What Cheer () is a city in

Keokuk County, Iowa Keokuk County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 10,033. The county seat is Sigourney, Iowa, Sigourney. History Keokuk County was formed in 1837. It ...

, United States. It is a former

coal town A coal town, also known as a coal camp or patch, is a type of company town or mining community established by the employer, a mining company, which imports workers to the site to work the mineral find. The company develops it and provides reside ...

, and from the 1870s to the early 1900s was one of the major coal-producing centers of Iowa. Its greatest recorded population was 3,246, in the

1890 census The 1890 United States census was taken beginning June 2, 1890. The census determined the resident population of the United States to be 62,979,766, an increase of 25.5 percent over the 50,189,209 persons enumerated during the 1880 census. The ...

. The population was 607 in the 2020 census.

Naming

What Cheer was founded in 1865 as Petersburg, named after Peter Britton, its founder. This name was rejected by the

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

, forcing a change of name. Joseph Andrews, a major and veteran of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, suggested the name "What Cheer," and the town was officially renamed on December 1, 1879.Virgil J. Vogel, ''Iowa Place Names of Indian Origin'', University of Iowa Press, 1983.Tom Savage
A Dictionary of Iowa Place Names
University of Iowa Press, 2007; pages 236-237. Sources differ as to why the name What Cheer was chosen. The phrase ''what cheer with you'' is an ancient English greeting dating back at least to the 15th century. One theory of the name is that a Scottish miner exclaimed ''What cheer!'' on discovering a coal seam near town. A more elaborate theory suggests that Joseph Andrews chose the name because of one of the founding myths of his native town of

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

. According to the story, when

Roger Williams Roger Williams (March 1683) was an English-born New England minister, theologian, author, and founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Pl ...

arrived at the site that would become Providence in 1636, he was greeted by

Narragansett people The Narragansett people are an Algonquian American Indian tribe from Rhode Island. Today, Narragansett people are enrolled in the federally recognized Narragansett Indian Tribe. They gained federal recognition in 1983. The tribe was nearly l ...

with "What Cheer, ''Netop''". ''Netop'' was the Narragansett word for ''friend'', and the Narragansetts had picked up the ''what cheer'' greeting from English settlers. It is possible that the connection between What Cheer, Iowa and What Cheer, the

shibboleth A shibboleth ( ; ) is any custom or tradition—usually a choice of phrasing or single word—that distinguishes one group of people from another. Historically, shibboleths have been used as passwords, ways of self-identification, signals of l ...

of Rhode Island, was merely coincidental - the entries for these subjects are adjacent but not connected in the 1908 edition of the

Encyclopedia Americana ''Encyclopedia Americana'' is a general encyclopedia written in American English. It was the first general encyclopedia of any magnitude to be published in North America. With '' Collier's Encyclopedia'' and ''Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclo ...

. What Cheer has frequently been noted on lists of

unusual place names Place names considered unusual can include those which are also offensive words, inadvertently humorous (especially if mispronounced) or highly charged words, as well as place names of unorthodox spelling and pronunciation, including especiall ...

History

Robert Forsyth, born in

Kilmarnock, Scotland Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...

, came to America in 1857, and made his way to

Rock Island, Illinois Rock Island is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 37,108 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the confluence of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock a ...

, where he arrived penniless. He worked for most of a decade as a coal miner before coming to Petersburg, the future What Cheer. In the 1870s, he began buying coal lands around town, mostly on

credit Credit (from Latin verb ''credit'', meaning "one believes") is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt) ...

. When the railroad came to town, he leased his land to the coal companies and bought into a local

drug store A pharmacy (also called drugstore in American English or community pharmacy or chemist in Commonwealth English) is a premises which provides pharmaceutical drugs, among other products. At the pharmacy, a pharmacist oversees the fulfillment of ...

, eventually operating stores in What Cheer, Mystic and Jerome, Iowa. Other Scots from the Kilmarnock region (

Ayrshire Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...

) also settled in the area. Robert Orr came in 1875 after working in the coal mines of

Colchester, Illinois Colchester is a city in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,108 at the 2020 census, down from 1,401 in 2010. The city is named after the city of Colchester, England. History Coal was discovered near Colchester in t ...

. His son Alexander went on a successful career as a mine owner in Mystic. The

Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway The Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway (BCR&N) was a railroad that operated in the United States from 1876 to 1903. It was formed to take over the operations of the bankrupt Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Minnesota Railway, which was, in ...

