Symphonies and Orchestras in Iowa

CLINTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA P.O. Box 116 Clinton, Iowa Tel: (815)625-0922 Web: www.clintonsymphony.org DES MOINES COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA c/o David Hindal 1020 Ashworth Road #202 West Des Moines, Iowa Tel: (515)250-6756 Web: www.desmoinescommunityorchestra.org DES MOINES SYMPHONY 221 Walnut Street Suite 4 Des Moines, Iowa Tel: (515)280-4000 Web: www.dmsymphony.org DUBUQUE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2728 Asbury Road Suite 900 Dubuque, Iowa Tel: (563)557-1677 Web: www.dubuquesymphony.org DUBUQUE YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2728 Asbury Road Suite 900 Dubuque, Iowa Tel: (563)557-1677 Web: www.dubuquesymphony.org NORTHWEST IOWA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 498 Fourth Avenue, NE Sioux Center, Iowa Tel: (712)722-6230 Web: niso.dordt.edu ORCHESTRA IOWA 119 3rd Avenue, SE Cedar Rapids, Iowa Tel: (319)366-8206 Web: www.orchestraiowa.org OTTUMWA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA P.O. Box 173 Ottumwa, Iowa Tel: (641)684-4753 Web: www.orchestraiowa.org QUAD CITY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 327 Brady Street Davenport, Iowa Tel: (563)322-0931 Web: www.qcsymphony.com QUAD CITY YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 327 Brady Street Davenport, Iowa Tel: (563)322-0931 Web: www.qcsymphony.com SIOUX CITY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION 520 Pierce Street Suite 375 Sioux City, Iowa Tel: (712)277-2111 Web: www.siouxcitysymphony.org SIOUX CITY SYMPHONY YOUTH ORCHESTRAS 520 Pierce Street Suite 375 Sioux City, Iowa Tel: (712)277-2111 Web: www.siouxcitysymphony.org SOUTHEAST IOWA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Iowa Wesleyan College 601 North Main Street Mount Pleasant, Iowa Tel: (319)385-6352 Web: www.seiso.us WARTBURG COMMUNITY SYMPHONY Box 3 Waverly, Iowa Tel: (319)352-8370 Web: www.wartburg.edu/symphony WATERLOO-CEDAR FALLS SYMPHONY Gallagher-Bluedorn PAC Cedar Falls, Iowa Tel: (319)273-3373 Web: www.wcfsymphony.org

Opera Companies in Iowa
CEDAR RAPIDS OPERA THEATRE 1120 2nd Avenue Southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52403 Tel: (319) 365-7401 Web: http://www.cr-opera.org/   DES MOINES METRO OPERA 106 West Boston Avenue Indianola, Iowa 50125 Tel: (515) 961-6221 Web: http://www.desmoinesmetroopera.org/

