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== History == Iowa City was created by an act of Legislative Assembly of the [[Iowa]] Territory on January 21, 1839, fulfilling the desire of Governor [[Robert Lucas (governor)|Robert Lucas]] to move the capital out of [[Burlington, IA|Burlington]] and closer to the center of the territory. This act began: <blockquote>An Act to locate the Seat of Government of the Territory of Iowa ... so soon as the place shall be selected, and the consent of the United States obtained, the commissioners shall proceed to lay out a town to be called "Iowa City".<ref>Benjamin F. Shambaugh (1893) ''Iowa City: A Contribution to the Early History of Iowa'' State Historical Society of Iowa p17-36.</ref> </blockquote> [[File:Iowa City circa 1868.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A bird's-eye-view map of Iowa City {{circa}} 1868]] [[File:Building at Iowa City - History of Iowa.jpg|thumb|Building in which the Iowa Territorial Legislature first met in Iowa City. Image recorded after the building, which was called Butler's Capitol, had been moved from its original location near Clinton and Washington streets to an alley-side location along Dubuque Street a half-block south of College Street. In this second location, as shown, it became the notorious City Hotel.]] Commissioners Chauncey Swan and John Ronalds met on May 1 in the small settlement of Napoleon, south of present-day Iowa City, to select a site for the new capital city. The following day the commissioners selected a site on bluffs above the [[Iowa River]] north of Napoleon, placed a stake in the center of the proposed site and began planning the new capital city. Commissioner Swan, in a report to the legislature in Burlington, described the site: <blockquote>Iowa City is located on a section of land laying in the form of an amphitheater. There is an eminence on the west near the river, running parallel with it."<ref>Gerald Manshiem (1989) ''Iowa City: An Illustrated History'' The Donning Co, Publishers p. 25.</ref> </blockquote> By June of that year, the town had been platted and surveyed from Brown St. in the north to Burlington St. in the south, and from the Iowa River eastward to Governor St. While Iowa City was selected as the territorial capital in 1839, it did not officially become the capital city until 1841; after construction on the capitol building had begun. The capitol building was completed in 1842, and the last four territorial legislatures and the first six [[Iowa General Assembly|Iowa General Assemblies]] met there until 1857, when the state capital was moved to [[Des Moines, Iowa|Des Moines]].<ref name="OSAUI">{{cite web |last=Merry |first=Carl A. |year=1996 |title=The Historic Period |url=http://www.uiowa.edu/~osa/learn/historic/hisper.htm |publisher=Office of the State Archaeologist at the University of Iowa |access-date=December 27, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090604163710/http://www.uiowa.edu/~osa/learn/historic/hisper.htm |archive-date=June 4, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="Iowa Old Capitol">[[Iowa Old Capitol Building]]</ref> ===Iowa Old Capitol Building=== {{main|Iowa Old Capitol Building}} [[File:Old capital iowa city.jpg|thumb|The [[Iowa Old Capitol Building|Old Capitol]] dome is used as a letterhead for the [[University of Iowa]].|alt=]] [[John F. Rague]] is credited with designing the Territorial Capitol Building. He had previously designed the 1837 capitol of Illinois and was supervising its construction when he got the commission to design the new Iowa capitol in 1839. He quit the Iowa project after five months, claiming his design was not followed, but the resemblance to the Illinois capitol suggests he strongly influenced the final Iowa design. One surviving 1839 sketch of the proposed capital shows a radically different layout, with two domes and a central tower. The cornerstone of the Old Capitol Building was laid in Iowa City on July 4, 1840. Iowa City served as the third and last territorial capital of Iowa, and the last four territorial legislatures met at the Old Capitol Building until December 28, 1846, when Iowa was admitted into the United States as the 29th state of the union. Iowa City was declared the state capital of Iowa, and the government convened in the Old Capitol Building.<ref name="Iowa Old Capitol"/> ===1843 cemetery=== [[Oakland Cemetery (Iowa City, Iowa)|Oakland Cemetery]] was deeded to "the people of Iowa City" by the Iowa territorial legislature on February 13, 1843. The original plot was one block square, with the southwest corner at Governor and Church. Over the years the cemetery has been expanded and now encompasses {{convert|40|acre|ha|abbr=off}}. Oakland Cemetery is a non-perpetual care city cemetery. This cemetery is supported by city taxes. The staff is strongly committed to the maintenance and preservation of privately owned lots and accessories. Since its establishment, the cemetery has become the final resting place of many men and women important in the history of Iowa, of Iowa City and the University of Iowa. These include [[Robert Lucas (governor)|Robert E. Lucas]], first governor of the territory (1838–41); [[Samuel J. Kirkwood]], governor during the Civil War (1860–64), again in 1876, a U.S. senator in 1877, and subsequently secretary of the interior and U.S. minister to Spain; well-known presidents of the university, Walter A. Jessup (1915–33) and Virgil M. Hancher (1940–64); Cordelia Swan, daughter of one of the three commissioners who selected the site for Iowa City and the new territorial capitol; and [[Irving Weber|Irving B. Weber]] (1900–1997), noted Iowa City historian. It is also home to the legendary monument called the "Black Angel", which is an {{convert|8.5|ft|m|adj=on}} tall monument for the Feldevert family erected in 1912. The facts behind the Black Angel long ago gave way to myths, superstitions and legend surrounding its mysterious change in color from a golden bronze cast to an eerie black.