Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
WALLER, Richard
WALLER, Richard. (Yorkshire, England, Feb. 26, 1796-Unknown). Capitalist. Arriving in Dubuque in 1834, Waller with other miners built a blast furnace at the Little Platte. It was the first furnace for smelting constructed in the area. The following year they built three more, one at the mouth of the Fever River, one at Rockdale (WALLER'S FURNACE),and one at Mineral Point. Waller continued his success in the smelting business for nearly thirty years and then formed an association with Jesse P. FARLEY in the mercantile business.