Where the
River Bends
River Bends
A look at the legacies of Muscatine, Iowa, and the currents that shape this Mississippi river city
193 years of history are etched into the espresso-brown wood of the Muscatine Art Center, once a Musser family home. The years glimmer on the surface of the Mississippi, where mussels, once a hot commodity for their pearlescent shells, are buried in the sand below. They sweeten the melons that still grow on Muscatine Island.
Muscatine is situated on the only segment of the Mississippi River that runs east to west. The river’s flow carved out the land, carried lumber rafts down the river, and provided the billions of pearl buttons that make Muscatine what it is today. That current now shapes the descendants of those who made the most of Muscatine’s waterway.
Muscatine is situated on the only segment of the Mississippi River that runs east to west. The river’s flow carved out the land, carried lumber rafts down the river, and provided the billions of pearl buttons that make Muscatine what it is today. That current now shapes the descendants of those who made the most of Muscatine’s waterway.
LIVING LEGACIES
To preserve almost two centuries of history is one thing, but to continue writing it is another. Those who carry Muscatine’s legacy in their blood and hearts are transforming it into something new. The Sessler family and the National Pearl Button Museum are breathing life into the story of the Pearl Button Capital of the World. The Mairets and Taylors are cultivating new ways to sustain the last two Muscatine Island produce farms. The Williams family is providing space for the next generation to grow in community and in the boxing world. Jesse Garcia, Sarah Lande, and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security are working to connect the next generation to the world.
ISLE storytellers documented the lives of these individuals as they maintain and reinvent Muscatine's history as living legacies.
ISLE storytellers documented the lives of these individuals as they maintain and reinvent Muscatine's history as living legacies.
Muscatine Mapped
Click on the icons to see some locations important to the stories.
New Stories. Fond Memories.
Muscatine's story is just under 200 years old, but those two hundred years are jam-packed with rabbit holes and tales from every corner of the city. Some of these stories are known worldwide, while others live mostly in the hearts of Muscatine's residents.
Bridging the Past and the Present
Bridging the Past and the Present