<ref>[http://www.icgov.org/?id=1067 “Oakland Cemetery”], "icgov", March 2015</ref> ===1847 University founding=== Founded in 1847, today's University of Iowa offers more than 100 areas of study to 31,112 students. The university includes a medical school and one of the United States' largest university-owned teaching hospitals, providing patient care within 16 medical specialties. The University of Iowa College of Law is located there.<ref>[http://www.icgov.org/?id=1359 “University of Iowa”], "icgov", March 2015</ref> ===1970 riots=== The spring of 1970 was a tumultuous time on college campuses. On April 30, [[List of United States presidents|President]] [[Richard Nixon]] announced that U.S. forces would invade Cambodia because of the recent [[1970 Cambodian coup d'état|communist coup]]. Students around the country protested this escalation of the [[Vietnam War]]. On May 4, the National Guard [[Kent State shootings|fired on students]] at [[Kent State University]], killing four and wounding nine people, which ignited protests all over the country.<ref name=uiowa /> Anti-war protests were not new to Iowa City or to elsewhere in Iowa; protests had been occurring throughout the 1960s. Spring of 1970 was different.<ref name=uiowa /> After the Kent State shootings, students marched on the National Guard Armory, broke windows there as well as in some downtown businesses. The City Council gave the mayor curfew powers. On May 6, there was a student boycott of classes. That night, about 400 people had a "sleep-in" in front of the Old Capitol. That night also, about 50 people broke into the Old Capitol and set off a smoke bomb. The protesters left voluntarily when asked to do so. Around 2 am Friday morning, President [[Willard L. Boyd|Boyd]] requested arrest of the students on the Pentacrest by highway patrolmen, but the next day he regretted the mass arrests and said he had received faulty information. On May 8, President Boyd cancelled the 89th annual Governor's day [[ROTC]] observance for the following day. On Friday and Saturday a National Guard helicopter circled the Pentacrest.<ref name=uiowa /> In the early morning hours of Saturday, May 9, the Old Armory Temporary (O.A.T.), also known as "Big Pink", which housed the writing lab, was burned down. This building was located next to the Old Armory, where the Adler Journalism and Mass Communications building currently is located. O.A.T was said to be at the top of a list of buildings for burning, probably due to its poor condition and was considered a firetrap.<ref name=uiowa /> The ''Iowa Alumni Review'' includes an article about the fire in which the author states: "Only the ends stayed upright. ... On the south, Lou Kelly's Writing lab bearing the sign 'another mother for peace,' escaped." There was a second, smaller fire on Saturday evening in a restroom in the East Hall Annex.<ref name=uiowa /> By Sunday morning, President Boyd gave students the option to leave. Classes were not cancelled but students could leave and take the grade they currently had. An account of the May 1970 protests can be read in the June–July issue of the ''Iowa Alumni Review''.<ref name=uiowa /> In his autobiography, ''My Iowa Journey: The Life Story of the University of Iowa's First African American Professor'', Philip Hubbard (University Vice-Provost in 1970) gives an administrator's perspective of all the protests of the 1960s. He supported the students' right to protest and in 1966 stated: "Students should not accept everything that is dished out to them. We don't want to dictate what they should or should not do. However, student demonstrations should remain within the law and good taste without interfering with the university's primary purpose of instructing students."<ref name=uiowa /> During this time, there was also a strong ROTC presence on campus. Their presence on campus and the academic credit they received for their service was called into question by both students and faculty in the spring of 1970, but Boyd said he could not abolish ROTC. The ''Alumni Review'' had an article called "ROTC: Alive and well at Iowa" in the December 1969 issue which helps provide a more complete picture of this period in history.<ref name=uiowa>{{Cite web|url=http://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/news/2010/05/04/student-protests-of-the-1970s/|title=Student Protests of the 1970s|publisher=University of Iowa Libraries|date=May 4, 2010|access-date=September 1, 2016}}</ref> === 2006 tornadoes === {{Main|Easter Week 2006 Tornado Outbreak Sequence}} <!-- Unsourced image removed: [[File:April06 tornado damage.