(H)our History Lesson: Waterloo, Iowa: Comparing and Connecting WWII Home Front cities About this Lesson

Image 1: War bond rally in Waterloo on August 3, 1942, with American comedy duo Abbott and Costello.

Courtesy of The Grout Museum District

About this Lesson

This lesson is part of a series teaching about the World War II home front, with Waterloo, Iowa designated as an American World War II Heritage City. The lesson contains photographs, readings, an optional review text and media activity, and a culminating project. The first reading shares a letter that describes home front contributions of Waterloo, Iowa. The second reading connects the region to the designation of a Heritage City. The media activity includes historic radio broadcasts from the home front. The culminating project contributes to learners’ understandings of the city as a WWII Heritage City, with the opportunity to combine lesson themes from the three other lessons in the Waterloo, Iowa lesson collection. This is to summarize the city’s contributions and encourage connections to the overall U.S. home front efforts.

Objectives:

In a culminating product:

1. Identify important World War II home front industries in Waterloo and describe their historical impact to the Allied efforts.
2. Summarize the contributions of diverse Waterloo civilians and service members to home front wartime efforts, including women in industry and the armed services.
3. Describe how stories of service and sacrifice were used to mobilize and inspire civilians and service members.
4. Optional: Describe similarities and differences of Waterloo and other Heritage city(s) / World War II home front(s).

Materials:

1. Photos--for high quality images from all the lessons go to the Waterloo Series Gallery
2. Readings 1, 2 & media activity link
3. Maps, project materials (as needed)
4. Student graphic organizers (See image at end of lesson, for reference)
   

Instructions for Student Graphic Organizers

1. Create Comparison Matrices for your students to use. To compare two cities, create a one-page sheet with three columns and four rows.  Label the left column Theme/Topic and the other columns City 1 and City 2.  For a Comparison Matrix for three cities simply add an additional column.
2. Create two Single-Point Rubrics to assist students’ self-assessment. One is for assessing proficiency in meeting teacher-selected standards. One is for assessing proficiency in meeting objectives.
3. For the rubric on standards, create a one-page sheet with three columns and four rows of content. Label the first column “Areas for Improvement,” the second column, “Proficient (Meeting Standard),” and the third column, “Areas of Exceeding Standard.”  Leave the first and third columns blank.  In each row of the second column identify a Standard and indicate a space for noting the evidence for meeting the standard.  Include a space at the bottom of the page for assigning points for each column.
4. For the rubric on objectives, create a one-page sheet with three columns and four rows of content. Label the first column “Areas for Improving toward Objective,” the second column, “Proficient (Meeting Objective),” and the third column, “Areas of Exceeding Objective.” Leave the first and third columns blank. In the four rows of the second column identify these four objectives: 

• Identify important World War II home front industries in Waterloo and describe their historical impact to the Allied efforts.
• Summarize the contributions of diverse Waterloo civilians and service members to home front wartime efforts, including women in industry and the armed services.
• Describe how stories of service and sacrifice were used to mobilize and inspire civilians and service members.
• Optional: Describe similarities and differences of Waterloo and other Heritage city(s) / World War II home front(s).

Include a space at the bottom of the page for assigning points for each column. See the last photo of this lesson for reference.
 

Image 2: Rath Packing Company, date unknown, Waterloo, Iowa.

Library of Congress

Getting Started: Essential Question

Why was Waterloo chosen as an American World War II Heritage City, and what are its similarities and differences to other home front cities?

Quotations to consider:

“Waterloo’s four-year home front battle of production furnished our fighting men and women with billions of supplies. To them, Waterloo sent millions of pounds of meat, thousands of tons of clothing and outdoor housing units, millions of dollars in munition parts, and billions of small and large vehicle parts.”

- City of Waterloo, Iowa’s “American World War II Heritage City Program Application” (September 1, 2023)

“While my mother taught me to home can vegetables and fruit from our garden, she often spoke of how the victory gardens in Waterloo, Iowa, helped to feed our people while every spare item was prepared for the troops and our Allies who had little food. We continued to have victory gardens from that point on, offering our extra produce to our local food bank to help those in need. I learned of her quitting college to work the night shift at John Deere making tank transmissions. This was because all the able-bodied men who were not farmers had left for the war. My mother's name was Betty, so we affectionately dubbed her as our hometown "Drill press Betty" with her dark hair and eyes and her sleeves rolled up, she looked like the drill-press Betty image on the WWII war posters.”

- Heidi A. Hultman-Warrington, Colonel (Ret), US Army Nurse Corps, daughter of Evan Hultman (Reading 1). Excerpt from an August 19, 2023 letter within Waterloo, Iowa’s “American World War II Heritage City Program Application"

Read to Connect

Reading 1: Letter Supporting Waterloo Nomination

Background: This letter was included as supporting documentation in Waterloo, Iowa’s “American World War II Heritage City Program Application." It can be used to summarize and highlight several topics covered in the other three lessons. 

