Wambdi Okicize is commonly known as War Eagle. He was born in either Wisconsin or Minnesota around 1785. While his Indian name means "Little Eagle," whites always referred to him as War Eagle, which is odd because all through his life War Eagle sought to keep peace.

The first bank in Sioux City was a tin box about the size of a cake box. George Weare brought the box with him to Sioux City on December 26, 1855. At the time of his arrival from Cedar Rapids with the tin box with $1,000 in gold, Sioux City consisted of 6 log cabins! Three or four feet of snow covered the ground.

On April 26, 1857, the new teacher arrived on the first steamboat of the spring season, the Omaha. Mary Wilkins, a nineteen year old from Keosauqua, Iowa became the first teacher.