The Ku Klux Klan in Northwest Iowa

The Roaring 1920s have a reputation in modern day America. The era’s mascots include flappers, jazz musicians, and Great War veterans, but an equally or even more common sight may have been the white-robed kluxer.

The Ku Klux Klan has lived three different lives. The original K.K.K. formed in the wake of the Civil War. It is the most famous Klan, known for its terrorization of newly freed slaves and for its violent opposition to reconstruction measures. The third Klan is active today through several inspired organizations smattered throughout the country. The second Klan–the most widespread iteration and the subject of this StoryMap–organized in 1915 in Georgia as the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. This Klan proclaimed their mission in different terms than the original. The targets were groups perceived to be un-American. This largely consisted of Catholics (because their loyalty was directed toward the Vatican) and Jews (because they allegedly controlled the finances of the country), as well as black people and foreign-born immigrants.

The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan proliferated across the entire United States, including here, in Northwest Iowa. This phenomenon was national, but it is best understood at the local level. The Klan was a secretive organization with a great deal of regional variation, and its impact doesn’t really hit home until the subject is your home. The author of this StoryMap lives in Orange City, grew up in Rock Valley, married a man from Le Mars, and has ties and memories in many of the places in this work. Recognizing the influence of such a disturbing organization in familiar places requires, as Nancy Maclean puts it, “[surrendering] some comforting illusions.” Through this StoryMap, we shall first explore the reasons Iowans had for joining the Klan, and discover how easy it was to get caught up in the movement. Then, we will explore the ways Klan activity divided and impacted the communities in Northwest Iowa. Throughout, character profiles of “kluxers” and “anti-kluxers” will exemplify these topics and expand on the diverse experiences of Iowans during this time.

You may be thinking “I would never have joined the Klan” or even “there’s no way my ancestors joined.” Don’t write it off so quickly. The Klan of the 1920s was attractive for a variety of reasons, and unless you were Catholic, Jewish, black, or otherwise excluded by default, you might be surprised at its appeal. While it is perhaps easier to think that the Klan was a fringe organization that only appealed to extremists, it unfortunately was quite mainstream because its values aligned with most Americans, it offered appealing social events, and it had the ability to pressure people into joining.

The first Hollywood blockbuster, released in 1915, was The Birth of a Nation. Filmmaker David W. Griffith based the film on the novel and play The Clansmen by Thomas Dixon, Jr. The film spans from Lincoln’s election through Reconstruction, depicting the latter as a ploy to oppress the Southern whites under black control. The Klan, in this context, play the mighty heroes of the South.The film was popular in Northwest Iowa and screened in Cherokee’s Special Coliseum, Orange City’s Cottage Theatre, The Opera House in Sheldon, the Cosmo Theater in Doon, and other local theaters even years after the film’s release.

The Clansmen wasn’t unique in its view of the first iteration of the Klan. It’s easy to credit the media with brainwashing the masses, but Northwest Iowa already thought in this way. In Orange City, a student wrote an article on the Ku Klux Klan in the 1904 March issue of The Classic. They concluded that “the success of the Klan was phenomenal,” meaning the Klan successfully helped the white man regain their superiority over black people and ended the evils of Reconstruction. This was a decade before The Birth of a Nation brought the white-robed terrorizers to the silver screen as heroes.

The expanded spectrum of Klan targets in the 1920s also resonated with the majority of Americans in the wake of the Great War. The wartime propaganda encouraged an “us” versus “them” perspective, and the experience of hardship and changes provoked domestic unrest. As a result, patriotism or “Americanism” became a prominent value, with the loyalty of certain demographics considered suspect. James H. Madison points out that the target demographics were groups that had faced alienation even long before the war. He observes that the “Seventeenth-century protestants arrived on America’s shores with a certainty the Catholics were different,” and that while America is a nation born of immigrants, the “new immigration” of the nineteenth century had long been viewed as inferior. In a location like Northwest Iowa, Catholic and immigrant populations were the most common Klan targets, but the occasional black person or Jew would have also experienced a default otherization.

Alongside popular media that already portrayed the Klan in a positive light and the postwar mindset, the new Klan of the 1920s also promoted itself with rhetoric that gave a positive spin to its bigotry. They claimed, nonsensically, that they were “not anti-negro but pro-white,” and described their stance as “entire tolerance of all religious faiths,” before explaining why Catholicism was intolerable. They made very showy donations to churches, often silently filing in wearing full white robes during a service, and handing a gift to the minister. A “large and expensive bible” was presented to Reverend LaGrone at the Methodist Church in Sheldon this way, and the Mason City Klan even brought a monetary donation to their black church. In light of the positive press, folks in Northwest Iowa might have joined because they admired the Klan and agreed with its mission.

Iowans also joined the Klan to attend their social events. Joining a brotherhood society or a club was incredibly common in the 1920s, and there were tons of societies to consider joining: the Masons in Sioux City and elsewhere, the Kiwanis Club in Rock Rapids, the Knights of Pythias in Sheldon, and The Knights of Columbus in Le Mars, for a small sampling. The Klan offered parades and fireworks, community bands and midnight escapades! Some Klan-sponsored events were open to the public to attract members, but others were exclusive, or partially exclusive, only admitting Klan members with a +1.

Naturally, it is difficult to understand what went on at exclusive gatherings, but newspapers advertised upcoming events and reported on meetings. Out-of-town speakers, even national speakers, would travel to address crowds on topics like Americanism and Klan ideology. Picnics were popular, and the Cherokee Klan even had a “wiener roast in the woods” in April 1925. Parades were also common, and Klans sometimes formed bands exclusive to members. Of course, fiery crosses dotted the landscape at night. One particularly notable gathering that likely incorporated all of these activities was the statewide Konklave at the Sheldon Fairgrounds in 1924. With 25,000 in attendance, this Konklave marks the largest gathering in Sheldon even a century later. The annual Christian music festival RiseFest seeks to break that record this summer.

