Sioux City Reaps Harvest of Decade-Old Plan

Could 2008 top what became a banner year for Sioux City, Iowa? It will if the second largest capital investment in U.S. history decides to call the tri-state metro area home.

Coming off a record-setting year in which Sioux City led all small metros with 23 corporate facility project announcements, greater Sioux City is poised to take its biggest leap of all if the proposed Hyperion Energy Center becomes a reality in Union County, S.D.

Read the rest of Site Selection's article about Sioux City's 2007 top ranking.

Sioux City MSA Ranks Top In Nation for Economic Development

For Immediate Release

March 3, 2008

The Sioux City Metro is number one for economic development with populations between 50,000 and 200,000, according to corporate real estate publication Site Selection magazine. Ron Starner, General Manager of Site Selection, made the announcement to a crowd of 150 business executives from Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota at a noon luncheon today.

During the 2007 calendar year the Sioux City Metro had 23 qualified projects, with second place Morristown, Tennessee totaling 15 projects. Site Selection, a 54-year-old corporate real estate publication based in Atlanta, Ga., annually tracks new corporate announcements of significant impact. The annual rankings appear in its March issue, distributed this week to more than 47,000 subscribers, who include the nation's top site selectors, CEO's and COO's. In a prepared statement, Mark Arend, Editor in Chief of Site Selection, stated "The Sioux City metro area's eight-project lead over the runner-up metros in its tier proves that the economic development strategy in place is highly effective. Clearly, the region has the workforce, infrastructure and business climate required by industrial site seekers."

The 2007 rankings scored the total number of economic development projects based on qualifying criteria established by the magazine's publisher, Conway Data, Inc. Tracked by Site Selection's "New Plant Database," the annual competition focuses on new corporate location projects of significant economic and community impact. Retail, government, school, and hospital projects are not eligible for consideration. New facilities and expansions included in the rankings must meet at least one of three criteria: capital investment of $1 million or more, creation of a minimum of 50 new jobs, or the addition of at least 20,000 square feet of new floor space. Based on the 2007 results, the Sioux City Metro is one of only two Top Ten communities in its category located west of the Mississippi River.

Communities included in the MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) are Sioux City and Sergeant Bluff, Iowa; South Sioux City, Nebraska; and Dakota Dunes and North Sioux City, South Dakota. The counties of Woodbury, Dakota, Dixon, and Union also comprise a portion of the Sioux City MSA.

With projects such as the Northwest Airlines Reservation Center [See USA Today article], Fed Ex and Soo Tractor expansions, Sioux City contributed several projects to the metro ranking and is confident about providing a significant number of qualified projects for 2008.

The Sioux City MSA tied for third place for the most new corporate location projects in Site Selection's 2006 rankings.

_____________________________

Source: Sioux-City.org

Your Hero Stories (Index)

-

A - B - C - D - E - F

-

G - H - I - J - K - L

-

M - N -O - P - Q - R

-

S - T - U - V - W

-

X - Y-- Z

Your Ordinary Folks Stories (Index)

-

A - B - C - D - E - F

-

G - H - I - J - K - L

-

M - N -O - P - Q - R

-

S - T - U - V - W

-

X - Y-- Z

Your Non-Profit Organization Stories (Index)

-

A - B - C - D - E - F

-

G - H - I - J - K - L

-

M - N -O - P - Q - R

-

S - T - U - V - W

-

X - Y-- Z

Your Business Stories (Index)

-

A - B - C - D - E - F

-

G - H - I - J - K - L

-

M - N -O - P - Q - R

-

S - T - U - V - W

-

X - Y-- Z

Your Hero Story: Harley David Semple

(Harley David Semple, circa 1973)
___________________________

Harley David Semple, known by family as "Dee Dee," was born in Bronson, Iowa, on January 6, 1901. He died on March 16, 1974, at 73, from a condition similar to Lou Gehrig's disease.

Harley was my grandfather; I was seven years old when he and my grandmother took me in permanently and raised me until my Heelan High School graduation at 17, so, of course, I'm slightly biased--and why I consider him my Sioux City hero.

(Harley, Jennifer, and Olive Semple, circa 1954)
____________________________________

Dee Dee joined the Army when he was just 16 or 17; by the time he was 17 (in 1918), he was serving in France, just before Armistice, which effectively ended World War I. I'm not sure if he served in actual combat because he never talked about his war experiences, and I was too young to ask the right questions. At his passing, I was just 23, by then married and living away from Iowa and in Pennsylvania--besides, from my perspective, World War I was just a piece of history.