By Evan L Hultman, Major General (Ret), US Army, August 19, 2023 

Waterloo, Iowa has been my hometown since I was 10 years old when my Swedish and Welsh immigrant parents and grandparents left Albia and moved to Waterloo. I am now 98 years young and remember WWII like it was yesterday.

On that fateful day when Pearl Harbor was attacked, the Japanese military leader was correct when he warned the nation of Japan that they had awakened the sleeping giant. That Sunday morning, our family had just returned from church, seated around the dinner table at my future wife's and her family's log cabin when the radio announcer interrupted the music program and announced, "Pearl Harbor has been bombed." None of us knew at the time where Pearl Harbor was, but we soon found out as our nation and our town, responded to our country's need to defend our land, our people, and freedom from the tyranny of cruel dictatorships both in Europe, northern Africa, and in the Pacific. I was a senior in high school on this fateful day.
Upon graduating from East Waterloo High School, I volunteered to join the US Army at age 17, and spent the next 3 ½ years all over the United States and the occupation of Japan. . .

Back in Waterloo, Iowa, all the citizens - to include the old and young, served in one of the many military-related industries. Waterloo, being the original home of the John Deere Tractor factories that built farm machinery, reprogrammed their production and assembly to make army tank transmissions. 

Iowa is one of the breadbasket states in the United States, feeding a great deal of the Allied world in corn and soybeans and hogs and cattle. My wife at 19 years paused from attending college at the University of Northern Iowa to work the nightshift making tank transmissions, and by day, her mother and her made sandwiches which they fed to the Gls on the troop trains as they passed through Waterloo, Iowa, by day. Our entire town participated in this transition to war-time life, feeding the military by day, and working on supporting the military industrial complex by night.

Other Waterloo companies joined the fight to support the war effort. Rath Packing, the largest meat packing company in the world at that time, ratcheted-up production to feed the troops, both at home bases and overseas, with both fresh meat and the meat in canned rations. Waterloo's Chamberlain Manufacturing developed the process and then produced a new, sensitive artillery shell never-before available and was the sole provider of these for the US Army. There were 34 smaller companies in Waterloo that went to war production overnight in switching what their previous 'goods were to wartime materiel to support the war effort. Although similar actions were occurring across America to support the war effort, Waterloo was unique in that our entire town and its manufacturing capabilities, large and small changed overnight to support the war effort.

With John Deere, Rath Packing, and Chamberlain Manufacturing, Waterloo made a herculean effort to support the troops with food, tank transmissions, and the modern artillery shells.

Waterloo, Iowa, is in our nation's heartland. The richest farmland in all the world is located next door in Grundy County, with equally rich black soil here in Waterloo. While our farmers worked on increasing food stores for the Allied world, the people of Waterloo stepped up to the call for what was called victory gardens - to feed the people in their own communities to lessen the burden of taking the food needed for the troops. My mother, grandmother, wife, and mother-in-law all grew huge victory gardens to provide food for family and those less fortunate in the community. These gardens produced tomatoes, corn, beans, cabbage, and other vegetables that they then canned, as well as harvesting apples, cherries, pears, plums, and peaches which they also canned. Waterloo shared, and bartered, and gave to ensure the troops and its people were fed and knew they were cared for. . . .

I have traveled the world, but I always looked forward to my return on each and every occasion to return home to Waterloo. I am proud of our town that supported me, our family, our community, and our nation during WW2 like few other town had.  . . .

Reading 2: Heritage City Designation

Excerpt from: “House Report 115-998, “To Direct the Secretary of the Interior to Annually Designate at Least One City in The United States as An ‘American World War II Heritage City,’ and for other purposes” (October 30, 2018)

“. . .PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 6118 is to direct the Secretary of the Interior to annually designate at least one city in the United States as an ``American World War II Heritage City''.

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

On December 7, 1941, military forces of the Empire of Japan attacked the U.S. Naval Fleet and ground bases at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. On December 8, 1941, one day after what President Roosevelt referred to as, “a date which will live in infamy,'' the United States declared war against the Empire of Japan. Three days later, on December 11, 1941, Japan's ally, Germany, declared war on the United States. Sixteen million Americans, mostly young working-age men, served in the military during World War II, out of an overall United States population of 113 million.

While an unprecedented number of Americans served in World War II, the country drastically increased its war production on the home front, serving not only the needs of the armed forces of the United States but her allies as well--in what President Franklin Roosevelt called “The Arsenal of Democracy.'' The combination of millions serving in the military, during a period of necessary and drastic increases in production, led to significant social changes on the American home front.

The World War II period resulted in the largest number of people migrating within the United States in the history of the country. Individuals and families relocated to industrial centers for good paying jobs out of a sense of patriotic duty. Many industrial centers became “boomtowns,'' growing at phenomenal rates. One example, the City of Richmond, California, grew from a population of under 24,000 to over 100,000 during the war. . . .”

Image 3: "Grow it yourself. Plan a farm garden now.” This poster is an example of a wartime poster by the US Dept. Of Agriculture to encourage victory gardens, like those grown in Waterloo.

