Editing Charles City, Iowa (section)

== History ==
The [[Ho-Chunk people]], also known as Winnebago, had long occupied this area and had a village along the [[Cedar River (Iowa River tributary)|Cedar River]].

In 1851 Joseph Kelly, the first-known European-American settler in the area, came here after the Ho-Chunk had been pushed out. He believed that the site was ideal for a town, as it had water from the Cedar River and adjacent timberland to supply building needs. The settlement was first called "Charlestown" after his son. By 1852, twenty-five other settler families had joined Kelly. The town name was changed, first to "St. Charles" and then to "Charles City," to avoid duplication of other Iowa town names.

Charles City became the county seat after Floyd County was established in 1851 and officially organized in 1854. Floyd County was named for Sergeant [[Charles Floyd (explorer)|Charles Floyd]], a member of the 1804 [[Lewis and Clark Expedition]].

[[File:HartParr.JPG|thumb|left|Hart-Parr Charles City nameplate on an early tractor]]
[[File:Hart-Parr 30-60 (1916).jpg|thumb|right|Hart-Parr 30-60<br>"Old Reliable"]]
Charles City is known for the role it played in the history of the American [[tractor]]. A native son [[Charles Walter Hart]], whose father owned three local farms,<ref>Robert N. Pripps and Andrew Moreland. ''Oliver Tractors''. Osceola, WI: Motorbooks, p. 23–24.</ref> met Charles H. Parr in college. After graduating from the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison|University of Wisconsin]], Hart and Parr developed a two-cylinder gasoline engine. They set up their [[Hart-Parr Gasoline Engine Company]] in Charles City in 1897. In 1901 the two founders coined the word "tractor",<ref>Andrew Morland. ''Farm Tractors''. MBI Publishing Company, 1993. p. 75.</ref> with Latin roots and a combination of the words "traction" and "power".<ref>{{cite book |author=Houghton Mifflin |author-link=Houghton Mifflin |title=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language |edition=4th |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |year=2000 |location=Boston and New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/americanheritage0000unse_a1o7/page/1829 1829] |url=https://archive.org/details/americanheritage0000unse_a1o7/page/1829 |isbn=978-0-395-82517-4 |url-access=registration }}</ref> In 1903 the firm built fifteen "tractors", the first successful production-model tractor line in the U.S. The 14,000-pound No. 3 is the oldest surviving internal combustion engine tractor in the United States. It is displayed at the Smithsonian [[National Museum of American History]] in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object.cfm?key=35&objkey=157|title=Smithsonian Museum of American History|publisher=Hart Parr #3|access-date=November 29, 2010}}</ref>

In 1929, Hart-Parr was one of the four companies that merged to form [[Oliver Farm Equipment Company]] and finally the [[White Farm Equipment|White Farm-New Idea Equipment Co]]. At its peak in the mid-1970s, the sprawling plant complex encompassed 23 acres and employed nearly 3,000 workers. {{Citation needed|date=November 2010}} The 1980s farm crisis and other economic pressures led to the closing of the plant in 1993. As of 2013, the vacant site stands ready for re-use.
[[File:HART-PARR washing machine.JPG|thumb|200px|left|HART-PARR washing machine]]
[[File:HART-PARR washing machine information.JPG|thumb|230px]]

Although best known for producing tractors, the Hart-Parr company also made some of the first washing machines. They sold for $155 in the 1920s, and the buyer had the option of ordering either an electric or gasoline engine.