I would love to read his letters home to his family, but I'm not sure that they exist anymore. Dee Dee had not yet met my grandmother, so I suspect that most of his letters went to his mother in Bronson.

I can't imagine Dee Dee engaged in combat, but war is funny that way; war yanks ordinary young people, mostly boys, who still have one foot in childhood, from their normal lives and asks them to make life and death decisions. War demands that young men carry arms and kill other people--how can that not inform someone's future life?

I don't know if Dee Dee ever killed anyone in the war--he never said. Even if he had been asked, he probably would have dodged the question. I always had the feeling that he would have rather forgotten that war.

I don't know what Dee Dee did directly after the war; he probably went back to Bronson and tried picking up the thread of his youth. According to a Bronson Town History, Dee Dee, in 1916, was one of the first Boy Scout members in a new troop founded by a Mr. Erkman, a list which noted,

"Harry Oertel, Ray Johnson, Allan Talbott, Harley Semple, Roy Johnson, and Ernest Johnson. When Mr. Erkman left, in 1918, the troop was forgotten..."

--Possibly because of the war?

Imagine: in two years, from Boy Scout to soldier.

But how can one return home and pick up the youthful thread of his life after experiencing a soldier's life in a foreign field?

Harley spent most of his adult life in Sioux City; in 1924, he married Katherine Olive ("Mo Mo") Quirk, and they raised four children: Richard, George, Mary Lou (my mother), and Colleen.

And one grandchild: Jennifer.

This is what I remember about Harley Semple: he was a quiet and gentle man who loved to tell stories. I, a troubled child, often sat at his knee to listen to his "Old Sport" stories. Old Sport, a mongrel with a curly tail, thought he was a person and acted accordingly, such as wanting to attend school and sleeping in Jennifer's bed. These corny tales offered an obvious moral (and I knew it even back then), but I didn't care; I still loved them because Dee Dee made them exciting and fun.

Although I don't have any of Harley's war letters, I do have two of his "Old Sport" letters, written just before I moved to Iowa to finish out my childhood, and I would like to share them here:

Thursday [1958]

Dear Angel Kisser:

I haven’t seen you for a long time. Maybe you and Mo can come home soon. I looked all over the neighborhood for Old Sport and can’t find hide nor hair of him. Maybe he doesn’t live here anymore. The other day, I saw a spalpeeny dog around Otoe St. with a round ball on his nose and a curly tail. He was jacking around and following a little girl. He was acting like Old Sport but his feet were dirty and his hair wasn’t combed and he hadn’t washed his teeth so I knew it wasn’t old Sport. I asked the little girl to tell me his name. She said it was Old Ortspay and that he was always following her. She said he followed her to school and wanted to sit in a seat just like Old Sport and pretend to read and the teacher hit him on the bare rudy and run him out. She said she didn’t want an old dirty dog like that in her school. Then he went all over the neighborhood and tried to get in the houses and nobody would let him in. He was cold and wet and hungry but he was such a spalpeen nobody cared. Then he saw a little dirty girl who lives in a dirty house and her name is Efferjay and he followed her home. What do you think? Her mamma let the dirty old thing in out of the cold and fed him some Pard out of a dirty dish and gave the old jerk a dirty pillow with the name “Ortspay” on it to sleep on. And do you know what? The old spalpeen liked it. I was glad the dirty old thing found a place to live. But I’m kind of mad at him for pretending he was “Old Sport.”

Colleen has a dog named Speenart. He is big as a mule but you will like him. And when you come home you can visit them. Saw Timmy the other day–he had a cowboy hat on. It is warmer here now. It has been awful cold. Not much snow. The streets are all dry. See you soon.

Love

Dee Dee

_____________________

(Harley and Jennifer, circa 1955)
_____________________

Saturday Nite [1958]

Dear Angel Kisser

I looked all over and I couldn’t find Old Sport anywhere. Maybe he went away to school. I’m getting the house nice and warm and clean for you and Mo so all you have to do is move in. There is some snow out side and is snowing a little now. The weather is nice and fresh. Tell Mo that I finally went to work. I made a door hood to-day and Monday I have to make 10 awnings. Your bed is still here–it didn’t run away. Why don’t you have Mo tell you about the bed that ran away?

