Iowa History Journal

08/28/2026

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08/26/2026

Dolly Parton, who died yesterday at age 80, first performed in Des Moines in the 1960s at KRNT Theater with Porter Wagoner. The shows were among those organized by legendary, local country music radio disc jockey and concert promoter Smokey Smith, who was the subject of our March/April 2017 issue. Dolly—among other country music legends—is featured in our story.

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08/25/2026

Beloved icon Dolly Parton, who died today at age 80, was no stranger to Iowa having performed in the Hawkeye State several times during her illustrious career that spanned 60 years, during which she sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

The musician, actress, philanthropist and businesswoman first performed in Des Moines at the KRNT Theater in the 1960s with Porter Wagoner. (Dolly's photo at KRNT appears in our March/April 2017 cover story.) She also played the Iowa State Fair Grandstand three times in 1970, 1977 and 1982. Her last performance in Des Moines was at the Civic Center on Nov. 19, 2008. Her final Iowa concert was held in Cedar Rapids on July 19, 2016, at the U.S. Cellular Center (now the Alliant Energy PowerHouse).

During IHJ’s visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville in June, we visited an exhibit dedicated to her, “Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker.” One of the items on display that caught our eye was a Smokey Smith Presents poster promoting her concert with Wagoner at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines on New Year’s Eve 1972.

Parton was known by fans as the “Queen of Country” and was one of the most honored female country music artists. She earned 11 Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards, two Academy Awards and six Golden Globe Awards.

One of the most prolific songwriters in popular music history, Parton composed more than 3,000 songs, including two of her biggest hits—“Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You”—which she wrote on the same day.

Parton's legacy also lives on in her vast humanitarian efforts including her Imagination Library literacy program, in which she spent 31 years donating more than 300 million books to children and libraries. It became one of the world's largest childhood reading initiatives and Iowa libraries have received books donated by Parton.

08/24/2026

Today marks the first day of classes for most Iowa students K-12 and college. Wishing them—as well as teachers, parents and staff members—a happy school year!

https://iowahistoryjournal.com/store/volume-9-issue-4-little-schoolhouses/

08/24/2026

IHJ 2026 Quiz, Week 34: During his career that lasted for five decades, Iowa broadcaster Grant Price worked for radio stations in Sioux City, Waterloo and Cedar Rapids before moving to a rival station in Eastern Iowa in 1972 that he led to become the dominant television news ratings leader in the market for three decades. What are the call letters of the station?

Find the answer in the July/Aug issue of Iowa History Journal sold at Barnes & Noble, Hy-Vee, Beaverdale Books, Books-A-Million and select Walmart, Fleet Farm, Walgreens and Hy-Vee Drug stores. To subscribe, visit iowahistoryjournal.com and add $2.50 to start with the current issue.

08/24/2026

Ninety years ago today, Bob Feller took the mound to make his first big league start.
Win No. 1 of 266 – a 15-strikeout complete game at age 17 – was just the beginning of an illustrious Hall of Fame career for the Heater from Van Meter. https://ow.ly/IXz050ZElus

Ninety years ago today, Bob Feller took the mound to make his first big league start.

Win No. 1 of 266 – a 15-strikeout complete game at age 17 – was just the beginning of an illustrious Hall of Fame career for the Heater from Van Meter. https://ow.ly/IXz050ZElus

08/23/2026

And that's why you don't air the Field of Dreams game on a streaming service. It's a disservice to the fans, players, game, sport, field, Dyersville and Iowa.

MLB's "Field of Dreams" Game audience plummeted from the figures it once drew, averaging 1.66M viewers in the game's first such appearance on Netflix. (Nielsen data / AP)

The first MLB game at the Field of Dreams site in 2021 between the Yankees and White Sox averaged 5.91M on Fox while the Cubs-Reds matchup from 2022 averaged 3.10M.

Predictably for the Netflix game, the average median age was 46, the youngest for an MLB special event game. But the 1.66M figure was significantly lower than Netflix' airing of the HR Derby (5.3M) and Yankees-Giants Opening Night (2.97M).

08/21/2026

OTD: Aug. 21, 1964
Algona native, and founder and executive of the Kansas City Monarchs, J.L. Wilkinson died.

Here's what the HOF has written about Wilkinson on its website:

"J.L. Wilkinson was the principal owner of the Kansas City Monarchs from 1920-48, one of the most dominant Negro Leagues teams ever assembled.

"The Monarchs ruled two separate leagues in two separate time periods. A charter member of the Negro National League in 1920, the team won the NLL pennant four times in the 1920s. Then, as a charter member of the Negro American League, the Monarchs finished first seven times in the 1930s and 40s.

"Wilkinson’s Monarchs also won two of four Negro World Series in which they played. They won the first Series in 1924, defeating Hilldale of the Eastern Colored League. And they won the initial Series when the competition resumed in 1942, beating the Homestead Grays.

"From 1931-37, when African-American baseball was facing financial challenges, Wilkinson turned the Monarchs into a pure barnstorming club, drawing on their substantial popularity in the Midwest. To enable the team to play additional games at night in addition to their daytime schedule, Wilkinson purchased a portable lighting system, trucking it along behind the team bus when the Monarchs hit the road.

"Several Hall of Famers elected as Negro Leaguers – Cool Papa Bell, Bill Foster, Satchel Paige, Bullet Rogan, Hilton Smith, Turkey Stearnes and Willie Wells – played for Wilkinson’s Monarchs, as did Jackie Robinson, Ernie Banks and Elston Howard, among others, before integrating Organized Baseball.

"Wilkinson began his baseball career in his home state of Iowa as a pitcher until he hurt his arm. He then became a baseball entrepreneur, first in 1909 with a traveling women’s team.

"In 1912, he organized the All Nations squad in Des Moines. The team, which had players from several ethnic backgrounds, was a top barnstorming club until the military called many players to serve during World War I. By then, Wilkinson had made Kansas City his base – and reorganized his team as the Monarchs after the war.

"Wilkinson passed away on Aug. 21, 1964. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2006."

08/20/2026

Time is ticking to pick up the July/Aug issue on newsstands at Barnes and Noble, Hy-Vee, Beaverdale Books and other outlets. Get your copy soon!

08/18/2026

OTD Aug. 18, 1920: 19th Amendment was ratified and an Iowan played a crucial role in its passage.

Carrie Clinton Lane Chapman Catt, who grew up in rural Charles City, was a striking force in the U.S. in her efforts for women. Not only did she lead the battle for women’s suffrage, but she also fought for women’s equality in property rights, wages, education and other significant areas.

She did not limit her talents to serving the nation. She used her forceful rhetoric and impactful personality to offer women on the international scene the hopeful message that they should be equal to men in politics and law.

The crowning glory of Catt’s public career was the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States in 1920, granting all U.S. females the right to vote. At around this time, Catt’s creation — the League of Women Voters — was born, an organization dedicated to better government and civic education that exists to this day. Catt was also a significant figure in the worldwide peace movement, dedicated to eliminating the causes of war.

Catt is one of the truly significant and charismatic figures in U.S. and Iowa history, one who courageously led the battle for political and economic rights for half the human population.

Copies of our award-winning, three-part series that was published in our 2019 March/April, May/June and July/August issues can be purchased at iowahistoryjournal.com.