Sabula Map
Sabula is a city in Jackson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 670 at the 2000 census. Sabula is the site of Iowa's only island city. The island has a beach and a campground. It also has a harbor with boat docks and storage sheds to store some boats during the winter. Because of its proximity to Chicago (three-hour drive), Sabula has become a popular vacationing destination during the summer months.
Sabula was established in 1835 when, according to legend, Isaac Dorman crossed the river from the Illinois side on a log and decided to settle on the present site of Sabula. In the late 19th century the principal industries in the community included a large "pearl button" factory—which produced buttons from clam shells harvested from large clam beds located in the river adjacent to the shoreline. The thriving community also supported a large hog slaughtering industry. The community did not actually become an island until the lock and dam system was constructed on the upper Mississippi in the l930s. Thereupon, the lowlands lying west of the townsite were permanently flooded, creating the "Island City," as the town is now known. The factory is no longer there.
The Army Corps of Engineers constructed many locks and dams on the Mississippi River. The construction of Lock and Dam #13 between Clinton, IA and Fulton, IL in 1939 left Sabula an island .
Nearby cities include Savanna, Preston, Goose Lake, Spragueville, Hanover.