Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
DUBUQUE, KANSAS
DUBUQUE, KANSAS. Located in central Kansas, the community of Dubuque was settled by Polish settlers around 1877 from Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. (1) They were followed by Luxemburgers, Czechs, and Austrians from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Dubuque. (2) Each nationality wanted to take advantage of homestead laws that promised them 160 acres of land if ten acres were planted in trees. (3) By 1874 when German and Russian immigrants came to the area, the Turkey Red Wheat they brought with them proved better for seed than the soft wheat of the Mississippi Valley. (4)
The best days of the community came during the 1920s. With the development of farm machinery, farmers sold out to larger companies and moved away. (5) The growth of the community was also stopped when it was clear the railroad would not be coming through the area.
In 1991 only St. Catherine's Church remained of the community. The church had been constructed in 1901 of stone quarried in the nearby area. (6)
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Source:
1. "Yes, Virginia, There is Another Dubuque," Telegraph Herald, undated article. Courtesy: Diane Harris
2. Smith, Rick. "Church 'All That's Left' of Dubuque, Kansas," Telegraph Herald, January 1, 1991, p. 3A.
3. "Yes, Virginia..."
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Smith