History of Iowa

By: Connor Ryan, Tallin Rasmussen, Ashley Hytrek

We live here

STATE TREE: NORTHERN RED OAK. ITS FRUIT IS THE ACORN.   ITS BARK IS SMOOTH . THE LEAVES ARE 5 TO 8 IN. LONG AND IT IS A LARGE TREE WITH A SHORT TRUNK WHEN FULL GROWN.

Iowa’s State SongYou asked what land I love the best, Iowa, tis Iowa, The fairest State of all the west, Iowa, O! Iowa, From yonder Misissippi's streamTo where Missouri's waters gleam'O! fair it is as poet's dream, Iowa, in Iowa.See yonders fields of tasseled corn, Iowa in Iowa,Where plenty fills her golden horn, Iowa in Iowa,See how her wonderous praries shine.To yonder sunset’s purpling line,O! happy land, O! land of mine, Iowa, O! Iowa.And she has maids whose laughing eyes, Iowa, O! Iowa.To him whose loves were Paradise, Iowa, O! IowaO! happiest fate that e’er was known.Such eyes to shine for one alone,To call such beauty all his own. Iowa, O! IowaGo read the story of thy past. Iowa, O! Iowa What glorious deeds, what fame thou hast! Iowa, O! Iowa So long as time’s great cycle runs,Or nations weep their fallen ones,Thou’lt not forget thy patriot sons, Iowa, O! Iowa

Iowa’s State bird: Eastern Goldfinch. It was made Iowa’s state bird in 1933 ,and can be seen commonly around Iowa during all of the seasons. The male’s wings are black and the female’s brown. Also called the America Goldfinch and Wild Canary .

The Iowa Legislature made the Wild Rose as the official state flower in 1897. It was chosen for the honor because it was one of the decorations used on the silver service which the state presented to the battleship USS Iowa that same year. Wild roses are found around the state commonly. The flower can be found in different shades of pink.

State FlagWhen the United States entered the World War, Iowa had no state flag. It was expected that the Iowa men would fight in State regiments as they had in earlier wars, but the government decided to make their own. On May 11, 1917, Mrs. Lue B. Prentiss from the Society's flag committee, Mrs. Dixie Gephardt, and a number of other interested people appeared before the State Council on National Defense, presented the flag design made by Mrs. Gebhardt. The Council approved the plan without argument.

State MottoOur liberties we prize, Our Rights We Will Maintain

State Fish: Channel Catfish

State RockGeode was made the official rock of Iowa in 1967 to promote tourism in the state. Iowa is known worldwide because of the large number of rare and beautiful geodes found in the state. The Latin word geodes means earthlike, and geodes are shaped like the earth with a hard outer shell that when cracked open with a hammer it reveals a core of sparkling mineral crystals.

Things to do in the seasons

Summer: football, baseball, camping, grass sledding, swimming, video games,bike ride, Fishing, boating

Fall: Football, video games, four square, hunting,trapping, boating

Winter: sledding, video games, basketball, playing in the snow, snowboard, ski,

Spring: hiking, camping, four square,bird watching, boating

Agrilculture/Farming Summary

Crops: Corn, soy beans, sweet corn.Animals: Cows, pigs/hogs, chickens, lamuas, goats,horses, alpaca,  geese.  

Le Mars, Iowa is the ice cream capital of the world being blue bunny ice cream's headquarters and factory. There is also the blue bunny ice cream parlor and museum.

Ice cream cone   By: Connor Ryan

WaCkY fAcTs:• The only state that starts with

two vowels.• West Lake Okoboji is the

largest glacier made lake in Iowa.

• Sabula is the only town in Iowa to be on a island.

• Iowa's lowest elevation is 480 feet in Lee county.

• Its smallest city park is in the middle of a street.

• Iowa is home to the world's largest bullhead (fish).

•      

• Elkhorn is the largest Danish settlement in the U.S.A..

• The world's largest strawberry is at Strawberry Point,Iowa.

•  Dubuque has the only gold domed courthouse in Iowa.

•  Knoxville has the only sprint car museum in the U.S.A..

Iowa State University Facts: • Iowa State invented the first computer.• They started football in 1892.• One of the best schools for engineering.• Iowa State University is the oldest land

grant college in the U.S.A.. 

