The Dubuque Shot Tower

[@al007italia]

Thaanks for taking a break from the CGW videos to share the story of the shot tower. The video gives an excellent history of it. It threw me for a second to hear it refered to as the George W. Rogers Shot Tower as the full name is almost never used. It, along with the nearby Star Brewery, Fenlon Place Elevator (the world's shortest & steepest railway) & the gold domed courthouse are the main symbols of Dubuque. I remember all the efforts to preserve the tower from the 80s on, including some by the students of the then Central Alternative High School. Hopefully this video will make people more away of the historic treasure we have.

[@BeHistoric]

Very glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks very much for watching the video and for the ongoing support! It is very much appreciated! Yes, the Star Brewery is another iconic building and within a stone's throw of the tower. Yet another is St Rafael's Church. We are hopeful that our video will do some small amount of good - in highlighting the tower's history and its relevance to the city. Thank you again!

[@brianberthold3118]

andother A PLUS vid .. by far one of the best channels on youtube !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks very much for the comment and for the ongoing support! We very much appreciate it!

[@ejaywest]

So interesting how the lead shots were made. I had no idea. Gorgeous structure and great vid!

[@BeHistoric]

Very glad that you enjoyed the video and found it interesting! Makes it worthwhile! Thanks for the kind words and support!

[@michaelpriest6242]

Nicely done. Thank you.

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks very much for watching and commenting! Thanks too for the kind words. It is very much appreciated!

[@timkuligfreemusic]

Cool - thanks for using my music in your intro :)

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for making this music accessible to creators. Good music is a big part of any quality video - and we are thankful to have access to many top notch artists such as yourself.

[@thomasmackowiak]

I had forgotten that you mentioned in your last episode of the Disused Stations of the Chicago Great Western, which brought us to Dubuque, Iowa, that you were going to give us more information on the the shot tower. Thank you for creating this video on the history of the George W. Rogers Shot Tower. Based on the information in your video, it is amazing that the tower is still standing. I found the explanation of how and why a tower was used to create lead shot. I had heard of shot towers in the past, but I had no idea what equipment was needed to produce lead shot.

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for watching and commenting! Yes, it is an interesting process. Simple but very effective. Thanks for the ongoing support - it is very much appreciated!

[@SherryHusa]

Well done!! Thank you for taking. a detour from the disused station series to produce this video. I've always wondered about that tower, and now I understand the history. much appreciated!

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for the supportive comment and for watching the video! We may take a few more detours along the way - we'll see! Thanks again!

[@rebeltag]

Ooh, been looking forward to this episode!

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for commenting! We are hopeful that it lives up to expectations!

[@robertweber3140]

Another video well down. Great job on not only the history of the shot tower, but how it functioned.

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for watching the video and for commenting! Yes, we felt it important to clarify how these structures were used - the simple principle that they took advantage of in order to create lead shot. Thanks again!

[@WAL_DC-6B]

Wow! A beautifully done history on the famous Dubuque shot tower. Thanks so much for sharing! I remember the local Dubuque Star Brewery having a small image of the shot tower on the label of its bottled and canned beer.

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for the comment, the kind words, and for watching the video! Glad that you enjoyed it and found it informative. Thanks too for sharing the information regarding the nearby Star Brewery. That building too is an icon along the river.

[@jonwallace47]

Funny, I've heard the term "shot tower' but never knew it literally meant a factory for smelting and forming round lead shot for use in muzzle loaded firearms. I imagine by 1890 the demand for round shot was disappearing (except for shotgun pellets). Smokeless powders allowed for the integration of cartridge and bullet; and elliptical bullets were better aerodynamically. What a great piece of local history!

[@BeHistoric]

Hi Jon, Thanks very much for watching and commenting. Thanks too for that additional information - that's very helpful - puts things into context. Glad that you enjoyed the video!

[@GOMF-eq4qc]

Great job with the internal graphics of the shot tower!

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks very much for watching and the comment! Yes, we felt it would be worthwhile to attempt to describe the interior of the shot tower - based upon the contemporary descriptions from local newspapers. It makes it more accessible and understandable. Thanks for all of your support!

[@wmealer61]

Cool Beans on a very informative piece. Thanx for posting!

[@BeHistoric]

Very glad that you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching and for the supportive comment!

[@johncloar1692]

Thanks for the video. It always good to here about historic place. Thanks a gain for take the time and effort to do these video.

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks very much for watching the video and commenting! And thanks too for the words of encouragement - very much appreciated!

[@bpekim1]

Thank you for your historic investigations into all of these various midwestern historical sites. It is great to learn more deeply about the midwest. From a Chicagoan.

