Colonel John W. Rankin 17th Iowa Infantry Civil War

 

(Colorized image from Iowa Colonels and Regiments by A. A. Stuart. 1865)

John W. Rankin helped raise the 17th Iowa Infantry in 1862 and went in as one of its field officers. They got little time to settle in. By fall, they were in Mississippi. At Iuka in September, the fighting came quick in broken ground. Lines blurred. Men fired at shapes more than targets.

A few weeks later came Corinth. October 4 hit hard. Confederate attacks drove into the line and shook it. The 17th Iowa took heavy losses. Parts of the regiment gave ground. Some were captured. Still, enough held for the army to recover and push back. Rankin was there at Corinth, where the fighting broke and reformed under pressure… and at Champion’s Hill, where Grant later wrote the battle was “stubbornly contested at every point.”

In 1863, they moved with Grant into Mississippi. Jackson fell after a quick fight. Then came Champion Hill on May 16. That was the one that decided things. The ground was rough. The fight didn’t move cleanly. Units went in, stalled, shifted, and went in again. The 17th stayed in it as the line bent and pushed forward.

After that came the Big Black River and then Vicksburg. The work changed there. No charges. Just digging, holding, and waiting under fire. They spent weeks in the trenches. Heat, dirt, sickness. Rankin stayed with the regiment through it, part of the long grind that ended when Vicksburg finally gave up in July 1863.

5th Iowa Infantry In The Civil War

Colonel Samuel Rice

The 5th Iowa Infantry formed at Burlington in July 1861. Most of the men had never seen combat. Within a year, they would. Early on, the regiment was led by Colonel Samuel A. Rice, a Burlington lawyer who brought order to a green command. By the fall of 1862, they were in Mississippi with Rosecrans, facing Confederate forces at Iuka and Corinth.

At Iuka, the fight came fast and close. Thick timber broke the lines. Units lost contact. Reports from the field describe heavy fire and confusion. Grant later wrote that “the enemy made a stubborn resistance.” The 5th Iowa held its ground and took its first hard losses.

Corinth followed weeks later. On October 4, Confederate attacks hit the Union line hard. The 5th Iowa went forward in the counterattack. They helped drive the enemy back. In the advance, they captured the colors of the 40th Mississippi and took prisoners. Rosecrans reported that the Union forces “drove the enemy from every position.” Rice had the regiment in hand during the fight, keeping it steady as the line bent and then pushed forward.

In 1863, the regiment moved with Grant into Mississippi. At Raymond, the fight stretched across fields and woods. The Confederates held at first, then gave way under pressure. Grant again noted the resistance, calling it “stubborn.” Two days later, the army took Jackson after a quick fight.

Hoovervilles The Ultimate Dig At Herbert Hoover

(colorized image of a photo published in The World's Work in 1920)

They called them Hoovervilles, and the name stuck. Not funny. Not clever. Just mean and dead-on. The country was broke, jobs gone, banks shuttered, and people were out there hammering together shacks from junk like it might hold the world together one more night.

They spread like a bad rumor on riverbanks, rail yards, and empty lots on the edge of town. No water. No heat. Breadlines curling around the block like a slow funeral. People standing there with hollow eyes, waiting for a handout that might run out three bodies ahead of them.

Dick Bros. All-Star Bowling Team Des Moines

 

Des Moines Register. September 15, 1912.

P. W. Hedlund was the manager of the Dick Bros All-Star Bowling team named after the company that financed them. 

Team members: 

Upper row: (left to right) M. J. Locker, William Coffin, and H. G. Stiles.

Bottom row: (left to right) Walter Balkema, P. W. Hedlund, and O. J. Bartos.

Clement T. Wilson Member of American Olympic Track Team 1912

Des Moines Register. July 7, 1912.

Clement T. Wilson, head of the Coe College track team qualified for the 1912 Olympics held in Stockholm, Sweden. He won a place on the American Olympic Team by equaling the world's record in the 100-yard dash in the tryouts held at the Northwestern University field in Evanston, Illinois.

