Clarence Goecke

Iowa Teenager’s Prize-Winning Steer Bought By J.C. Penney

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International Live Stock Exposition attendees—a record-breaking 55,000 of them—seemed to overlook the “packing house stenches” and “fetid air” that hung over the arena in Chicago when two Iowa kids showed the grand champion steer in 1928. Newspapers from coast to coast covered the story. Time Magazine ran a lengthy article in its “Business & Finance” section offering a humorous sketch of the event. Iowa History, a weekly column, appears at IowaWatch on Saturdays. Cheryl Mullenbach is the author of non-fiction books for young people.

Denison

Early Twentieth Century Iowa Farmers Make Flying The Future Of Agriculture

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Early in 1948 the Iowa Aeronautics Commission released a survey of aviation in the state. Conducted by a team of professors in the mechanical engineering department at the University of Iowa, the survey revealed there were about 1,000 planes used for private and business purposes in the state and there was an airplane for every 1,471 persons in Iowa. The state had about 200 airports most with turf runways. A handful of high schools offered courses in aeronautics, mail had been delivered by a flying air carrier after a severe snow storm and the highway patrol had used an airplane to observe traffic before and after a football game in Iowa City. Flying clubs were active in the state, including Flying Farmers of America.

Iowa History

Female Mayor Cleans Up Iowa City in 1922

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“Woman Mayor Refuses to Sign Big Contract Before Investigating”

The headline in Albia’s Daily Times newspaper must have caught the attention of readers in 1922. A woman mayor? And one who was hesitant to spend thousands of dollars in taxpayers’ money? A curiosity, for sure. Iowa History, a weekly column, appears at IowaWatch on Saturdays.

Iowa History

How One Egg Sparked A Romance In Iowa 117 Years Ago

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“Lizzie Gilday, Fort Dodge, Ia. May this reach my true love.” The message was written on an egg that Charles Percy H. Smith held in his hands in his office in Guines, Cuba, in 1900. It came to him in an unusual way, and his curiosity led him to a woman who might have been his true love. Iowa History, a weekly column, appears at IowaWatch on Saturdays. Cheryl Mullenbach is a former history teacher, newspaper editor, and public television project manager.

Alegent Creighton Health

Katie Kuntz/IowaWatch Meth Abuse Documentary Gets Iowa Public Television Premiere at 8 CST Tonight

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The Katie Kuntz documentary for IowaWatch, “Breaking the Cycle: Meth Addiction in the Heartland,” premieres at 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5, on Iowa Public Television’s World channel – .3 on the statewide network’s three digital television channels. Iowa has seen an increasing use of methamphetamine, a dangerous, synthetic concoction of chemicals that can give users an artificial high. “Breaking the Cycle: Meth Addiction in the Heartland,” shows the impact meth has on Iowa children raised in a home with an addicted parent. This IPTV site tells you six different air times for the 30-minute report on World in January.