What you need to know about Guttenberg!
Guttenberg, Iowa is a great place to vacation, live, and work. Enjoy family boating on the Mississippi River, watching eagles soar in the sunrise, and viewing the sunset on a river beach. Browse unique retail shops, antique stores, and enjoy casual restaurants or fine dining. Stay in our comfortable hotels and bed and baths. Stroll the two mile river walk, join our family events in the park or check out Lock and Dam #10. Visit nearby local and state parks. Nestled between limestone bluffs and the Mississippi River, Guttenberg is an ideal place for families young and old. Vibrant community spirit, extraordinary natural beauty, hardworking reliable workforce, comprehensive health care facilities, excellent schools and year-round recreation make Guttenberg a "Great Place" to do business, live, work and play. Designated as an Iowa Great Place.
Named one of "America's 20 Prettiest Towns" by Forbes.
Named one of "America's 20 Prettiest Towns" by Forbes.
Our History
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 was easily obtained and good, local clay and lime for construction was available. Four large riverside warehouses opened and a large flourmill, 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 this flood, a levee was built. As of July 2013, Guttenberg's population is right around 1900 and it is the largest town in Clayton County.
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 Sac and Fox campgrounds until 1823. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 transferred ownership to the United States 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 1800’s. These beautiful structures were used for both residential and commercial purposes. Many are pre-Civil War era and are on the National Historic Register.
Guttenberg's riverfront location influenced 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 between 1838-1843. Guttenberg served as a supply center for the general area until the Civil War when railroads and an interior road system combined to decrease Guttenberg's role as a market center.
The earliest businesses included general supply stores, blacksmith, wagon shops, and hotels. 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 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 quite sizable and nearly all German. The city takes its name from Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of movable type. A replica of a Bible he 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 was easily obtained and good, local clay and lime for construction was available. Four large riverside warehouses opened and a large flourmill, 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 this flood, a levee was built. As of July 2013, Guttenberg's population is right around 1900 and it is the largest town in Clayton County.
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 Sac and Fox campgrounds until 1823. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 transferred ownership to the United States 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 1800’s. These beautiful structures were used for both residential and commercial purposes. Many are pre-Civil War era and are on the National Historic Register.
Guttenberg's riverfront location influenced 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 between 1838-1843. Guttenberg served as a supply center for the general area until the Civil War when railroads and an interior road system combined to decrease Guttenberg's role as a market center.
The earliest businesses included general supply stores, blacksmith, wagon shops, and hotels. 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 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 quite sizable and nearly all German. The city takes its name from Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of movable type. A replica of a Bible he printed is on display at the public library.