SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION Pleasant Mound School: 1908, Chrissy Sharpshair Teacher- Back Row- Ben Harms, Bertha Luiken, Nora Moore, Rena Karsjens, Florence Finster, Floyd Beamsley, Teacher, Grace Wilson, Nellie Schmel, Ed Luiken, Anton Luiken, Lizzie Tholen, Dena Eilers. Middle Row: Hannah Wubben, Anna Eilers, Bessie Wilson, Addie Wilson, Ray Karsjens, Nuretta Harms, […]

TRAILS BECOME ROADS THE MEAT MARKET Mildred Dunn Lepper lived a few doors down from Tom Ruppelt’s meat market which was a few doors down from her home in the back of her mother’s restaurant. She recalled some memories in her book. Tom Ruppelt   “Next to Mel Baker’s drug store […]

TRAILS BECOME ROADS “SPIKE” KLUGER & CLAMMING All communities from time to time have within them what the general population terms “characters”. Steamboat Rock developed many unique characters. Among these one of the more interesting was Gust. C. Kluger.    August Christian Kluger was born on August 22, 1871 in […]

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 […]