Saint John the Baptist (West Ridge, Iowa)

Saint John the Baptist (West Ridge, Iowa)

"Natives of Ireland were the first Catholic settlers in the West Ridge area of Winneshiek County, about eight miles northwest of Waukon. Norwegian settlers were their neighbors to the south. In 1860 Bishop Clement Smyth bought a lot for a cemetery and another lot for the church. Work on the church began in a year or two, with rock quarried on the William Rea farm nearby. The stone work was done by a man of the parish named Sweeney, while other parishioners quarried and transported the rock. It was completed and named for Saint John the Baptist in 1863, making it about the third oldest church still in use in the Archdiocese."

- Kurt, Rev. Msgr. Edgar, Parish Profile #102, The Witness, December 4, 1988.

The Archdiocese of Dubuque.
The Center for Dubuque History at Loras College.

Burback, Emily. Burns, Daniel. Gibson, Michael. Oberfoell, Carol. Waldmeir, Helen. Waldmeir, John.

Various primary and secondary sources.

English.

Loras College
Kucera Center for Catholic Thought
Frank and Ida Goedken Series: "Spiritual Life in the Upper Mississippi River Valley"

1 January 1900 - 25 May 2002.
History of the parish over the span of 102 years, including information about its priests and parishioners.

Abstract of Title (1 document - 1911)
Closing (1 document; 1 booklet)
Correspondance (2 documents)
Deeds/Financial Papers (14 documents)
Golden Jubilee (1 document)
History (16 documents)
Office of Finance (5 documents)

Kurt, Rev. Msgr. Edgar, “Parish Profile #102: Saint John the Baptist Church, West Ridge,” The Witness. 4 December 1988.

“Quasquicentennial,” The Witness: Archdiocese of Dubuque. Vol. LXVII No. 21. Dubuque, Iowa. 19 July 1987, p. 9.