Dubuque, Iowa

Julian Dubuque was a French Canadian fur trapper that moved to this area around 1785. He became great friends with the local Fox Indians who lived here at the time. In 1788, he asked Chief Poesta if he could mine their land. The Chief agreed and Dubuque began operations and started to build his town. He also got permission to mine from Spain who also laid claim to this land. There is evidence he eventually married the Chief’s daughter. Dubuque along with his Fox friends built a thriving mining and trapping business during the next years. Dubuque was determined to preserve his Indian friend’s heritage. Later, the United States Government made him an Indian agent. When Dubuque died in 1810, the Fox Indians built a memorable for him on the bluff overlooking his community. Later, a stone monument replaced the structure and still stands today as a memorial to the city’s founding father.