The History of Cedar Falls

The Sauk and Fox (Meskwaki) Indians had lived here for many years, owning the area until 1837.

Black Hawk County was created in 1843 by the Territorial Legislature of Iowa and attached to Delaware County for judicial, election, and revenue purposes. At that time, there were few, if any, white settlers in the area.

In 1845, Black Hawk County was attached to Benton County, and in 1851 it was attached to Buchanan County. Not until August 17, 1853, did Black Hawk County have its own government. The County was named after the renowned Sauk Chief Black Hawk, although he never lived here. It is believed the first white man to visit Black Hawk County was a Frenchman named Gervais Paul Somaneaux. He came during the spring of 1837, but left when winter arrived. He returned about ten years later to settle in Cedar Falls where he lived until his death in 1850. At least three other men visited the area before 1845, but did not stay; two of them later returned to live in Cedar Falls.

The first permanent white settlement was started in March 1845, by William Sturgis and his brother-in-law, Erasmus D. Adams. They named the settlement Sturgis Falls. Their wives joined them during the summer and several other families soon followed. The Sturgis family's daughter Jeannette was born October 1, 1846, and was the first white child born in Black Hawk County. The second white child to be born in the new county was the son of the Adams family, Henry F. Adams, three days later on October 4, 1846.

William Sturgis and Erasmus Adams each farmed five acres. Sturgis attempted to use the excellent water power of the Red Cedar River to run a saw mill, but lack of money and labor slowed his venture. During February 1847, John Milton Overman, his brother Dempsey C. Overman, and John T. Barrick, came to Sturgis Falls. They wanted to build a dam and a mill on the Cedar River, and made William Sturgis an offer to buy his property. Sturgis sold his property in the fall of 1847 and moved out of the area. The newcomers changed the name of the small settlement to Cedar Falls.

The Overmans and Barrick dug a mill race, built a dam, and had their saw mill running by early 1848. Their mill was the first in the county. The men moved their families to Cedar Falls about the same time the mill was completed. Two years later, a grist mill was added, attracting customers from one hundred miles away.

Andrew Mullarky came to Cedar Falls in 1850 and opened the first retail store in the county. He was also the custodian of the county records, which he kept in the loft above his store, making the building the first Court House in Black Hawk County.

Cedar Falls was made county seat in 1853, but Waterloo citizens wanted to move it to their community. In 1854, a group of men from Waterloo tried to steal the records, but Cedar Falls residents successfully defended the records with "ancient hen's fruit" rotten eggs. Waterloo's next attempt was through the legal system, when the Iowa General Assembly authorized a vote on the location of the county seat. The special election was held April 2, 1855; Cedar Falls received 260 votes and Waterloo received 388 votes. The county seat moved to Waterloo.

The first newspaper was the Cedar Falls Banner, which was first published on July 11, 1854. The paper moved to Waterloo in 1858, was renamed the Waterloo Courier and remains in business today.

In 1846, Mrs. Jackson Taylor opened the first school in her home at Waterloo Road and East 13th Streets. Early residents recalled seeing parents escort their children to school because Indians living in the area were sighted in the woods near the Taylor home. Today, a marker commemorates the site of the Taylor home. In 1853, a community school was built on the corner of 5th and Main Streets.

Dempsey Overman became the first Cedar Falls postmaster in 1849. (Postage stamps had only been in use for two years, although the postal system was established in the American Colonies in 1639) At that time, the amount of mail was so small that Dempsey carried the letters under his hat and delivered them as he met the person to which they were addressed. The next year, 1850, a Post Office began in town.

About a mile from town, a home for the orphans of Civil War veterans was built in 1868. It was used until 1876, and after moving out the few remaining children, the building became the Iowa State Normal School. The building was called North Hall, and as more buildings were added to the campus, became known as Old Central. In the early morning of July 22, 1965, Old Central burned to the ground. The name of the school changed to Iowa State Teachers College in 1909; to State College of Iowa in 1961; and finally to the University of Northern Iowa in 1967. The first graduating class in 1878 had four people; today, enrollment is approximately 12,000. Cedar Falls has grown and changed a great deal over the years.

Many homes built before 1900 line the streets along with many historical buildings and landmarks. Today, the population of this thriving community is approximately 35,000. The Cedar Falls Historical Society operates five museums that tell of life in early Cedar Falls: the Ice House Museum, Victorian Home / Carriage House Museum, Wyth House and Viking Pump Museum, and the Little Red School House. In addition, we cooperate with the Cedar Falls Tourism Bureau for the Behrens - Rapp Service Station Museum and visitors information center. We invite you to visit them all.

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Cedar Falls Historical Society ã 2002
Last updated: 01/25/2007