The Floyd County Historical Museum preserves the plant's history and memories in an extensive collection of documents and artifacts.
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Charles City is the location of the last [[lynching]] in Iowa, that of James Cullen in 1907.<ref name="americanlynching">{{cite web|url=http://www.americanlynching.com/infamous-old.html#1907|title=American Lynching &#91;INFAMOUS LYNCHINGS&#93; &#124; James Cullen|author=Gode Davis|publisher=americanlynching.com|access-date=April 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520045708/http://www.americanlynching.com/infamous-old.html#1907|archive-date=May 20, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

National women's rights leader [[Carrie Chapman Catt|Carrie Lane Chapman Catt]] spent her girlhood years on a farm south of Charles City. Catt is well known as a prominent leader of the woman's suffrage movement and was instrumental in gaining passage of the [[Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|19th Amendment]], ratified on August 18, 1920, which granted women the right to vote. Carrie Catt also founded the [[League of Women Voters]]. Her home and a visitor's center are open for public viewing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catt.org/ccabout.html|title=Carrie Chapman Catt Girlhood Home|publisher=A Biography|access-date=November 29, 2010}}</ref>

On June 9, 2008, record flooding caused major damage in the town. Charles City's historic suspension bridge, which crossed over the Cedar River, collapsed. Numerous homes around the city were also destroyed. A new bridge, built with [[FEMA]] and state funding, opened in early 2010.

Charles City is the location of the [[Alvin Miller House|Dr. Alvin L. Miller House]], a [[Usonia]]n house designed by [[Frank Lloyd Wright]].

=== Tornadoes ===
Charles City is in a location subject to tornadoes, and has been severely damaged by them many times in its history. In the summer of 1858 (possibly July 21), while still known as the village of St. Charles, a "Terrific Tornado" was recorded. There were 16 deaths, 13 inside the village. The property value of buildings destroyed was into the thousands of dollars (1858 dollars), and the loss of crops was said to be "beyond comprehension", according to the newspaper account.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.gendisasters.com/iowa/3421/st-charles%2C-ia-tornado%2C-aug-1858|title=Terrific Tornado in Iowa |newspaper=Chicago Press and Tribune |date=August 3, 1858 |access-date=November 29, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917082847/http://www3.gendisasters.com/iowa/3421/st-charles,-ia-tornado,-aug-1858|archive-date=September 17, 2012 |via=GenDisasters}}</ref>

On June 8, 1908, a tornado destroyed or substantially damaged around 200 homes and barns. Residents W. R. Beck and a child were killed. The path of the tornado ran through the southeast part of the city, missing the business district. Loss of property was fifty thousand dollars (1908 dollars).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.gendisasters.com/iowa/6463/charles-city-ia-tornado-jun-1908 |title=(([no title])) |newspaper=The Iowa City Citizen |date=June 8, 1908 |access-date=November 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917082949/http://www3.gendisasters.com/iowa/6463/charles-city-ia-tornado-jun-1908|archive-date=September 17, 2012|url-status=live |via=GenDisasters}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.gendisasters.com/iowa/6463/charles-city-ia-tornado-jun-1908 |title=CHARLES CITY IN PATH OF TORNADO |newspaper=The Iowa Recorder |date=June 10, 1908 |access-date=November 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917082949/http://www3.gendisasters.com/iowa/6463/charles-city-ia-tornado-jun-1908 |archive-date=September 17, 2012 |via=GenDisasters}}</ref>[[File:Charles City tornado.jpg|thumb|right|250px|1968 Charles City tornado]]

==== 1968 tornado ====
{{Main|1968 Hansell-Charles City tornado}}
Many people around the region remember Charles City as the site of a devastating [[Fujita scale|F5]] tornado that ripped through town on [[Tornado outbreak of May 1968|May 15, 1968]]. It resulted in 13 dead, hundreds injured, and was one of the largest twisters ever recorded in the state, this storm destroyed much of the downtown – 256 businesses and 1,250 homes. Damage estimates were of more than $20&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://globegazette.com/news/local/photos-charles-city-tornado-may-15-1968/collection_d2662d60-9939-5bb2-affd-91d3686c9449.html|title=(([Photos: Charles City tornado, May 15, 1968])) |newspaper=Mason City Globe Gazette |date=May 12, 2018|access-date=December 30, 2020}}</ref>