HomeMy Public PortalAbout2022 1213 Riverdale Incorporation DayCITY OF RIVERDA LE,
PROCUM, , T1ON
WHEREAS, the City of Riverdale has over the years been under many jurisdictions which are being highlighted this
year as part of a series of proclamations.
WHEREAS, as we have explored in 2022, the area that makes up the City of Riverdale has a storied and lengthy
history.
44rHERE.A:S, indigenous peoples inhabited the lands that now make up our city for thousands of years with little
recorded history to share their story.
WHEREAS, starting in the 1600s, European exploration and settlement began across the region starting on 17
June 1673 with events continuing through Riverdale being granted its independence by the Iowa Supreme Court
on 10 February 1953.
WHEREAS, many residents lived in the area that now makes up Riverdale in the 1940s when neighboring
communities began thinking about annexing the area and incorporating ALCOA into their tax base.
'WHEREAS, many residents, fearing annexation, banded together to develop a strategy to avoid this, with each
family donating $25 to the law firm Lane and Waterman to aid in their fight. At the time, this was the equivalent
of just shy of a week's worth of minimum wage work.
WHEREAS, following the initial legal battles, Judge M. L. Sutton decided on 27 December 1950 that Riverdale
could legally incorporate and that an election held just days prior should be made official and those elected should
receive the oath of office.
THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Anthony Heddlesten, Mayor of the City of Riverdale, Iowa, do hereby proclaim
that December 27th as
RWW R LE INCOR JORATI ON DAY
In Riverdale, and encourage all staff, residents, and visitors to learn more about the history of the founding of our
region and those who first help establish our community.
Anthony Heddlesten, Mayor
City of Riverdale, Iowa
Source: Riverdale: The First Fifty Years