History at High Noon
History at High Noon: Sioux City Firsts: Part 1
In this History at High Noon, come ring in the first month of 2025 with a look at many different “firsts” in Sioux City’s history, presented by Haley Aguirre.
History at High Noon: The Rise and Fall of Sioux City's Stockyards and Meatpacking Industry: 1868-2002
Presenter Matt Anderson, curator of history, will give a general overview of Sioux City’s meat industry from 1868-2002.
History at High Noon: A Tour Through Smith's Villa
Presenter Tom Munson will explore the history of the Smith Family, the neighborhood, its residents, and its unique architecture.
History at High Noon: 22 Years of Honoring Our Children
Presenter Sun Rose IronShell will discuss the Annual Memorial March to Honor our Children.
History at High Noon: Latina/o History in Sioux City
Presenters Dr. Stacey Alex and Dr. Wilfrido Suárez will share several Sioux City Public Museum artifacts documenting Latina/o presence in our area.
History at High Noon: How the Neighborhoods Got Their Names
In this presentation, Archival Records Clerk Haley Aguirre will give an overview of Sioux City’s many iconic neighborhoods: where they are, who named them, and what these names mean.
History at High Noon: Fairness, Freedom, and Wallace Short
Presenter Russ Gifford chronicles the life of one of Sioux City’s most colorful mayors who stood up against the Anti-Saloon League and the Ku Klux Klan.
History at High Noon: A Walk Through the Park
How did this park get its name? Why is it here? What is that monument? Tom Munson, Archives Manager, will take the audience on a historic “tour” of Sioux City Parks.
History at High Noon: Sioux City and the Pacific War 1941-1945
Presenter Matt Anderson, Curator of History, will provide an overview of the WWII Pacific Campaign and accounts of the contributions made by local residents. The program is held in conjunction with the Sioux City Public Museum's exhibit, Sioux City and the Pacific War 1941-1945.
History at High Noon: The Story of Stone Park
Presenter Matt Anderson, Curator of History, traces the history of Sioux City’s largest nature preserve and public recreation area. Covering more than 800 acres, the park is also a pristine fragment of the Loess Hills.
History at High Noon: 100 Years of Girls Sports in Sioux City
Presenter Theresa Weaver, Curator of Education, chronicles young women’s involvement in local sports in recognition of Women’s History Month. Learn how Title IX and social movements pushed Sioux City schools into girls’ sports and how the iconic “Iowa Girl’s Basketball” story played out locally.
History at High Noon: Sioux City’s Telephone Companies
Presenter Haley Aguirre, Archival Records Clerk, traces how Sioux City went from having just 12 phone numbers in 1880 to over 75,000 telephones in operation by the end of the 1970s. Artifacts from the Museum’s Telephone Pioneers collection will be on display. (Rescheduled from December)
History at High Noon: The Legacy of Genelli Photography
Presenter Tom Munson, Archives Manager, showcases early Sioux City images of scenery, celebrations, and disasters taken by M.W. Starks. Specializing in portraiture, Starks opened a temporary studio in 1883 that evolved into a prominent local photography studio that is still in operation today.
History at High Noon: Medicine in U.S. Military History 1861-1945
Presenter Matt Anderson, Curator of History, takes a look back at how battlefield medical care met the challenges of increasingly lethal weapons of war. How these wartime medical advances benefited the civilian population is also explored.
History at High Noon: Ledger Narratives of Sioux City
Presenter Sun Rose Iron Shell gives an in-depth look at Great Plains testimonials created on antique ledger paper printed here in Sioux City by Perkins Brothers Printing Company. FREE.
History at High Noon: Sioux City’s Corn Palaces
Presenter Haley Aguirre, Archival Records Clerk, looks back at the remarkable structures that promoted Sioux City across the country from 1887 to 1891.
History at High Noon: Sioux City in Transition 1960-1969
Presenter Matt Anderson, Curator of History, will take a look back at the changes over the decade that left Sioux City a very different place in 1970 than it had been in 1959.
History at High Noon: How Iowa Met Baseball
Presenter John Liepa explores the myths of baseball’s origins, the early history and evolution of the game, baseball’s journey to Iowa and the role of the Civil War in spreading its popularity. FREE.
History at High Noon: Steel Rails & Mighty Tales in 20th Century Sioux City
Presenter Russ Gifford will trace Sioux City’s rail connections and their part in the industrial development that drove the city to lead the state in industry and commerce for decades.
History at High Noon: Sioux City’s Brick Industry
Clay beds in the Sioux City area have been used for the making of brick, tile, and pottery since the 1850s. Brickyards dotted the landscape from Riverside to the Floyd River valley and from Leeds to Sergeant Bluff. Presented by Tom Munson, Archives Manager, in conjunction with Historic Preservation Week.
History at High Noon: A Photographic Journey Through Leeds
Presented by Matt Anderson, Curator of History, in conjunction with the exhibit, “Leeds High School 1939-1972” on display at the Sioux City Public Museum.
Religion and Popular Culture at Easter
Dr. Bruce Forbes discussed Easter’s history, meanings, and practices, including topics such as relationships with the Jewish Passover, the changing date each year, and bunnies, eggs, Easter baskets and parades.
Native Women's Voices in “Calling for a Blanket Dance”
Nancy S. Gillis, former executive director of the John Neihardt State Historic Site, discusses the critically acclaimed book “Calling for a Blanket Dance” by Oscar Hokeah. Presented in partnership with Sioux City Reads.
History at High Noon: Philip C. Waltermire Photography
*Postponed to January 26 due to weather*
Tom Munson, Archives Manager, showcases the work of the early Sioux City photographer who captured many unique images from the era.
History at High Noon: Sioux City’s Art Deco
Tom Munson, Archives Manager, showcases the architectural style of local structures such as the Federal Building.
History at High Noon: Egyptomania in Sioux City
November 2022 marked the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Haley Aguirre, Archival Records Clerk, highlights the story behind one of the most important excavations in Egyptology, and how it impacted the design of many contemporary Sioux City buildings.
History at High Noon: Sioux City’s Bridges and Viaducts 1865-Present
Located at a point where the Big Sioux River, Floyd River and Perry Creek join the Missouri; Sioux City has depended on a network of bridges to cross its waterways since its earliest days. Matt Anderson, Curator of History, provided a photographic overview of these impressive structures through the years.
History at High Noon: Powering Sioux City
Ever since 1872 public utility companies have utilized ever-changing technology to provide power for Sioux City homes and businesses. In this photographic presentation, Archival Records Clerk Haley Aguirre discusses the histories of these power companies, the power plants that they built, and how they worked to meet the energy needs of Sioux Cityans over the years.
History at High Noon: Victorian Houses
Victorian style architecture was the dominant form of design in the United States in the last half of the 19th century. Tom Munson, Archives Manager, focuses this photographic presentation on Victorian residential design, which can be found in almost every Sioux City neighborhood.
History at High Noon: Five Tribes of Nebraska
Nancy S. Gillis, former executive director of the John Neihardt State Historic Site, provided a brief history of the Omaha, Ponca, Pawnee, Santee, and Winnebago tribes.
History at High Noon: How the Automobile Shaped Sioux City
Presented by Matt Anderson, Curator of History, in conjunction with the exhibit, “Knoepfler Chevrolet: Celebrating 100 Years in Sioux City.” the program draws on the Museum’s extensive photographic collection to revisit the role of the automobile during the 20th century. What began as a curiosity during the late-1890s and early-1900s, had become a staple of everyday life by 1920.