Our Local History
I recently picked up a book called A Culinary History of Iowa, by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby. One portion of this book was particularly interesting because it talked about the coal mines of Dallas county Iowa, which includes the Waukee area. This portion of the book was intriguing to me for several reasons. First, it addressed a period in history that intertwines with the history of our building, from the early 1930s to early 1950s. Second, it talks about a time when a community was brought together and living standards were improved through farming and food.
Our Building. The building that will soon house Old Station Craft Meats and Central Iowa Music Lab is essentially two separate buildings that were joined together. The Northern portion of the building, which will be occupied by Central Iowa Music Lab, appears to be the original building built in 1920. The Southern portion of the building, which will be occupied by Old Station Craft Meats, we believe was built in the early 1950s.
Dallas County. According to Maulsby’s book the coal mine camps of Dallas county consisted of very poor housing conditions, meager social opportunities, and high illiteracy rates. It wasn’t until December of 1933 that Father Luigi Ligutti petitioned for the Granger Homesteads, which provided coal miner families the opportunity to own land to supplement their income by raising a variety of crops and livestock.
Ligutti believed that the coal mining camps were no place for a family, instead promoting the farm as an ideal place to raise children. The entire homestead project cost the federal government $200,000 for fifty homes on 225 acres. Families were given thirty years to pay the government back, at an interest rate of three percent. The homesteader families created cooperatives to buy machinery and improve productivity on the land. As a result, most of the project’s debt was paid back in 20 years and no families defaulted on their loan.
I appreciate these types of historical accounts that share local stories of people working together for the better of the community. It’s this connecting of people that inspired the idea of Old Station Craft Meats, which celebrates Iowa’s farming heritage along with connecting people through experiences…and food!
If you’re interested in learning more about Dallas county’s coal mining history, I encourage you to visit the museum located at the Waukee Public Library. While you’re at the library check out the book A Culinary History of Iowa, by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby.
