McGregor, Iowa
| McGregor, Iowa | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Downtown McGregor
|
|
 Location of McGregor, Iowa |
|
| Coordinates: 43°1′19″N 91°10′47″W / 43.02194°N 91.17972°WCoordinates: 43°1′19″N 91°10′47″W / 43.02194°N 91.17972°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 Iowa
|
| County | Clayton |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.30 sq mi (3.37 km2) |
| • Land | 1.30 sq mi (3.37 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 692 ft (211 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 871 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 855 |
| • Density | 670.0/sq mi (258.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 52157 |
| Area code(s) | 563 |
| FIPS code | 19-48000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0458913 |
McGregor is a city in Clayton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 871 at the 2010 census. McGregor is located on the Mississippi River across from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Pike's Peak State Park is located just south of the city. Just to the north of McGregor is the city of Marquette.
McGregor was founded as MacGregor's Landing in 1847 by Alexandar MacGregor, a descendant of Rob Roy MacGregor, and the area around MacGregor's Landing was settled by the extended family. In 1849 it was reported that the original MacGregor seal and signet were owned by Alex MacGregor. The Scots Gaelic clan seal was inscribed, "S' Riogal Mo Dhream/ Een dhn bait spair nocht", which was interpreted as "Royalty is my race / End do and spare not". The signet was a bloodstone from Loch Lomond, and was sketched by William Williams.
Since 1837, MacGregor had been operating a ferry across the Mississippi River between Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin and the present site of McGregor, Iowa. MacGregor planned the new city as a six block development, and it was quickly populated, being incorporated as McGregor in 1857. In that same year, the Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad finished building a railroad track from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, thus connecting Lake Michigan with the Mississippi River by rail. McGregor quickly became a major commercial center, and served as a hub where grain from Iowa and Minnesota could be transported across the Mississippi and sent on to Milwaukee via railroad. More railroads were built to connect McGregor with cities further west, and the city of North McGregor (now Marquette, Iowa) was established just north of the city to serve as the city's railroad terminus. After reaching McGregor from the west, trains were disassembled and railroad cars were ferried across the Mississippi to continue on towards Lake Michigan.
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