Guttenberg is a city in Clayton County,

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, 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: Wiscon ...

, United States, along the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

. The population was 1,817 at the time of the 2020 census, down from 1,987 at the 2000 census.

History

Prairie La Porte, meaning "the door to the prairie," was the first name given to Guttenberg by French explorers in 1673. The Guttenberg area was a site of Sac and Fox campgrounds until 1823. The

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or ap ...

of 1803 transferred ownership to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and the Black Hawk Purchase of 1833 finally opened the area for legal settlement. Guttenberg’s past is preserved today in the many limestone buildings built by German immigrants in the mid-to-late 19th century. These structures were used for both residential and commercial purposes. Many such as the Albertus Building are pre-

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

era and are preserved in the Front Street Historic District. Guttenberg's riverfront location was pivotal in its early commercial development. The town first served as a focal point for westward settlement and as an early governmental and administrative center. It was the early location of the county seat from 1838-1843. Guttenberg served as a supply center for the general area until the Civil War, when railroads and an interior road system combined to detract from Guttenberg's role as a market center. The earliest businesses included general supply stores, blacksmith, wagon shops, and

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

s. The loss of the county seat in 1843 slowed growth and the population declined. Economic revival began in 1845 with the influx of hundreds of German immigrants under the auspices of the Western Settlement Society of

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

and continued with the development of the lead mining industry along Miners Creek. The German immigration began in 1845, and by 1850 the town was sizable and nearly all German. The city takes its name from

Johannes Gutenberg Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg (; – 3 February 1468) was a German inventor and craftsman who introduced letterpress printing to Europe with his movable-type printing press. Though not the first of its kind, earlier designs ...

, the inventor of

movable type Movable type (US English; moveable type in British English) is the system and technology of printing and typography that uses movable components to reproduce the elements of a document (usually individual alphanumeric characters or punctuation m ...

. Many of the town's streets are named for 18th & 19th century German writers, poets, playwrights and philosophers such as Koerner, Herman, Weiland, Lessing, Schiller, Herder and Goethe, whose writings became prolific in Germany because of Johannes Gutenberg's invention. A replica of a

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...

Gutenberg printed is on display at the public library. Guttenberg incorporated in 1851. The influence of the German population was best indicated by the construction during the period between 1845 and 1865 for over one hundred stone buildings. The bluff

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

was easily obtained and good, local clay and lime for construction was available. Four large riverside warehouses opened and a large flour mill, stores, and hotels appeared during this period. The steamboat trade deposited merchandise and picked up farm produce, milled flour and lead ore. Guttenberg experienced many floods, the most recent and devastating being in 1965, after which a levee was built. Today, Guttenberg's population is 1,817 and it is the largest town in Clayton County.

Geography

Guttenberg is located at (42.785992, -91.101366).
According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. The community is next to the

across from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

and is on US Route 52.

Climate

Guttenberg has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''Dfa'').

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 1,817. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 1,047 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.4%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.8% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 0.8%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race.

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 1,919 people, 887 households, and 516 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 1,085 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.3%

, 0.2%

, 0.5% Asian, 0.1%

, 0.4% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population. There were 887 households, of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.8% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.66. The median age in the city was 51.3 years. 17.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.9% were from 25 to 44; 32.4% were from 45 to 64; and 27.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.1% male and 52.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,987 people, 837 households, and 534 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 935 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.89%

, 0.45%

, 0.05% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.50% of the population. There were 837 households, out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were

living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.77. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.0% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 26.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,151, and the median income for a family was $33,393. Males had a median income of $25,265 versus $16,897 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,098. About 4.0% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools are operated by the

Clayton Ridge Community School District Clayton Ridge Community School District is a rural state school, public school district in Clayton County, Iowa, serving Guttenberg, Iowa, Guttenberg, Garnavillo, Iowa, Garnavillo, Clayton, Iowa, Clayton, North Buena Vista, Iowa, North Buena Vi ...

, which formed in 2005 in the merger of the

Guttenberg Community School District Guttenberg Community School District (GCSD) was a school district headquartered in Guttenberg, Iowa. It operated a K-8 School and Guttenberg High School. History In December 1999 the district and the Garnavillo Community School District agreed t ...

and the

Garnavillo Community School District Garnavillo Community School District was a school district headquartered in Garnavillo, Iowa. In addition to Garnavillo it served Clayton, Buck Creek, Clayton Center, and National, as well as areas around Garber.St. Mary IC School, a Catholic K-8, is in operation. It formerly had a senior high school division that closed in 1968.

Notable people

Daniel Schaefer Daniel "Dan" Schaefer (January 25, 1936 – April 16, 2006) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Colorado's 6th congressional district from 1983 to 1999. Early life and education Born in Guttenberg, Iowa, he att ...

(1936–2006) Seven term

US Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

from 1983–1999 *

Lee Kunzman Lee Kunzman (born November 29, 1944, Guttenberg, Iowa), is a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1969, 1972–1973 and 1975-1980 seasons, with 48 combined career starts, including the 1971-1973, 1977 and 19 ...

(1944– ) A USAC and IMCA sprint car race driver.

References

External links

City of Guttenberg Guttenberg Chamber of Commerce Clayton Ridge Community School District
Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Guttenberg
{{Clayton County, Iowa Cities in Iowa German-American culture in Iowa Cities in Clayton County, Iowa Iowa populated places on the Mississippi River 1851 establishments in Iowa Populated places established in 1851