Fort Dodge Rotary Club
Rotarian Kuhlmzn provided the Second Opinion in the Wednesday "Messenger" touting the need for charitable donations for a community.
Rotarian Meyer appears in the Thursday "Messenger" as the Legislate deliberates on a bill to prioritize Iowa residents for acceptance into the Iowa Medical College.
Rotarian Meyer appeared on the cover of the Wednesday "Messenger" with an article that discussed the advancement of a hands-free-driving bill. The bill has broad support this year and the Governor has announced she will sign it if passed by the Legislature.
Rotarian Fierke appeared on the front page of the "Messenger" accompanying an article about the City assuming ownership of the Sports Pavillion in the old Crossroads Area.
Preserving Local History
Currently located at the library, the Webster County Historical Society started in 1907 and was incorporated in 1931. Over time it has been incorporated and reincorporated.
Most recently, a new Board was organized in 2024 with Randy Kuhlman serving as president. Their goal is to preserve the rich history of this town. Roger Natte has been instrumental in preserving local history, volunteering and working with information for decades. How can the Webster County Historical Society (WCHS) maintain and make records more accessible?
One of Webster County Historical Society’s goals is to organize materials and catalog them on the computer. It hired Meg Beshy, who works 12-15 hours per week, spearheading this effort.
There is an informative website containg 12 elements. It is at www.fortdodgehistory.com and contains:
- Historic Eras from 1600 to 1950
- Iconic People
- Iconic Buildings
- Iconic Places
- Iconic Events
- Nostalgia
- Places of Worship
- Industry
- Education
- Healthcare
- Sports
- Archives
The WCHS is also hoping to hold more public events:
- In April there will be a “50 yr celebration” and to honor Roger Natte at that time.
- WCHS Board Member Rick Carle told the club about the upcoming Oakland Cemetery Walk, scheduled for Saturday, June 21st. Four portrayers will tell a short story about persons buried there, and tour guides will point out additional headstones of noteworthy Dodgers.
Lastly, Randy Kuhlman gave a FD history quiz. Test your knowledge! Answers are at the end of the article. Good luck.
- Who was the first settler of Fort Dodge?
- Who was the pioneer that came to this area to handle retailers, who eventually founded the city and first mayor?
- What was the name of young Native American who became William Williams’s son’s best friend?
- 1856, what Iowa town was Webster County’s c0unty seat?
- Born and raised in Fort Dodge, who was one of America’s most famous sheriffs in the Wild West?
- In 1910, how many passenger trains served Fort Dodge every day?
- How many 4 year-colleges has Fort Dodge had since the 1800s?
- Fort Dodge had a steamboat that took passengers up and down the Des Moines river. What was the name of the steamboat?
- In 1870, Webster County was the fourth-highest coal-producing county of Iowa. How many mines operated at that time?
- What Fort Dodger became the eighth governor of Iowa?
- Bonus Question: During 1946-49, how many businesses were located in downtown FD?
Answers: 1. Henry Lott 2. William Williams 3. Wahkonsa 4. Homer 5. Bill Tillman 6. 35 7. Two 8. Charlie Rogers 9. Thirty-seven 10. Cyrus Carpenter 11. Four hundred and two
From the Webster County Sheriff’s Office
Chief Deputy Derek Christie from the Webster County Sheriff’s Department has been with Webster County 13 years in various roles. The Webster County Sheriff’s Department has 66 employees serving as road deputies, detectives, dispatchers,or jailers.
Chief Deputy Christie has noticed trends in homelessness and drug-related crimes. Billions of dollars are going to states and counties across the country to combat opioid issues. Locally, about $60,000 of these funds go to fund a position dedicated to narcotic-related crimes. Some would argue that people addicted to substances should go to treatment rather than the penal system. However, it is not uncommon for the point of rehabilitation to start with an arrest.
Chief Deputy Christie is working on a K-9 unit. Historically there have been three in the area, but now they are down to one. Fundraising is currently happening to fund a K-9 unit, and it would be a great asset.
Another current initiative is the In-house Arrest Program. The jail census is high, making it a challenge for non-violent offenders to serve the couple of days they’re sentenced to jail for offenses like OWI. Ankle monitors are starting to be used. A geo-fence is put around the offender’s house, which alerts the department when the ankle monitor goes outside the area. This has taken some pressure off the jail, which usually holds around 44-48 people.
Work is being done to consider having Emergency Medical-Trained Dispatchers. This would enable dispatch to instruct callers how to administer basic medical care until an ambulance arrives.
Detective Cody Harris has been in law enforcement for 15 years and works exclusively to combat narcotics.
Harris said much crime involves either meth or fentanyl. Fentanyl is pressed into pills, often in varying amounts. Illegal fentanyl is not measured like regulated drugs, so one person can OD on two pills whereas another person could survive taking five pills.
Efforts go to taking drugs off the streets by finding and incarcerating distributors. They look at who has drugs and who they got them from. Harris works with people willing to purchase drugs to accomplish this. There is a lot of paperwork to get a purchaser approved. Once the green light is given to use a purchaser, there are additional steps. The department searches the purchaser and their car. They’re given “sterilized money.” The purchaser wears a recording device to gather evidence. The purchaser and officers meet at a pre-determined location before and after the drug bust for the searches. The hope is to get enough evidence to get a federal indictment. So far in 2025, there have been 10 drug buys with 13 oz of meth purchased.
Harris shared a couple of particularly interesting points. One, "street cred” goes up when a dealer’s customer overdoses. Drug users consider the dealer as having “the good stuff” that isn’t diluted. Two, good dealers are not users.
Rotarian Mary Kay Daniel announced that the next Tacos and Trivia night would be held on Thursday, April 24th at River Hops Brewing on Central. Those who have attended past sessions of comraderies and fun by Rotarians report they are looking forward to the next one. Within the coming months Mary Kay and the Social Committee will be bringing forth more details. Rotarians have a championship to defend.
March 17th - Mary Kay Daniel
March 24th - Mel Schroeder
March 31st - Kraig Barber
April 7th - Steve Hoesel
April 14th - Joe Tofilon
April 21st - Mary Ludwig
April 28th - Janet Secor
Secretary Teresa Naughton has been uploading Minutes and Financial Reports for the 2022-2023 Rotary Year to the members only section of the Website (Found under Folder Organization and then Subfolder Documents) and are available for viewing by accessing the Members Only Section. Please contact Steve if you need to refresh your password.
Your Rotary Club provides an easy way for you to contribute to the Rotary Foundation, the major financial arm of Rotary that does Polio Plus and Foundation Grants. The program permits you to ask the Treasurer (Elizabeth Stanek) to add an amount each quarter to your quarterly dues statement as a contribution to the R.I. Foundation. The Treasurer then collects these amounts and writes a joint check to the Foundation for all funds contributed by members. If you are interested, please contact Treasurer Elizabeth Stanek or Foundation Chair Bill Kent.
.png)
