Lisbon, Iowa, developed from a small settlement whose first settlers were arriving in the mid 1830's, with its name said to have come from Lisbon, Ohio, where some of those settlers originated. Its first school began in 1845, and in the 1850's the United Brethren Church became the first church in the community, beginning a period in which Lisbon had as many as 13 churches at one time. The arrival of the Chicago Northwestern Railroad in 1859 spurred growth by bringing new businesses and settlers, and incorporation in 1875 recognized Lisbon as a city in Iowa. Residents saw the first car on Main St. in 1896, and in 1909 Lisbon began its annual Sauerkraut Day, a tradition that continues today. In 1913 the city gained two new avenues of growth with the arrival of the interurban from Cedar Rapids through Mt. Vernon to Lisbon, which provided travel between the three towns until 1928, and with the dedication of the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental bi-way. In early 1914 two local businessmen began seeking a Veteran's memorial in the Lisbon Cemetery, requesting a boulder from Gettysburg Battle Field; after a two-year process, it was delivered by railroad and dedicated in honor of all Civil War veterans, and as one of only two boulders ever removed from the Gettysburg site, it again drew national attention to Lisbon. In 1925 the Lisbon Cooperative Creamery began shipping most of its butter to New York, with other sales going to local creamery patrons and grocers. Growth slowed during the First World War, and many things remained unchanged until the 1960's, when Lisbon began to thrive again and continued developing into the community it is today.