In October, 1973, Bowman Dairy announced that Iowana Farms would be going out of business that same month. It was estimated at the time that Iowana was delivering to somewhere between 8,000 and 9,000 homes in the Quad-Cities. It was no longer profitable to operate a small plant due to rising cost of operation.

1973 was a time of rapid rising inflation. The cost of milk had risen from 38 cents per gallon in 1945 up to 78 cents that year. The previous two months had given the greatest increases in the past 22 years. Iowana employed between 75 and 80 people and shut its doors on October 19th, 1973. Some of the employees joined other local dairies. Others retired with their company and Teamsters Union pension. Some of the delivery routes were picked up by Downing's All Star Dairy, a Rock Island, Illinois company. Others were assimilated in other local dairies' routes.

Iowana was a major part of the Quad Cities Community. Not only were they a primary deliverer of milk products to the area, they were also a major advertising sponsor. Their classic commercials will live forever in the minds and hearts of everyone in the area and in particular children. Iowana's spokesperson was the beautiful Princess Iowana. Princess Iowana was played through the years by several different local actresses. She appeared on Iowana commercials both in print and over the airwaves.

Along with Princess Iowana, the heartbeat of the advertisements revolved around the Iowana auctions. These auctions provided children with a chance to cut Iowana wampum from Iowana packaging and save the trinkets and cash them in for prizes during the auctions that were held by Iowana.

The following picture is of WOC Sportscaster Ed Zack broadcasting live from one of the auctions most likely at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds. Even in this abbreviated picture one can get a sense of the chaos involved with they kids as they were bidding for the prizes such as the bike shown next to the table. Special thanks to Ed Zack from his own personal collection and to legendary WOC engineer Jon Book for the scan.

Almost all of us from that era were full time staff members of the station with other varied responsibilities as well as the kid shows. My other assignments at various times were: Direct and produce a cooking show, a helpful hints arts and craft show, all the musical shows such as a country western trio, a classical piano show, a big band show weekly and sometimes the news show. On camera, I hosted a half hour farm show at noon and did the weather on the nightly news. I also hosted the Iowanna Pow Wow, as Trader Milt, with the beautiful Princess Iowanna as my co-star. Another co-star of that show was a chimpanzee in an Indian costume who would bound throught the audience as we opened the show, jump up into my arms and give me a big kiss. The only draw back was that invariably he chose that moment to fill his diaper. Believe me, there is no worse odor in the world than chimp doo-doo under the hot studio lights! - Milt Boyd (courtesy of Tim Hollis)

 

Don Wooten wrote in the Moline Daily Dispatch/Rock Island Argus; "The Iowana show was sponsor driven. It was a Saturday morning program during which kids in the studio audience bid for articles using emblems ("Iowampum") taken from cartoons of Iowana products. Milt was the auctioneer and the beautiful Kay Duvejonck served as the dairy's living symbol, princess Iowana. The program affored her an opportunity to do more than TV pitches. She showed up everywhere the dairy ran commercials or promotions, including Channel 6."

09/02/2011...Hi... I have been looking for Princess Iowana memorabilia to surprise my mom, and I came across your website.

My mom, Sheri Owens was Princess Iowana in 1958 and 1959. She appears in 2 of the photos on your website but is not identified. She hosted the tv show for those 2 years. Iowana Dairy was still using her photo for their advertising well into the 60s.

Yes that is my mom in the Petersens ads. That is her with Foo Foo the chimp and standing posed with her hand next to her mouth. In one ad they spelled Foo Foo wrong ( Fo Fo)!

I also think the line drawing on the plastic ring was drawn from one of her photos.

Of course my sister and I were fascinated that our mom had a tv show so she has told us some of the stories of appearances and the show.

My mom, Sheri Owens, was an actress/singer/ dancer from Davenport, Iowa. She graduated from Davenport High School in 1957. She was a cheerleader, a member of the Thespian club and was honored.

Professionally, in the mid 50s ( from the age of 14) she performed as vocalist on the WOC TV program called "Songs in the Night" accompanied by George Sontag and Marjorie Meinert. She also played the role of Gladys Hotchkiss in a production of "Pajama Game " where she performed "Steam Heat" and "Hernando's Hideaway" amongst other musical numbers at a Rock Island theater for their summer program.

Kim Poulton

02/25/2008 ... Well, I for one, near the end of the Iowana shows in the 1960's, won a Voit basketball on stage at the Capitol Theatre in Davenport. However, it didn't stay inflated like it should have.

I was even on stage. One of the kids was too scared to go on stage, so I went instead and got the ball!

- Legendary WOC Engineer Jon Book

Picture of an Iowana deliverer filling his truck with gasoline. Copyright Bettendorf: Iowa's Exciting City and used here only for reference.

Princess Iowana made special appearances across the Davenport and Bettendorf Iowa, Moline and Rock Island, Illinois Quad City area. She not only appeared with Trader Milt on the Iowana program she also appeared on The Grandpa Happy Show, Captain Ernie's Showboat and WOC's The Circle 6 Ranch.

Below - on the left, Kay Duvejonck along with Milt Boyd as Trader Milt, on the right, the last Princess Iowana Jerri Daebelliehn.

Iowana located at 1416 State Street. The following pictures are from the 1950s Bettendorf High School Yearbook.

09/05/2008 ... Hi there:

I read with great interest your history page on Iowana Farms. My grandfather, Cleo Gord, worked for Col French, and was then Glenn Moore’s business partner in Iowana Milk Farm until the business was sold in the 50s.

Steve Gord

The final Iowana calendar from 1973. Auctioned by dreammerchants07 on ebay October 2008.

Meet Princess Iowana at Jewel grocery store on October 29th, 1971.

Above, Princess Iowana ring, found on ebay.

02/23/2009 ... My mom and grandma both have Iowana Farms metal milk boxes and my grandpa delivered milk for them. The picture of the deliveryman with the Iowana truck is my grandpa and it is dated on the back October, 1974 and the unused pencil pictures were provided by my aunt. Here also is a set of Iowana Farms playing cards still in the original wrapper.

Thanks for keeping Iowana Farms' history alive!! Sincerely, Dave Gannon.

04/01/2009 ... Below is a Barlow Tallboy lighter which stands approximately 2 1/2" X 1 1/4". The bottom states "Barlow 819 Tallboy". Auctioned by mychildren5-2008 in April 2009 on ebay.

Iowana mechanical pen auctioned by mr seeker in September 2009.

Hi... I found your Iowana Farms page on Google.

Take a look at this photo that I found in a scrapbook here in Georgia at a flea market.

Best regards,
Terry Goggin

If you have any memories, pictures or film of Iowana Dairy, Princess Iowana or anything related to Iowana please click here to email me!

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