Iowa History Journal Volume 3, Issue 3 Now Available

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011 | Iowa History Journal | No Comments

Bill Tilghman of Fort Dodge, Iowa, is considered one of the greatest lawmen and gunfighters of the Old West. According to top experts, he ranks alongside such legends as Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and Doc Holiday when it comes to his gunfighting exploits.

And yet, Tilghman is not near as well known as the Hickok group, for a variety of reasons. In the current issue of Iowa History Journal, Alan F. Nelson of Fort Dodge, perhaps the nation’s leading authority on Tilghman, offers a historical portrait of this fascinating Iowan and his legacy.

Readers will also be treated to a special story on the five occasions that the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis Presley, appeared in the state of Iowa. Also, the Ladora woman behind the very popular Nancy Drew mystery books is profiled, as well as Davenport golfer Jack Fleck, who set the sports world on its ear in 1955 when he won the U.S. Open.

On the more serious side, we take a look back at the Credit Island Battle of 1814, the only time foreign troops were engaged in combat in Iowa, and we offer a penetrating look at the development of the Iowa caucuses.

Also included in this issue:

• The rise of the Palmer School of Chiropractic into a top Iowa business
• How the city of Harlan came by its name
• Review of three new Iowa sports books
• The Iowa History Quiz
• Columns by our regulars – Arvid Huisman, John McNeer and Mike Chapman

…and much more!

Read more to see what’s inside this issue…

City of Humboldt to honor Frank Gotch with a statue in park

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011 | Wrestling | No Comments

HUMBOLDT, Iowa – The hometown of world wrestling champion Frank Gotch, one of the nation’s best-known athletes in the early part of the 20th Century, is making plans to honor its most famous citizen with a statue to be placed in Bicknell Park. The park occupies the site where Gotch trained for his most important match.

The project is being run by a not-for-profit organization called the Frank Gotch Statue Committee.

“Frank Gotch was arguably the top athlete in America in the 1908 to 1915 era,” said co-chair Steve Reimers, a lifelong resident of the city located in the northwestern part of the state. “Frank brought great recognition to this town and to all of Iowa. Many of us feel it is time to pay a special tribute to Gotch and the great legacy he left behind.”

Bicknell Park was the site of Gotch’s training camp prior to his epic match with George Hackenschmidt, known as The Russian Lion, on September 3, 1911, in Chicago. Gotch set up camp by the small bluff on the Des Moines River and spectators flocked to watch the world champion in training. Sports reporters from around the nation converged on Humboldt the month prior to the match. One reporter estimated that one day there were nearly 2,000 fans down by the park watching Gotch train.

Read more…

Tags: Bicknell Park, Frank Gotch, Humboldt

Mike’s May Schedule

Monday, May 9th, 2011 | Book Signing, Radio, Speaking, Wrestling | No Comments

Mike Chapman has a heavy schedule of appearances in May.

May 9 – 4:30 pm, taping of The Culture Buzz show at KFMG studio, in Des Moines. Will be played May 18th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Listen live here or listen to the archived show here, when it goes online.

May 16 – Speaking at the Noon Rotary in Waterloo, at the Five Sullivan Center. Mike will be talking about his book Triumph and Tragedy: The Inspiring Stories of Football Legends Fred Becker, Jack Trice, Nile Kinnick and Johnny Bright. Fred Becker is a 1914 graduate of East High who became Iowa’s very first All-American football player in 1916, then died fighting in World War I. The newest Waterloo school will be named Fred H. Becker Elementary School.

May 17 – For the third straight year, Mike will be presenting a workshop for young writers at a Waterloo school. The event is coordinated by Donna Huff, wife of Don Huff, with whom Mike co-wrote the book SIDDENS! The purpose of the workshop is to inspire young students to get excited about history and writing.

May 19 — Mike will be one of the special guests at the Frank Gotch Statue Celebration (5-9 p.m.) and the Rustix Restaurant in Humboldt. A committee was formed six months ago with the goal of raising money for an 8-foot bronze statue of Frank to be placed at Bicknell Park in Humboldt. Gotch was world heavyweight wrestling champion from 1908 to 1915 and arguably the most popular athlete in America. Also in attendance will be Tom Brands, 1996 Olympic champion, three-time NCAA champion and head coach at Iowa; Bill Smith, 1952 Olympic champion and two-time NCAA champion at UNI; Jim Raschke, who was a big star in professional wrestling in the 1970s as Baron Von Raschke and was a national champion as an amateur AAU wrestler; Brad Rheingans, who won 8 national championships and made two Olympic teams as an amateur before becoming a professional star; Bob Steenlage, Iowa’s first four-time state champion (from Britt) and an All-American at West Point, also the subject of the popular book Fighting Back; and Bruce Reimers, a native of Humboldt who played 10 years in the National Football League and was in a Super Bowl with the Cincinnati Bengals; there will also be a silent auction.

May 24 — Mike will journey to Dixon, Illinois, the hometown of Ronald Reagan, to present a program about his historical novel, Lowell Park, and to discuss his writing career. Ronald Reagan was a lifeguard at beautiful Lowell Park for seven straight summers, and Abe Lincoln served in the Illinois militia in the same spot 100 years earlier. The book combines those two facts. It has been sold to a Hollywood movie company and is in pre-production. The talk will take place at the Dixon Library from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and is open to the public. He will hold a book signing afterwards, with many of his 22 books available.

More information here: Dixon Public Library

May 27-28 – In Minneapolis, Mike will be one of several guests at the annual Edgar Rice Burroughs gathering called ECOF. Burroughs created Tarzan and many other great fictional characters. The gathering is open to the public and will feature tons of Tarzan and Burroughs related material, science fiction books, artwork, etc. There will be other authors and a famous comic artist, Mike Grell. It will be held at the Bloomington Airport Holiday Inn, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m both days. Mike has hosted three national Tarzan conventions in the past and has written books about Tarzan actors Herman Brix (aka Bruce Bennett) and Glenn Morris. He will have most of his 22 books for sale. The event is open to the public with no charge.

More information here: ECOF 2011 Flyer

Tags: Bob Siddens, Culture Buzz, Lowell Park, Tarzan, Triumph and Tragedy

Reagan Birthday Celebration and Book Signing

Friday, February 4th, 2011 | Book Signing, Books, Radio | 1 Comment

Fort Des Moines is hosting a special celebration this Sunday at 2 p.m. in honor of Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday, and Mike Chapman has been invited to participate and hold a book signing. While working at WHO Radio in Des Moines, young Ron Reagan earned his commission at Fort Des Moines as a Second Lieutenant in 1937. Featured films include “Rear Gunner”, “For God and Country”, and “Jap Zero”. There will be birthday cake and jelly beans! Tickets are $5 per person and are available at the door.

Mike is the author of 22 books, one of them an historical novel about Ronald Reagan as a lifeguard in the summer of 1932. The book, entitled Lowell Park, tells of a young Iowa graduate student, Jenny Brix, who gets a chance to travel back in time and meet Mr. Reagan when he was known as “Dutch.” However, the time machine malfunctions and Jenny goes to the same very same location in 1832 — where a young Abe Lincoln is serving in the Black Hawk War. Jenny eventually winds up in 1932 and falls for Dutch, and then the trouble begins!

Click for more details…

Tags: Fort Des Moines, Lowell Park, Ronald Reagan, WHO Radio