Guttenberg is a city in Clayton County,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, United States, along the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

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

History

Mississippi River Lock and Dam number 10

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 Sauk and

Meskwaki The Meskwaki (sometimes spelled Mesquaki), also known by the European exonyms Fox Indians or the Fox, are a Native American people. They have been closely linked to the Sauk people of the same language family. In the Meskwaki language, th ...

campgrounds until 1823. The

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...

of 1803 transferred ownership to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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 is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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 policies.J ...

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 to 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 ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

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 Artisan, craftsman who invented the movable type, movable-type printing press. Though movable type was already in use in East Asia, Gutenberg's inven ...

, 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 Sort (typesetting), components to reproduce the elements of a document (usually individual alphanumeric charac ...

. 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 is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

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 is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

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

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. The community is next to the

across from

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and is on

US Route 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major U.S. Highway in the Central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows a north ...

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 cold ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Dfa'').

Demographics

2020 census

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

, 0.4%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

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

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 ...

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

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.

2010 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 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 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, 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 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 $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, which formed in 2005 in the merger of the Guttenberg Community School District and the Garnavillo Community School District. St. Mary IC School, a Catholic K-8, is no longer in operation. It formerly had a senior high school division that closed in 1968.

Notable people

* Chris Kolker (born 1972) Colorado State Senator. Graduate of Guttenberg High School *

Lee Kunzman Lee Kunzman (November 29, 1944 – February 27, 2025) was an American 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, a ...

(born 1944, died 2025) A USAC and IMCA sprint car race driver. *

Daniel Schaefer Daniel 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 attended ...

(1936–2006) Seven term

US Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

for

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

from 1983 to 1999

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