Introduction:
The goal of this project was to introduce buildings and homes along Sioux City’s Jackson Street that reflected unique architectural styles or were the homes of prominent residents. As work progressed on background research of selected residences, the project began to take a life of its own. The history of Jackson Street read as a who’s who of the city, and it became difficult to exclude any structures.
None of the original owners or their families currently reside in the homes, and the majority of the families have left the city. These structures are a legacy that should be carefully overseen, protected and preserved for the future. Once gone, structures of this quality will not return.
The information in this blog post, taken from the booklet Legacy of the Past A Self-Guided Driving Tour of Historic Jackson Street Sioux City, Iowa, is designed to guide the reader on a trip to another era. Go back to a time when life was simple, the pace was slower and spending time with the family on a Sunday afternoon was commonplace. A church picnic, a concert in the park or a walk down the street was fun and exciting.
After riding the route on your bicycle, a vibrant part of Sioux City history will become a part of the participant’s life. If only the buildings could speak of all the untold stories and events that went on inside their walls.
A Short History of Jackson Street:
Jackson Street is a north/south street that starts in downtown about 3 or blocks north of the Missouri River and runs north and terminates at 39th Street near the Sioux City Country Club. The area from about 7th and Jackson Streets south into downtown 99% is commercial, from 7th and Jackson north is 99% residential as it travels through the hilly residential area of the city. Jackson Street is listed on the Second Plat of Sioux City in the SIOUX CITY EAST EDITION area of the city. County recorder, Samuel H. Cassady recorder the plat on September 16, 1856. There is speculation the street was named for President Andrew Jackson. It was more likely named for James A. Jackson, son in law of Dr. John K. Cook, Sioux City’s founder, who platted the city in the winter of 1854-1855.
In the 1860’s and 1870’s Jackson was mostly residential with the exception of the commercial section between 4th St. and the river. Originally homes extended as far as the 500 block. Gradually business development combined with the desire for newer style homes pushed the residential neighborhood further north. At 6th and Jackson a steep incline flattens out between 7th and 8th Streets. This area is known as Codfish or Plateau Hill. In the 1860’s only well to do families could afford homes overlooking the Missouri River bottoms.
By 1883, Sioux City’s boundaries had only grown a small amount since the original plat in 1854, making the northern most boundary of Sioux City around 14th and Jackson. City ordinances between 1887 and 1890, however, approved the grading o fJackson from downtown north to 39th Street. In 1884 at the cost of $0.15 per cubic yard, the cutting through Jackson, Pierce, Jones and Nebraska Streets totaled $300,000.
Land Developers were quick to realize this area could be developed as a residential area for prominent families. They began buying sections or additions of land north of the city limits. This allowed millionaires to start building their mansions on the upper reaches of Jackson. By 1890 city boundaries leaped northward and reached the Plymouth County line.
William E. Higman purchased the first and second additions north of 14th St. in 1881 and 1882, from 14th to 21st Streets. The second addition Higman purchased was known as Higman’s Second Addition. Higman did not live on Jackson Street, but was important to its development. He was born in 1846 in Corning, Steuban County New York, his first business experience was in banking. After that he was in the wholesale grocery business which he operated in Sioux City from 1880 to 1884. After which he was in the real estate business and in 1890 was one of the organizers of the National Bank of Sioux City, one of Iowa’s largest banks at one time.
In 1884the next addition on Jackson was the Daniel T. Hedge’s addition from 21st to 23rd Streets. Higman’s Park was added in 1887 and included the streets from 23rd to 28th. The last addition was John Peirce’s from 28th to 38th Streets.
Developers John Peirce and Daniel Hedges foresaw the need for public transit and went about building a cable car company. Work on Iowa’s first cable car line designed by A. M. Phoenix began in in Sioux City in 1888. It was designed after the one in San Francisco and transported people from the business district to the newly opened residential area. After ceremonies on May 30, 1889 the first passengers were transported from 3rd and Jackson to 29th and Jackson. Cars were operated by a grip man in the center of the car who would manipulate the clutch. Rides were $0.05 a piece. Molly hedges, daughter of Daniel Hedges, drove the first car down the street. A few years later the line was extended to the Country Club property where the cars reversed and went back down the line. There was a gazebo at the end of Jackson Street where passengers could have refreshments and enjoy the view of the rolling hills of the Country Club district. The cable car powerhouse, fueled by coal, was located a block east of Jackson between 298th and 29th and Jones. Today, a pile of coal sludge or cinder is all that remains of the cable railway and can still be seen at 28th and Jones. In 1894 the cable line became part of the city’s electric streetcar system.
John Peirce saw the need for sprucing up Jackson to make it more appealing to prospective buyers. Therefore, he began the Sioux City Nursery Company and planted trees along Jackson long before houses were built.
Sioux City’s history is reflected in the growth of Jackson. The earliest settlers lived close to the downtown district as a necessity, moving north as newer areas opened up. As the public transportation transit system progressed from mule drawn streetcars to the cable car system, homes began to appear built as far up as 29th Street by businessmen. The panic of 1893 bankrupted many developers built and slowed the progress of building until the early 20th Century. After 1900, homes were being built along Jackson as far up as 38th Street, but were more modest then the mansions of the early boom period. Following WWII were even smaller, sometimes one story homes, were built.
Gone were the large homes surrounded by the acres of pastureland. During the early decades of the 20th Century the use of automobiles increased, which resulted in a corresponding reduction in the use of horses and the need for barns. Gradually owners of large tracts of pasture sold off this excess land. Individuals purchasing these vacant parcels were typically of more modest economic means than their Victorian predecessors, and the homes they constructed reflected their financial standing. As you ride bike along Jackson take note of this transformation. Frequently you will see large Victorian homes standing adjacent to smaller more modern looking residences. This is especially evident in the blocks north of 19th Street.
No comments:
Post a Comment