(SBA) - It seems that 2025 is an important year for anniversaries. Last Saturday, a parade in Washington, DC celebrated the 250th anniversary of the United States Army. Additional 2025 notable dates include the 760th anniversary of the first English Parliament, established as a protest to the reign of King Henry III, the 200th anniversary of the birth of composer Richard Wagner, and the 90th anniversary of the birth of Elvis Presley. Closer to home, 2025 marks the 170th anniversary of the establishment of the first church in Sergeant Bluff. As our town has grown exponentially, such events may not seem important to new citizens in our city, but it would be a shame to ignore the many events that make our city unique.
One of the first gifts that Dale gave me when we started dating was a copy HISTORY OF PIONEER VALLEY, compiled by Alliene Baker Lindgren in 1975. Dale encouraged me to read the book to develop a better understanding of our city’s history and, more importantly, provide me a reference to the familial connections between the early settlers to our community. Dale warned me at the time, “Be careful how you talk about people in Sergeant Bluff, because so many of them are related.” It was good advice at the time and still to this day. I think that the development of our town has faded into memory for many of our long-time residents and is simply an unknown for more recent citizens, I thought it might be interesting to tell you about the early history of our town as context for writing about the history of Community United Methodist Church as it celebrates the 170th anniversary of its founding.
The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 opened a vast area on our continent that previously had served as the home territory of Native American tribes, including the Sioux, the Sac and the Fox, along with a few transient fur traders. The Lewis and Clarke expedition in 1804 provided tangible proof that there was fertile land available for settlers wanting to move west. The first history footnote to the expedition was the death of its sergeant, near to the area where our town is located. Sergeant Charles Floyd died of an appendicitis and was buried initially on a “high bluff south of a stream” that the explorers named the Floyd River. By 1856, the river had eroded the bluff, exposing Charles Floyd’s grave to the elements. Floyd’s remains were rescued and re-buried two hundred feet from the river. The Floyd Monument was erected on that spot in 1895.
The territory along the eastern shore of the Missouri River was ceded to the Sioux, the Sac and the Fox tribes on July 15, 1830, leaving huge parcels of land in the Iowa Territory available to white settlers. In 1839 about 100 trappers and explorers left St. Louis, traveling to the new territory where they engaged in trade for the American Fur Company. The men from St. Louis were impressed with the area and soon brought their families to settle in what is now known as Sergeant Bluff. Initially, these families made their living as traders with the Native Americans, but the settlers were impressed with the fertile bottom land near the river and soon were raising crops and animals for both sustenance and trade.
On July 15,1851, the Iowa Legislature created the boundary lines for forty-nine new counties in western Iowa. One such county was named “Woodbury” in honor of the honorable Levi Woodbury, an eminent man of his time who became a Supreme Court judge. When a county seat was established, the Legislature instructed the county commissioners to name the site, “Sergeant’s Bluff.” The village of Sergeant’s Bluff was the first platted town in Woodbury County. Leonard Bates and John Mather, surveyors bound for South Dakota, were impressed with the area and brought their families to settle here. Leonard Bates established the first blacksmith shop and still found time to put in a crop of corn in 1854. The possessive of “Sergeant’s” was dropped when the town post office was established.
By the next year, the area around Sergeant’s Bluff contained enough settlers to warrant a stop on the Methodist circuit for an itinerant preacher, William Black. This man, eager to spread the Gospel, was laden in the saddle with Bibles, hymn books and religious tracts. The Reverand William Black held his first church service in the double log house owned by Harry Lyons. Every resident of the town attended that first service. Rev. Black preached regularly in several towns in western Iowa as part of his circuit, including Ida Grove, Smithland, Onawa, Sac City and Sioux City. He also served several communities in Nebraska and South Dakota. On his visit to each town, he performed weddings and funerals as well as preaching sermons with a Methodist flair. The poor man, no doubt, was frequently saddle-weary and reluctantly reliant on the hospitality of his congregants. In 1856, the first church building was erected and the building served for many years as both church and school. In 1857, the presiding Elder of the Sioux City district came to live in Sergeant Bluff, thus establishing the town as an important site in the early days of the community.
There will be more history next week.