He was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 100-meter competition, and the Americanrelay  team was disqualified because of a fault while passing the first baton.

Albert Baird Cummins Iowa Governor and Senator

 

(Watercolor drawing after photo in The Worlds Work. January 1909)

Albert Baird Cummins was born in 1850 in Pennsylvania. He studied law on his own and built a career in Des Moines.

He entered politics as a reformer, and fought railroad power and political control. He was elected governor in 1901 and served three terms.

As governor, he pushed fair railroad rates and cleaner government. He supported laws that gave voters more control. He faced strong opposition and didn’t back down.

Cummins later served in the U.S. Senate for nearly twenty years. He died in 1926.

Martin "Farmer" Burns Iowa Wrestler

 

Des Moines Register. June 3, 1906.

Martin "Farmer" Burns was born in Cedar County, Iowa, in 1861, and grew into one of the toughest wrestlers of his time. He studied the sport, figuring out holds and techniques that gave him an edge. By the late 1800s, he’d worked his way up to the American Heavyweight Championship.

Burns helped turn Frank Gotch into a world champion. His workouts were brutal—neck bridges, long runs, endless drills—but they worked. He turned wrestling into something smarter, tougher, and a lot more dangerous.

Iowa Wrestler Frank Gotch Demonstrating Toe Hold

Des Moines Register. July 16, 1905.

The Des Moines Register printed this photo of Iowa wrestling champion Frank Gotch applying his famous toe hold. The pain was such that opponents surrendered within seconds of his applying it.
 

Lulu Glaser As Dainty Dolly Varden At The Burtis Opera House 1903

 

Colorized image of Lulu Glaser
(from the Daily Times. October 24, 1903)

Comic opera star Lulu Glaser starred in Dainty Dolly Varden at the Burtis Opera House in Davenport on October 28, 1903. 

Contemporary reviews said Glaser’s strength wasn’t power—it was personality. She had a way of connecting with the audience through small gestures, expressive phrasing, and a gentle humor that suited the operetta style. The songs were delivered with clarity and elegance, not be show-stopping, but they lingerd pleasantly.

Vardon, Perry & Wilber Those Three Boys

The Davenport Democrat and Leader. January 17, 1909.

 Unfortunately, I couldn't find any information on this act. Just a photo, and a simple blurb saying they were one of the musical acts performing at the Family Theater in January 1909.

Coliseum Rollaway Grand Masquerade Davenport 1908

 

The Davenport Democrat and Leader. January 19, 1908.

This one surprised me. A masquerade skating party in 1908. if the advertisement is to be believed, everyone was required to wear a mask. And no intoxicating beverages were served.

Rollerskating must have been a big thing, because they offered a Masquerade Skate every evening and Sunday afternoon.

Balkan Princess At The Burtis Theater Davenport 1913

 

Colorized image, showing the cast of The Balkan Princess

The Balkan Princess was performed at the Burtis Opera House on March 30, 1913. The Daily Times descibed it as a "bubbling musical comedy." It was filled with sentiment and happiness and told the story of the romance between Princess Stephanie of Balavia and Grand Duke Sergius. 

Coca-Cola Advertisement 1914

 

Coca-Cola was Iowa's drink of choice in 1914. And as we learn from the ad, it wasn't just for men or women. Coca-Cola was "Everybody's Drink." This advertisement was printed in the Des Moines Register on September 20, 1914.

Advertisement Clemens Automobile Company Des Moines, Iowa

 

This advertisement for the 1915 Overland Model 80 automobile was published in the Des Moines Register, August 23, 1914. It was available from the Clemens Automobile Company, located at Fourth and Grand Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa.

Sculptor Florence Sprague

Charcoal drawing after an image in the Des Moines Register.
August 23, 1914.

Des Moines sculptor Florence Sprague studied for two years at the Chicago Art Institute. Previous to that, she spent two years studying with Professor Charles A. Cuming. According to the Des Moines Register she spent the summer of 1914 creating candlesticks, bookends, and other knick-knacks to sell in local craft shops.

Click here to read a longer biography of Florence Sprague Smith.