You are the Curator: First Pneumatic Tractor Tire, 1921

At the Sioux City Public Museum is an exhibit of 7 artifacts from the permanent collection normally kept in storage except when the museum has them on temporary display. The 7 artifacts are on display to let the public choose, by simple majority ballot, which artifact will be added to the permanent exhibit gallery.

First Pneumatic Tractor Tire, 1921:

Previous articles in the series:
You are the Curator: Introduction
You are the Curator: Wincharger 32 Volt Wind Generator

You are the Curator: Wincharger 32 Volt Wind Generator

At the Sioux City Public Museum is an exhibit of 7 artifacts from the permanent collection normally kept in storage except when the museum has them on temporary display. The 7 artifacts are on display to let the public choose, by simple majority ballot, which artifact will be added to the permanent exhibit gallery.

Wincharger 32 Volt Wind Generator:

Previous articles in the series:
You are the Curator: Introduction

You are the Curator: Introduction

        At the Sioux City Public Museum is an exhibit of 7 artifacts from the permanent collection normally kept in storage except when the museum has them on temporary display. The 7 artifacts are on display to let the public choose, by simple majority ballot, which artifact will be added to the permanent exhibit gallery.

Dr. John K. Cook Collection: Business Cards

Business cards:

Previous articles in series:
Dr. John K. Cook Collection: Introduction
Dr. John K. Cook Collection: Bibliography and Information Sources
Dr. John K. Cook Collection: Family History

Dr. John K. Cook Collection: Family History

A brief family history of Dr. John K. Cook:

Previous articles in series:
Dr. John K. Cook Collection: Introduction
Dr. John K. Cook Collection: Bibliography and Information Sources

Dr. John K. Cook Collection: Bibliography and Information Sources

Bibliography and Information Sources used in research:

Sioux City History - Cook, Dr. John
History of Sioux City, IA (Part 1 General History)
Grand Lodge of Iowa
Grand Lodge of Nebraska
George Harrison
Bill Kreuger
Sioux City Public Museum Research Center
Grace Linden
Annals of the Grand Lodge of Iowa

Previous articles in series:
Dr. John K. Cook Collection: Introduction

Dr. John K. Cook Collection: Introduction

        Dr. John K. Cook was the founder of Sioux City, Iowa. He was a government surveyor who with his wife moved to Kanesville, Iowa, which became Council Bluffs later, and began travelling north to the area where Sgt. Charles Floyd is buried in 1853. He along with his partners he began to purchase, survey, plat and develop the land that became Sioux City, Iowa. Completing the original plat by 1855 the Sioux City Land and Ferry Company was created. Despite trouble with American Indians a levee was built, cabins, hotels and business started to develop bringing people to the region. Dr. John K. Cook served as mayor of Sioux City twice.

        In or about 2012 a curator at the Sioux City Public Museum Research Center was conducting a search about Dr. John K. Cook online. She discovered a collection of papers that personally belonged to Dr. John K. Cook at the University of Arizona in Tuscon. She contacted the university and began correspondence regarding the collection. The collection was donated to the University of Arizona in or about the mid 1960's by a descendant of Dr. John K. Cook. The officials at the university gave the collection to the Sioux City Public Museum Research Center.

        The collection has yet to be cataloged into the Sioux City Public Museum Research Center and assigned a category and number but it is available for the public to read at the research center facility. Prior to the collection coming back to Sioux City there was a lot that was unknown about Dr. Cook. The papers include but are not limited to; property deeds, receipts, correspondence, family history, survey plot, abstracts, even his will. Some of the articles will simply show the document. Other articles will elaborate on that part of Dr. John K. Cook's life. The documents will be shown as close to chronological order as possible by type of document and by the date known on the document. The documents can be difficult to read as the writing style was a lot different in the 1800's than it is today.

Additional info:
Sioux City History - Cook, Dr. John
History of Sioux City, IA (Part 1 General History)

Curators' Choice: The Art of Model Making

On temporary display at the State Historical Building in Des Moines, Iowa is the Curator's Choice: The Art of Model Making exhibit: