Iowa ABC Book

By: Anna Hall

A is for AtanasoffJohn V. Atanasoff and his partner Clifford Berry teamed up to help make a digital electronic. They wanted to make this electronic to do long and hard mathematics.

B IS FOR BLACK HAWK

Black Hawk was a war chief and led his tribe, Sauk, into war. Black Hawk was very young when he became a brave. He went to prison for fighting for land in Iowa because he refused to give up without a fight.

C is for Corn

Corn is one of Iowa’s main crops along with beans and pork. One nickname for corn is maize.

D is for Des Moines

Des Moines is the capital of Iowa and the most populous city in Iowa. It was named after the Des Moines River. Des Moines is the best place to raise a family in Iowa. The population of Des Moines is 203,433 according to the 2010 census.

E is for Effigy Mounds

Effigy Mounds Park is in Northeast Iowa. Long ago Indian tribes piled huge mounds of dirt in the shape of snakes, bears, buffalo, and birds. When people in the tribe died they would bury them in the mounds.

F is for Floyd MonumentSergeant Charles Floyd is the only one that died during the Lewis and Clark expedition. During the expedition Floyd became very sick with “bilous cholic” He died around 2:00 on Monday, August 20, 1804. William Clark held the funeral service and noted in his journal “ We buried him on top of the bluff below a river and gave it his name.” It is now called the Floyd Monument.

G is for GypsumGypsum is a mineral. It is made of layers that were formed in salt water millions of years ago. Gypsum is one of Iowa’s most valuable mineral resource. It can be found around Fort dodge, Iowa.

H is for Herbert Hoover

Herbert Hoover was the 31st president of the United States. He was born on August10,1874 in West Branch, Iowa. His father died when he was 6, then his mom died three years later. He went to live with relatives with his two siblings.

I is for Iowa State University Iowa State University is a college in Ames, Iowa, established on March 22 ,1858. The first building on the Iowa State campus was made in 1861, called the Farm House. They are called the Iowa State Cyclones.

J is for Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the united states and the author of the Declaration of independence. During his two terms in office the U. S. bought the Louisiana territory and Lewis and Clark got to explore the new land.

K is for Keokuk

Keokuk was a chief of the Sauk. He was a nonviolent person, unlike another Sauk chief, Black Hawk. Keokuk had lived in Saukenauk until Indian Commissioner William Clark signed a treaty which was 26-million acres of Sauk land east of the Mississippi River owned by the U.S. Government.

L is for Lewis and Clark

In May, 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out on an expedition across the Louisiana Territory. The expedition was 8,000 miles and took 2 years, 4 months, and 10 days. Today there is a Lewis and Clark monument in Council Bluffs, to honor them, because they traveled through Council Bluffs.

M is for Missouri RiverThe Missouri River is a major river in central America. It is a tributary to the Mississippi River. The Missouri River is the longest river on the continent and is more than 2,540 miles. It covers most of the western border of Iowa.

Norman Ernest Borlaug was an American agronomist, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate and was called “the Father of the Green Revolution.” He was born in Cresco, Iowa to Clara and Henry Borlaug. After finishing primary and secondary education in Cresco, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota.

N is for Norman Borlaug

O is for Oak TreeThe Oak Tree is Iowa’s state tree since 1961. It was chosen because it provides food, shelter, and nesting for birds and other kids of animals that live in Iowa.

P IS FOR PIONEERSPioneers were the first people to settle in North America. Pioneer women usually cleaned and sewed clothes. The men butchered cows and pigs. They also did all the outside work. The children picked veggies from the garden and played in the woods.

Q is for Quaker Oats CompanyQuaker Oats is a farm related company started in the1870s. Oats were taken to Cedar Rapids to be made into oatmeal. Now a days the Quaker Oats Company is one of the largest oats buyers in the world.

R IS FOR RAGBRAI

Ragbrai is a long bike ride across Iowa started in 1972. it stands for “ Register’s annual great bike ride across Iowa”. When They start riding they dip their back wheel in the Missouri river and when they finish they dip their front wheel in the Mississippi River.

S is for Spirit Lake Massacre

The Spirit Lake Massacre was an attack by a Wahpetuke group of Santee Sioux across Iowa settlements in a long cold winter. The Sioux killed 35-40 settlers in their holdings. The youngest captive, Abbie Gardner was kept until being ransomed the next summer.

T is for Twenty Ninth State

Iowa was the 29th state to join the union. On December 28, 1846, President James K. Polk signed a bill to allow Iowa to join the United States.

U is for Underground RailroadThe Underground Railroad was a group of people who helped slaves escape to the north. They moved hundreds of slave to the north each year. Harriet Tubman was a worker for the Underground Railroad. She made 13 trips to the south helping to free over 70 people.

V IS FOR VIESHA

The Viesha is a celebration held at Iowa State University each spring. It is one of ISU’s oldest traditions. It shows the Iowa State community with a variety of educational events.

W is for Wyatt EarpWyatt Berry Stapp Earp was born in Monmouth, Illinois. He had an older brother named Newton and a half-sister named Mariah Ann. In March 1849, the Earps left Illinois for California but settled in Iowa. Their farm was just northeast of Pella, Iowa.

X is for Saint Francis Xavier BasilicaSaint Francis Xavier Basilica is a church in Dyersville, Iowa. Dyersville was settled by English immigrants. The English moved on after a few years and then the German immigrants began to arrive. The church can seat 1,200 people, but there are 5,000 people in the church. It is the only basilica in the U.S. outside a major city.

Y is for Brigham Young

Young was born on June 1,1801 in Whitingham, Vermont. He was the great Mormon leader. Mormons were a part of the Latter-Day Saints. The Mormons traveled across the Midwest all the way to the Salt Lake Valley. When they reached the Missouri River, they made a camp and built Kanesville, which later became Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Z is for Blank Park ZooThe Blank Park Zoo is located in Des Moines, Iowa. In 1963, Mr. A. H. Blank donated $150,000 to do construction. The next 16 years the city failed to make improvements to the zoo. At the end of 1982 the zoo finally closed for renovations. The Blank Park Zoo reopened on May 17, 1986. The zoo was named after Mr. A. H. Blank because he donated the money to build it.