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World War I: Iowa Woman Received Recognition For Service As Nurse

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“I shudder to think what the economic condition of the country and of all other countries involved will be when this awful war is over.”

Iowa History, a weekly column, appears at IowaWatch on Saturdays. Cheryl Mullenbach is the author of non-fiction books for young people. Her work has been recognized by International Literacy Association, American Library Association, National Council for Social Studies, and FDR Presidential Library and Museum. Visit her website at: www.cherylmullenbachink.com

Alice Beatle wrote to friends and family in Iowa from her post in Budapest, Hungary, in December 1914. And while Beatle expressed alarm about economic effects of war, her immediate concern was for treatment of the wounded soldiers under her care.

Verne Marshall

Cedar Rapids Editor And His Reports From Hell

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“I am hating war and the conditions which make it possible more as each day goes by, and I hated it strongly before I even left America.” Cedar Rapids Gazette editor Verne Marshall was writing from the front lines of France in 1916.

Iowa History

Wartime Rumors Swept Through Iowa’s Camp Dodge in 1917

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No, the Red Cross would never solicit donations through chain letters. And the public should immediately destroy any of those bogus letters they received in the mail. Conditions at Camp Dodge near Des Moines, where thousands of boys from across the Midwest were training as soldiers were better than at many other military camps around the country, despite rumors. And that woman from southern Iowa who had helped spread juicy bits of scandal about the camp was headed for an appearance in front of a federal grand jury. The country was at war in 1917, and military leaders were busy tamping down negative press.

Camp Dodge

Overstaying A Visa Got You Into Trouble 100 Years Ago, Too…Especially If You Were German

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The Secret Service said it was his “unusually inquisitive” nature about military matters that tipped off personnel about a German man working as a waiter in the officers’ mess at Camp Dodge, according to the Des Moines Register in 1917. John Conrad Ebert, 24, was arrested by federal agents on Saturday, November 24, 1917, at the camp. The agents had him under surveillance for about six weeks. He was charged as a suspected spy for Germany. Iowa History, a weekly column, appears at IowaWatch on Saturdays.

American Expeditionary Force

Iowa History: The Deadliest Weapon in the World

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On the lawn of a “beautiful old chateau” on the banks of the Marne River in France in July 1918 during the Great War (World War I) a commanding general of the American Expeditionary Forces pinned Distinguished Service Crosses to the chests of 37 marines for their “extraordinary heroism.” One of them was an Iowan, John J. Ingalls of Maquoketa. (Some sources indicate Ingalls’ address was Olin when he joined the marines, others Maquoketa.)

Iowa History, a weekly column, appears at IowaWatch on Saturdays. Cheryl Mullenbach is a former history teacher, newspaper editor, and public television project manager. She is the author of four non-fiction books for young people. Double Victory was featured on C-SPAN’s “Book TV” and The Industrial Revolution for Kids was selected for “Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People.” Her most recent book, Women in Blue traces the evolution of women in policing.

Red Cross

Iowa History: Iowa’s Gold Star Women

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“There is a handsome bronze tablet in the Army and Navy building in Washington, memorializing the mules and horses who died in the war; but nowhere is there found a record of the women who died,” declared Helen C. Courtney, a member of the Women’s Overseas Service League. The organization led an effort to establish a memorial for women who died in World War I, including a list of 161 names of “gold star women.” Among the names were several Iowans.

Cheryl Mullenbach

The Sooner, The Better

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It was both a “horrible and wonderful spectacle.” That’s how Roger Lewis, a Manchester, Iowa native, described the view from his billet near the town of Monthairon, France, where he was stationed with the 110th Ammunition Train during World War I in 1919. They were situated in the Meuse River valley, and Roger reported the soldiers could see gently rolling hills for miles in either direction.

News Quizzes

News Quiz: U.S. President Herbert Hoover

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Herbert Hoover, the 31st U.S. president, grew up in West Branch, Iowa until age 9, when he was orphaned and sent to live with relatives in Oregon. He served as president from 1929 to 1933. Test your knowledge on his Iowa roots and influence worldwide.