Iowa Heritage Illustrated

Dykstra, Robert R

Dr. Emerson's Sam: Black Iowans before the Civil War

Swaim, Ginalie

Montauk Today: A Victorian House Still Alive with Activity

Mitchell, Barbara

A Tour of Iowa's 20th-Century Archictecture

Ham, Sharon

End of Innocence

Purcell, L Edward

English

The Mesquakie Indian Settlement in 1905

(Dress D etectives
Bonnie Smola and Donna Story are twins with unend­
ing curiosity and enthusiasm. Both are retired profes­
sors of nursing who now volunteer regularly at 
Montauk and apply their considerable energies to what­
ever needs to be done.
Story first got involved at the historic home when 
she created a booklet for children touring the site. Then 
she decided to photograph and research the artwork. 
Next she and her sister, working with museum guide 
Nadine West, turned to the extensive clothing collec­
tion. The clothes are too fragile to be displayed very 
often, and even with the best of conservation care, tex­
tiles will not last forever. But the sisters knew that the 
clothing represented a wealth of historical information, 
and needed to be described in detail and photographed.
According to Smola, "nothing is as dull as a dress 
lying on a bed," so soon her husband, John, was mak­
ing 18 mannequins so the dresses could be photo­
graphed to their best advantage. "The dresses looked 
so different on a model," she said. "We would be think­
ing, Why would anyone use this combination of pat­
terns and materials? Then we would put it on a model 
and it was just unbelievable."
Sometimes they had to puzzle out how to even put 
the outfit on the mannequin. One dress had seven dif­
ferent closures, each overlapping beyond the preced­
ing closure to minimize 
bulk. The waists of several 
dresses measured a breath­
taking 18 inches.
While the Larrabees 
surely purchased dresses in 
Chicago and eastern cities, 
perhaps even Europe, they 
probably also hired local 
dressmakers for some items. 
Many of the dresses are fin­
ished beautifully, with tiny, 
even stitches. Some have 
lace on the inner seams.
Smola and Story first 
learned sewing in home 
economics decades ago 
and later sewed for them­
selves and their children. 
But understanding Victo­
rian and Edwardian cloth­
ing styles and construction 
required new knowledge
i
This  silk c r e p e  de  c h in e  
b louse  c loses  in th e  f ro n t  
with  hooks.  T h e r e  a re  six 
hooks on the neckband and 
fifteen long stays at the waist.
48 Iowa Heritage Illustrated
V o lu n tee rs  D o n n a  S to ry  and Bonnie  S m o la  won a Loren 
H orton  Com m unity  History Certificate of Recognition and 
the  G overnor’s Volunteer Award for their  work a t  Montauk. 
Here,  they gently adjust a Larrabee dress on a mannequin.
and research. They started by checking out every perti­
nent book in the library and then turned to textile ex­
perts for more information and advice.
As they documented the clothing, they improved 
the storage conditions. They methodically recorded the 
colors, fabrics, design elements, and construction de­
tails of each item, counting the pleats and stays, reveal­
ing the hidden plackets and bustle pads. With the ex­
tensive records the sisters have created, historians will 
be able to survey and study the collection without 
excess handling of the delicate and fragile clothing.
They have photographed and described about 120 
different outfits, everything from Mrs. Larrabee's op­
era cape with tiny turquoise beads to petticoats with 
ruffles, children's dresses to servants' uniforms, para­
sols to gloves and fans. "We photographed the hats and 
thought we were done," Story said. "Then we opened 
up another cupboard and here were 20 more." Shoes in 
the collection reflect stylishness and frugality, with an 
occasional patch added or heels and soles replaced.
Historical research is much like detective work, and 
Montauk volunteers Bonnie Smola and Donna Story are 
truly sleuths of style and fashion. —by Ginalie Swaitn
B
O
T
H
 P
H
O
T
O
S
 B
Y
 C
H
U
C
K
 O
R
E
IN
E
R


