Looking for informantion on a house at 1842 S Palmetto St in Sioux City IA.

You probably have, but did you try the local genealogy society? I have had excellent luck contacting local groups.

Have you gotten in touch with the local library? They might be able to help you with local history resources.

First thing I'd try would be the City Permits center (online here), to see what they have on file. It's possible closure was due to a code violation of some sort, regardless of when the house was boarded up.

Also check the local office that handles building permits (possibly the same office). I was able to photograph all documents relating to my house, dating back to the original land purchase.

That might give you some clues.

As for online options, check both counties' GIS pages. Look up the address to see what you find--might give you names (including current owner) that could be searched in newspapers or contacted directly for background on the house.

• Woodbury County GIS: GIS Map - Woodbury County, Iowa
• Plymouth County GIS: http://gis.co.plymouth.ia.us/Integrator/Web/Default.aspx?server=mapguide&SiteId=43bc5ca8-81f2-4630-a140-456c6a4de936

Next, contact Woodbury and Plymouth counties (since Sioux City straddles both). Ask what offices might have records pertinent to the house in question, and whether or not those records are available for public viewing.

Also check with the courts, in case there was a lawsuit involved. There may be limits to what you'll have access to, from start to finish, since you aren't the current property owner.

Working out a house history isn't all that different from tracing a person. Begin with what you know, then dig into whatever government documents and records you can, building a picture piece by piece. Good luck!