What was Iowa City like when the

What was Iowa City like when the Mormon
handcarts were here? 1856-1858

TERRITORIAL CAPITAL UNTIL 1846, THEN STATE CAPITAL UNTIL 1857.

POPULATION 3,500 (UP FROM 1,000 IN 1850 MOSTLY DUE TO ARRIVAL OF MISSISSIPPI & MISSOURI RAILROAD.)

BOHEMIAN, GERMAN, IRISH AND WELSH MADE UP THE NATIONALITIES OF MOST IOWA CITIANS.

MOST MESQUAKIE INDIANS LEFT IOWA CITY AREA IN 1845 FOR OKLAHOMA RESERVATION.

IOWA TEMPERANCE LAW (ANTI-ALCOHOL) IN EFFECT UNTIL 1859.

THERE WERE FOUR FERRIES ACROSS THE IOWA RIVER

ONE TOLL BRIDGE FROM PRENTISS ST. TO MYRTLE AVE. ACROSS IOWA RIVER

FIRST BANK OPENED 1855 AND CLOSED 1857, LITTLE CASH, MOSTLY BARTER.

ONLY A FEW STEAMBOATS CAME UP IOWA RIVER BECAUSE IT WAS TOO SHALLOW AND THEY HAD TO BE PULLED BY TEAMSTERS. THE INDIANS CALLED IT THE "BIG FIRE CANOE^".

SEVERAL SALOONS, EXACT NUMBER UNKNOWN, NOT MORE THAN TEN EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE ANTI-ALCOHOL LAWS.

ALL DIRT/MUD ROADS. BOARDWALKS FOR SIDEWALKS IN DOWNTOWN. NO PAVED ROADS UNTIL 1890.

STAGECOACH FROM BLOOMINGTON (MUSCATINE) TO IOWA CITY FOR $3.

SEVERAL LOCAL NEWSPAPERS SINCE 1841.

IOWA CITY HAD GAS STREET LIGHTS SINCE 1857 PEOPLE BELIEVED THE FUMES WERE HEALTHFUL AND LIKED TO LIVE NEAR IT.

FIRST IOWA STATE FAIR ON PENTACREST IN 1853

1853 IOWA CITY HAD INSTITUTE FOR BLIND

1855: INSTITUTE FOR DEAF AND DUMB

1855: BOARD OF HEALTH BEGUN.

1858: FIRST IOWA STATE COLLEGE GRADUATE.

What Was Iowa City Like? continued

St. Mary's Catholic Church (not current building, but same location) and Methodist Churches the only completed churches. Church bells rang at midnight of Dec. 31, 1855 when rail line was finished to South Johnson St. Depot ''Old Brick"^. Presbyterian Church was started In 1843, but not yet finished.

Mechanics Building (current Seashore Bldg) is where many churches met and first school started and eventually Iowa State College began in 1855 (though charter was 8 years earlier)

Iowa City Gas Co. used gas for streetlights.

Lumberyard north of present day Memorial Union (IMU)

Limestone quarry north of lumberyard (below UI President's home)

1st public school (located at entrance of Old Capitol Mall)

Hay and Wood Market on NE corner of Iowa and Dubuque where farmers brought hay and wood to sell each weekend.

Woodlawn (at east end of Iowa Ave.) was meant to be state governor's home called "Governor's Square", but Capital was moved to Des Moines in 1857.

Iowa Ave was made so wide to replicate Pennsylvania Ave in Washington, D.C.

Terrell dam and mill was at location of Dubuque St. in front of Mayflower apts. Also, Terrell owned a mansion (where present apartments are located.) He buried geld in Iowa River that his children found after his death. River was diverted to the west where present day Dubuque Street is located.

John Brown, the famous slavery abolitionist, came to Iowa City to train people in the "underground railroad" in 1856 and to set up "depots" in several homes.

Market square (present day Mercy Hospital) was a farmers' type market. Grocery stores were not available, everyone had to provide own fresh food. There were several dry goods stores.

Riverside Drive is part of the old National Military Road meant for soldiers to travel on to protect pioneers from Indians, but Mesquakie Indians never caused any problems with pioneer. Pigs ran loose through yards end gardens rooting through garbage. There was no garbage collection service, so just imagine! People were not required to fence pigs for many years.

Mormons had no temple at that time, but were an active fraternal group and actively assisted the Mormon Handcart pioneers.