In 1982, the Iowa City Press Citizen claimed that that the first Corn Monument was erected in in 1913. For a Homecoming 2014 Iowa Now article, the date of 1919 was given as a potential starting date. Regardless, this image of the 1919 Corn Monument is the earliest one we found.
The 1920's monument is notable because it is the only monument not located on the ground! This monument was placed on the roof of the Engineering Building, now the Seamans Center.
For the 1961 Homecoming the Daily Iowan did a reflection on the celebrations of 1926. The October 21, 1961 paper, on page 8, featured a photo of the monument lit up with the "I superimposed with an 'M' for Minnesota. It was built to allow cars to pass beneath it"