Dress Detectives

Iowa Heritage Illustrated, vol.85 no.1, Spring 2004

Vermaas, Lori

2004 Yearly Index
Adams County (Iowa), 188 
Addams, Jane, 160 
African Americans, 50-63, 
156-59
Akers, John W., 185 
Aldrich, Charles, 187 
Allen, John, 115 
Allen, L. P. ("Tune"), 54 
Amana Colonies (Iowa), 
143-44
American Institute of 
Architects, 161-81 
Ames (Iowa), 150,174-75. See 
also Iowa State University 
Anderson, Ben, 62 
Anderson, Daniel, 59 
Anderson, Ellen, 59 
Anderson, Minnie (KJeppe), 25 
Anthony, Susan B., 80 
Arbor Day (painting), 189-91 
Arbor Day, 182-91 
Architecture, Spring inside 
back cover, 161-81 
Arthur, Anthony, 58 
Artwork, 6-9,11,17,22-23, 
28-29, 42, 44-46,102-03 
Arwine, Isaac, 64, 67, 68, 74, 
75-76
Askelson, Nora, 25 
Babcock, David, 63 
"The Babel Proclamation," 
128-44
Baldwin, Bird, 125, 126 
Baptiste, Aaron, 58 
Baseball, 101 
Bass, Melinda, 61, 62 
Bass, Sion, 61,62 
Bass, T. R , 61,62 
Beardsheer, William M., 123 
Bellevue (Iowa), 133 
Bennett, Mary, 2-43, Spring 
inside back cover,
Summer inside back cover 
Bergman, Marvin, 160,192 
Bissell, George Edwin, 11,
42, 44-46
Bixby, Amos and Augusta, 
156-59
Black Cloud, 107 
Black Hawk War, 52, 94 
Bliss, Harvey, 158 
Bloomer, Amelia, 89-90 
Blow, Sam: See Scott, Dred 
Boyd, Byron, 166-67 
Brant, David, 132 
Brooks Borg & Skiles, 
Architects-Engineers, 174- 
75,180
Brooks, John Woolson, 178-79 
Brown, Aaron, 63 
Brown, John, 158-59 
Brown, Thomas C., 58 
Brown, Victoria Bissell, 160 
Buffalo Center (Iowa), 135 
Bussey, Cyrus, 117,118 
Bussey, Ellen, 117 
Bussey, Laura ("Lollie"), 117, 
118,’121,123 
Butler, Earl, 168-69 
Butterworth, Alexander, 55 
C. Y. Stephens Auditorium 
(Ames), 174-75 
Cain, Paul, 56-57 
Caldwell, J. R., 96 
Camp Union (Dubuque), 68 
Campbell, Cameron, 161-81 
Campbell, Isaac, 54 
Carr, Eugene A., 70-75 
Carroll (Iowa), 133 
Cartwright, John, 64, 67, 68, 
69, 74, 76
Cartwright, Turner, 67 
Carver-Hawkeye Arena 
(Iowa City), 177 
Caudill Rowlett Scott 
Architects, 177 
Cavanaugh, Lucy M„ 104 
Cedar Rapids (Iowa), 139, 
172-73
Cedar Rock (Quasqueton), 
172-73
A Century of Iowa 
Architecture, 181 
Cha-ka-ta-ko-si, 94,102 
Chamber of Commerce, 
Greater Des Moines, 150 
Chambers, John, 54 
Chaney, Richard, 54 
Child welfare, 116-27 
Children, 23, 32-33,116-27;
Meskwaki, 106, 111 
Child-Welfare Research 
Station, Iowa, 125-27 
Chuck, C. H., 94,102 
Churches: during World 
War 1,131-32,140,143-44 
Civil War, 64-79,156 
Clark, Alexander, 59, 61 
Clarkson, James, 84-85 
Clemens, Samuel, 59 
Clermont (Iowa), 2-48 
Clock, Sherwood A., 140 
Clothing: Meskwaki, 104-15; 
Victorian and Edwardian, 
8-10,12-13,15-19, 22-23, 
26-28, 30-32, 34-35,48 
Cloud, D. C„ 61 
Cole, Chester C., 121 
Communists, 146-55 
"Comrade Khrushchev and 
Farmer Garst: Summit in 
