TRAILS BECOME ROADS THE ICE BUSINESS At the turn of the century the ice business was still an important business, but as the century progressed it too would be erased from the scene.  Henry Potgeter operated the ice business from 1900 until 1916. He furnished ice locally ant to the […]

TRAILS BECOME ROADS THE POST OFFICE Rural mail deliveries were being made in some parts of the nation before the turn of the century. But not until about World War I did it become general.    At the Turn of the Century, Henry Luiken was the postmaster and Henry Eilers […]

TRAILS BECOME ROADS BUILDING ROADS Before gravel, Iowa’s country roads were just plain dirt, a quagmire in the spring and after each rain. But it didn’t make a lot of difference. Most vehicles were horse drawn and cars just stayed home until the sun did its work.    But by […]

A NEW CENTURY LIFE IN TOWN It should be noted that life was no less difficult for the families that lived in the town of Steamboat. The woman’s work was just as grueling, and most tasks done by the men in town were difficult as well. Even the merchant spent […]

A NEW CENTURY A NEW FARM CROP A new farm crop came farms around Steamboat Rock in 1911 when sugar beet production was introduced. Sugar beets showed potential as a profitable new crop.    The new industry got started with several area farmers contracting to raise from 25 to 50 […]

A NEW CENTURY LIFE ON THE FARM Farming at the turn of the century and the farming of today was quite different. Today modern technology and mechanized farming have replaced the back breaking labor of our great grandfathers day. Larger machinery does in a day the work that would have […]

A NEW CENTURY LIFE IN THE NEW CENTURY Mildred Dunn Lepper in her book, “Tell Me About the Old Days, Grandma” gives an account of her childhood in the early part of the century in Steamboat Rock.    Mrs. Lepper also wrote the introduction to the 1981 edition of the […]

A NEW CENTURY STEAMBOAT ROCK PILOT & STAR Although the exact date is not known, it is believed that the Steamboat Rock Pilot News was established in 1904. The plant was owned by Fred W. Eilers and finally leased to Sidney McCourty of Eldora.   The Pilot passed through a […]

A NEW CENTURY LUMBER AND GRAIN BUSINESS In 1901, Dan Turner, sold his elevator to Henry Potgeter for $1600 and took a note for the full amount.   In 1903 Henry bought one of the first one-cylinder gas engines from the Lennox company at Marshalltown for power for the elevator […]

A NEW CENTURY THE GENERAL STORE   Two views of the Johnson Brothers Stores   There were a large number of general and dry-goods stores that came on the scene after 1900. Some changed hands and others simply changed with the times.    One general merchandise store owned by Elda […]