(BCR&N) built a branch to What Cheer in 1879. With the arrival of the railroad, the What Cheer coalfield quickly became one of the most important

coal mining Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

centers in Iowa. The Starr Coal Company had over 200 employees and could produce 1,000 tons of coal per day. By 1883, they were operating three mines and took over several others.James H. Lees, History of Coal Mining in Iowa, Chapter III o
Annual Report, 1908
Iowa Geological Survey, 1909, page 555. When, in 1884, the

Chicago and North Western Railway The Chicago and North Western was a Railroad classes#Class I, Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of t ...

built its line through What Cheer to Muchakinock, there was a further expansion of mining in the area. Local Assembly 1474 of the

Knights of Labor The Knights of Labor (K of L), officially the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor, was the largest American labor movement of the 19th century, claiming for a time nearly one million members. It operated in the United States as well in ...

was based in What Cheer and had a membership of 65 in 1884. On Oct. 15, 1884, 500 miners in What Cheer went on

strike Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) * Hobart Huson, author of several drug related books Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm * Airstrike, ...

, demanding higher wages. The established wage was 3 cents per bushel, and the miners demanded an additional half cent. The state militia was put on alert, but after 6 weeks, the miners accepted a quarter-cent raise. This strike cut coal production in the What Cheer significantly. In 1886, the What Cheer Coal Company began to consolidate the local mines, buying up the Starr Coal Company and the Granger Coal Company. In 1887, they employed 1,100 miners, and they continued to operate until 1899. From 1885 to 1901, the Crescent Coal Company was an important local producer. In 1891, the BCR&N Railroad's Iowa City Division, serving What Cheer, carried 38,080 tons of coal, by far the most important commodity carried by that line. In 1892, mines along the BCR&N (all of which were in the What Cheer region) loaded 129,316 tons of coal. On May 1, 1891, the miners of What Cheer and many other mining towns went on

for the

eight-hour day The eight-hour day movement (also known as the 40-hour week movement or the short-time movement) was a social movement to regulate the length of a working day, preventing excesses and abuses of working time. The modern movement originated i ...

. 1000 men walked off the job in What Cheer, but returned to work defeated on June 16. On August 15, 1896, the miners struck again over several small grievances. The strike lasted 10 to 12 weeks. Local 841 of the

United Mine Workers The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American Labor history of the United States, labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing work ...

union was organized in What Cheer in 1897, and in 1902, it had 200 members. The first industrial development in What Cheer was driven by the needs of the coal mines. In 1890, What Cheer was home to three firms making mining drills, Walker & Thompson, Enterprise Manufacturing and the newly formed What Cheer Drill Company. Within the decade, the What Cheer Drill and Miners' Tool Company was selling equipment in mining districts around the nation. Alexander Walker, originally with Walker & Thompson filed numerous patents on mining equipment, most of which were assigned to the What Cheer Drill and Miners' Tool Company, later named the What Cheer Tool Company. In 1903, the Starr Manufacturing Company, American Mining Tool Company and the What Cheer Tool Company agreed to a union wage scale with the International Brotherhood of Blacksmiths. At the time, the blacksmiths local 259 had just 17 members. In 1907, the Volunteer Brick and Tile company was operating its own coal mine to fuel its kilns. The mine had a steam hoist to lift coal 40 feet from a coal seam from 4 to 5 feet thick. The Lea Brothers' mine in north-central What Cheer also had a steam hoist and still shipped some coal by rail. The remaining mines in the area were all small, using horse-gins to operate their hoists. By 1909, there were only a few mines left in the county, all producing coal for local consumption in What Cheer. The decline of What Cheer's mines in the 20th century was reflected in declining union membership. In 1912, Local 841 of the

, based in What Cheer, had only 18 members. The What Cheer Clay Products Company

strip mine Surface mining, including strip mining, open-pit mining and mountaintop removal mining, is a broad category of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit (the overburden) are removed, in contrast to underground mining, in whic ...

d local coal into the mid-century, but in their case, coal was a byproduct. Their primary source of clay was the 8 to 12 foot (2.5 to 4 meter) underclay found immediately below the coal. What Cheer Clay Products was organized in 1911. The plant cost $300,000 to build, and was seriously damaged by a fire in 1917. Despite this, by 1920, the company was expanding, purchasing a new

Dragline excavator A dragline excavator is a heavy-duty excavator used in civil engineering and surface mining. It was invented in 1904, and presented an immediate challenge to the steam shovel and its diesel and electric powered descendant, the power shovel. M ...

in order to work their

clay pit A clay pit is a quarry or Mining, mine for the extraction of clay, which is generally used for manufacturing pottery, bricks or Portland cement. Quarries where clay is mined to make bricks are sometimes called brick pits. A brickyard or brickwor ...

