Days Inn Dubuque

Julien Dubuque

by Stephen-KarenConn

Dubuque is named for Julien Dubuque(1762-1810), a French Canadian from Quebec, who in 1788 became the first person of European descent to settle on what is now Iowa.

Julien Dubuque received a land grant from the Governor of Spain, giving him permission to work the land which was owned by Spain and specified the 189-square mile area to be named as "Mines of Spain." Dubuque befriended the Mesquakie Indian Chief, Petosa, and it is widely believed that he married the chief's daughter, Potosa. Dubuque died on March 24, 1810, and was burried on a high bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.

The Mines of Spain are still in existance and lie to the south of the city of Dubuque.

Julien Dubuque

Alfred Caldwell's masterful park buildings

by yooperprof

Alfred Caldwell was one of the most important public designers to emerge in America in the first half of the 20th century. After studying with Prairie School master Jens Jensen, Caldwell spent some time at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin, which is only about 100 miles distant from Dubuque. (See my Taliesin travelogue on my Spring Green Wisconsin pages.) Although Caldwell worked for the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s, he alienated clients and co-workers alike with his brusque and domineering manner. Reportedly, he was fired from working on Eagle Point Park because he was spending too much time and money on perfecting the details of his design! Later, after World War II, he was intimately associated with Mies van der Rohe at the influential Illinois Institute of Design in Chicago. Caldwell died in 1998, at the age of 95.

Chief Peosta's Grave

by Stephen-KarenConn

When Julien Dubuque was exhumed, several other skeltons were found in the site with him. One skeleton was believed to be that of Dubuque's friend and father-in-law, Peosta, chief of the Mesquakie. The remains of Chief Peosta were reburied in a new grave a short distance from Dubuque's new grave site. The nearby town of Peosta, Iowa, was named for the chief.

It is widely thought that Julien Dubuque was married to Cheif Peosta's daughter, Potosa, although there is no historical record that either confirms or denies their marriage.

Chief Peosta's grave is near that of Julien Dubuque's, on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, two miles south of Dubuque. It is a National Historic Landmark.

Mississippi Riverwalk

by Stephen-KarenConn

If you visit Dubuque you must take a stroll along the beautiful new Mississippi Riverwalk which opened in the summer of 2003. Along the walk you will see both old and new points of interest.

Old sights include the Dubuque Shot Tower and Dubuque Star Brewery. Newer attractions are the Alliant Energy Citizen’s Amphitheater, a 25,000 square-foot waterpark, and the River’s Edge Plaza. Of course, Old Man River himself, the Mighty Mississippi, is the main attraction.

The Riverwalk is part of a 44-mile trail connecting America’s River to the nationally renowned Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa.

Dubuque: Iowa's First City

by Stephen-KarenConn

Mention the Mississippi River and many great river towns come to mind: New Orleans, Natchez, Memphis, St. Louis. . . . But no town is more proud of it's Mississippi River heritage, or showcases the river any better, than Dubuque Iowa, home of "America's River" and the Mississippi River Museum.

Dubuque is a historic town - the oldest in Iowa. It is perched on the western bank of the Mississippi across from the northwestern tip of Illinois and the southwestern tip of Wisconsin.

Karen and I first went to Dubuque on business, but we made so many delightful discoveries that we stayed to play. There's much to see and do here. Come with us on a virtual tour and explore some of the many hidden jewels in this fascinating river town.