The Great Lucas County History Quiz

This is a trial run for "The Great Lucas County History Quiz," which I hope to get some mileage out of elsewhere this summer.  Answer 17-20 of the multiple-choice questions correctly and you're a star scholar; 13-16, not too bad; 9-12, oh well. But eight or fewer, where the heck you from? Polk County?

You'll find the answers posted at the end.

1. Lucas County is named for?

a. Lucas Ballard, son of our first permanent settler, John Ballard.

b. John L. Lucas, pioneering labor leader.

c. Robert Lucas, Iowa territorial governor.

2. Our first long-term non-native settlers were?

a. Methodist missionaries.

b. Mormon refugees.

c. Mennonite farmers.

3. Russell athletic teams were known as what before they became Trojans?

a. Russell Rustlers.

b. Russell Robins.

c. Russell Bluebrids.

4. George Bennard, composer of what famous hymn, grew up in Lucas?

a. "How Great Thou Art"

b. "Bringing in the Sheaves"

c. "Old Rugged Cross"

5. How many Lucas County Sheriffs have been shot and killed in the line of duty?

a. One

b. Two

c. Three

6. What happened to Sheriff Gaylord Lyman's Killer?

a. He escaped to Missouri.

b. He was sentenced to life in prison at Fort Madison.

c. He was thrown out a courthouse window with a rope around his neck.

7. How many Townships are there in Lucas County?

a. Twelve

b. Nine

c. Six

8. Smith H. Mallory brought the courthouse clock home from?

a. His family's European tour of 1880-1881.

b. The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago.

c. The St. Louis World's Fair.

9. Chariton most likely was named for?

a. Orthodox Christian saint Chariton the Confessor.

b. The Ioway Indian phrase "Charito Nabotna," meaning "little muddy."

c. A French fur trader named Jean Chariton.

10. This is a model of?

a. Chariton's first church.

b. Lucas County's first courthouse.

c. The cabin of Cedar Township's first settler, William McDermott.

11. Hy-Vee gets its name from?

a. Founders Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg.

b. Founders Arthur Hyght and Robert Vee

b. Founder Hiram Wright and his wife, Velma.

12. White Breast Creek and Whitebreast Township are named for?

a. A naked maiden spotted bathing in it.

b. A Meskwaki family of the Thunder gens.

c. An exposed limestone formation in Stephens State Forest.

13. Chariton sits on a ridge dividing?

a. The Wolf Creek and Lost Branch Creek drainages.

b. The Iowa and Grand River drainages.

c. The Mississippi and Missouri river drainages.

14. Lucas County's major non-farm industry in 1920 was?

a. Coal mining

b. Grocery wholesaling

c. Brick and tile manufacturing

15. The only Lucas Countyan (so far) to serve as governor was?

a. Charles Wennerstrum

b. Leo Hoegh

c. Warren S. Dungan

16. Otterbein Church was named for?

a. The Rev. Philip Otterbein

b. Otterbein Creek

c. The Redlingshafer family home in Bavaria.

17. This item from the LCHS collection is?

a. An early rural mail box

b. An oven for drying jerkey

c. An incubator for premature infants

18. The Principal Financial Group was founded by Lucas County's?

a. Smith H. Mallory

b. Edward Ames Temple

c. Warren S. Dungan

19. Native American owners just before white settlement were?

a. The Ioway Nation

b. The Lakota Nation

c. Confederated Sauk and Meskwaki nations

20. The A.J. Stephens House is constructed of?

a. Hollow concrete blocks.

b. Limestone quarried in Swede Hollow

c. Wood with pressed-metal sheathing

And the correct answers are: 1. Territorial Gov. Robert Lucas; 2. Mormon refugees fleeing Nauvoo; 3. Bluebirds; 4. "Old Rugged Cross"; 5. Two; 6. Thrown out courthouse window with a rope around his neck; 7. Twelve; 8. World's Columbian Exposition of 1893; 9. French fur trader Jean Chariton; 10. Lucas County's first courthouse; 11. Founders Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg; 12. A Meskwaki family of the Thunder gens; 13. Mississippi and Missouri river drainages; 14. Coal mining; 15. Leo Hoegh; 16. The Rev. Philip Otterbein; 17. An incubator for premature infants; 18. Edward Ames Temple; 19. The confederated Sauk and Meskwaki nations; 20: Hollow concrete blocks.