Sioux City Historic Preservation Commission

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Sioux City Historic Preservation Commission

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Our focus is preservation

10/29/2026

10/27/2026

https://youtu.be/RxCj0WELJY0?is=3u6jG5LRM33X8iBE

They're painted advertisements from long ago, for businesses that m...

10/27/2026

10/15/2026

60 years ago this week, the National Historic Preservation Act passed into law! Section 106 of the NHPA dominates the archaeological profession in the US, and it is critical to archaeological research. Section 106 compliance work, notably Phase III excavations, have contributed significantly to advancements in Iowa archaeology and to our collective knowledge of the past—including what we know about corn!

The oldest evidence of corn agriculture in Iowa comes from the Rainbow site in Plymouth County. This site was found in 1977 during an archaeological reconnaissance survey of the proposed location for a (water impounding) soil erosion structure in the Held Creek watershed. It’s reported that a single maize seed was found in a Late Middle Woodland level during the salvage excavations. Corn’s scant presence in Late Woodland sites across Iowa indicates that it was a minor contribution to the diet at that time. But starting 1000 years ago, corn agriculture intensified and became a dietary staple! Archaeologists confirmed this in 1998 during a Section 106 data recovery excavation in Woodbury County. The Cowan site, a rare Great Oasis culture farming hamlet, was mitigated prior to the construction of the US 75 bypass around Sioux City.

The photos featured here are from OSA’s excavations at the Cowan site.

10/10/2026

Windows are going in over at Crescent Park!

10/07/2026

Railway Archaeology Project 12WD206 photos from September 28, 2026 at the Sioux City Railroad Museum

Photo 1: Wooden tent post in soil profile.
Photo 2: Wooden tent post in soil profile.
Photo 3: Wooden tent post in soil profile.
Photo 4: Archaeology site at the Siouxland Railroad Museum.
Photo 5: Soil profile with exposed wood.
Photo 6: Archaeology Site at the Siouxland Railroad Museum.
Photo 7: Soil profile with exposed wood.
Photo 8: Soil profile.
Photo 9: Soil profile.

10/06/2026

SIOUX CITY, IOWA—Siouxland Public Media reports that traces of a worker camp have been uncovered […]

10/01/2026

Long before the Sioux City Railroad Museum was a museum, it was a major maintenance yard serving steam locomotives from across the country. Read more below:

09/30/2026

Learning from Cemeteries: Preservation Trades Training in Burial Spaces-- Free virtual webinar
Oct 20, 2026 06:00 PM (Central)

Historic cemeteries provide a unique landscape for the living to learn from those that came before them. Interaction with a memorial, whether a monumental stone obelisk or a humble marker, is a shared human experience where individuals encounter and make sense of the past. Often, these experiences can serve as a gateway into the field of historic preservation.

In recent years, a number of trades training initiatives (notably, the Bridge to Craft Careers Program at World Monument Fund) have offered the opportunity for interested students to explore and learn skills in historic masonry, metalwork and plasterwork in historic cemetery landscapes. This unique partnership offers exposure to immense architectural resources for students, and provides much needed support in the care and conservation of significant cultural heritage. HPEF has invited the following innovators to discuss and share their work:

- Elimarie Garcia-Cosme, Global Heritage Training Manager, World Monuments Fund (WMF)
- Karina Roca, Bridge to Crafts Careers Program Manager, Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans
- Sara Lowenburg, Director of Save Our Cemeteries, Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans
- Neela K. Wickremesinghe, Director of Restoration and Preservation at The Green-Wood Cemetery

HPEF's Director of Programs, Lauren Drapala, will be moderating this free, one-hour virtual event.

Register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nki3oYArT36kyWo7QBCC_w #/registration

07/07/2026

Address

405 6th Street
Sioux City, IA
51101

Website

https://www.siouxcityhp.org/

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