[@BeHistoric]

Very glad that you find them informative and interesting! Thank you for watching our channel and for taking the time to comment! We appreciate it!

[@lbbork]

I grew up in Dubuque. Thank you for your dedication.

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for watching our videos and commenting! We are very glad that you found this video to be informative. Thanks too for the kind words and support!

[@timtoms4117]

thank you once again. As usual, you work is interesting, well researched and has high production values.

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for the kind words - and thanks too for watching and commenting!

[@royhaught9516]

I was born and raised in Dubuque and when I was a kid back in the 40s we would ride our bikes to the river and go fishing. Of course the trip wouldn't be complete without playing in a around the Shot Tower! I remember with amazement how high it was!

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for sharing your experiences and rememberances of the shot tower! We visited the tower on mulitiple occasions when I was a boy, and then it seemed to be tucked away along the riverbank, amid the railcars, until you came upon it and saw how tall and conspicuous it was. It is an amazing survivor. We hope that Dubuque keeps it and celebrates it as a part of their history. Thanks again!

[@bigfrazr03]

Thank you for this very informative, and very interesting presentation.

[@BeHistoric]

Very glad that you enjoyed the video and that you found it informative! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@kenthorsen4558]

Well done 👍 Thank you

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for watching and commenting! And thanks too for the support! Very much appreciated!

[@ameyring]

Thanks for a great history lesson. In Philly (I'm a transplant from Chicago) we're proud of our shot tower, which stands like a proud sore thumb in South Philly.

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for watching and the comment - and glad that you found the video informative! Yes, there are not too many of these highly specialized buildings remaining in the US. We have not seen the Philly tower as yet - but hope to in the coming years. The Dubuque Shot Tower was very fortunate to have survived this long, given its short usage as a shot tower, and being exposed to several fires over the past few centuries. Thanks again!

[@mindycatriz5195]

EXCELLENT! Live 2.5 hours away in Illinois- I usually go to Galena and Dubuque a couple times a year. I now have an incredible urge to go and drive out to the tower and look at it….

[@BeHistoric]

Very glad that we inspired you to take another drive to Dubuque to view the Shot Tower. It is a remarkable piece of history - set near another historic structure - the old Star Brewery. We hope that Dubuque continues to celebrate these old structures and does not bury them behind new buildings.

[@thepandaalife]

⁠@@BeHistoricthe old star brewery is up for sale now.. maybe your page can help them find a suitable buyer with another video like this on it’s history!

[@babs7179]

Thank you for providing these interesting and educational history videos. Well done, as always!

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for the kind words and for taking the time to leave a comment! Thanks too for watching the video, as we very much appreicate it!

[@jannhebrank]

you should talk about the one that is south of Dubuque

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for commenting! We may have missed that one - which shot tower or related structure are you referring to?

[@choryferguson2196]

Amazing it survives. Thank you.

[@BeHistoric]

Indeed, it is truly amazing, especially given the dramatic changes that have occurred along the Dubuque waterfront over the past few hundred years. Glad that you enjoyed the video - and thank you for watching!

[@mtcup56]

Well done thank you

[@mtcup56]

I would like to visit this Dubuque drop Tower sometime. went to the Jackson Ferry drop Tower in North Carolina they rebuilt the insides. you can go up inside. Half is in the ground

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for watching our video and commenting! It is an interesting structure and readily accessible to visit (at least today). Hoping that you get a chance to visit there sometime soon.

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for watching and for the kind words!

[@brianberthold3118]

Wouldnt this be a sky scrapper ??? why does Chicago credited with skyscrapers ?

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for commenting! Yes, technically it could have been, at 9-1/2 stories and approximately 150 feet tall. There is no formal defiition of a skyscraper per se - but this would have certainly been an astonishing building in its day.

[@bradschroder8885]

Is there a reason that the upper third was made of brick?

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for watching our video and for the excellent question. From what we can ascertain, it was a cost cutting move. Building the entire structure from masonry would have been more expensive - and so the use of common bricks reduced the cost of building the structure. As it was really the lower third that took most of the abuse (weight bearing, flooding, train collisions, etc), and since the tower has survived, it appears to have been a sound decision. :-) Thanks again!

[@Idrinklight44]

Wonder how much of the lead came from where i am, Missouri lead belt

[@BeHistoric]

Thanks for commenting! That's an interesting question. Based upon our research, we would guess that most of the lead mined from Missouri ended up at the St Louis shot tower, which was the bigger player in that region. From what we can ascertain, the Dubuque Shot Tower took lead from the north, the Fever River Valley, and the Dubuque area. Thanks again for the question and comment!

[@cmphighpower]

Was only open for 5 years has little significance. Knock it down

[@wicked313diesel]

Been there this long. Leave it be.