For 124 years, this book club has connected Fort Dodge women

For 124 Years, This Book Club Has Connected Fort Dodge Women

For more than a century, the Ingleside Study Club has united women of Fort Dodge through their shared love of reading. The club’s name, Ingleside, means “fireside”—a nod to the warmth and tradition of reading books together. Originally founded in October 1901 by eleven women, the club remains active today with twenty-seven members who gather twice a month.

The Ingleside Study Club began during an era when women in the United States did not yet have the right to vote. Two decades later, the 19th Amendment would change that. In its early days, the club provided a space for women committed to self-education and personal growth, nurturing both social and intellectual engagement.

“The original founders of Ingleside Club were women who invested themselves and their families in constructing the foundations on which Fort Dodge is built — physically, culturally, spiritually,” said Joyce Garton-Natte, current president, a retired dentist, and Presbyterian lay minister.

“Members today are, likewise, invested in this city and influential in keeping that foundation firm. Women like Sarah Kelly, our longest-term member with 67 years of membership, personify the commitment and enthusiasm, supportiveness and gentility on which Ingleside was and is formed.”

Legacy and Connection

Across generations, the Ingleside Study Club has served not only as a reading circle but as a testament to women’s enduring influence in shaping community and culture in Fort Dodge.

Author’s summary: For 124 years, the Ingleside Study Club has united Fort Dodge women through books, friendship, and a shared dedication to education and community life.

Messenger News — 2025-11-01

For 124 Years, This Book Club Has Connected Fort Dodge Women

Legacy and Connection

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