In June 1835, three companies of the United States Army Dragoons were the first non-natives to see what is now Webster City. Commanded by Col. Stephen W. Kearney, the mounted soldiers first reached the Boone River two miles east of its mouth, naming it in honor of Dragoon officer, Captain Nathan Boone, the son of Daniel Boone.
Webster City’s first settler was Wilson Brewer, who built a cabin near Brewer Creek. The cabin has since been reconstructed and stands near its original site at the Bonebright Depot Complex and Museum.