Geography

The central business district and the larger part of the town is located on the north-east bank of Coal Creek, a tributary of the North fork of the

Skunk River Skunk River may refer to: * Skunk River (Iowa), river in Iowa * Skunk River (Platte River), river in Minnesota {{dis ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.

Transportation

Iowa Highway 21 Iowa Highway 21 (Iowa 21) is a state highway (Iowa), state highway that runs from north to south in central Iowa. It has a length of . Iowa 21 begins at Iowa 149 west of Hedrick, Iowa, Hedrick and ends at a freeway interchange wi ...

runs north–south through What Cheer. The city's northwestern outskirts border G29 Road.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2020, there were 607 people, 264 households, and 132 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was 490.6 inhabitants per square mile (189.4/km²). There were 306 housing units at an average density of 247.3 per square mile (95.5/km²). The

racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...

makeup of the city was 94.2%

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

, 0.0% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.3% from other races and 3.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

persons of any race comprised 1.3% of the population. Of the 264 households, 24.6% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.5% were

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

living together, 9.8% were cohabitating couples, 29.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 26.5% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 50.0% of all households were non-families. 42.8% of all households were made up of individuals, 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 43.0 years. 26.9% of the residents were under the age of 20; 5.3% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 21.1% were from 25 and 44; 27.2% were from 45 and 64; and 19.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.9% male and 48.1% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 646 people, 293 households, and 164 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 347 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.6%

, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.2% of the population. There were 293 households, of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were

living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.0% were non-families. 38.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age in the city was 45.3 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.5% were from 25 to 44; 28% were from 45 to 64; and 22.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 678 people, 307 households, and 182 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 345 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.38%

, 0.29% Native American, 0.15% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.44% of the population. There were 307 households, out of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were

living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.2% 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 2.90. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,292, and the median income for a family was $36,500. Males had a median income of $30,859 versus $22,917 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $16,613. About 8.6% of families and 11.2% 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 9.8% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Tri-County Community School District operates local area public schools.

Notable people

* Betty De Boef, Iowa State Representative and resident * Frank Hayes, president of the

, 1917–1920, born in What Cheer in 1882 * B. J. Palmer, the developer of

chiropractic Chiropractic () is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the spine. It is based on several pseudoscientific ideas. Many c ...

was born in What Cheer in 1882.BJ Palmer Chronology.
1882 (Sept 14): BJ Palmer is born in What Cheer (Rehm, 1980, p. 271; Gielow, 1981, p. 32) *

Ed Thomas Ed Thomas (born 1961, Abercraf, Powys, Wales) is a Welsh playwright, director, and producer. Biography He studied English at Cardiff University, before venturing into London's theatre scene. Thomas later returned to Wales and became a founding me ...

, raised in What Cheer, was NFL

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

coach of the year in 2005

In fiction

What Cheer is the hometown of the title character in

Marguerite Young Marguerite Vivian Young (August 26, 1908 – November 17, 1995) was an American novelist and academic. She is best known for her novel ''Miss MacIntosh, My Darling''. In her later years, she was known for teaching creative writing and as ...

's enormous novel ''

Miss MacIntosh, My Darling ''Miss MacIntosh, My Darling'' is a novel by Marguerite Young. She has described it as "an exploration of the illusions, hallucinations, errors of judgment in individual lives, the central scene of the novel being an opium addict's paradise."''W ...

'' (1965). In a 1993 interview, Young claimed to have been unaware that What Cheer was genuine. This is ironic, because Young was noted for confounding the fantastic with the real, in real life and in her fiction. What Cheer is also the setting in the novel, "The Home For Wayward Clocks," written by Kathie Giorgio, published by The Main Street Rag Publishing Company in 2011.

References

External links

Map of coal mines in and around What CheerWhat Cheer Paper
Comprehensive statistical data and more about What Cheer {{authority control Cities in Keokuk County, Iowa Cities in Iowa Populated places established in 1865 Coal towns in Iowa 1865 establishments in Iowa