Did Mo ever tell you about the lazy cat she had when she was a little girl? When Mo was a little girl she had a pretty cat but it was lazy. The other cats all went out to the field to catch mice and caught themselves a nice mouse but Mo’s cat was just too lazy. She just laid around in the sun and was hungry all the time and she kept getting thinner and thinner and skinny but she wouldn’t go out to catch a mouse. Mo tried every way to her to go out and work for her dinner but she was so lazy she would rather be hungry. Finally she got so skinny and weak she couldn’t even catch a mouse if she tried. So do you know what Mo did? She went out to the field herself early in the morning and worked all day and finally caught enough mice for a nice mouse dinner and brought them in to the lazy old thing and her cat gobbled them up. Just like Old Sport with his Pard. And every day for a long time Mo went out and caught a nice mouse dinner for the lazy old thing and finally the cat got big and strong and fat and healthy and Mo said, “Now look here, cat, you are strong again and if you want to eat from now on you will have to catch your own mice.” After that she went out every day and hunted mice with the rest of the cats. She had learned her lesson. Ask Mo she will tell you all about her lazy cat.

Hurry up and come home and you can meet Colleen’s dog–his name is Speenart.

Love Dee Dee

________________________

Sentimental?

You bet.

But this is how I prefer to remember this man who was so important in my life. I adored him. We had our issues, of course. The late 1960's intervened, and I rebelled in a rather spectacular manner. The double generation gap drove a wedge between us.

(Jennifer and Harley, circa 1965)
___________________________

I now understand how the psychedelic 1960's might have bewildered and saddened him; he came of age during a time when mores were set in stone and good folks behaved in certain prescribed ways; the late 1960's turned that truism on its ear when my generation questioned the values of Harley's generation.

Just before he died, we came together again and put our differences behind us--for that, I am grateful.

Journalist Tom Brokaw refers to the World War II generation as "The Greatest Generation," but I believe that that honor should go to the World War I generation.

In terms of technological advancement, Harley and Olive's generation might have well spanned 500 years. This generation was forced to accept tremendous technological adjustments in a relatively short time. In 1901, automobiles were in their infancy, certainly out of reach for Iowa farm families. The Wright brothers were two years away from their first historic flight at Kitty Hawk. Radios were not in every home. TV was just a fantasy.

By the time Harley died, just about everyone had a car, ordinary people were jetting across the country, radio was practically passe, and television was nearly 30 years old. He missed the internet (although Olive, who died in 1987, did know about Apple Computers, PC's, and Bill Gates). All that advancement must have made Harley's head spin, but he seemed to take it all in stride; we owned all the major gadgets of the day. Still, it must have been a major adjustment for a child born into an agrarian society, who grew into a boy who had trudged through the fields of France, and the man who tried to make sense of a troubled world on the edge.

The older I get, the more I marvel at the accomplishments of the World War I generation, who set the groundwork for what we enjoy today. My sitting in front of this computer and blogging about my grandfather so that the world can know him and, perhaps, others like him is possible because his generation accepted and even embraced technological advancement and change.

(Olive and Harley Semple, circa 1972)
______________________________

Perhaps if some Semple family members read this post, they can fill in the gaps, and I will update this entry.

If you knew Harley David Semple, please post something in the comment section of this post or email me, and I'll post any additional information and memories about our Dee Dee.

_____________________________

Jennifer Semple Siegel, born at St. Vincent's Hospital in Sioux City, spent most of her childhood in Sioux City and graduated from St. Boniface and Bishop Heelan High School. Ms. Semple Siegel is the webmaster of this site.

(This story is also posted on ItsJUSTwar.com. It seems fitting to repost this story on a Sioux City website, on the 34th anniversary of a hero's death: March 16, 1974.)

Your Hero Story

*The guidelines for submitting your hero** story are simple:

----Email your hero story and photographs to the webmaster. Please, no snail mail.

----Your story should be 2,000 words or less.

----Your submission should be engaging and tell an interesting story about your favorite hero (current or former Siouxlander, still alive or passed on). The story may be happy or sad, but its overall message must be positive. Political viewpoints have their place, but this website chooses to focus on individual heroes and their heroic deeds, not their politics.

----Your story may focus on any kind of hero, not just war heroes.

----In addition, add a short author's bio about yourself, about 100 words.

----In your submission, please include your contact information (name, address, telephone number, and, if applicable, your website URL--don't worry; we won't post your contact information, nor will we ever sell your information to a third party).

----You may attach up to three .jpeg photographs, 5x7 (or less), ready for posting. All photographs must present their hero and other subjects in a neutral or positive light. Before submitting photos, ask permission from the photographer and the hero (if still alive) in the photograph.

----Your story should be pasted into the body of the email and the photographs attached to your message.