an Iowa Cornfield/' 146-53 
Conard, Rebecca, 156-57 
Cone, Marv in, 8 
Conservation: See Arbor Day 
Coon Rapids (Iowa), 147, 
149,150
Cooper, Jane, 156 
Cooper, Samuel F., 156 
Cooper, W. B., 98 
"Cora Bussey Hillis: Woman 
of Vision," 116-27 
Council of National Defense, 
Iowa, 132-40
Countrv Life Commission, 
122
Crites & McConnell, 
Architects, 172-75 
Crites House No. 1 (Cedar 
Rapids), 172-73 
Crites, Ray, 172-73 
Cummins, A B., 95, 96 
Curtis, Samuel Ryan, 70-73,75 
Danish Americans, 138-39 
Davenport (Iowa), 52, 143 
Davis City (Iowa), 134 
Delaware County (Iowa), 188 
Denver (Iowa), 135 
Derr, Nancy, 128-44 
Des Moines Art Center (Des 
Moines), 178-79 
Des Moines Packing Co.
(Des Moines), 150 
Des Moines (Iowa), 7,116- 
27,139,150,166-69,176, 
178-81
Description and travel, 14-15 
Dillon (Iowa), 133 
Dixon, V. M., 136 
Dodge, Grenville M., 45, 70, 
73, 75
Dolhver, Jonathan P, 28,29,41 
Dolliver, Victor, 28-29 
Domestic servants, 25 
"Dr Emerson's Sam: Black 
Iowans before the Civil 
War," 50-63 
"Dress Detectives," 48 
Dubuque (Iowa), 54-59 
Durrant Group, Inc., 177 
Dyer, J. J., 61 
Dyersville (Iowa), 133 
Dykstra, Robert R., 50-63 
Earl Butler House (Des 
Moines), 168-69,181 
Edmundson. James D., 178 
Education: African American, 
62-63, 157-58; language, 
during World War 1,130, 
131; Meskwaki, 96-98; 
nature, 182-91
The Education of Jane Addams, 
160
Eisenhower, Dwight, 149 
Elliott, Leroy, 95, 96,101, 104 
Ellis, James, 84 
Elmslie, George Grant, 165 
EMC Insurance Building 
(Des Moines), 180 
Emerson, Sam: See Scott, Dred 
Emmet County (Iowa), 144 
" End of Innocence," 64-79 
Epps, Joel J., 61, 62 
Essex (Iowa), 143 
Ethnicity: and World War I, 
128-44
Faerber, A. J., 142-43 
Farm children, 120-21 
Farms and farming, 36-37; 
Meskwaki, 98
Farragut, David Glasgow, 
11,45,46
Fashion: See Clothing 
Fayette County (Iowa), 61-63 
Felt, Andrew, 63 
Ferguson (Iowa), 101 
Fitzsimmons, John R., 189 
Flom, George T, 101-02 
Flower, Lucy, 120 
Forest City (Iowa), 141 
Free love, 85-91 
Freeman, Horace, 61 
Frese, Stephen)., 146-55 
Friends, Society of, 157,158 
Fugitive Slave Law (1850), 
156,158
"A Gamble for Freedom: 
Frances Overton and the 
Underground Railroad in 
Grinnell," 156-59 
Garst and Thomas Hybrid 
Seed Com Co., 146,155 
Garst, Elizabeth ("Liz"), 147, 
148,152,153,155 
Garst, Elizabeth (wife of 
Roswell), 148,149,152 
Garst, Roswell, 146-55 
German Americans, 128-44 
Germania (Iowa), 135 
Glad brook (Iowa), 135 
Grandview Park Band Shell 
(Sioux City), 168-69 
Grant, Ulysses S., 45, 46,185 
Greiner, Chuck, 2-48 
Grimes, James, 94 
Grinnell (Iowa), 156-59,164-65 
Grinnell, Josiah B.,156 
Guttenberg (Iowa), 1335 
Hall, Beulah and Mildred, 188 
Halleck, Henry, 70-72 
Ham, Sharon, 64-79 
Hampton (Iowa), 140 
Ha-na-wo-wa-ta, 105 
