County Seat of Cherokee County and a hub for regional retail and business activity in northwest Iowa, the city of Cherokee is a center of growth. It has access to one-fourth of the U.S. Market by overnight freight, outstanding private air transportation facilities and a well-educated, highly productive work force that makes it an excellent choice for business and industry. Cherokee is also safe and friendly, where you can enjoy the small town atmosphere with less stress and at the same time have access to cultural and recreational opportunities in great variety. Area residents enjoy the local symphony, community theater, Sanford Museum and Planetarium and a vast city and county park system. Our progressive school district provides excellent K through 12 education including both college prep and vocational training. Cherokee's business and community leaders are committed to growth through a strong public/private partnership with the county officials and surrounding communities.

History
After the three glacial advances of the western limit of the Wisconsinan glacial period, the site of the city of Cherokee took on its present day landscape. The first settlement in the area was believed to be developed by the Mill Creek Indian culture in 1200 A.D. After French fur traders and other European ancestry began moving into the vicinity, the Native American lands were divided into defined sections in 1851.

Pioneers made their homes in the fertile, wooded valley before venturing to develop the open plains. After scouting the area in 1856, Robert Perry picked a spot by the river in Pilot township for the county's first home. While getting supplies at Sergeant Bluff, he met two scouts of the Milford, Massachusetts Emigration Company. They were seeking land for their members whose wagons were close behind. After Perry's vivid description of "his valley", the scouts walked up the Little Sioux River. They chose a site on the west side of the river, northeast of the present city of Cherokee. Enough land was preempted so that each of the thirteen Milford colonists who came in 1856, two of them with families of children, had a town lot, a wood lot and acreage for farming. Another group of ten men led by George Banister, settled several miles south the same summer.

The promise of a railroad from Fort Dodge to Sioux City running through Cherokee brought many business and professional people during the late 1860's. The railroad was finally completed in 1870. It did not cross the Little Sioux where expected, although speculators had built up quite a town near the bridge built by the early colonists. In the spring of 1870 these folks moved about a mile and a half to the new depot the railroad had set up, dragging houses, shops, and their county courthouse with them. New Cherokee grew very fast and soon had many stores and a newspaper, The Times, which celebrated its Centennial in 1970. Cherokee had a Centennial Celebration in 1956 honoring all of the pioneers.

Education
On the northern side of Cherokee, a middle school building has been constructed. The district has closed the two aging school buildings of Garfield and Wilson. The new facility features a full gymnasium, a computer lab and a media center with videos and computer networking. The bond issue to approve the construction was passed in October of 1998. The building's architectural design was drafted by Sioux City-based FEH Associates, and the initial groundbreaking took place in May of 1999. Officials opened the school for use in January of 2001. Along with the new development, an expansion has been done on the existing Roosevelt Elementary Building. This includes three new classrooms, a storage area and extensions to the hallways.

The new grade divisions are as follows:
Roosevelt Elementary (K-4)
New Middle School (5-8)
High School (9-12)

Cherokee School District
600 W. Bluff
Cherokee, IA 51025
(712) 225-6767

Cherokee Community Parent-Teacher Association (CCPTA) was founded in 1995 for Kindergarten through 6th grade by a group of parents, teachers and administrators. Projects and events the CCPTA helps to fund are: field trips, playground equipment, CD's, books and software, Teacher and School Board Appreciation and two scholarships to high school graduates as well as Kindergarten Round Up, Student Directory, the Haunted House and various carnivals.

For more information, contact Barb Radke and Laurie Davis, CCPTA Co-Presidents, at (712) 225-6760.

Healthcare
Cherokee Regional Medical Center
Cherokee Regional Medical Center, located in Cherokee, is the leading health care provider with onsite professional and experienced staff. Residents of Cherokee County have immediate access to both organizations and the specialized services that are available.

The Beck
CRMC offers a beautiful 32-unit independent senior living complex featuring one, two and three bedroom apartments. Each spacious apartment offers a fully equipped kitchen, security system, a daily noon meal, weekly apartment cleaning, recreation areas, central laundry facilities, building maintenance, and utilities. The Beck is located adjacent to the hospital.

Wellness Center
The Wellness Center is a 32,000 square foot facility that offers fitness, recreation and family fun for all ages. It offers a swimming pool, 2 raquetball courts, a gymnasium, a walking/jogging track and locker rooms. The Wellness Center opened in October 2002.

Local Events & Attractions

Sanford Museum Association
Located in the city of Cherokee, the Sanford Museum Association is an organization of volunteers who contribute time and money to enrich the offerings of the Sanford Museum and Planetarium. Working in cooperation with museum officials, the association hosts exhibits, lectures, and demonstrations, sponsors programs of research, and purchases museum equipment and library books.

The Sanford Museum and Planetarium was made possible through a trust fund established by the late Mrs. W.A. Sanford of Cherokee. The trust fund reflected the wishes of both Mrs. Sanford and her husband, a long time banker, that a museum should be built in memory of their only child, Tiel, who died in his twenties.

It was their intention to create a charitable trust for historical, cultural and educational purposes that was to be free and open to the public.

The facility was officially opened to the public in 1951, and was Iowa's first accredited museum. Since then, more than one million visitors have reviewed exhibits, attended demonstrations and taken part in a wide variety of activities.

Museum hours are 9am to 5pm (Mon-Fri) and 12pm to 5pm (Sat-Sun). Admission is free. For more information please call (712) 225-3922.

