Ottumwa, Iowa - Interesting Facts
In central downtown the Canteen Lunch in the Alley has been a stopping point for Ottumwans since the 1920s. Many famous patrons have been seen eating a "Canteen", a loose meat sandwich similar to a Maid-Rite. In the sitcom Roseanne, Roseanne Connor's restaurant, the Lanford Lunch Box, was based on the Canteen Lunch in the Alley.
Notable natives and residents:
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Tom Arnold- actor
- Steve Bales- Apollo 11 flight controller
- Stephen Blumberg- notorious rare book thief
- Edna Ferber- Novelist who lived in Ottumwa as a child.
- Russell Means- American Indian activist. Attended junior college in Ottumwa
- Carol Morris- was chosen as Miss Universe in 1956
- Beverley Owen- actress
- Cpl. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly- fictional character from the television program M*A*S*H.
As of the census of 2000, there were 24,998 people, 10,383 households, and 6,530 families residing in the city.
For More Information, go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottumwa,_Iowa
