IOWA STATE - When exploring the history of the Hawkeye State, the timeline begins on the Mississippi River bluffs at Dubuque. Established in 1788, it is the oldest city in Iowa and served as the primary gateway for early European expansion into the region.
The Founding: 1788
Dubuque's origins are industrial, rooted in the area's rich lead deposits.
- Julien Dubuque: In 1788, a French-Canadian trader named Julien Dubuque received permission from the Meskwaki tribe to mine lead in the area. He subsequently secured a land grant from the Spanish governor of Louisiana in 1796, naming his claim the "Mines of Spain."
- The First Settlement: Dubuque lived among the Meskwaki, operating a large-scale trading and mining enterprise until he died in 1810. Although the settlement thinned out after his death, his presence established a permanent European footprint that would later become the city.
Indigenous Roots
Long before Julien Dubuque arrived, the region was the domain of the Meskwaki (Fox) people. The Meskwaki were the first to discover and work the lead mines. They guarded the resource jealously, allowing Dubuque to work there only because he had built a close relationship with the tribe (and allegedly married Potosa, the daughter of the Meskwaki chief Peosta). The city's geography remains shaped by this history, with key locations such as Peosta and Catfish Creek bearing names from this era.
A Technical Distinction: The Black Hawk Purchase
Although Julien Dubuque was settled in 1788, there is a temporal gap in the timeline.
- The "Closed" Period: After Dubuque died in 1810, the Meskwaki reclaimed the mines and burned his house. The U.S. government officially considered the land "Indian Territory" and illegal for white settlement.
- June 1, 1833: It wasn't until the Black Hawk Purchase went into effect on June 1, 1833, that the territory was legally opened to American settlers. On this date, hundreds of miners rushed across the river to reclaim Dubuque's old diggings, formally establishing the modern city grid.
Settlement vs. Incorporation
Dubuque is widely recognized as "Iowa's First City." It was officially chartered by the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature (which governed Iowa at the time) in 1837.
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The Rivalry: The city of Burlington was also laid out in 1833 and served as the first territorial capital (1837) and the second capital of the Wisconsin Territory. However, Dubuque's 1788 founding establishes itshistorical seniority as the first European settlement.
Dubuque is the oldest city in Iowa, tracing its founding to 1788 when Julien Dubuque began mining lead under a Spanish land grant located iinthe ancestral lands of the Meskwaki people, who werregion'sgion's iginal miners oWhile legal American settlement did not begin until the Black Hawk Purchase opened the land in 1833, Dubuque's early colonial history cements its status as the State oldest community.
Sources
- State Historical Society of Iowa. "Julien Dubuque."
- City of Dubuque. "History of Dubuque."
- Encyclopedia Dubuque. "Mines of Spain."
- National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium. "Lead Mining History."
- Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. "Iowa History 101."