Library of Congress

Questions for Reading 1 and Quotation to Consider

1. Why was hearing the news of Pearl Harbor a profound moment for people at the time, and how did it mark a turning point in history?
2. Major General Hultman is the author of Reading 1. One of the quotations to consider is by his daughter, Colonel Heidi A. Hultman-Warrington. Compare and connect their descriptions of Betty’s work and volunteerism.
3. What was the importance of victory gardens in communities such as Waterloo, Iowa?
4. In what ways did the wartime activities in Waterloo show cooperation between local industries and military demands?
5. How did home front contributions in Waterloo support the US and the Allies? Consider both information from this text and from past lessons.

Questions for Reading 1 and 2, Photos

1. What was the purpose of the bill (H.R. 6118) according to the report?
2. Compare the description of the attack of Pearl Harbor in Reading 1, to the description of its importance in the bill. How was this a turning point for the United States?
3. Why do you think Waterloo was designated as a World War II Heritage City? Connect details from the bill and the first reading.
4. Are there other cities you think of when considering home front contributions during wartime? Which, and why?

Media Activity

Waterloo, Iowa: Radio from 1942-1945

The Waterloo local radio station, 1540 KXEL, played a series of radio shows on “Radio’s Golden Age” on the Sundays in May 2024 that shared original recordings of radio from the home front to honor the city’s designation as an American World War II Heritage City. The shows include dramas, comedies, advertisements for businesses, and messages encouraging war work and victory gardens. Stories shared and incorporated current events, such as D-Day, the race riots in Detroit, and a Red Cross campaign. 

Audio clips from these recordings, using the time stamps and topics of your choice, can be used to help students connect to and better understand the impact of the war on home front communities, entertainment, and needs. These highlights are from the programming on 1943, played on May 12, 2024, but the rest may be accessed via 1540 KXEL’s Sound Cloud website (search for Radio’s Golden Age: May 5, 12, 19, and 26, 2024).

Hour 1

• Introduction and shares act 1 of an episode of a comedic radio drama, The Aldrich Family, of children’s adventures selling war bonds (1:52-34:42)
• Red Cross Campaign special (39:45 – 53:38) 

Hour 2

• Part 1 of a comedy show, Fibber McGee and Molly – an episode about taking in a war worker as an extra roomer (38:34-53:59)

Hour 3

• Part 2 of the comedy episode Fibber McGee and Molly (0:00-14:30)
• Detroit Race Riots coverage (18:22-50:48). [This segment covers sensitive topics, and it is recommended to listen in advance, prior to playing with students. You can use this lesson to learn more and teach about the Detroit Race Riots.] 

Single-Point Rubric (Standards; Blank) [Teacher selects priority standards for assessment.]

Courtesy of Sarah Nestor Lane

Culminating Activity/Mastery Product

To demonstrate student understanding, support students in creating a final product that meets the following objectives:

1. Identify important World War II home front industries in Waterloo and describe their historical impact to the Allied efforts.
2. Summarize the contributions of diverse Waterloo civilians and service members to home front wartime efforts, including women in industry and the armed services.
3. Describe how stories of service and sacrifice were used to mobilize and inspire civilians and service members.
4. Optional: Describe similarities and differences of Waterloo and other Heritage city(s) / World War II home front(s).

Mastery products should be:
. . . student-led; Students work as individuals or in collaborative groups.
. . . student-directed; Students are offered a variety of choices for product type.
. . . student-organized; Teacher facilitates by providing students with the comparison matrices and/or resource links from throughout the series of lessons.
. . . student-assessed; Teacher supports student self-assessment and reflection by providing students single-point rubrics to assess for meeting standards and/or lesson objectives.

Note: Depending on time and scope, the comparison of Waterloo, Iowa to another WWII Heritage or home front city(s) within the mastery product (objectives) may be omitted. However, comparing cities is recommended, as it connects students to a deeper understanding of the WWII home front.

Examples of mastery product choices include, but are not limited to:

• Written: Letter (opinion or informative), essay, poem, narratives, biography, articles, class book or children’s book, speech or debate (then presented orally), blog / website, plaque or historical displays, pamphlets or rack cards
• Graphic Organizers: timeline, flowcharts, mind or concept content maps, Venn diagrams, comparison matrices, posters
• Artistic Expression: song, dance, theater (ex. skits), 3-D models, dioramas, photo journal, stamp and coin designs, visual art, architecture/building or monument, museum design
• Media design and creation: podcast, historical markers, social media content, interactive virtual maps or tours, infographics, video, comic strips or graphics, game design, slideshows, digital scrapbook
  

Want More World War II Resources?

Connect with lessons from other World War II Heritage Cities or more general place-based World War II Lessons.
These lessons and resources from across US History are part of Teaching with Historic Places.

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This lesson was written by Sarah Nestor Lane, an educator and consultant with the Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education, funded by the National Council on Public History's cooperative agreement with the National Park Service.