Film Festivals in Iowa

ANIMATION ATTACK! 1132 Virginia Avenue NE #19 Atlanta, Georgia 30306 Tel: (404) 347-3564 E-Mail: animationattack@gmail.com Web: http://www.animationattack.com Contact: Eric Panter Festival Statement: Animation Attack! will showcase independent animation from all over the world, with panels, animation demonstrations, and many more special events. Animation Attack! is brought to you by Festival League. Please visit www.festivalleague.com for more info. CUT AND PASTE SKATEBOARDING FILM FESTIVAL P.O. Box 964 Iowa City, Iowa 52244-0964 Tel: (319) 358-0791 E-Mail: noah@cutandpastefilmfest.org Web: http://www.capff.org Contact: Noah Goldsmith, (503) 287-1254 DC INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL 2950 Van Ness Street, N.W., Suite 728 Washington, D.C. 20008 Tel: (202) 537-9493 E-Mail: info@dciff.org Web: http://www.dciff.org Contact: Carol Bidault Festival Statement: Student filmmakers representing a college or school do not pay any fee. Free for 'Works in Progress' (one minute promo tape MAXIMUM). HOLLYWOOD BLACK FILM FESTIVAL 8306 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 2057 Beverly Hills, California 90211 Tel: (323) 556-5742 E-Mail: info@hbff.org Web: http://www.hbff.org Contact: Tanya Kersey-Henley, Founder/Executive Director HYPEFEST 5225 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 403 Los Angeles, California 90036 Tel: (323) 938-8363 E-Mail: info@hypfest.com Web: http://www.hypefest.com Contact: Jessie Nagel Festival Statement: Providing a bridge between content creators in the independent and commercial communities, HypeFest offers a platform for filmmakers to promote their work to the commercial industry. ICASA FILM FESTIVAL Dept. of Politics 309 Muller Ithaca College 953 Danby Road<>BR> Ithaca, NY Tel: 2392783 E-Mail: icasafilms@actafrica.org Web: http://www.ithaca.edu/icasafilms Contact: Peyi Soyinka-Airewele Festival Statement: The ICASA Film Festival (IFF) 2005 is an event supporting the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa through the mobilization of media. It seeks to sensitize, educate, and strengthen the struggle against AIDS by making available cinematic resources that make it possible to challenge current misconceptions about the disease and create a supportive voice for those who have suffered from this disease. INTERNATIONAL REEL WHEEL FILM FESTIVAL One Sprint Capital Place Knoxville, Iowa 50138 Tel: (641) 842-6176 E-Mail: tschmeh@sprintcarhof.com Web: http://www.sprintcarhof.com Contact: Thomas J. Schmeh IOWA CITY INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL P.O. Box 10008 Iowa City, Iowa 52242 Tel: (319) 335-3258 E-Mail: info@ICDocs.org Web: http://www.ICDocs.org Contact: Theresa Seeberger, Board Member IOWA INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL 308 S. Pennsylvania Avenue Mason City, Iowa 50401 Tel: (641) 424-2852 E-Mail: info@iowaindie.org Web: http://www.iowaindie.org Contact: n/a OXNARD INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL P.O. Box 506 Oxnard, California 93032 Tel: (805) 385-8326 E-Mail: n/a Web: http://www.oxnardfilmfest.com Contact: Luis Guereca ROME INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 248 Broad Street Rome, Georgia 30161 Tel: (706) 295-2787 E-Mail: Barry@riff.tv Web: http://www.riff.tv Contact: Barry Norman, Executive Director Festival Statement: We are located in the North Georgia Mountains - in between Atlanta, Birmingham, AL and Chattanooga, Tennessee. We embrace the underexposed filmmaker who don't receive the recognition they deserve from Park City, New York, LA, Berlin, Toronto, etc. TOP TEN FILMS IN AMERICA FESTIVAL P.O. Box 812 Fries, Virginia 24330 Tel: (276) 744-7690 E-Mail: matozi1@yahoo.com Web: http://www.toptenfilmsinamerica.com Contact: n/a Festival Statement: The Top Ten Films In America Festival is sponsored by the Town of Fires, The Galax City Department of Tourism, The Fries Recreaction Center, and The Drydock Film Corporation www.drydockfilm.com. U.S. INTERNATIONAL FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL 713 S. Pacific Coast Hwy, Suite A Redondo Beach, California 90277-4233 Tel: (310) 540-0959 E-Mail: mediarelations@filmfestawards.com Web: http://www.filmfestawards.com Contact: Lee Gluckman/Kristen Gluckman U.S. SPORTS FILM FESTIVAL Tel: (646) 233-2033 E-Mail: film@ussportsfilmfestival.com Web: http://www.ussportsfilmfestival.com Contact: Mary Hermant Festival Statement: First U.S. Sports Film Festival dedicated exclusively to sports.

Arts Associations in Iowa

ART GUILD OF BURLINGTON 620 Washington Street Burlington, Iowa 52601 Tel: (319) 754-8069 Web: http://www.artguildofburlington.org/   ARTS MIDWEST 2908 Hennepin Avenue, Suite 200 Minneapolis, Iowa 55408 Tel: 612/341-0755 Web: http://www.usregionalarts.org   CENTRAL IOWA ART ASSOCIATION 709 South Center Street Marshalltown, Iowa 50158 Tel: (641) 753-9013 Web: http://www.centraliowaartassociation.com/   EVAC-EAST VILLAGE ART COALITION Des Moines, Iowa HUMANITIES IOWA 100 Oakdale Campus # 310OH Iowa City, Iowa 52242 Tel: (319) 335-4153 Web: http://www.uiowa.edu/~humiowa/   IOWA ARTS COUNCIL 600 East Locust Street Des Moines, Iowa 50319 Tel: (515) 281-4451 Web: http://www.iowaartscouncil.org/funding/artist-project-grant/index.shtml   IOWA CULTURAL CORRIDOR ALLIANCE 2121 Arthur Collins Parkway SW Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404 Tel: 800.650.ARTS Web: http://www.culturalcorridor.org/   IOWA DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS 600 East Locust Street Des Moines, Iowa 50319 Tel: (515) 281-5111 Web: http://www.culturalaffairs.org/funding/cultural_trust/index.htm   IOWA MUSEUM ASSOCIATION 1116 Washington Street Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613 Web: http://www.iowamuseums.org   IOWA WOMEN ARTISTS Iowa Web: http://www.lucidplanet.com   LEGION ARTS CSPS 1103 3rd Street Southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401 Tel: (319) 364-1580 Web: http://www.legionarts.org/   MARSHALL COUNTY ARTS & CULTURE ALLIANCE Marshalltown, Iowa 50158 Tel: 641-754-5616 Web: http://www.artsandculturealliance.org/   METRO ARTS 500 East Locust Street Des Moines, Iowa 50309 Tel: (515) 280-3222 Web: http://www.metroarts.org/   STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF IOWA 402 Iowa Avenue Des Moines & Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Tel: (319) 335-3916 Web: http://www.iowahistory.org/   VSA ARTS OF IOWA 400 East 14th Street Des Moines, Iowa 50319 Tel: (515) 281-3179 Web: http://www.vsaartsofiowa.org/