Harbert, Lizzie Boynton, 83 
Harding, William L, 124, 
128-30,136-39,141,143,144 
Ha-she-ta-na-kwa-twa, 104 
Hastings, S. Clinton, 61 
Henderson, David B., 21, 23, 
45, 46
Herron, Francis, 70 
Hillis, Cora Bussey, 116-27 
Hillis, Cyrus, 116-17 
Hillis, Doris, 122 
Hillis, Ellen, 117,122 
Hillis, Isaac, 117,118,121,122 
Hillis, Philip, 117 
Hoelscher, W. C , 144 
Holland, Eli, 64, 68,74-79 
Holland, John, 66-67 
Holman, Henry M., 66 
Holman, Isaac N., 64, 66-68, 
70, 76, 78, 79 
Holman, Nathan, 66 
Holman, Stephen, 64, 66-69, 
74, 76, 77, 79
Holman, Vinson, 64, 66-72, 
74-79
Horticultural Societv, Iowa 
State, 184,187 
Hotel Fort Des Moines (Des 
Moines), 150
Housing: Meskwaki, 98-100.
See also Architecture 
Hubbard (Iowa), 135,144 
Huftalen, Sarah Gillespie, 188 
Hull, O. E., 134 
Hurd, Harvey B., 120 
Immigration and 
immigrants, 128-44 
Independence (Iowa), 64 
Indian Rights Association, 
96,97
Indians, American, 92-115 
Inman, L. W, 139 
Institute of Child Behavior 
and Development, 125-27 
Iowa City (Iowa), 54,139,
177. See also University of 
Iowa
Iowa Society of Christian 
Churches Building (Des 
Moines), 176 
Iowa State University 
(Ames), 123,136, i53,154, 
171,174-75,189 
Jessup, Walter A., 125 
John Deere Des Moines 
Works (Des Moines), 150 
Johnson, Eilert, 132
Johnson, Millard, 25 
Jones, George Wallace, 58 
Joshua G. Melson House 
(Mason City), 181 
Juvenile courts, 120-21 
Ka-ke-no-se, 114 
Kamphoefner, Henry L., 
168-69
Kanawha (Iowa), 132 
Kendall Young Library 
(Webster City), 162-63 
Kenyon, William S., 39, 41 
Keokuk (Iowa), 52-54 
Khrushchev, Nikita, 146-55 
Khrushchev, Nina, 147,148 
Khrushchev, Sergei, 147,150, 
153,154
Kirkwood, Samuel J., 63, 68 
Kissinger, Henry, 153 
Ki-wa-to-sa-ta, 114 
Ki-ya-kwa-ka, 114 
Knoepfler, John B., 186 
Ko-ta-to, 108 
Kraetsch & Kraetsch, 
Architects, 168-69 
Kratz, H. E., 118 
Kwi-ya-ma, 112, 113 
Laigle, Mathilde, 8 
Lake View (Iowa), 142 
Lamb, John W., 97-98 
Landsca pe architecture, 188- 
89
Langworthy, Lucius, 57 
La rr a bee, William and Anna 
Matilda, and family:
Anna, Augusta, Charles, 
Frederic, Helen, Julia, and 
William Jr., 2-48 
The Larrabees of 
Montauk," 2-43 
Le Mars, Iowa, 135 
Leatherman, Daniel, 66 
Leatherman, John, 64, 66-69, 
74, 76, 78, 79 
Libraries, public, 163 
Ligenfelder, Frank, 134 
Li-li-ya-pu-ka-chi, 97-98, 111 
Lincoln, Abraham, 23, 44, 46 
Lincoln (Iowa), 133 
Little Rock (Iowa), 143 
Lodge, Henry Cabot, Jr., 152 
Love, Don, 14, 27, 30, 41 
Loveless, Herschel, 149 
Lowden (Iowa), 133, 142,144 
Lowell Walter House 
(Quasqueton), 172-73 
Macbride, Thomas, 8, 124 
MacLean, George E., 95,123- 
24
Ma-ka-ta-wa-kwa-twa, 107 
Malin, William, 96, 97, 101 
Ma-mi-nwa-ni-kwa, 96, 98 
Mann, Horace, 185 
Marble Rock (Iowa),139 
Mason, Charles, 56 
Mason City (Iowa), 181 
