City of Cedar Rapids history

Coe College, founded in 1851, offers 40 degree choices and small class size, with an enrollment of 1,300 students.

Cornell College, founded in 1853, has an enrollment of just over 1,100 students, and is ranked in the top 7 percent of the nation's colleges and universities.

Today, the Colonies are home to furniture stores, wineries, bakeries, and German restaurants run by the settlers' descendents. It is composed of seven villages first settled in 1855 by German immigrants searching for religious freedom.

According to an 1857 historical reference, the town jail was located at the rear of a lot on Third Avenue at First Street.

Local residents built the steamer The Cedar Rapids in 1858 and used it for round trips to St Louis; however, a collision on the Mississippi River and the arrival of the railroad ended river transportation.

On February 4, 1869 the City of Cedar Rapids began organizing its first volunteer fire department.

The economic growth of Cedar Rapids was spurred in 1871 with the arrival, from Ireland, of T. M. Sinclair, who established one of the nation's largest meatpacking companies, T. M. Sinclair Company.

Greene's Opera House was dedicated in 1880, the same year the Cedar Rapids Business College opened its doors.

In 1882 the Bohemian-American Hose Company was formed. (The original flag is located in the fire museum at Central Fire Station.) The firehouse was located in the rear of the C.S.P.S. Hall at 11th Avenue & 3rd Street SE.

If something needed serious attention and no officer answered the whistle, the employee could resort to using the fire bell to rouse officers.The Cedar Rapids Police Department purchased "Black Maria," a wagon used to haul prisoners in 1883.

Built in 1884, it is now used for a variety of cultural events, including dance and drama performance, historical tours, garden walks, lectures, workshops, and educational programs.

Earliest records indicate that the Central Fire Station began being used on June 23, 1894 when the Fire Department became a paid department.

In 1899 land was acquired and a new Central Fire Station was constructed in the vicinity of B Avenue and 3rd Street SE (214 3rd Street NE).

The Czech-language Cedar Rapids Listy began publication in 1906.

The first motorized fire apparatus was stationed at new station 6 on May 8, 1912.

The Cedar Rapids Fire Department joined the International Association of Firefighter Union on February 28, 1918.

On May 22, 1919, the Douglas Starch Works exploded, taking 43 lives and caused a $2 1/2 million loss.

The motorcycles had a top speed of 65 miles per hour and were outfitted with a special device to clock the speed of motorists that the police were tailing.1920: According to first-hand accounts, two motorcycles were used by police.

The county courthouse and the Memorial Building, dedicated in 1928 to Americans who have fought in the nation's wars, were built on Municipal Island.

Collins founded Collins Radio in 1933.

The Fire Department opened a new airport fire station in 1964 to house an engine and a crash rescue truck.

In 1968, a local advertising agency, Creswell, Munsell, Fultz & Zirbel (CMF&Z), created an identity initiative to position Cedar Rapids as a distinctive destination known widely for a valuable asset.

The company supplied electronic equipment to all branches of the armed services during World War II. Collins Radio, a major employer in the Cedar Rapids area, became a part of Rockwell Collins in 1973.

Cedar Rapids saw its first black firefighter hired on August 3, 1974.

By 1975, the Cedar Rapids Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) and the City of Cedar Rapids had adopted the Five Seasons.

Beginning in 1977, all firefighters would be trained in CPR and advanced first aid.

In 1979, the convention center built in downtown Cedar Rapids was named the Five Seasons Center and the adjacent hotel was called the Five Seasons Hotel.

The first two female firefighters were hired on April 21, 1986.

United States rank in 1990: Not reported

The Windsor Apartments Fire occurred on May 28, 1992.

In 1998, the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre began performing two to three operas per season.

The 3,200-square-acre airport served one million passengers in 2000, a milestone in its history.

In 2002 Mercy built the J. Edward Lundy Pavilion, a 170,000 square foot facility which houses the Katz Cardiovascular Center, Mercy Surgical Services, Women's Center, and Birthplace obstetrical unit.

Additionally, $4.1 million was spent on new curriculum, teaching tools, and technology in 2003.

The following is a summary of data regarding the Cedar Rapids metropolitan area labor force, 2004 annual averages.

In June 2008, Iowa was hit by a devastating flood, and the epicenter of economic damage was in downtown Cedar Rapids.

A new Central Fire Station was built at 713 1st Avenue SE and opened in October 2013.