City of Sioux City history

The first steamboat arrived from St Louis in June 1856, loaded with ready-framed houses and provisions.

The railroad first arrived in 1868.

He was part of the reorganization of the Union Stock Yards Co. into the Sioux City Stockyards Co. in 1887.

In May 1892, heavy rains caused the Floyd River to rise, sending a destructive wave of muddy water through the unprepared city.

The nationwide Financial Panic of 1893 resulted in number of real estate investors and entrepreneurs in Sioux City losing great paper fortunes.

In 1898, all units of the Iowa National Guard—the 49th, 50th, 51st and 52nd Infantry Regiments, as well as artillery and cavalry units—were called to active duty in the War with Spain.

In 1900, he initiated a nationwide lottery to dispose of his northside mansion (which later became the Sioux City Museum). About 40,000 tickets were sold at one dollar each.

In the winter of 1914, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) chose Sioux City as the site of one of its many free speech fights.

Now using the Mayor's office as his pulpit, Short became a powerful spokesman for the rights of the working man and of the ethnic minorities who made up a significant percentage of Sioux City's 70,000 citizens in 1918.

Following the Armistice of 11 November, these same Sioux City soldiers also were part of the 168th Infantry's "watch on the Rhine,": being stationed at Niederzeissen, Germany, until 9 May 1919.

The population grew to 71,227 at the 1920 census, making Sioux City the 99th largest city in the United States.

In 1938, the City of Sioux City established the Sioux City Public Museum incorporating the collections of the Academy into its displays in the old Carnegie Library at the corner of 6th and Jackson Streets.

The Iowa guardsmen had participated in all-Army maneuvers at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana in 1940, and were among the first to be federalized.

With war clouds on the horizon in Europe, Companies L and M and the Howitzer Company (37mm antitank), 133rd Iowa Infantry Regiment were called to active federal service in 1941.

On December 14, 1949, the large Swift & Company packing house, located north of the Sioux City Stockyards and adjacent to the Floyd River channel, suddenly exploded, killing 21 Swift employees.

On March 31, 1952, the Floyd rose to a 20.3 crest north of town.

In 1960, the Museum moved into the John Peirce Mansion after it was given to the City by the Junior League of Sioux City.

The flood-prone "South Bottoms" neighborhood was razed for this project in 1962.

In 2004, a 14 screen movie theatre opened, and included 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) of retail space.

The completion of the new $12.5 million museum facility represents an extensive public/private partnership that began in 2005.

Opening in April 2011, the new Sioux City Public Museum at 607 4th Street features large, colorful exhibits, interactive displays, and much more.