Ma-ta-kwi-pa-ka-ta, 114 
Ma-ta-wi-kwa, 97 
Matskevitch, Vladimir, 147 
McKnight, Thomas, 58 
Meier, Richard, 178-79 
Melson, Joshua G., 181 
Merchants National Bank 
Building (Grinnell), 164-65 
Merry, Samuel H., 61 
Meskwaki, 52, 54, 92-115, 
Summer & Fall inside 
back cover
Me-skwa-pu-swa, 95, 96,110 
Mesquakie: See Meskwaki 
"The Mesquakie Indian 
Settlement in 1905," 92-115 
Metcalf, Herbert J., 132-40 
Miller, Grant Clark, 162-63 
Missouri Compromise, 156 
Mitchell, Barbara, 161-80 
Mix, E. Townsend, 7, Spring 
inside back cover 
Montauk (Clermont), 2-48, 
Spnng covers 
"Montauk Today: A 
Victorian House Stil! Alive 
with Activity," 47 
Montour (Iowa), 101 
Moore, J. S., 104 
Morgan, Charlotte, 56, 58 
Morgan, Earl D., 114 
Morgan, George, 104 
Morgan, Jim, 104 
Morgan, Nathaniel, 56-58
Motejl, Catherine, 190 
Motts, Thomas C., 59,60 
Mo wry, Henry, 144 
Mu-kwa-ou-shi-to, 109 
Muscatine (Iowa), 59-61,133 
Music, 16-19, 34,43,143-44 
Na-na-wa-chi, 92-93 
Na-sa-pi-pya-ta, 115 
National History' Day, 154-55 
Native Americans, 92-115 
Nellis, A. G., 96 
Nelson, Arthur, 25 
Newspapers: in 1870s, 80-91;
foreign-language, 134 
Nicoll, Bernice, 137 
Ni-ka-na-kwa-ha-ka, 114 
Ninth Iowa Infantry Regi­
ment (Civil War), 68-79 
O'Connor, Pat, 55 
O'Riley, Paddy, 38, 39 
Old Bear, 109 
Onawat, James, 105 
Orth, John C., 135 
Overton, Frances (Fannie), 
156-59
Page County (Iowa), 188 
Parker, Leonard F., 156,157 
Parker, Lura, 142-43 
Parker, Sarah, 156,159 
Patton, Normand Smith, 
162-63
Pea Ridge, Battle of, 64, 73-76 
Pei, I M., 178-79 
Peters, Jim, 95 
Petersen, Christian, 171 
Pettitt, Rev. T. J., 144 
Photography, 104-15, 161-81 
Pierce, Jim, 143 
Pounds, Diana, 80-91 
Powell, F. M., 184 
Presbyterians, 100 
Price, Sterling, 70-73, 75 
Public Works Administra­
tion, 171
Purcell, L. Edward, 92-115 
Purcell, William Gray, 165 
Push-e-to-ne-qua, 95, 96, 98, 
100. 102 
Pye-pa-ha, 95 
Quakers, 157,158 
Quasqueton (Iowa), 172-73 
Ralph (fugitive slave), 55-57 
Rasmussen, William, 166-67 
"Reading the Past Jane Addams 
Comes of Age," 160 
Readlyn (Iowa), 135 
Rebok, Horace, 96-98 
Reinbeck (Iowa), 135 
Religion: of Civil W'ar sol­
diers, 67-68, 77; Meskwaki, 
100; and woman suffrage, 
83-84; during World War I, 
131-32,140, 143-44 
Rhind, John Massey, 42, 44-46 
Robbins, Charles Burton, 12, 
27, 30,33
Robbins, Edith, 30 
Robinson, Gifford L., 121 
Roesign, John B., 142 
Rorer, David, 55-56 
Ross, Shapley, 54 
Saarinen, ELiel, 178-79 
Sabin, Henry, 182,185,186 
Sac County (Iowa), 143 
Salisbury House (Des 
Moines), 166-67 
Sauk, 92, 94
Saveiy', Annie, 84-85, 89 
Schools: See Education 
Schumann, Rev. William, 131 
Scott. Dred, 51-52, 63,156 
"Sculptors Bissell and Rhind 
Collaborate with the 
Governor," 44-46 
Seashore, Carl, 124,125 
Secor, Eugene, 187 
