Iowa History Journal Volume 4, Issue 2 Now Available

Thursday, March 1st, 2012 | Iowa History Journal | No Comments

In 1917, Earl Caddock of Walnut, Iowa, defeated Joe Stecher of Dodge, Nebraska, to win the world heavyweight wrestling championship. The victory catapulted Caddock into the national spotlight and made him one of the most popular athletes in the entire nation. Shortly after, he signed up to fight in World War I and eventually suffered lung damage from a mustard gas attack in France. After the war, Earl came home to Iowa and became a successful businessman, family man, and devout Christian. His story, written by wrestling historian Mike Chapman, is both heroic and inspirational.

Readers will also be treated to feature stories on Fort Dodge’s legendary marching band composer Karl L. King, older Iowans known as “Graybeards” who served in the Civil War, WHO Radio’s Jack Shelley and the Bogenrief glass cutting studio in Spencer.

Also included in this issue:

• Lillian Blanche Fearing blazed a trail for blind women over a century ago
• How the city of Oelwein got its name and the importance of the railroad to that Fayette County community
• A book review of the photographic career of Iowa newspaper professional Joan Liffring-Zug Bourret
• Waterloo names its newest school for Fred Becker, Iowa’s first All-America football player
• The Iowa History Quiz
• Columns by our regulars – Arvid Huisman, John McNeer and Mike Chapman

…and much more!

Read more to see what’s inside this issue…

Tags: Bogenrief, Earl Caddock, Fred Becker, Graybeards, Jack Shelley, Joan Liffring-Zug Bourret, Karl L. King, Lillian Blanche Fearing, Oelwein

Iowa History Journal Volume 4, Issue 1 Now Available

Monday, January 16th, 2012 | Iowa History Journal | No Comments

Carol Morris put her hometown of Ottumwa, Iowa, on the international stage in the summer of 1956 when the twenty-year-old student at Drake was crowned Miss Universe. Earlier she has won the right to compete in the world’s most famous beauty contest by winning the Miss Iowa and Miss USA competitions. After a brief career in show business, Carol married and settled in to a Texas lifestyle and more or less disappeared from the scene. Michael Swanger caught up with her recently and in an exclusive interview she recalls those magic days of long ago.

Readers will also be treated to feature stories on Humboldt’s Harry Reasoner who gained considerable fame for his roles as a television news anchor; the amazing story of an Iowa bred horse named Alix, the most famous race horse in America in the 1880s, and the story of a United States Senator who helped save President Andrew Johnson from being removed from office.

Also included in this issue:

• In basketball and in life, Iowa basketball star and coach, Sharm Scheuerman was a real hero
• How the city of Clear Lake got its name and the many famous people who have played a part in its history
• Viking Pump of Cedar Falls has just celebrated 100 years of incredible success and now has its own museum
• A book review of the devastating flood that ravaged much of eastern Iowa in 2008
• The Iowa History Quiz
• Columns by our regulars – Arvid Huisman, John McNeer and Mike Chapman

…and much more!

Read more to see what’s inside this issue…

Tags: Alix, Carol Morris, Clear Lake, Harry Reasoner, Miss Iowa, Miss Universe, Ottumwa IA, Sharm Scheuerman, Viking Pump

Iowa History Journal Volume 3, Issue 5 Now Available

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011 | Iowa History Journal | No Comments

Meredith Willson marched his way into immortality (with 76 trombones leading the way) with his hit play and movie “The Music Man”. Willson grew up in Mason City, Iowa, and used his hometown as the backdrop for the fictional town of River City, Iowa, in the play. The movie debuted in Mason City on June 9, 1962, and today the city has returned the favor with the Music Man Square in downtown Mason City. Willson was a major success in the entertainment world for decades and John Skipper, noted Mason City journalist, has written a riveting story for the current issue of Iowa History Journal. There are several powerful photographs that tell the story of Meredith Willson’s impact on his beloved hometown.

Readers will also be treated to feature stories on the fabulous Salisbury House, a castle in the heart of Des Moines; the restored Orpheum Theater in Marshalltown; the Kinze Manufacturing Company near Interstate 80, west of Williamsburg, and how Gene Baker of Davenport made his mark with the Chicago Cubs in the 1950s. Also included in this issue:

• Samuel Kirkwood became Iowa governor in 1860 just as Abraham Lincoln took over as President, and then was talked into serving again despite his own reluctance
• How the city of Mitchellville came by its name
• Review of a book called the Quiet Hero, about Kenny Ploen and his role in leading the Iowa Hawkeyes to their Rose Bowl victory in 1957
• The Iowa History Quiz
• Columns by our regulars – Arvid Huisman, John McNeer and Mike Chapman

…and much more!

Read more to see what’s inside this issue…

Tags: Gene Baker, Kinze Manufacturing, Mason City, Meredith Willson, Mitchellville, Orpheum Theater, Salisbury House, Samuel Kirkwood, The Music Man

Upcoming Events This Summer and Fall

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011 | Book Signing, Iowa History Journal, Speaking | No Comments

Mike has a busy summer lined up, with a variety of speeches and appearances. He and Bev will be at the Iowa State Fair for 11 straight days (August 11-21) in the Iowa History Journal booth at the Varied Industries Building, along with several columnists and writers for IHJ. The booth will have most of the back issues of IHJ for sale, as well as many of Mike’s 22 books – including his latest book, Triumph and Tragedy: The Inspiring Stories of Iowa Football Legends Fred Becker, Jack trice, Nile Kinnick and Johnny Bright, The book makes a perfect gift for anyone as Iowa colleges head into football season this fall.

Working at the booth at some point during the 11 days will be Arvid Huisman, longtime newspaper veteran and author of the book Country Roads; John McNeer, who writes the IHJ column “The Way We Were”, and feature writers Bill Sherman and Jessica Lowe. None of the dates are pinned down yet but we will post them as soon as they are.

Read on for detail of appearances…

Tags: Iowa State Fair, National Cattle Congress, Tama Historical Society, West Bend Historical Society