Iowa Military Units at Camp Dodge

The Des Moines Register (October 7, 1917) published these pictures of Iowa soldiers at Camp Dodge, training for overseas duty in World War I. It's an interesting look at army life.

Sioux City men of Company A training at Camp Dodge.

Pictures From The Villisca Axe Murders

On October 7, 1917, the Des Moines Register published these photograpghs of the Villisca Axe Murder house and some of the victims and suspects. I hadn't seen a few of these before so I thought they were worth a look.

The Villisca Axe Murder house as it appeared in 1917.

Luther College Decorah, Iowa circa 1910

 

Main building at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa (circa 1900-1910 - watercolor after a vintage postcard)

Inn at Fejervary Park Davenport Iowa

Fejervary Park feels easy now. Wide lawns. Trees. Walking paths. Families with coolers and kids running loose.

But for a stretch of time, it had an inn sitting right at its center.

Nicholas Fejervary built the mansion in the 1800s, up on the bluff with a clear view of the Mississippi. It wasn’t tucked away. It was meant to be seen.

In 1902, his daughter gave the property to the city of Davenport. The mansion became an inn.

And Davenport used it.

Weddings filled the rooms. Clubs held meetings there. Community dinners ran long into the evening. If something important was happening in town, it was happening at the Fejervary Inn. People dressed up, shook hands, and looked out over the river like it were part of the evening.

It didn’t last. By the 1930s, the building had been torn down.

Now it’s just park. Grass under your shoes. Trees overhead. A regular afternoon.

But once upon a time, this wasn’t just green space. It was where the entire town turned out for events and celebrations.

Pleasant View Sanitarium in Washington, Iowa (circa 1900-1910)

 

Pleasant View Sanitarium in Washington, Iowa (circa 1900-1910)

City Hall in Iowa City (circa 1900-1905)

 

City Hall building in Iowa City, Iowa (circa 1900-1905)

Muscatine Company Starts Work on “Littlemac” Auto Plant

In late 1929, the Thompson Motor Corporation began construction on a new automobile manufacturing plant in Muscatine, with plans to build a small, lightweight car unlike anything else on the road.

The company was led by Herbert G. Thompson, mayor of Muscatine. The new venture was capitalized at $1 million and aimed to produce three different models of a compact automobile called the “Littlemac.”

The Littlemac was designed to weigh less than half as much as a typical light car of the day. The vehicle would weigh about 1,100 pounds and stand between five and six feet high. Despite its smaller size, the company claimed it could reach speeds of 75 miles per hour.

It featured a 50-inch wheelbase and a 40-inch tread. A specially designed axle system was built to keep the car steady while turning corners. Power came from an 18-horsepower Red Seal Continental engine.