where did the name cedar rapids come from
Cedar Rapids, Iowa The first permanent settler, Osgood Shepherd, arrived in 1838. When Cedar Rapids was first established in 1838, William Stone named the town Columbus. In 1841 it was resurveyed and renamed by N.B. Brown and his associates. They named the town Cedar Rapids for the rapids in the Cedar River at the site, and the river itself was named for the large number of red cedar trees that grew along its banks.[10] Cedar Rapids was incorporated on January 15, 1849.[11] Cedar Rapids annexed the community of Kingston in 1870.