Shambaugh, Benjamin, 95,
96,102
Sha-wa-na-kwa-ha-ka, 104 
Sheffield (Iowa), 133 
Sherman, William Tecumseh, 
45
Sigel, Franz, 70, 72, 73, 75 
Sioux City (Iowa), 139,165, 
168-69
Slavery, 50-63,67-68, 77,156- 
59, Winter inside back cover 
Smallpox, 100 
Smith, Thomas H., 122 
Smith, Voorhees & Jensen,
Architects, 176 
Smola, Bonnie, 48 
Soth, Lauren, 147,152 
Spirit Lake (Iow a), 137 
Spring Grove (Iowra), 66-68 
St. Louis Exposition of 1904, 
45-46
Stanton, Elizabeth Cady, 80 
State Historical Society of 
Iowa, 43, 92, 94, 95, 96,
102,104
Steele, William, 165 
Sterba. Antoine, 8, 39 
Stevenson. Adlai, 152 
Stoops, W. S., 96 
Story, Donna, 48 
Street, Joseph, 54, Summer & 
Fall inside back cover 
Stull, O. H. W, 54 
"Suffragists, Free Love, and 
the Woman Question, 80- 
91
Sullivan, Louis, 164-65 
Sw'aim, Ginalie, 47,48,1lb- 
27, 161, Inside front cover, 
all issues
"Symbolic Trees and Prac­
tical Tree Care: The Iowa 
Arbor Day Manuals," 182-91 
Ta-ta-pa-sha, 98,104 
Tatum, Law'rie, 184 
Tesson, Joe, 95, 96, 110 
Tesson, Joe, Jr., 114 
Thomas, Charley, 146 
Thompson, Burt J., 141 
Thompson, Jack, 58 
Thorson, Thorwald, 170-71 
Thuesen, Mrs. Jens G., 91 
"A Tour of Iow a's 20th- 
Centurv Architecture," 
161-80
Tow'nsend, T. W., 104 
Trees, 182-91 
Trelstad, R. B., 132 
Turner, Nat, 51 
Tuthill, Richard S., 121 
Underground Railroad, 156-59, 
Winter inside back cover 
Union Sunday School 
(Clermont), 12, 34, 43,47 
University of Iowa (Iow’a), 
118,123-24,177 
Van der Rohe, Mies, 180 
Van Dom, Earl, 73 
Vandever, William, 68, 70-73 
Ventura High School 
Auditorium and Gym­
nasium (Ventura), 170-71 
Vermaas, Lon, 182-91 
Vital Statistics Bill, 122 
Wagner, Margaret, 25 
Wall Lake (Iow'a), 142 
Walton, John, 66 
Walton, Pierce, 64, 68,70, 76, 
78,79
Ward, Duren J. H., 92-115 
Waterstradt, Rose L., 190 
Watrous, David, 62 
Waverly (Iow a), 135 
Webster City (lowfa), 162-63 
Weddings, 5, 18, 27, 29, 30 
Weeks, Carl and Edith, 166-67 
Wellsburg (Iowa), 135 
West, Nadine, 47 
Whisennand, Andrew, 66 
Whisennand, William, 64,
67, 68, 69, 74, 76, 77 
White, Jim, 61 
White, Sam T., 142 
Wilson, Seymour, 62 
Wilson, T. A., 135 
Wilson, T. S., 55, 56 
Winnebago County (Iow a), 141 
Winterbotham, John H„ 136, 
137
Winterset (Iowa), 135 
Woman suffrage, 12,40,80-91 
Women's clubs, 116-19,122 
Wood, Grant, 189-91 
Woodbury County Court­
house (Sioux City), 165 
Woodhull, Victoria, 85-91 
World War 1,125,127,128-44 
Wnght, F. S., 135 
Wright, Frank Llovd, 165, 
172-73
Young Bear, 101 
Young Bear, John, 114 
Young, Lafayette, Sr., 130-32 
141,143
192 Iowa Heritage Illustrated


Symbolic Trees and Practical Tree Care: The Iowa Arbor Day Manuals

Sculptors Bissell and Rhind Collaborate with the Governor

Bergman, Marvin

Yearly Index, Iowa Heritage Illustrated, v.85 2004