Mission Statement
Baseball in Siouxland in the 1930s
Today Major League Baseball is a coast to coast game with teams from Boston to San Diego, or from Miami to Toronto. In the 1930’s the look of Major League baseball was different. The Major League only went from Boston to St. Louis. Yet baseball was the nation’s pastime. People…
Lisa Rohde Olympian
With the Olympics coming this month, I was glad to find an Olympic Medalist from Dakota County, Nebraska. Lisa Rohde earned a silver medal in rowing in the 1984, Los Angeles Olympics. Lisa was born in Wakefield, Nebraska in 1955. She was raised in rural Hubbard and attended Emerson-Hubbard school. …
Meet Private John H. Bridenbaugh
John H. Bridenbaugh was born on September 30th, 1820, in Petersburg, Pennsylvania. He joined in the Union cause in the Civil War in 1864. He was enlisted in February 20th, 1864 and he was discharged on August 29th, 1865. He served in the 55th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company F. After the…
Now Pitching from Homer, Nebraska, Irv Higginbotham
Irving Clinton Higginbotham (1882–1959), was a professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1906 to 1909. He would play for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. He played from August 11th, 1906 and nine years in the minor leagues. He had an accumulated record of…
Meet Frank Ayers
Francis Henry Ayers lived in Dakota City, in 1900 and was buried in in the Dakota City Cemetery. He was born 1832 and died in 1907. Here’s a little look at his life. Frank, his friends called him that, was born when Andrew Jackson was president. He was born in…
Patricia Barber, Jazz Vocalist with Local Links
Patricia Barber was born in Chicago, in November 1955. Her parents were both musicians. Her father was part of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, traveling across the Midwest. Part of this travel brought the Barber family to the Sioux City area. South Sioux City in particular. Patricia’s mother wanted her daughter…
Whit Dawkins Highlights the Role of the Black Cowboy
In late July, 1967 Lyndon Johnson was President of the United States. The Vietnam War was ongoing. The Hippie Movement was at its peak. The fight for the civil rights for African-Americans and all Americans was sparking other rights movements. Pop culture reflected the changes taking place in this country. …
From South Sioux City to the Harlem Renaissance
Who was Doctor, Tom Stewart? This was the question posed by the biographer, Patrick McGilligan, when he contacted the reference desk of the library. Patrick McGilligan is a biographer, who focused on members of the entertainment community. At the time, the library had a copy of his biography of Jack…
Claude M. Bolton Jr., “If I Can Do It, You Can Do It”
The Honorable Claude M. Bolton Jr. grew up in South Sioux City, Nebraska to becoming a Major General in the United States Army. He spent forty years in public service, starting in his enrollment in Air Force ROTC at the University of Nebraska, where he earned his degree in electrical…
