Chaplain Schmitt Island

Chaplain Schmitt Island
Image of the Mississippi River with the island visible to the right
Chaplain Schmitt Island is visible to the right of the image
Geography
LocationMississippi River
Coordinates42°30′54″N 90°38′42″W / 42.515°N 90.645°W / 42.515; -90.645

Chaplain Schmitt Island, also known as City Island or Ham Island, is a river island of the Mississippi River in Dubuque, Iowa. It is separated from mainland Iowa by Lake Peosta Channel.[1] The Q Casino and Dubuque Yacht Basin are located on the island.[2][3] A memorial in the shape of a spiral with a pond containing a replica of the battleship USS Oklahoma is found on the island.[4]

Name

Chaplain Schmitt Island was named after Aloysius Schmitt, who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor.[4] Ham Island (among variants) comes from Mathias Ham's ownership of the island.[3]

History

In 1875, the island was two spits of land in the Mississippi.[3] Mathias Ham would come to own most of the island, becoming known as Ham Island.[3]

The island hosted an airport on it built and opened in 1934.[3][5] The airport would be abandoned due to flooding issues[6] and Dubuque Regional Airport would be built to the south of Dubuque in 1948.[3] The island subsequently hosted a dump on it for two decades before being closed in August 1976.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Gray, Chris (December 6, 2024). "City of Dubuque works with marinas while attempting to keep Peosta Channel clear". Telegraph Herald. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  2. ^ Whitlatch, Kaelei (November 26, 2024). "Dubuque's Schmitt Island to get new amphitheater, driving range in $100+ million plan". KGAN. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Good, Stephan (August 29, 1976). "Many development options for vacated landfill". Telegraph Herald. p. 52 – via NewspaperArchive.
  4. ^ a b "Dubuque OKs plans to overhaul island veterans memorial". AP News. July 17, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  5. ^ "Mayor Kane Passenger In First Plane To Make Landing at City Island". Dubuque Telegraph Herald and Times Journal. February 18, 1934. p. 13. Retrieved August 5, 2025 – via NewspaperArchive.
  6. ^ Johnson, Ashley. "Expanding the boundaries of Dubuque Regional Airport in Iowa". Masonry Magazine. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
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