Volume 18, Issue No. 2, March/April 2026
Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling was one of the most diverse and interesting Iowans of the 20th century. Darling, who spent half of his childhood and almost all of his adult life in Iowa, had two astonishingly successful and vastly different careers. He was among the most popular editorial cartoonists ever, winning two Pulitzer Prizes—including drawing for the Des Moines Register from 1906 to 1949—and his more than 15,000 editorial cartoons were syndicated nationwide. But he also essentially was the father of America’s conservation movement, as well as a sculptor, musician, pundit and philanthropist. In everything he ever did, he almost never was dull. Read the first part of our exclusive two-part series about Darling written by award-winning retired journalist and author Don Doxsie.
Publisher Michael Swanger writes about Tim Harwood’s latest book, “Seniors to Juniors: A Collection of Waterloo Hockey Stories,” which is available at Black Hawks home games and waterlooblackhawks.com.
Are you ready to boldly go where no town has gone before? Author Jerry Harrington chronicles Riverside’s annual Trekfest, celebrating the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk as this year marks the 60th anniversary of the popular Star Trek franchise.
IHJ Exploring History: Retired newspaperman Arvid Huisman celebrates the 100th anniversary of U.S. Highway 20, from its origins as a “dragged highway,” to the four-lane expressway today that spans the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans—including Dubuque to Sioux City
Timothy Walch pens the finale of his Abraham Lincoln and Herbert Hoover series about the Great Emancipator’s influence on the Great Humanitarian
“Country Roads” columnist Arvid Huisman devotes his Country Roads column to story time at the library.
TO READ MORE FASCINATING STORIES ABOUT IOWA HISTORY, subscribe to Iowa History Journal. You can also purchase back issues at the store.