Arts and Culture in Iowa

There are plenty of cultural surprises in Iowa. The Hawkeye state has contributed a wide variety of talents to the world. It may be surprising that Iowa has even produced its share of famous "cowboys," from famous frontier scout and Wild West showman William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody to the legendary, iconic Western film actor John Wayne. While "corn-fed" is an oft-used adjective to describe the state, Iowa's sophisticated arts and culture scene belies that classification. HIGH ARTS Cedar Rapids Symphony is a professional orchestra that holds more than 120 public classical and chamber music performances in Eastern Iowa each year.. Founded in 1921, it bills itself as "one of the oldest symphony orchestras in continuous operation west of the Mississippi River." Its award-winning Symphony School teaches 30,000 students (youth and adult) annually. OPERA Iowa brings music to over 600,000 people annually via its outreach programs. It operates a successful 13-week regional arts education troupe/tour that boasts innovative study guides, workshops, and performances tailored for young audiences. In 2009, the troupe performed a new opera for children by Michael Patterson, A Dream Fulfilled: The Saga of George Washington Carver, depicting the famed inventor's life and career. Des Moines Metro Opera is one of the most respected performing arts organizations in the state. Since 1973, its focus has been on providing a stage for American-trained principal artists, maintaining an apprentice artist program that provides exceptional performance opportunities, and increasing regional audiences via its educational outreach programs. Iowa has had a long history with the famed Joffrey Ballet. One of the Joffrey Ballet’s leading ballerinas and teachers, Francoise Martinet, taught in the University of Iowa's Department of Dance from 1978 through 1997. Martinet's student Mark Wuest danced with the Joffrey Ballet for five years. Wuest, now a choreographer in Europe, was honored with a UI Distinguished Alumni Award in 2001. Martinet also taught Iowa City dancer Deanne Brown, who joined the Joffrey Ballet in 1996. Brown also played "Dana" in the 2003 Robert Altman film, The Company. MUSIC On February 3, 1959, rock n' roll stars Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens performed at theSurf Ballroom in Clear Lake as part of the Winter Dance Party. All three were killed in a plane crash on the way to their next performance, and the date became the "Day the Music Died." Every February since then, fans gather at "the Surf" to remember and celebrate the three musicians. The Surf was named a Rock n’ Roll Landmark by the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, the 50th anniversary of the original Winter Dance Party. Iowa boasts a wealth of yearly music festivals. The National Old Time Country & Bluegrass Festival & Contest, held annually in LeMars, is one of the world's greatest traditional acoustic music events. Hundreds of acoustic musicians from around the world participate in the festival. The Iowa Women's Music Festival is held annually in Iowa City. The Central Iowa Traditional Dance and Music Festival is held in Ames. The Greater des Moines Music Coalition organized the first 80/35 Music Festival in July 2008. Over 30,000 music fans attended the two-day festival. A wide variety of other music resources are available in the state. The National Traditional Country Music Association in Walnut produces local radio and television programs in Iowa. It also operates theWalnut Country Opera House, which houses a theater and several halls of fame and museums. TheCivic Center of Greater Des Moines is Central Iowa’s not-for-profit performing arts center. It serves as a cornerstone of downtown Des Moines’ redevelopment initiative and is considered an outstanding community performing arts center. Well-known musicians from Iowa include the Nordic Choir at Luther College in Decorah, which performs around the world. They sang at the Lincoln Center in New York and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Scandinavian-American old-time dance musicians Foot-Notes of Decorah play fiddle tunes popular in northeast Iowa around the turn of the 19th century. The band also performs dance tunes from other traditions—including Swedish, Finnish, Faroese, Russian, Irish, and American folk. Big Band leader and popular musician of the Swing Era, Glenn Miller was born on a farm in Clarinda, Iowa, in 1904. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943 and was famous for his band’s renditions of  "In the Mood," "American Patrol," and "Chattanooga Choo Choo," among other songs.  Other famous Iowa musicians include contemporary opera singer Simon Estes, who was born in Centerville, Iowa, in 1938. He learned to sing in the local Baptist church and later attended the University of Iowa, where he studied music. Meredith Willson, the composer of the hit Broadway musical The Music Man was born in Mason City, Iowa. One of the great jazz musicians of the Jazz Age,Bix Beiderbecke was born in Davenport, Iowa, in 1903. His most famous recorded piece was his solo piano masterpiece "In a Mist." PERFORMING ARTS "Buffalo Bill" Cody was born near Le Claire in the Iowa Territory (now Iowa) in 1846.  