Nile Kinnick The Iowa Football Star Who Died Too Young

 

Iowa Hawkeyes fans were stunned in June 1943 when they learned that former halfback Nile Kinnick had died in action.

Kinnick’s parents told reporters they hadn’t heard from him since May 22. They thought he was assigned to an aircraft carrier somewhere in the Atlantic, but weren’t sure where. The Navy subsequently reported Kinnick’s Grumman F4F Wildcat suffered a catastrophic oil leak shortly after takeoff from the USS Lexington. He followed protocol and ditched his aircraft in the water about four miles from the carrier. Unfortunately, his body was never found.

When Kinnick enlisted in the Naval Air Corps in September 1941, he told reporters, “I would be lacking in appreciation for all America has done for me did I not offer what little I had to her.

“And I’m going in with both fists swinging.”

Antoine Le Claire The Fur Trader Who Became The Richest Man In Iowa

 

Antoine Le Claire started his life as an Indian trader and interpreter. After the Black Hawk War, Le Claire launched his second career as a town builder.

At first, he worked as a jack of all trades. Le Claire became the first justice of the peace in Iowa in 1833. The following year, he established a ferry service between Stephenson (present-day Rock Island) and Davenport. On April 19, 1836, Le Claire became the first postmaster of Davenport. Early accounts say he carried the mail in his coat pockets.

After the City of Davenport was laid out in 1836, a steamboat loaded with investors arrived at Davenport in time for the sale, but fewer lots were sold than expected. At best, fifty or sixty lots sold, and then, for lower prices than expected. The new city was off to a slow start and would continue at that pace for nearly a decade.

From all accounts, Le Claire cultivated his town much as a farmer would his fields, watering it and adding a touch of fertilizer when necessary. Everything written about Antoine Le Claire referred to his generous nature. “Mr. Le Claire is a wealthy man,” reported the Rock Island Weekly Argus, “and he knows what use to make of his wealth. Mr. Le Claire has always been the first on the list in every enterprise intended to benefit the town and state in which he lives.”

When the town was laid out, Le Claire set aside Lafayette Square for a courthouse. Several other lots were provided for parks and playgrounds. He donated land or money to build many churches in Davenport and gave an entire block on Main and West Fourth Streets for St. Anthony’s, the first church in Davenport.

Before He Became President Ronald Reagan Was A DJ At WOC In Davenport

Before the speeches, before Hollywood, before anyone ever called him “Mr. President,” Ronald Reagan was just a young guy trying to get a job during the Great Depression.

He didn’t have a master plan. No five-year vision. No idea he’d end up in the White House someday. He just had a friendly voice, a little confidence, and the willingness to walk into a radio station and say, “I think I can do this.”

Somehow, that worked.

He landed in Davenport at WOC radio, and like most first jobs, it wasn’t glamorous. Early radio wasn’t slick or polished. It was closer to organized chaos. Equipment was finicky. Scripts were loose. And if something went wrong, you were already on the air when you found out.

WOC had a reputation, though. The Palmer family ran it, and they enjoyed pushing things forward—new tech, new programming, and fresh voices. That also meant expectations were higher than you’d expect for a Midwestern station in the 1930s.

So, if you bombed, people noticed.

Fatal Joyride in Sioux City 1930

 

Adelaide Anderson was dropped off at home shortly before the shooting. Leonard Bornholtz, 17, was shot and killed by the police while trying to stop the car.

A joyride in Sioux City ended with a dead teenager and a handful of shaken kids sitting in a police station.

 

Detectives Lou Miller and Roy Gillis knew the car was stolen when they spotted it. They tried to stop it, but the driver, Harry Dial, 22, kept going.

 

The car cut into an alley. Miller fired two shots into the air. Warnings.

 

The car didn’t stop.

 

He fired again.

Drake University Advertisement 1930

 

The Des Moines Register ran this advertisement for Drake University in its August 31, 1930 issue. It gives a great view of the campus and the observatory.

Florence Gamble Boone, Iowa Matrimonial Swindler

(Des Moines Register. January 19, 1913)

Florence Gamble, better known as the Champion Heartbreaker of Iowa, was arrested in Boone, Iowa, in January 1913 for swindling lonely men around the country. Authorities said she corresponded with over 500 men, taking anywhere from $15 to $50 from each man.

She advertised in matrimonial papers around the country, then corresponded with the marriage minded men who responded. After writing back and forth for several weeks, she asked for a few dollars to cover her railroad fare to visit them.

J. L. Prater of Arlington, Texas, contacted federal authorities after sending her $30. After checking into his complaint they learned that she sent a picture of a nineteen year old marraige minded girl. After receiving money from the men, Florence conveniently cut off her correspondence.

Fairies Dance At Drake University May Festival

(colorized image from Des Moines Register. May 16, 1915)

The annual May Festival held at the Drake University stadium featured many dancers and performances.

Performers in the Fairies Dance include: (left to right) Margaret Collins, Martha Knudson, and Martha Peterson.

The above picture shows the grounds at Highland Park's Seventh Annual May Festival. The Des Moines Register said it drew over 6,000 spectators.