Guttenberg, IA

Guttenberg is a Clayton County city on the Mississippi River, across from Wisconsin and below a line of high limestone bluffs. The 2020 census counted 1,817 residents. French explorers called the early settlement Prairie La Porte in 1673, and the floodplain later served as a seasonal campground for Sauk and Meskwaki people. German immigrant settlers arrived through the Western Settlement Society of Cincinnati in the 1840s, and the town was renamed Guttenberg as the community expanded. Commercial and industrial work used the river, while local limestone became the defining building material.

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Guttenberg's pre- and post-Civil War limestone buildings form the backdrop for its riverfront today. The city maintains a riverwalk, park, pool, marina, library, and local-access channel, while Lock and Dam No. 10, built in 1937, has an observation platform and restrooms. Clayton Ridge Community School District serves the city and partners with area businesses on work-based learning and dual-credit courses. U.S. 52 runs along the river corridor, joining the historic business district, school system, and Mississippi recreation to the larger Great River Road landscape.