Iowa
Iowa is sometimes called the Corn State. It
produces more corn than any other state. Popcorn comes from corn kernels. Corn
on the cob is delicious to eat. Corn is used in making many breakfast cereals,
too. It also goes into such varied products as mayonnaise, crayons, and
plastics.
Much of Iowa’s corn is used to feed cattle and
hogs. Iowa raises more hogs than any other state. Soybeans, hay, and oats are
other important crops in Iowa. Farmland covers about 90 percent of the state.
Agriculture has always played a big role in Iowa life. Iowa also manufactures
farm machinery, computers, and other products.
Facts About Iowa
|
|
Capital
|
Des
Moines
|
Population
|
2,990,000
people
|
Rank
among states in population
|
30th
|
Major
cities
|
Des
Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Sioux City
|
Area
|
56,300
square miles
146,000 square kilometers |
Rank
among states in area
|
26th
|
Statehood
|
December
28, 1846, the 29th state
|
State
nickname
|
The
Hawkeye State
|
Name
for residents
|
Iowans
|
State
bird
|
American
Goldfinch
|
State
flower
|
Wild
Rose
|
State
tree
|
Oak
|
Abbreviation
|
IA
|
A CENTRAL STATE
Iowa is a land of flat, fertile plains.
It lies in the heart of North America. Iowa’s central location in the United
States has made it an important passageway from pioneer times on. Railroads and
superhighways later replaced pioneer trails across the state.
Each July, about 10,000 cyclists cross Iowa on
bicycles. They ride for six days from Sioux City on the Missouri River to
Davenport on the Mississippi. Two writers at the Des Moines Register, an
Iowa newspaper, started RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across
Iowa) in 1973. Many other states later copied the idea.
THE HAWKEYE STATE
Iowa is nicknamed the Hawkeye State. The name
honors Black Hawk, chief of the Sac (Sauk) Native Americans. Treaties forced
the Sac and Fox to give up their land in Illinois and Wisconsin. In 1830, Black
Hawk and his people moved to Iowa. In 1832, after a hard winter in Iowa, they
tried to return to their old territory.
Battles known as the Black Hawk War began in
1832. An army of soldiers and settlers chased Black Hawk’s band of Sac and Fox
from their old territory westward toward the Mississippi River. They reached
the river on August 3, but a steamboat carrying soldiers and cannons blocked
their way. They were trapped. Black Hawk tried to surrender. The cannons fired
and the soldiers attacked.
Most of Black Hawk’s people died on August 3,
1832. The battle is known as the Bad Axe Massacre. It was the final battle of
the Black Hawk War. After their defeat in the war, the Sac and Fox had to sell
their land in Iowa to white settlers. Much later, some Sac and Fox Indians
bought land in Tama County Iowa. Today, their descendants live there.
THREE RIVERS
Three rivers have played an important part in
Iowa’s history. The Mississippi River forms Iowa’s eastern border with
Wisconsin and Illinois. The Missouri forms the state’s western border with
South Dakota and Nebraska. Iowa is the only state bordered by two rivers that
are deep and wide enough for ships.
The state’s third river is the Iowa River. It is
the longest river inside the state. The river and the state were named after
the Iowa Indians.
Early settlers in Iowa chose to live in the river
valleys. Here, they could find water, wood for building, and food.
FRENCH TERRITORY
In 1681 and 1682, French explorer René-Robert
Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle led an expedition down the Mississippi River to the
Gulf of Mexico. He claimed land, including Iowa, for France. He named the area
Louisiana in honor of French king Louis XIV.
France sent fur traders to the region. But the
French didn’t settle Iowa right away. Iowa’s first white settler was Julien
Dubuque, a French Canadian. In 1788, Dubuque got permission from the Fox
peoples to mine lead on Fox land near the Mississippi River. The city of
Dubuque, near the lead mines, is named after him.
In 1803, the United States purchased the
Louisiana Territory from France. Iowa belonged to the United States.
STATEHOOD
After the Black Hawk War, farmers began to
move to Iowa because of its fertile land. Iowa became a territory in 1838. By
1840, most of its 40,000 residents lived close to the Mississippi River. On
December 28, 1846, Iowa became the 29th state of the Union. Iowa City was the
first capital. In 1857, the capital was moved to Des Moines, a city close to
the center of the state.
THE AMANA COLONIES
An interesting place to visit in Iowa is the Amana
Colonies. You can see how pioneers lived and worked in this historic community.
German-speaking settlers founded Amana in 1855. The settlers sought freedom to
practice their religion and their beliefs about how people should live together
in a community.
The Amana colonists shared all property. The
community decided what work people should do. No one received a paycheck. Instead,
community members got what they needed at the general store. The community
decided what each family could spend. There were community kitchens, in which
all the families ate.
In 1932, the community voted to abandon their
practice of sharing everything. Farming remains important in the community, but
today manufacturing and tourism also provide income.
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