"In 2024, RISE is on a mission to create history, and YOU have the chance to be part of this incredible journey.We're aiming for an extraordinary feat: 25,001 strong, gathered right here in Sheldon, Iowa, breaking Sheldon’s previous largest gathering attendance of 25,000 during a dark period in history."

If the popular views and the exciting activities of the Klan weren’t convincing enough, they still found a way to gain members through pressure. It was a common practice for Klan members to only patronize Klan businesses, and to boycott others, ruining their livelihoods. Sometimes they threatened individuals; the following placard was placed on the door of an Ireton native and the publisher of the Sibley Gazette: “Beware, we warn but once, your time in town is limited—leave.” Signed in red was “Ku Klux Klan.” Similarly, a Sibley native and college student in Michigan was warned to “leave town now while your friends know where you are” after he delivered a speech against the Klan. Depending on who joined, the Klan could monopolize vital sections of life - the news might be Klan controlled, or the school board, or the local government. Even those with anti-Klan sentiments might have decided to do nothing in order to protect themselves and their loved ones.

The Klan had a popular message, hosted enticing events, and pressured people to join. As a result, nearly every township showed evidence of Klan activity (my  Northwest Iowa Klan Map  marks all the locations I encountered in my research with evidence of such activity). This proliferation had a significant effect on communities, including their religious experience, political engagement, and business interactions.

Klan events were often advertised with the line “all protestants welcome.” Yet the Imperial Wizard of the Klan had the audacity to say that the Klan’s position was “entire tolerance of all religious faiths.” He posited that while anyone had the right to practice Catholicism, certain integral facets of the Catholic tradition “[produce] an intolerable situation.” Namely, the pope’s authority over governments meant that Catholic loyalty was to the pope over America. So, the Wizard stated that the Klan would oppose the Roman Catholic Hierarchy until it changed, and stated that “if this is to bring upon us the heavy weight of Catholic persecution it is a cross which we will bear.”

Klan events often took on religious tones, including the singing of religious songs with altered lyrics. A number of news reports mention Klan gatherings where attendees sang “The Old Rugged Cross.” However, they were likely singing the altered lyrics: “So I’ll cherish the Bright Fiery Cross / Till from duties at last I lay down / Then burn o’er me a Bright Fiery Cross / The day I am laid in the ground.”

The Klan had a sort of religious fervor, and local ministers responded to this in different ways. 

Considering the Klan framed itself as an organization in favor of 100% Americanism, it was perhaps inevitable that they would pursue political influence. Kluxers voted their own into all sorts of public roles, from school boards to governmental positions. From Klan to Klan, there was considerable variation as to what the political goals were and what should be done to attain them.  The biggest issue, common to most Klans, was the enforcement of the 18th Amendment, prohibition. Other issues included eliminating gambling and prostitution, as well as education reform.

The Klan’s involvement with community businesses was very similar to its political activity. Klan members were encouraged to work in unison, supporting certain businesses and boycotting others. This coordinated effort could have a substantial impact on a business. When businessmen joined the Klan, they might see a boost in their business. Those who refused to join or criticized the Klan might lose their business, and were even sometimes forced to leave town. The Klan also created new business opportunities; a number of newspapers and publications were created specifically for Klan members, including the Tall Corn American, published in Ocheyedan.

The majority of kluxers mentioned so far have been men. Traditionally, the Klan was a fraternity, and only accepted men. In fact, part of the original Klan’s proposed mission was to protect white womanhood. The 1920s Klan, however, did introduce a thriving women’s auxiliary, the W.K.K.K. As in most aspects of life, women are less visible in the historical record, but there is enough evidence to say that women were also active and involved in Klan discourse and activities. One advertisement proudly proclaimed a “Free Lecture! Auspices of  Ku Klux Klan by Woman Speaker.” Some news reports would specify when the women’s organization hosted events. For instance, in February 1925, “the women banqueted new members and the men of the order” in Cherokee. In Women of the Klan, Kathleen M. Blee explores the unique missions of the women’s Klan and the subtle influence women had nationally on this organization.

For several communities in Northwest Iowa, the Klan was a frenzy of activity that in retrospect became an embarrassment. For instance, Sheldon’s Klan was active and bold, but one day, the promoter of the group left town with all the membership money they’d collected, and “everyone felt sheepish.” In Marathon, the Klan was largely just ineffective. The brotherhood constantly fought amongst themselves, and eventually no one wanted to hold any of the offices of the organization. Nationally, the second Klan lost influence by the 1930s, both because the fervor had died down and because membership costs were too expensive for the Great Depression budget. In 1944 this iteration of the Klan officially disbanded when the government demanded $600,000 in back taxes. 

As early as 1946, new groups organized based on inspiration from the K.K.K., and some are still active today. As of 2010, it seems the Klan group most active in Iowa was the “Fraternal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.” As reported by the Imperial Wizard of this organization, there were about 100 members spread across 11 Iowa towns. Their main activities involved exposing illegal immigrants working at the agriprocessors plant in Postville and marching in Des Moines in protest of gay marriage. They put it this way: “we don’t believe they have the right to marry... In fact, we don’t think they have the right to exist.”

The Ku Klux Klan has always been a hate group, but it also appealed to many convictions, interests, and fears of Iowans and Americans in the 1920s. Some were drawn into the hate and did some things that they would come to regret. Others found the courage to speak out against the organization, even when it was difficult. Similar stories can be found almost everywhere in this country.

Explore my research! Locations mentioned in this StoryMap are in green, and other towns I discovered with Klan activity throughout my research are in red. This is not a comprehensive indication of the Klan's distribution.