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Iowa
Capital:
Des Moines
State abbreviation/Postal code:
Iowa/IA
Nickname:
Hawkeye State
Briefs on Iowa:
The land of wonderful and important historic
sites, elegant and beautiful cities, breathtaking countryside and the
four seasons of nature at their best, Iowa is certainly a place to be
visited. The land between two rivers, Mississippi on the eastern side
and the Missouri on the western, Iowa welcomes its visitors with
countless memorable attractions and genuine hospitality of its
natives.
 Iowa spreads in 145, 743 square kilometers and is
a Midwest of the United States. The official language of the state is
English. Iowa’s capital is its largest city Des Moines. The beautiful
city of Des Moines is a hub for Iowa’s major economic activities and
also a paradigm reflection of the state’s past.
Pondering over the rich history of Iowa it is
revealed that the state got its name from the American tribe of the
same name. The first Europeans to visit the state were French
explorers named Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette. The territory of
Iowa has witnessed the settlement of around 17 tribes during its
pre-historic era. Out of these the Meskwaki tribe exists till date.
Iowa formed a part of the Louisiana Purchase that
was a deal settled between president Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon
Bonaparte of France that brought a vast part of the continent under
the control of the United States. Till the beginning of 1830, Iowa was
close to white settlement
In June 1833 the first American settlers moved to
the region. These people were mainly families from Illinois, Indiana
and Missouri.
Due to the Black Hawk War conflict that came to
an end in 1832, the Sauk and Fox were pressurized to make their first
land cessions west of the Mississippi. In a deal with the Sauk and the
Fox United States acquired fertile lands of Mississippi valley, which
is today’s eastern Iowa.
On 28th December 1846 Iowa became the
29th state in the Union.
Iowa made a great contribution during the
American Civil War. More than 75,000 Iowans took part in the war but
unfortunately around 13,000 of them died of a disease. Iowa’s
contribution is noted in history for during the civil war it served
America with the greatest number of soldiers per capita than any other
state in the union with approximately 60% of eligible males serving.
During the First World War Iowa experienced an
incredible boom in the farming of beef, corn, and pork. But because of
the elimination of the wartime subsidies the end of the war brought a
tough time for the farmers.
The 19th century is also remarked as
the steamboat era in Iowa. During this time the steamboat paddle
wheelers dominated the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 1969
the steamboat Bertrand sank in the Missouri river. Today its
excavations are displayed in the De Soto National Wildlife Preserve
Visitors Center.
Around 1940 Iowa made a recovery from the major
losses and problems it had incurred due to the wars. From 1988 to 2000
the state supported the Democrats in the presidential elections. The
democrats are prominent in the eastern half of the state and in the
capital city.
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