Chaplain Schmitt Island
Island in Dubuque, Iowa, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chaplain Schmitt Island, also known as City Island or Ham Island, is a river island of the Mississippi River in Dubuque, Iowa. It is separated from mainland Iowa by Lake Peosta Channel.[1] The Q Casino and Dubuque Yacht Basin are located on the island.[2][3] A memorial in the shape of a spiral with a pond containing a replica of the battleship USS Oklahoma is found on the island.[4]
The Mississippi as it passes through Dubuque. Chaplain Schmitt Island is visible to the right of the image | |
 Interactive map of Chaplain Schmitt Island | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Mississippi River |
| Coordinates | 42.515°N 90.645°W |
Name
Chaplain Schmitt Island was named after Aloysius Schmitt, who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor.[4] Ham Island (among variants) comes from Mathias Ham's ownership of the island.[3]
History
In 1875, the island was two spits of land in the Mississippi.[3] Mathias Ham would come to own most of the island, becoming known as Ham Island.[3]
The island hosted an airport on it built and opened in 1934.[3][5] The airport would be abandoned due to flooding issues[6] and Dubuque Regional Airport would be built to the south of Dubuque in 1948.[3] The island subsequently hosted a dump on it for two decades before being closed in August 1976.[3]
See also
- Credit Island – similarly developed island in Davenport, Iowa
- Nine-Mile Island (Mississippi River) – nearby river island