Category: Bettendorf Brothers

The End of an Era: The Death of Oscar Staby

The End of an Era: The Death of Oscar Staby

Published December 10, 2018 by The Kitchen Table Historian

This week we’re serving up a main course of sudden endings at the table. Oscar Staby was the stepson of an industry giant, and very successful in his own right. But what drove him to a shocking act at his Los Angeles home in 1927? Pull up a chair and find out.

How One Man Improved Farmer’s Lives, Revolutionized the Railroad Industry, and Re-Invented the Wheel

Published December 27, 2017 by The Kitchen Table Historian

William Bettendorf showed a passion and talent for invention from an early age. Raised by German immigrants first in Illinois and then later near Leavenworth,…

A City Stands Still: The Death of William Bettendorf

Published May 3, 2017 by The Kitchen Table Historian

Last week, I told the story of the Joseph Bettendorf mansion and how its history is forever intertwined with the history of the city of…