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

On this day in Iowa

September 24, 1906

The number of automobiles in the state tops 100 and newspaper editors declare that Iowa has gone "car mad."

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin.

On this day in Iowa

September 16, 1874

Iowa boasts the highest number of Granges in the nation at 1,999. The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry or simply, "the Grange," is an fraternal organization for farmers and their families. Founded in 1867, the Grange is the oldest surviving agricultural organization in America.

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin.

T.P. Jones Novel Based on Dubuque

Here's a fascinating new novel based on the recent history of Dubuque, Iowa:

Jackson by T.P. Jones. Published by Synergy Books (September 1, 2009) , hardcover, 560 pages. "On the banks of the Mississippi in an Iowa city, the Jackson Meatpacking Company and its two thousand employees are in trouble. Cutthroat competition has driven the company to the brink of bankruptcy. Jackson's mayor, a packinghouse worker himself, proposes an employee buyout. However, the idea is quickly stolen from him by the company's CEO, who will do anything to save the packinghouse, even if it means putting his employees' life savings at risk. Soon the company board, the union and even rank-and-file employees are fighting to make the plan their own. The whole town is drawn into the battle over company survival, as the people of Jackson face a seemingly impossible choice." 15-page Excerpt (PDF, 76 KB)

According to the author's website , Jackson is the first novel in The Loss of Certainty Trilogy. The second novel, coming soon, will be based on racial tensions in the author's fictional version Dubuque, and the third book will be about a Mississippi River flood.

In an audio interview, author T.P. Jones describes how he gathered background information for his novels by living in Dubuque for two years in the 1980s. With permission of Dubuque city officials, Jones rode with Dubuque police, slept in local firehouses, collected garbage, worked on area farms, spent time at the greyhound track construction site, and interviewed workers at the Dubuque Packing Company.

To find out if Jones' fictional portrayal of Dubuque is fair and accurate, reserve your library copy today!

On this day in Iowa

September 2, 1847

Six hundred Dutch immigrants arrive to make their homes in Pella. As the colony struggles to establish itself, its many sodhouses earn it the name of "Strooijen Stad" (Straw Town.)

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin.

On this day in Iowa

August 26, 1890

Ten thousand spectators jam Rush Park racetrack in Independence on opening day. Horse racing was an extremely popular sport at the turn of the century in Iowa, and Independence was known as the "Lexington of the North."

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin.

On this day in Iowa

August 19, 1914

In 1914 Jake Ross, a druggist in the town of Lewis, invites neighborhood children into his store to try a lemon-flavored drink. The kids gave their approval and Ross patented his invention under the name Kool-Aide.

Years later, another Lewis native, Edward Perkins, developed and sold bottles of concentrated fruit flavored syrup called Fruit Smack. To lower the high transportation costs of the drink, Perkins devised a way to create a concentrated beverage powder. He attempted to patent this drink under the name Kool-Aide, but found that Ross already held the patent for that name. Perkins purchased the name and the familiar childhood multi-flavored powdered drink Kool-Aid was born.

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin. Additional information from PracticallyEdible.com.

On this day in Iowa

August 11, 1932

In an effort to gain price increases from retailers, members of the Sioux City milk producers' co-operative establish picket lines and stop fifteen trucks from carrying milk into the city. On August 14, an estimated 1,500 farmers and their families successfully block all milk and livestock shipments into Sioux City from the north and west.

Watch a segment from Iowa Public Televsion's series "Hard Times" on the Iowa Pathways' website.

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin.

On this day in Iowa

August 1-2, 1911

Two hundred strike breakers from Chicago arrive in Des Moines, sent to intervene in an anticipated streetcar men's strike. Public sentiment runs strongly against the "rough & tough" newcomers and cooks and waiters in the Iowa Hotel refuse to serve the strikebreakers.

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin.

Congrats to Dubuque Author Heather Gudenkauf

Congratulations to Dubuquer Heather Gudenkauf. Her debut novel, The Weight of Silence, was published by Mira Books on July 28, 2009.

Heather Gudenkauf is a University of Iowa grad and a local educator. Heather lives in Dubuque with her husband and children, and she is already working on her second novel.

The Weight of Silence is a fast-paced, suspenseful story about two girls who go missing from their small Iowa town. A preview is available here: http://theweightofsilence.com/

American Booksellers Association's Indie Next List describes The Weight of Silence as "a heartrending story of emotional ties told with gently lyrical language that belies brutal truths." Publisher's Weekly says, "Gudenkauf moves the story forward at a fast clip and is adept at building tension."

Heather Gudenkauf's publisher, MIRA Books, represents "the brightest stars in women's fiction, including today's bestselling authors and brand-new voices," such as Carla Neggers, Karen Harper, Diane Chamberlain, Susan Wiggs, Debbie Macomber, Deanna Raybourn, Heather Graham and many others.

Congratulations Heather! We're proud of you!

On this day in Iowa

July 19, 1938

Governor Kraschel orders the National Guard to Newton and declares martial law in the Maytag employees' strike. The plant remains closed until August 4, when it reopens under military guard.

Read the book "Solidarity and survival: An oral history of Iowa labor in the twentieth century" by Shelton Stromquist for a history of the labor movement in Iowa, including first-person interviews of the men and women who participated in the Maytag strike of 1938.

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin.

On this day in Iowa

July 16, 1912

The first rural county hospital in the United States opens near Washington, Iowa.

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin.

On this day in Iowa

July 10, 1838

The game of nine-pins (a German variation of bowling) is prohibited in Fort Madison, as it is found to be "attended by a great noise" and produces "idleness and dissipation."

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin.

On this day in Iowa

June 26, 1922

WSUI (now available on 910 AM) is on the air with the first regularly scheduled broadcasts west of the Mississippi. In 1919, WSUI was one of the first stations in the U.S. to broadcast educational programming.

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin.

On this day in Iowa

June 17, 1869

Belle Mansfield is sworn in at Mt. Pleasant as the first female lawyer in the United States.

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin.

On this day in Iowa

June 8, 1894

The first issue of the Iowa State Bystander is published. The newspaper is dedicated to new and announcements for the African American community. Still published today, it is the oldest African American weekly newspaper in Iowa.

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin.

On this day in Iowa

May 27, 1859

The People's Theater in Dubuque is destroyed by fire following a performance of "The Gates of Hell."

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin.

On this day in Iowa

May 23, 1918

In response to World War I anti-German sentiment , Governor Harding issues a proclamation prohibiting the use of any foreign language in schools, churches, trains, any public places and over the phone.

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin.

On this day in Iowa

March 22, 1868

Regular streetcar service in Dubuque begins, but some citizens hesitate to try the new service. The horses and mules that pull the cars are fresh off of the Western prairie and have a reputation for kicking and running away.

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin.

On this day in Iowa

May 10, 1879

Cattle stampede and windows shatter as an unusually large meteorite lands in a field in Estherville. Vibrates from the impact can be felt for 50 miles around.

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin.