History of Dubuque, Iowa

Within the modern era, the city has focused on subjects such as flooding, racial issues, and redevelopment.

This area was important in the French-Indian fur trading culture; the earliest record of lead mining dates to 1690 and the French trader, Nicholas Perrot.

In 1788, Julien Dubuque was granted rights by the Meskwaki people to mine their land for lead;[1] he settled near the mouth of Catfish Creek.

In 1833, the area where Julien Dubuque settled and worked was opened up to settlement by the United States Government.

[4] Its origins trace back to the founding of the city; when Methodist ministers arrived and began work with the miners of the time.

Bishop Loras encouraged large numbers of immigrants to come to the area from the crowded cities in the eastern US.

While other groups—such as Hispanics and African Americans—have become more prominent over the years, many living in Dubuque are descendants of German and Irish immigrants.

George Wallace Jones was imprisoned on a charge of disloyalty based upon correspondence with Jefferson Davis.

Newspaper publisher Dennis Mahony was also imprisoned for several months in 1862 for editorials that were critical of the government.

It caused trouble for both groups when the President and other government officials misinterpreted this opposition as disloyalty.

When the Milwaukee Railroad Shops opened in Dubuque, a population explosion occurred when a number of young German families moved to the area in search of jobs.

Following the World War II, Deere and Company built their manufacturing plant on a parcel of land adjoining the Mississippi River north of Dubuque, opening it in 1947.

[6] This plant, which today builds construction equipment became one of the major employers in the Dubuque area.

This was found to be the work of a group of young men who were well known racists - several members already had criminal records.

To counter the Klan rally, the city held a free diversity public gathering at Dubuque's Eagle Point Park.

Jim Brady, who was mayor at the time, had even gone to the schools in Dubuque to talk about his experiences with racism over the years.

[12] During the latter half of the 20th century, residents and businesses of Dubuque began migrating out primarily to the western part of the city.

This movement has changed the face of many areas of the city, and pushed out the western borders of Dubuque.

Areas that were once fields were turned into housing for these young families, and Dubuque began pushing westward.

The S. S. Kresge Corporation opened a new Kmart on a parcel of land on what was once the western border of Dubuque.

In recent years, the city of Dubuque has made a concerted effort to redevelop the downtown and riverfront areas.

The local Historic Preservation Commission had recommended that the gas station remain intact, however the city government overrode their decision.

Developers have also recently begun construction efforts on the area at the bottom of the bluffs which the Eagle Point Park is located on.

This has caused controversy in that people feel that having buildings there would take away from the natural beauty of the area.

The rockslides led to concern that construction efforts may be causing geological instability in the bluffs.

After considering the options, the district decided to go ahead with building the new school, and has purchased the properties to be demolished.

Part of it was torn down, and the remaining portion is being remodeled into a new hotel scheduled to open in the spring of 2006.

This brought several riverboats participating in the event, a steam locomotive passenger train, the Budweiser Clydesdales, and a large number of people to the city.