Iowa History Daily: On July 2, 1836, an act of Congress approved a plan for the City of Dubuque in eastern Iowa. Today’s city of nearly 60,000 on the Mississippi River traces a rich history stretching back to the arrival of Julien Dubuque in the 1700s.
The Quebecois entrepreneur named Julien Dubuque arrived in 1785. With permission from the Spanish government and his marriage to the Indigenous woman Potosa, Dubuque started mining rich lead mines in the area. Development of the mines led to an influx of European and American population into what would soon become eastern Iowa.
Officially chartered in the unorganized territory of the United States in 1833, the settlement predates the formation of the Iowa Territory in 1838. Although the lead deposits ran out during the early American era, the city developed as an industrial center for timber, boat building, brewing, and the railway industry. The arrival of the Diamond Jo steamship line headquarters in 1874 helped further cement the economic fortunes of the city.
Home to unique architecture, five higher education institutions, and various successful industries, Dubuque continues to stand as one of Iowa’s most important cities. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
