Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 17, 1856, world-renowned author Mark Twain gave a talk in Keokuk. Samuel Clemens, better known by his pen name of Mark Twain, Twain spent time in Muscatine while his brother owned a stake in the Muscatine Journal.
During 1853-1854, Twain spent significant time traveling on the eastern seaboard of the United States. During that time, he penned letters, which he returned to his brother Orion Clemens. Orion printed many of Twain’s letters, sharing his observations of the eastern United States in the Muscatine Journal. After his return to the Mississippi River Valley, Twain spent enough time in Muscatine for the eastern Iowa city to count him among its most famous citizens. Orion expanded his business ventures to include a printing business in Keokuk, and Twain spent roughly two years working in the shop. Clemens may have also met a Lee County man named Thomas Sawyer during his stay.
During January of 1856, Twain gave his first after-dinner talk a banquet hosted for the local printers. In the follow-up article from the Keokuk Post, the paper noted the young man’s wit and humor. Twain eventually left Iowa but returned in 1867 for a series of speeches in Keokuk, Davenport, and Iowa City.
In Twain’s book “Life on the Mississippi,” he noted the sunsets he watched while spending time in eastern Iowa, writing: “And I remember Muscatine - still more pleasantly - for it summer sunsets. I have never seen any, on either side of the ocean, that equaled them.” #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