Famous People

• John Wayne (actor)  John Wayne was a very sucessful actor. He played in nearly 250 movies. He played in the Green Beret.

• Herbert Hoover (president) He was the first president from Iowa. So far he is the only president from Iowa.

• Norman Borlaug (plant pathologist) He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. He was the first person to discover a disease free wheat.

• William Frawley (actor) He started his life as a comedian. Then, when he married Louise the had a standup comedy. He played in My Three Sons.

• Glenn Martin (aviator) He was always fascinated with the Wright Brothers. He broke the over water world record. His assitant in building planes was his mom.

                          University of Iowa• It opened on February 25,1847• Iowa's first institute of higher learning.• World's first public university to accept creative work in

theatre, writing and art on a equal basis with other classes.                      

               Quaker Oats        Quaker oats started in Cedar Rapids, Iowa by by John and

Robert Stuart and John's cousin George Douglas. They came to Cedar Rapids because they thought they would do best there. At the time (1873) people thought oats were only for horses. The company started advertising oats as cheap and wholesome food. The plant soon became one of the  the largest oat companies  in the United States of America.

            The Maytag Company

     The Maytag company started in Iowa. The founder, Fredrick Louis Maytag, went to school for only three years. He started the company in 1909. He made the first electric handcrank washing machine. He also made the first gasoline powered washing machine. He also built cars, dryers, and automatic dishwashers.They are now sold all over the world.

                Kum & Go

     The Kum & Go company is known by nearly everybody who lives in Iowa. The chain was founded in 1959 by William A. Krause and Tony S. Gentle.It was started in Hampton, IA. The convenience store had a couple of names before adopting the signiture Kum & Go brand name in 1975. The store sells gas and other items.

SportsThere are many sports Iowans play such as: Arena football, baseball,soccer,and much more. Here are a few teams: Des Moines Dragons,Iowa Cubs, and Waterloo Blackhawks.

Iowa History       The land that is now Iowa was once part of the Louisiana Purchase. Iowa was given its name from the Ioway tribe. Iowa became a state on December 28, 1846. It is the 29th state.Its capital was Iowa City until it was moved to Des Moines because the goverment thought that it would be better to have the capital near the middle of the state. The Union Pacific started in Iowa. Spirit Lake Massacre        A few families moved in next to Spirit Lake, miles apart. The Indians did not like this and sometimes shot their hogs and cattle or broke into cabins and tore up the family's furniture. It was winter when the Indians attacked.They went into a families home and demanded all of their food. Then they went back outside but didn't leave. They waited a little while then they came back into the house and demanded all of the flour. While the husband got the flour the Indians shot him and the family

except for a little girl. They killed everyone around the lake. Only a few people survived, but they were held captive.

                              Dodge House     The Dodge House was built in 1869. It was home to famous railroad builder Grenville Dodge.The house has been restored and contains victorian furnishings along with many of Grenville's possessions. It was a very big house for the time.

                                Black Angel  According to legend Mrs.Dodge had a vision where she was on a rocky seashore and saw a boat approach. On the boat's prow she saw a beautiful woman which she thought was an angel. The angel held out abowl and said "Drink, it will grant you peace and prosperity. Mrs.Dodge refused. It came again the next day. The day after that she gave in. She died that same day. A bronze angel was placed on top of her grave. Due to rust it has turned black, hints the name.

The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.UNI has consistently been named one of the "Best in the Midwest" in the Princeton Review Best 351 College Rankings guide, and has ranked second in Midwest top public comprehensive universities by the U.S. News and World Report for twelve consecutive years. The average class size is 32 students.

The squirrel cage jail is a historical place that served asa jail from 1885 to 1969.The Historical Society led an effort in 1977 to save the jail, and today owns and operates it. 

Villisca Axe Murder 

On June 13, 1912 two adults and six chilren were found dead in their beds. Their house was exactly the same in 1994 when they opened it for tours. The murderer or murderers have never been found.

Herbert Hoovers BirthplaceHerbert Hoover was born in a two room cattage in West Branch. He was orphaned at age nine. He left West Branch to never live there again.

information given by 50states.com, infoplease.com, Iowastate/public.com, Iowabeautiful.com, google.com, and links

The End