The New International Encyclopædia/Sioux City

SIOUX (so͞o) CITY. The county seat of Woodbury County, Iowa, 156 miles northwest of Des Moines; on the Missouri River, at the junction of the Big Sioux and the Floyd (Map: Iowa, A 2). Among the railroads that enter the city are the Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul, the Chicago and Northwestern, the Chicago, Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha, the Illinois Central, the Great Northern, and the Union Pacific. It is the seat of Morningside College (Methodist Episcopal), opened in 1890, and of the Sioux City College of Medicine. The public library contains nearly 15,000 volumes. The high school building, Saint Joseph's Mercy Hospital, and the German Lutheran and the Samaritan hospitals are other prominent features. The most noteworthy of the city parks is the Floyd Memorial, 20 acres in area, along the river front. Sioux City is situated in an extensive corn-growing and stock-raising region. In the census year 1900 capital to the amount of $5,691,644 was invested in the various industries, which had an output valued at $15,469,702. There are flouring and grist mills, foundries, machine shops, meatpacking establishments, saddlery and harness manufactories, and a brewery. Cudahy, Armour, and Swift have large packing plants here, and the Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul and the Chicago, Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha railways have extensive machine and repair shops. The city spends annually for maintenance and operation about $361,000, the principal items being: schools, $123,000; streets, $42,000; fire department, $30,000; interest on debt, $24,000; water-works, $24,000; municipal lighting, $17,000. The water-works are owned by the municipality. Settled as a trading station in 1849, Sioux City was laid out in 1854 and was chartered as a city in 1857. During its early years it was an important military post, and was the place where the various Black Hills expeditions were fitted out. Population, in 1890, 37,806; in 1900, 33,111.