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Damaged homes along Iowa Avenue]] --> On the evening of April 13, 2006, a confirmed EF2 [[tornado]] struck Iowa City, causing severe property damage and displacing many from their homes, including many [[University of Iowa]] students. It was the first tornado ever recorded to hit the city directly. No serious injuries were reported in the Iowa City area. Several businesses along Riverside Drive and Iowa Highway 1 were destroyed. The 134-year-old [[Saint Patrick's Church (Iowa City)|Saint Patrick's Catholic Church]] was heavily damaged only minutes after Holy Thursday Mass, with most of its roof destroyed. The building was ruled a total loss and has since been demolished. The downtown business district as well as the eastern residential area and several parks suffered scattered damage of varying degrees. Additionally, several houses in the sorority row area were destroyed. The [[Alpha Chi Omega]] house was nearly destroyed, though no one was injured. The building was later razed. Cleanup efforts were under way almost immediately as local law enforcement, volunteer workers from all over the state, and Iowa City residents and college students worked together to restore the city. The total cost of damage was estimated at $12 million–$4 million of which was attributed to Iowa City and Johnson County property.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Iowa tornado damage tops $12 million |url = http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/weather/stormcenter/2006-04-15-tornado-cost_x.htm|website = USA Today|access-date = September 21, 2015}}</ref> === 2008 flood === {{Main|Iowa flood of 2008}} [[File:North riverside drive.jpg|thumb|200px|The [[University of Iowa Museum of Art]] on North Riverside Drive during the height of the flood|alt=]] A local newspaper reported on June 11, 2008, that water exceeded the emergency spillway at the [[Coralville Reservoir]] outside of Iowa City.<ref>[http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080612/NEWS01/80612005/1001/NEWS River, reservoir continue to rise; No end in sight | press-citizen.com | Iowa City Press Citizen]{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> As a result, the City of Iowa City and the University of Iowa were seriously affected by unprecedented flooding of the Iowa River, which caused widespread property damage and forced [[emergency evacuation|evacuations]] in large sections of the city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/2018/06/11/iowa-flood-2008-river-water-disaster/664298002/|title=No stopping Mother Nature when rivers rose in 2008|website=Iowa City Press-Citizen|access-date=June 26, 2019}}</ref> By Friday, June 13, 2008, the Iowa River had risen to a record level of {{convert|30.46|ft|m}} (5:00 pm CST) with a crest of approximately {{convert|33|ft|m}} predicted for Wednesday, June 18, 2008. Much of the city's 500-year floodplain saw mild to catastrophic effects of the rapidly flowing, polluted water. Officials at the University of Iowa reported that up to 19 buildings were affected by rising waters. Extensive efforts to move materials from the university's main library were undertaken as large groups of sandbagging volunteers began to construct a massive [[levee]] near the building. Approximately $300 million worth of art, including work by [[Picasso]], owned by the university was secretly moved to a holding place in the Chicago area before the fine arts area was heavily hit with flood water. On Friday, June 13, university employees were encouraged to stay home, and travel was strongly discouraged in Iowa City; one city statement advised, "If you live in east Iowa City, stay in east Iowa City; if you live in west Iowa City, stay in west Iowa City." The Burlington St. bridge was the only bridge that remained open, other than the [[I-80]] bridge on the edge of town, to connect the east and west sides of the Iowa River. On Saturday, June 14, officials at the University of Iowa began to power down the university's primary power generating plant along the Iowa River to prevent structural damage. Backup units continued to provide necessary power and steam services for essential University services, including the [[University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics]]. Water began touching the bottom of the Park St. bridge forcing the Army Corps of Engineers to drill several holes in the bridge to allow air trapped underneath to escape. Also on Saturday, Mayor Regenia Bailey issued a curfew restricting anyone except those authorized by law enforcement from being within {{convert|100|yd}} of any area affected by the flood between 8:30 pm and 6 am. ===2010s and environmental issues=== On October 4, 2019, a [[School strike for the climate|Friday climate school strike]] with [[Greta Thunberg]] was held in Iowa City, where school youths protested against coal power.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.pe.ca/news/world/teenage-activist-greta-thunberg-bringing-call-for-climate-action-to-iowa-360114/|title=Teenage activist Greta Thunberg brings call for climate action to Iowa|newspaper=Guardian Canada|author=Alan Devall|date=October 4, 2019|access-date=October 7, 2019}}</ref>
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