----Eligibility: Authors need not be associated with Sioux City or Siouxland. However, your hero should be a current or former Siouxland resident.

_________________________

Why are we offering to post your hero story, no strings attached? Quite frankly, we're a young start-up company, and your hero stories will help our website grow into a world-class community portal that features the best of Siouxland businesses, resources, and everyday folks. As a native of Sioux City, the webmaster, who graduated from St. Boniface and Bishop Heelan High School, has fond memories of her childhood in Sioux City and would to read the stories of others who love Sioux City and its heroes.

__________________________

*We reserve the right to refuse submissions for the following reasons: story is too long, does not focus on a current or fomer Siouxland hero, and does not offer a positive message. In addition, we will not accept stories that denigrate and/or defame other people. In addition, stories that contains hate speech, pornography, and/or vulgar language will not be accepted.

**If you submit a war hero story, you also grant us the permission to post it on ItsJUSTwar.com, a non-profit website.

Your Ordinary Folks Story

*The guidelines for submitting your ordinary folks story are simple:

----Email your story and photographs to the webmaster. Please, no snail mail.

----Content should be 1,500 words or less.

----Content should be engaging and tell an interesting story about yourself, a friend, or loved one, but with a Sioux City or Siouxland angle. The story may be happy or or sad, but its overall message must be positive.

----In addition, add a short author's bio about yourself, about 100 words.

----In your submission, please include your contact information (name, address, telephone number, and, if applicable, your website URL--don't worry; we won't post your contact information, nor will we ever sell your information to a third party).

----You may attach up to three .jpeg photographs, 5x7 (or less), ready for posting. All photographs must present their subjects in a neutral or positive light. Before submitting photos, ask permission from the photographer and the folks in the photograph.

----Your story should be pasted into the body of the email and the photograph(s) attached to your message.

----Eligibility: Current or former Sioux City residents; visitors and tourists to the Siouxland area.

_________________________

Why are we offering to post your story, no strings attached? Quite frankly, we're a young start-up company, and your ordinary folks stories will help our website grow into a world-class community portal that features the best of Siouxland businesses, resources, and everyday folks. As a native of Sioux City, the webmaster, who graduated from St. Boniface and Bishop Heelan High School, has fond memories of her childhood in Sioux City and would to read the stories of others who love Sioux City.

__________________________

*We reserve the right to refuse submissions for the following reasons: story is too long, does not focus on the Sioux City/Siouxland experience, and does not offer a positive message. In addition, we will not accept stories that denigrate and/or defame other people. In addition, content that contains hate speech, pornography, and/or vulgar language will not be accepted.

Your Non-profit Organization Story

The guidelines for submitting your non-profit organization story are simple:

----Email your story and photographs to the webmaster. Please, no snail mail.

----Content should be 500 words or less.

----Content should be informational, which may include location/contact details, links, general information about your organization, history of your organization, your employees and volunteers--anything that might be of general interest to an average Sioux City/Siouxland web surfer.

----You may attach two .jpeg photographs, 5x7 (or less), ready for posting.

----Content should be pasted into the body of the email and the photograph(s) attached to your message. Please include your name and contact information (address, phone, etc.)

_________________________

Why are we offering this service to area non-profits for free? Quite frankly, we're a young start-up company, and your non-profit organization content will help our website grow into a world-class community portal that features the best of Siouxland businesses, resources, and everyday folks. As a native of Sioux City, the webmaster, who graduated from St. Boniface and Bishop Heelan High School, has fond memories of her childhood in Sioux City.

__________________________

*We reserve the right to refuse submissions for the following reasons: too long, not informational enough, poorly written (we are willing to do light editing, but not complete rewrites), and submissions that feature non-profit organizations from out-of-area. In addition, we will not accept content that denigrates a competing non-profit and/or area business. In addition, content that contains hate speech, pornography, and/or vulgar language will not be accepted.

Your Business Story

The guidelines for submitting your business story are simple:

----Email your story and photograph to the webmaster. Please, no snail mail.

----Content should be 500 words or less.

----Content should be informational (as opposed to advertising copy), which may include location/contact details, links, general information about your product or service, history of your company, your employees--anything that might be of general interest to an average Sioux City/Siouxland web surfer.

----You may attach one .jpeg photograph, 5x7 (or less), ready for posting.

----Content should be pasted into the body of the email and the photograph attached to your message. Please include your name and contact information (address, phone, etc.)