Cherokee Public Library
The Cherokee Public Library was established in 1886 by a group of twelve women. In 1905 a grand opening was held for a city building that was the result of a $12,000 grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. In October of 1998 another grand opening was held to celebrate the renovation of the original library building and the addition of 7,000 more square feet. The library houses print collections of books, children's books, magazines, large print books, newspapers, and board books for preschoolers. Non-print collections include audio books on tape, videos, and multimedia combinations for children. Thirteen Internet computers are available for the public, and the library staff offers computer classes on a regular basis. The children's department has an active schedule that includes preschool story time, Toddler Teddy Bear Gang, the After School Bunch, Readers R Us, Family Night, a summer reading program, and other special events. Fax service and tax forms are also available.

For more information call 712-225-3498
Address: 215 S. 2nd St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Director: Mary Jo Ruppert
Children's Librarian: Mary Borgheiinck-Kranig
Technical Services: Judy Grienke

Cherokee Area Archives
The Cherokee Area Archives is a nonprofit organization located in the Cherokee Public Library building. It is dedicated to preserving local historical and genealogical material. The Archive's resources are available to the public Monday-Friday from 1:30 pm - 4 pm or by special appointment. It is staffed by volunteers.

For more information call 712-225-3498
Address: 215 S. 2nd St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Board President: Delores Richardson

Lily of the Valley #5 One-Room School/Living History Center
Located at 2020 Hwy 3 Bypass, Cherokee, IA. Lily of the Valley #5, a one-room school, is being restored on the campus of the Western Hills Area Education Agency in Cherokee in partnership with the community. The school will be a living history center for children, to preserve and promote Iowa's educational heritage.

The school is estimated to have been built between 1890 and 1902. Originally located south of Moville, Ia, the school was in operation until 1956. Most recently the school was located at Copeland Park in Correctionville, Ia.

Activities include school field trips, adult programs and tours. The school was recently renovated with a new roof and lighting.

Depot Renovation, Inc.
The Depot Renovation, Inc., is a group of volunteers who are working to preserve an important part of Cherokee's history, the Illinois Central Railroad Depot located at 119 South 4th Street.

As the railroad was the key reason for the growth of Cherokee, the depot and entire railroad complex are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The group, with the aid of memberships, donations, and grants, has purchased the depot from the city and added a caboose to the area. Future plans include the establishment of a Northwest Iowa Railroad Museum and more rental space for retail shops. Summer events have included a Fine Arts Fair, flea markets, farmers' markets, and an Arts and Crafts Fair. For further information, contact Jim Adamson at 712-225-4664 or 712-229-9502.

Cherokee Symphony Association

Photo by Doug Pierson

Three concerts are given each season ... a Pops concert in the fall, the MidWinter Concert in February and the Young Artists' Concert in March or April. Concerts are held on Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m. at the Cherokee Community Center.

Cherokee is very proud of the Cherokee Symphony, an outstanding musical organization with a 44 year tradition. Having a first-rate symphony orchestra is indeed unique for a community the size of Cherokee. It was co-founded in 1956 by Merle Robinson of Cherokee and Della Beth Thomson of Cleghorn.

The orchestra provides the community with the highest quality musical entertainment while giving musicians in the area a semi-professional outlet for their talents. This 60-member orchestra has been referred to as "the best kept secret in Iowa."

Lee Thorson, a cellist and instructor from Rolfe, Iowa, has been conductor since 1981. A long time member of the Sioux City Symphony, he is currently an adjunct faculty member at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, gives private lessons, and is a member of the Plains Trio.

For more information, contact:
Symphony Association
P.O. Box 25
Cherokee, IA 51012

Cherokee Community Theater
In 1959, after two years of "theater" in Adult Education and with the assistance of Professor Ronald Gee of the University of Iowa, 50 area residents formed the Cherokee Community Theater, Inc.

The theater group has presented full-scale productions plus melodramas and musicals, one act plays and play readings. Each year more than 200 people volunteer in some capacity to put on 3 shows. Income for the Community Theater, which is a member of the Iowa Community Theater Association, comes from ticket sales, membership and program advertising. Season tickets and reserved seats are available through the box office at (712) 225-4440.

American Theater
Cherokee's movie theater, The American Theater, is located downtown at 108 East Main Street.

For more information on any of these sites or attractions, please contact:
Cherokee Chamber of Commerce
416 W Main Street, Ste. I
Cherokee, IA 51012
(712) 225-6414
Email: cofccherokee@ncn.net

Barnes PRCA Rodeo
(from the Daily Times, Tuesday, May 25, 1999)

The rodeo is an annual event in Cherokee. Local resident Bob Barnes is the largest contractor for rodeo livestock in the area. Barnes, whether participating himself or supplying animals, has been involved with the rodeo for over 50 years.

He has served on the PRCA Board of Directors, the National Finals Rodeo Committee and numerous other boards and committees in his lifetime.

Now at the turn of the century, Barnes has four tractors, 12 trailers and numerous pickups. The Barnes Rodeo stock trucks travel through 32 states and over 100,000 miles a year. Thousands of rodeo enthusiasts travel to the Cherokee County Fairgrounds each summer for the three day Barnes Rodeo Spectacular. The farthest rodeo is now 1,500 miles away.

Photography by Kent Foster

Barnes is Iowa's only major rodeo stock producer and the most honored and experienced producer in the nation. He produces huge events like the Last Chance Stampede in Montana, Minnesota State Fair, Ohio State Fair, Gerry, New York, North Washington, Pennsylvania and many in between - around 40 rodeos per-year.

Barnes was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1994. He is one of only two stock contractors that have had bucking stock at every National's Final Rodeo.

For a listing of more events and attractions, click here for the calendar of events.

For more information on any of these sites or attractions, please contact:
Cherokee Chamber of Commerce
416 W. Main Street, Ste. I
Cherokee, IA 51012 (712)225-6414
Email: cofccherokee@ncn.net

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