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Lehigh is a city in Webster County, Iowa, United States. The population was 416 at the 2010 census. Located in a valley, Lehigh is divided in two by the Des Moines River, unusual for such a small town. Originally the two halves of Lehigh were two separate towns. While the town on the west side of the River was always called Lehigh, the east town was called Slabtown, and a piece of history marks the east side's roots––a sign that hangs over the playground with the words "Slabtown Traders," perhaps alluding to the flea market that occurs there every summer during Lehigh River Days. The "Slabtown Traders" sign was blown over by a gust of wind in the summer of 2010. It survived several floods while being located on River St. Lehigh was surrounded by coal mines until the early 20th century and home to a large clay sewer pipe factory until the 1980s. Dolliver State Park, Brushy Creek State Recreation Area and Woodman Hollow State Preserve are located within a few miles of the town. ==History== Lehigh's first settlers, a Mr. Reed and Mr. Wright, set up a steam sawmill on the site in 1855. Originally, the town was named ''Slabtown'' because slabs, scrap from the mill, were used in construction. By 1870, there was a Methodist church and a school, and Oliver Tyson had purchased the mill and expanded it, adding a flour mill. Soon after this, Tyson opened a store.〔(History ), from the (Official website of the town of Lehigh, Iowa ).〕 The town was later renamed Lehigh, comparing the local coal veins to those of Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley.〔Tom Savage, (A Dictionary of Iowa Place Names ), University of Iowa Press, 2007; p. 130,〕 In 1871, W. C. Wilson of Webster City opened a coal mine in Lehigh and formed the Crooked Creek Railroad and Coal Company. The company built a 3-foot gauge rail line from Judd, on the Illinois Central Railroad 8.5 miles south to the mines, including a 370 foot wooden truss bridge across the Des Moines River. The line was later extended to Webster City. By 1894, the company had opened 5 mines, all using longwall mining. The Webster Coal and Land Company operated a mine near Lehigh from 1899 to 1902.〔James H. Lees, History of Coal Mining in Iowa, Chapter III of (Annual Report, 1908 ), Iowa Geological Survey, 1909, p. 583.〕 In 1878, Lehigh shipped 5,640 tons of coal.〔Report of the Crooked Creek Railway & Coal Company for the Year Ending June 30, 1878, (First Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners for the Year Ending June 30, 1878 ), Clarkson, Des Moines, 1878; pages 377–382.〕 In 1883, 6,887 tons were shipped,〔Report of the Crooked Creek Railway Company for the Year Ending June 30, 1883, (Sixth Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners for the Year Ending June 30, 1883 ), Roberts, Des Moines, 1883; pages 335–341.〕 in 1884, 9,000 tons.〔Report of the Crooked Creek Railway Company for the Year Ending June 30, 1884, (Seventh Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners for the Year Ending June 30, 1884 ), Roberts, Des Moines, 1885; p. 319.〕 Membership in the United Mine Workers union is a useful measure of the importance of mining. In 1912, Lehigh was home to UMW Local 855 with 64 members (about 6.9% of the 1910 population).〔Tally Sheet, (Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Convention of the United Mine Workers of America ) Jan. 16 – Feb. 2, 1912, Indianapolis; Volume 2, pages 182A.〕 The Crooked Creek railroad was widened to standard gauge in 1880 and a line to Webster City was built in 1886. In 1916, the line was incorporated into the Fort Dodge, Des Moines and Southern Railroad, Iowa's longest Interurban line. Diesel traction replaced overhead electric lines in the 1950s and the track was abandoned in 1962.〔George W. Hilton, (American Narrow Gauge Railroads ), Stanford University Press, 1990; p. 395.〕 By 1901, Lehigh was large enough to support a new First National Bank, with an initial capitalization of $25,000.〔New Banks, Changes in Officers, Etc., (The Bankers' Magazine, Vol. LXIII ), No. 1, July, 1901; page 116.〕 The bank must have been small; in 1910, O. J. Woodward arrived in town to become the cashier, manager and director of the bank.〔(History of Fort Dodge and Webster County, Iowa ), Pioneer, Chicago, 1913; p. 10.〕 In addition to coal mines, Lehigh was home to several other industries. The most prominent were brickyards that used the shale of the coal measures as a source of clay to make both brick and drain tile, firing their kilns with local coal. One of these, the Lehigh Brick and Tile company, won the contract to provide paving brick for Dubuque, Iowa in 1896,〔Trade Notes, (Municipal Engineering, Vol. XI ), No. 4, Oct. 1896; page 262.〕 but suffered a serious fire in late 1897.〔Trade Notes, (Municipal Engineering, Vol. XIII ), No. 4, Dec. 1897; p. 382.〕 In 1901, there were 2 large brickworks in Lehigh, the Corey Pressed Brick Company and the Lehigh Clay Works, which began operation in 1900. In addition, the old Lehigh Brick and Tile works was being rebuilt after the fire.〔Frank A. Wilder, Geology of Webster County, (Iowa Geological Survey Annual Report, 1901 ), Des Moines, 1902; page 176.〕 Corey was mining clay from both above and below the coal seam. By 1903, Lehigh Brick and Tile was back in production, the Lehigh and the Campbell brickyard of the Webster city Brick and Tile Company. The Cory plant was primarily a brickworks, while the others primarily produced drainage tile.〔S. W. Beyer and I. A. Williams, The Geology of Clays, (Iowa Geological Survey Annual Report, 1903 ), Des Moines, 1904; ppp. 503–509.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lehigh, Iowa」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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