Cooper is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Greene County,
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
, United States.
History
Cooper was founded in 1881 with the arrival of the railroad, and was named after Des Moines railroad executive F.M. Hubbell's father-in-law, Isaac Cooper. Cooper's population reached a high point of about 250 in 1900.
A fire in 1921 leveled much of Cooper's business district.
The Cooper School District was merged with nearby
Jefferson in 1959; the Franklin Township School closed that summer and the junior high school building closed in the 1970s.
In late July, 1980, the ''Des Moines Registers Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (
RAGBRAI
RAGBRAI is an acronym and registered trademark for the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, which is a non-competitive bicycle ride organized by ''The Des Moines Register.'' The course runs across the state of Iowa from west to east ...
) brought 5,000 cyclists pedaling through town. As the cyclists approached from the west, a cannon was fired and a recording of the ''1812 Overture'' was repeatedly played.
Arts and culture
Cooper has become nationally known for two things:
1. In 1981 an international search to adopt the 51st citizen of this small town landed residents on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. The publicity which followed generated a crowd of nearly 12,500 for the weekend event.
2. Later years home of the "Iowa Boy" Chuck Offenburger.
See also
*
Raccoon River Valley Trail
Raccoon River Valley Trail (RRVT) is a rail trail running from Waukee, Iowa, to Jefferson, Iowa. In 2013, an additional north loop was completed on the RRVT, making the RRVT nearly of paved trails and having a paved interior loop of more than . ...
References
External links
Unincorporated communities in Iowa
Unincorporated communities in Greene County, Iowa
Populated places established in 1881
1881 establishments in Iowa
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