by Lee Ann Simmers Dickey
Eddyville, Iowa, was founded in 1840 as a trading post for the Sauk and Fox tribes. After the tribes sold their land in Iowa to the United States government and moved on to Kansas, Eddyville was incorporated as a town. Though the population has never been much more than 1,200, the town’s location on the Des Moines River and later on the growing network of railroads made it an inviting site for families and businesses — and storytellers. The early days of Eddyville come to life in this illustrated history.