Iowa ABC’s

By: Emily Ask

A is for ….

• 1,857 brick building served as Adel's original school house.

• Features eight period room settings with photographs.

Adel Historical Museum

B is for… Black HawkThe Black Hawk War was named after the Indian wars that took place in the old northwest territory, north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi river.

C is for…Crystal Lake Cave

• In 1868 lead miners drilled 40 feet into the ground

• In 1932, the late Bernard Markus, (one of the original lead miners), opened the cave to the public, naming it Crystal Lake Cave.

D is for… Devonian Fossil Gorge

• The glimpse in to Iowa's geologic past was first exposed during the floods of 1993 at Coralville lake.

E is for… Eldora

• The population in July was 1,711.• It’s located in Hardin County.

F is for… Flower

• The wild rose was adopted as the state flower of Iowa in 1897.

• Wild roses bloom from June to late summer throughout Iowa.

G is for… Geode State Park

• Geode State Park is a state park of Iowa, USA, border Henry Country and Des Moines County. It is managed by the Iowa DNR.

• While it is named for Iowa's state rock, the geode, few can be found in the park.

H is for… 4H• 4H started in the 1900s and taught

youth practical experiences and programs in America.

• The 4H’s are head, heart, hands, and health

I is for… Independence

• There was no United States in the Declaration of Independence

• Jefferson was upset that slavery was edited out.

J is for… Jester Park

• Jester park has been one of central Iowa's favorite parks since 1958. It is on the western shore.

• It is 1,834 acres off the western shore.

K is for… Keosauqua• The word Keosauqua derives

from the Meskwaki and Sauk name for the Des Moines River

• The Hotel Manning, a three story relic from the Des Moines rivers steamboat days in Keosauqua’s most notable landmark.

L is for… Lost Island Water Park

• This Polynesian themed water park is located in Iowa’s countryside.

• Lost island has a large variety of water attractions, including staples like a wave pool.

M is for…Motto• Our liberties of the prize of

our rights.• The motto, Our Liberties We

Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain was adopted by the First General Assembly on February 25, 1847.

N is for… Newton

• Newton was founded in 1850 and incorporated as a city in 1857.

• In the late 19th century, Newton’s growth was fueled by the development of coal mines in the region.

O is for… Okoboji

• It is part of the chain of lakes known as the Iowa Great Lakes.

• West Okoboji Lake is a natural body of water about 3,847 acres.

P is for… Prairie

• Prairies are made up of mostly grasses and other flowering plants

• Prairie grasses and flowers covered approximately 85 percent of Iowa.

• The Loess Hills of western Iowa contain the largest remaining prairies in Iowa.

.

Q is for… Quimby

• Quimby once had its own school district, its mascot was known as the "Quimby Peacocks“.

• Quimby boasts a 9-hole golf course, a rarity for towns in the area of relative size.

R is for… Donna Reed

• She was a famous television actress in It’s A Wonderful Life.

• She’s from Denison, Iowa.

S is for… Surf Ballroom• On February 3, 1959, a small-plane

crash near Clear Lake, Iowa killed three American rock and roll pioneers.

• They were Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, as well as the pilot, Roger Peterson.

T is for… Tama• An old district in Musashi Province,

Japan.• The western portion of Tokyo

Prefecture.

U is for… Underwood • Their poupulation is 2,000. • The county is Pottawattamie• It is the home of the Mighty Eagles!

V is for… Van Meter • In 2000 Van Meter had a

median family income of $59,000.• In Van Meter 93% of their

citizens drive to work.

W is for Winnebago’s

• The Winnebago Indian Tribe has been known to the whites since 1634.

• Frenchman Nicollet found them in Wisconsin on Green Bay and moved them to Iowa.

X is for… Xavier High School

• It is in Cedar Rapids Iowa with a 94% graduation rate.

• It has about 800 students in Iowa.

Y is for… Young Historical Museum

• It was built of native limestone in Bellevue, Iowa.

• Has ten rooms and is furnished with fine antiques.

Z is for… Blank Park Zoo• It is home to 800 exotic animals and

creatures.• The zoo is located in Des Moines.