The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Des Moines, Iowa, US.
19th century 1843 - Fort Des Moines U.S. Army post established. 1846 Fort Des Moines becomes seat of Polk County. Subscription schools open "in cabins along Raccoon Row." 1848 - Woodland Cemetery established as Fort Des Moines Cemetery 1849 - Iowa Star newspaper begins publication. 1850 - Population: 502 1851 Flood of 1851. September 22: Town incorporated. 1853 - Benjamin Luce elected mayor. 1854 - Western Stage Company begins operating. 1855 - Brass Band formed. 1856 - Iowa Weekly Citizen newspaper begins publication. 1857 Iowa state capital relocated to Des Moines from Iowa City. City chartered. 1858 - Bridge built over Des Moines River at Court Avenue. 1860 - Population: 3,965 1861 - Western Union Telegraph begins operating. 1865 - Hook and Ladder fire company organized. 1866 August: Railroad begins operating. Des Moines Library Association organized. 1867 April: Flood. State Arsenal built. 1870 Polk County Woman's Suffrage Association organized. Capital City Nurseries in business. Population: 12,035 1872 - Caledonian Club organized. 1874 - Younker Brothers Department Store in business. 1875 - June: State Republican Convention held. 1878 - Cottage Hospital opens. 1880 - Populatiton: 22,408 1881 - Drake University established. 1883 - Foster Opera House built. 1884 - Capital City commercial college founded. 1885 - Des Moines Women's Club founded. 1886 - Iowa State Capitol built. 1888 - William Lytle Carpenter elected mayor. 1889 - Des Moines Zoological Gardens opens. 1890 Highland Park College founded. Population: 50,093. 1893 - Sisters of Mercy from Davenport, Iowa open first hospital in Des Moines. Begin in temporary quarters at Hoyt Sherman Place. First permanent hospital opened at 4th and Ascension Streets, north of downtown, in 1895 1895 Grand View College founded. Young Women's Christian Association founded. 1896 - Women's Press Club and Proteus Club founded. 1898 - S.S. Still College of Osteopathy founded. 1900 - Population: 62,139.
20th century 1901 - Fort Des Moines re-established. 1902 - Register and Leader newspaper in publication. 1904 - George W. Mattern, Republican, was elected mayor of Des Moines (March 28) over W. L. Carpenter, DemocratLos Angeles Herald, Volume XXXI, Number 182, 29 March 1904 1906 - Polk County Courthouse and The Lexington (apartment building) constructed. 1907 - New city charter and plan adopted. 1910 Hotel Cargill in business. Population: 86,368. 1914 - Billy Robinson flies from Des Moines to Kentland, Indiana. 1915 - Riverview Park (amusement park) opens. 1917 - Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School active. 1918 - 1918 influenza epidemic. (includes timeline) 1920 Des Moines League of Women Voters founded. Population: 126,468 1923 Ground-breaking for Salisbury House; property completed in 1928 Hoyt Sherman Place Theatre built. 1924 - Equitable Building constructed. 1930 - Population: 142,559 1931 - Allen Hazen Water Tower built. 1933 - Des Moines Airport built. 1934 - September: Labor strike. 1935 - Iowa Taxpayers Association headquartered in Des Moines. 1940 - Population: 159,819 1950 - Population: 177,965 1955 - Veterans Memorial Auditorium opens. 1958 - Sister city relationship established with Kofu, Japan. 1959 - Merle Hay Mall in business. 1960 - Population: 208,982 1965 - Iowa Genealogical Society founded. 1966 - Blank Park Zoo opens. 1970 - Population: 201,404 1972 - Gateway Dance Theatre founded. 1973 - Financial Center built. 1975 - Ruan Center built. 1978 - Fire in Merle Hay Mall. 1980 - Population: 191,003 1981 - Des Moines Marriott Hotel built. 1983 - Des Moines Rowing Club organized. Des Moines Business Record Founded. 1985 Sister city relationships established with Shijiazhuang, China and Saint-Étienne, France. Plaza Building constructed. 1986 - HUB Tower built. 1990 - Population: 193,187 1991 - 801 Grand built. 1992 Sister city relationship established with Stavropol, Russia. Sec Taylor Stadium (now known as Principal Park) opens 1994 - Iowa Barnstormers begin play 1997 Preston Daniels becomes mayor. EMC Insurance Building constructed. Des Moines Dragons basketball team formed. City website online. 2000 - Population: 197,800
21st century
2004 - Frank Cownie (D) elected mayor. 2005 - Casey's Center (formerly Wells Fargo Arena) officially opens. 2006 - Sister city relationship established with Province of Catanzaro, Italy. 2010 - Population: 203,433. 2020 - Population: 214,133
See also List of Des Moines sports teams National Register of Historic Places listings in Polk County, Iowa History of Iowa List of Iowa railroads
References
Bibliography
Published in the 19th century
Published in the 20th century 1903, 1917, 1920, 1921 1908-
. + Chronology
Published in the 21st century Friedericks, William B. Covering Iowa: The History of the Des Moines Register and Tribune Company, 1849-1985 (Iowa State University Press, 2000), 318 pp.
External links
Items related to Des Moines, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America).