Iowa History Journal Volume 2, Issue 5 Now Available

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 | Iowa History Journal | No Comments

With football season kicking off all across the state of Iowa and the nation, now is the perfect time to revisit the story of one of the greatest football players in the history of our state. Johnny Bright played his first game at Drake University in the fall of 1949 – and over the next three years blazed a trail that is simply amazing.

Bright led the entire nation in total offense as a sophomore, as a junior, and was leading the nation as a senior when he suffered one of the most reprehensible occurrences in the history of college sports. Bright and the Bulldogs took a 6-0 record into Stillwater, Oklahoma, on October 20, 1951, to meet the Oklahoma A&M Aggies. What happened that day has been a dark spot ever since.

Bright was badly injured and missed two of the next three games but still finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting that year. He went on to a tremendous career in the Canadian Football League and eventually became a highly regarded educator in Edmonton, Canada.

This issue of Iowa History Journal offers the compelling story of Johnny Bright along with some fabulous pictures. You won’t want to miss it.

Read more to see what’s inside this issue…

Tags: Britt, John Wayne, Johnny Bright, National Cattle Congress, Underground Railroad

Iowa History Journal Volume 2, Issue 4 Now Available

Friday, July 9th, 2010 | Iowa History Journal | No Comments

Iowa is known for the “Field of Dreams” movie starring Kevin Costner in which the ghosts of major league baseball players emerge from an Iowa cornfield near Dyersville. But the original “field of dreams” was built near Van Meter, in central Iowa, by Bill Feller and his son, Bob – who went on to become the greatest baseball player ever produced in this state!

This issue has a long feature article – written by Buck Turnbull, retired award-winning sportswriter of the Des Moines Register – on Bob Feller’s amazing career with the Cleveland Indians. Also, publisher Mike Chapman writes about the Fellers’ field of dreams and the beautiful Bob Feller Museum in Van Meter.

There is also Part Two of the John Wayne story, based in Winterset, Iowa.

The magazine has other outstanding articles on a wide range of topics – including Glenn Miller, king of the Big Band era; a magician from Marshalltown who was so famous that even Harry Houdini listened to him, and a forgotten Utopian society named the Icarians.

All of this plus columns by John McNeer and Arvid Huisman and a book review, Iowa History Quiz and What’s In a Name, telling about the historic past of Iowa’s third largest city, Davenport.

Read more to see what’s inside this issue…

Tags: Bob Feller, Field of Dreams, Glenn Miller, John Wayne

Iowa History Journal Volume 2, Issue 3 Now Available

Monday, May 3rd, 2010 | Iowa History Journal | No Comments

John Wayne is the focus of the May/June, 2010, issue of Iowa History Journal. The cover features a seldom seen full-color oil painting of The Duke at the peak of his movie career, playing “Hondo” in 1953. We contacted the artist for permission to use this very powerful image on the cover because we wanted to give the readers a portrait that is not only powerful (note the eyes) but rare.

John Wayne was born in Winterset, Iowa, and publisher Mike Chapman devotes his column to the Winterset birthplace. There is also a rare photo of John Wayne posing with Brian Downes in 1977. Downes is now the enthusiastic and energetic executive director of the birthplace site in Winterset.

Another feature you won’t want to miss is how HyVee grew from one store in Iowa to one of the finest companies in the United States.

And Don Doxsie, long-time sports editor of the Quad City Times in Davenport, offers an absorbing story about a little-known baseball legend named “Ironman” Joe McGinnity and his days as an Iowa manager.

Read more to see what’s inside this issue…

Tags: "Ironman” Joe McGinnity, HyVee, John Wayne