence," states Park Ranger Pete Peterson.

He has sent us a virtual tour to enjoy.

~Betty, Adult Services

Free Audiobook Downloads

Tired of waiting for library materials with a long list of holds? The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown is now available as a downloadable audio book on the Carnegie-Stout Overdrive site. You can listen to it on your computer, mp3 player or iPod. If a title is currently checked out, you can place a hold and be notified via email when it is available. Items in the collection can be checked out for seven days. Other new and upcoming titles include: Dreamfever by Karen Moning, U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton, That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo and Nutureshock by Po Bronson. The most popular titles overall for Dubuque listeners remain the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer.

Our growing collection now includes eBooks in either the new Adobe EPUB or standard Adobe PDF format as well as downloadable music, and video. Look for the Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf, a local Dubuque author. The eBook collection can be read on your PC, Mac or Sony Reader.

To check out materials from this collection, you just need a full service library card and Internet connection . Go to the E-Branch Library tab on our website at www.dubuque.lib.ia.us and click on the Download Audio Books and Music link to access the Overdrive collection. Use your library barcode number and PIN to log in and follow the instructions for getting started if you are a first time user. Some titles like the Soloist by Steve Lopez can be burned to CD; the icons by each title indicate format and options for viewing or listening. Check it out @your library!

Shattering Silence

The October 2009 issue of the Iowa Genealogical Society Newsletter (PDF--1.42 MB) contains an article of interest. In October the Iowa Department of Administrative Services will dedicate a new sculpture, which will be displayed near the Judicial Branch Building on the Capitol Complex in Des Moines. Shattering Silence is a creation of Des Moines artist James Ellwanger, and is constructed of native Iowa stone and highly reflective steel. It commemorates the first ruling handed down by the Supreme Court of the Iowa Territory in 1839.

It so happens there is a Dubuque connection. Ralph, a slave for a Mr. Montgomery in Missouri, had contracted with his owner to pay $550 over five years for his freedom. Ralph was hoping to earn that money by working in the lead mines around Dubuque. Unfortunately, Ralph was unable to accumulate enough money. When two bounty hunters planned to return Ralph to Missouri, a local farmer intervened. The local magistrate was notified and the case wound up in the Territory’s high court.

The court's ruling confirmed Iowa's position as a free territory. The court ruled that "Ralph was neither fugitive nor slave. Since his owner had permitted him to live on Iowa soil, he had become free and a court could not return a man to slavery on non-payment of a bad debt." Slavery was prohibited in Iowa, so Ralph was free. Doug Donald and Lenore Howard portrayed this event in their dramatization, "In the Matter of Ralph, a Black Man."

If you are interested in knowing more, Ralph Montgomery is listed in our obituary index. You can also check his entry in Encyclopedia Dubuque.

I find Dubuque history so fascinating! David Rorer, who was Ralph's attorney, is also credited with coming up with the nickname "the Hawkeye State."

~Betty, Adult Services

Zombies Overtake Vampires?

From BookLetters: "With the release of the new horror comedy Zombieland and a growing number of zombie books, zombies seem poised to overtake vampires as the monster of the moment. Elizabeth Bennet fights both her growing attraction to Mr. Darcy and legions of the undead in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, while a young woman growing up in a small village in a post-zombie-apocalypse world dreams of escape in Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth. And zombie expert Max Brooks returns to the field with The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks, a graphic novel detailing zombie attacks throughout history."