Waukee

by Waukee Area Historical Society

Overview

In 1869, Gen. Lewis Addison Grant and Maj. William Ragan purchased the land around the Des Moines Valley Railroad bed owned by Cyrus W. Fisher in Walnut Township. A plat map was drawn, and Waukee began. The Des Moines Valley Railroad was completed in June 1869, and Waukee was incorporated in 1878. Work, family, and church were the centers of life, and agriculture was predominant in Walnut Township. The Harris Coal Mine opened in 1920 and closed in 1928. The Shuler Coal Mine, opened in 1921, employed 500 men and closed in 1949. Community events are still held at the historic Triangle. Waukee's first school, facilitated in 1870, was held in the Presbyterian church. Today, Waukee is the fastest-growing school district in Iowa. On April 16, 2014, the Waukee City Council unveiled plans for Kettlestone, a 1,500-acre mixed-use development that will include an outdoor town center, housing, retail space, green space, trails, and an amphitheater.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467114332
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	07/13/2015
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	1,078,795
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

The Waukee Area Historical Society Board of Directors collaborated with deep-rooted individuals and families in the community to acquire historical images and information for this publication in order to celebrate and preserve local history.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 Seeds of Agriculture 11

2 The Early Years 33

3 Coal Mines and Community 49

4 Expansion of Education 69

5 Growth of Waukee 83

6 Hometown Heroes 113

Afterword 125

About the Society 126

About the Museums 127