_________________________

Why are we offering this service to area businesses for free? Quite frankly, we're a young start-up company, and your business content will help our website grow into a world-class community portal that features the best of Siouxland businesses, resources, and everyday folks. As a native of Sioux City, the webmaster, who graduated from St. Boniface and Bishop Heelan High School, has fond memories of her childhood in Sioux City.

__________________________

*We reserve the right to refuse submissions for the following reasons: too long, not informational enough (too focused on the advertising angle), poorly written (we are willing to do light editing, but not complete rewrites), and submissions that feature businesses from out-of- area. In addition, we will not accept content that denigrates a competing business or content that contains hate speech, pornography, and/or vulgar language.

Arts and Entertainment in Sioux City

Briar Cliff University Theater Department
-----(University website)

Lamb Productions

Morningside College Theater Department

Orpheum Theatre

Shot in the Dark Productions

The Sioux City Art Center

Sioux City Chamber Music
-----(First Presbyterian Church Music website; scroll down page)

Sioux City Community Theater

Sioux City Concert Course

Sioux City Symphony

Siouxland Civic Dance Association

Siouxland Master Chorale

Tyson Event Center

Sioux City Government and Services

Some of the following links will take you to the Sioux City governmental site, which will offer additional links.

Animal Control

City Clerk

City Manager's Office

City Council

Community Development

Convention Center

Customer Service

Economic Development

Engineering

Field Services

Finance and Administrative Services

Fire Department (Emergency, dial 911)

-----601 Douglas St # 2
-----Sioux City, IA 51101
-----(712) 279-6314

----------Get directions

Housing Assistance

Human Resources

Human Rights

Legal Department

Library

Mayor's Office

-----Mayor Mike Hobart
-----PO Box 447
-----Sioux City, IA 51102
-----ccouncil@sioux-city.org
-----712-899-6130 (cell)

Parking

Parks and Recreation

Permits and Inspections

Planning and Neighborhood Services

Police Department

-----Contact Information (Emergency, dial 911)

Public Works

Real Estate

Solid Waste and Recycling

Tourism

Transit

Waste Water Center

Water Plant

Overview of Sioux City

Sioux City is located in northwest Iowa in the United States.

As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 85,013. The 2006 census estimate indicated a slight decline to 83,262.

Sioux City is the county seat of Woodbury County.

Sioux City is at the navigational head of the Missouri River, about 90 miles (140 km) north of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. Sioux City and the surrounding areas of northwestern Iowa, northeastern Nebraska and southeastern South Dakota are sometimes referred to as Siouxland, especially by the local media. The term was coined by writer Fred Manfred.

Sioux City is the second largest city in the Sioux Falls-Sioux City, SD-IA-MN-NE Designated Market Area (DMA),with a population of 1,043,450.

Sioux City is the home of Morningside College, Briar Cliff University, St. Luke's College and Western Iowa Tech Community College.

In 2005, Sioux City, along with Coon Rapids and Clinton, was awarded one of the inaugural Iowa Great Places designations.

Sioux City Sue

Dick Thomas Goldhahn
__________________________________

I drove a herd of cattle down from old Nebraska way

That's how I come to be in the state of Iowa

I met a gal in Iowa, her eyes were big and blue

I asked her what her name was, she said Sioux City Sue

Sioux City Sue, Sioux City Sue

Your hair is red, your eyes are blue

I'd swap my horse and dog for you

Sioux City Sue, Sioux City Sue

There ain't no gal as true as my sweet Sioux City Sue

I asked her if she had a beau

She said, "Yes quite a few"

But still I started courtin' my sweet Sioux City Sue

The first time that I stole a kiss, I caught her stealing two

I asked her did she love me, She said "Indeed I do"

Sioux City Sue

Your hair is red, your eyes are blue

I'd swap my horse and dog for you

Sioux City Sue

There ain't no gal as true as my sweet Sioux City Sue

Now I'm admitting Iowa, I owe a lot to you

Cause I come from Nebraska to find Sioux City Sue

I'm gonna rope and tie her up, I'll use my old laso

I'm gonna put my brand on, my sweet Sioux City Sue

Sioux City Sue

Your hair is red, your eyes are blue

I'd swap my horse and dog for you

Sioux City Sue

There ain't no gal as true as my sweet Sioux City Sue

_________________________________

Listen to the song here (sung by Dick Thomas).

(Lyrics by Ray Freedman (aka Max); Music by Dick Thomas)

ASCAP 1945, Copyright 1945 (Renewed) Edwin H. Morris & Company, A Division of MPL Communications, Inc.