Cooper, Iowa
| Cooper | |
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 Cooper
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| Coordinates: 41°55′N 94°21′W / 41.917°N 94.35°WCoordinates: 41°55′N 94°21′W / 41.917°N 94.35°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Iowa |
| County | Greene |
Cooper is an unincorporated community in Greene County, Iowa, United States.
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[edit] History
Cooper was founded in 1881 with the arrival of the railroad, and was named after Des Moines railroad executive F.M. Hubbell's father-in-law, Isaac Cooper. Cooper's population reached a high point of about 250 in 1900.[1]
A fire in 1921 leveled much of Cooper's business district.[1]
The Cooper School District was merged with nearby Jefferson in 1959; the Franklin Township School closed that summer and the junior high school building closed in the 1970s.[1]
In late July, 1980, the Des Moines Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) brought 5,000 cyclists pedaling through town. As the cyclists approached from the west, a cannon was fired and a recording of the 1812 Overture was repeatedly played.[1]
Cooper has became nationally known for two things:
1. In 1981 an international search to adopt the 51st citizen of this small town landed residents on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. The publicity which followed generated a crowd of nearly 12,500 for the weekend event.[1]
2. Later years home of the "Iowa Boy" Chuck Offenburger.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e "Greenecounty Iowa Development". Cooper. http://www.greenecountyiowadevelopment.org/gcdc-communities-cooper.php. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
- ^ "Offenburger.com". http://www.offenburger.com/. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
[edit] External links
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