Fort Dodge

Fort Dodge was founded in 1850 as a military post to police the Iowa frontier. A subsequent land boom created fortunes that were reinvested in the local economy. The town soon earned the nickname �Mineral City� because of the extensive deposits of coal, gypsum, limestone, and clay. By 1900, the city was a rail center and the world�s largest producer of gypsum products. With a highly diversified economy, the city prospered and by World War I was able to claim to have more skyscrapers per capita t