He was an American soldier and scout, a bison hunter, and a showman. Cody was most famous for his turn-of-the-19th century show called "Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World." Legion Arts/CSPS is housed in a century-old, renovated former Czech social hall in Cedar Rapids. The company offers community development in the form of state-of-the-art creativity in music, theater, film, and other mediums. The Old Creamery Theatre Company in Amana presents live professional theater. It celebrated its 37th year as a theater and its 20th year in Amana in 2009. The Grand Opera House is the oldest theater in Dubuque. Originally completed in 1890 it is still an active theater today. Many famous actors have performed at the Grand, including George M. Cohen, Lillian Russell, Ethel Barrymore, and Sarah Bernhardt. One of its most ambitious productions was Ben Hur, in which chariots, horses, and even an elephant shared the stage. FILM Western and war movie star John Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison in Winterset in 1907. The American Film Institute named Wayne one of the "Greatest Male Stars of All Time" in 1999. Contemporary film and television actors hailing from Iowa include Ashton Kutcher (That ’70s Show) and Elijah Wood (the Lord of the Rings trilogy). Donna Reed, the beloved Academy Award-winning actress and star of It’s a Wonderful Life, was also born in the state. Movies filmed in Iowa include Field of Dreams, The Straight Story, The Bridges of Madison County, The Hideout, and Twister. LITERARY ARTS The University of Iowa in Iowa City is known internationally for its creative writing program, which attracts fiction writers, poets, nonfiction writers, and playwrights from around the globe. The workshop began in 1936 and it was the first program in the U.S. to offer a Master of Fine Arts in English. Workshop alumni have won many literary prizes, including 16 Pulitzer Prizes. In addition, four U.S. Poets Laureate have either taught or studied at the workshop. Jane Smiley (A Thousand Acres) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who taught undergraduate and graduate creative writing workshops at Iowa State University between 1981 and 1996. She was elected to The American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2001. She chaired the judges' panel for the Man Booker International Prize in 2009. Travel author Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines in 1951. He is known for his humorous travel books and other books on language and science. Identical twin sisters born in Sioux City in 1918, Esther Pauline "Eppie" Lederer and Pauline "Popo" Esther Friedman Phillips both became famous, syndicated advice columnists—Eppie became known as"Ann Landers," while Popo used the pen name "Dear Abby." VISUAL ARTS One of the country's most famous visual artists, Grant Wood was born in Anamosa, Iowa, in 1891. His most famous work, American Gothic, is arguably the most iconic image in American painting. TheCedar Rapids Museum of Art in Cedar Rapids features a permanent collection of more than 5,600 pieces including the world's largest collection of Wood's works. Cedar Rapids has a deep tradition of public art projects. The downtown area has a number of interesting installations, such as Overalls All Over, Fly Wright, and Sculpture on Second. Grounds for Art: Street-Level Sculpture originally placed 26 sculptures throughout the downtown area in May 2008, making it one of the largest outdoor sculpture shows in the region. The newly launched 2010 Grounds for Art will feature 30 different sculptures from artists all over the U.S. The sculptures will be placed permanently in Cedar Rapids after the show is done. In September 2009, the John & Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park opened in Des Moines opened in September 2009; the park features the single greatest public donation of art in Iowa history. The Des Moines Art Center in Des Monies offers many exhibitions, educational programs, and studio art classes. The museum complex has superb buildings designed by three different distinguished architects: Eliel Saarinen, I. M. Pei, and Richard Meier. ARCHITECTURE The Architectural Interpretive Center in Mason City will be completed in June 2010. The new facility boasts designs by Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Burley Griffin, William Drummond, and Francis Barry Byrne. The center is located near the Frank Lloyd Wright Stockman House and the Rock Crest/Rock Glen National Historic District, which boasts the largest collection of Prairie School homes. The oldest theater in Dubuque, the Grand Opera House cost $65,000 to build in 1889–1890. The building’s original facade features a St. Louis brick facing with Bayfield red sandstone trim. Its architectural style is Richardsonian, a style utilized in the 1880s before the Beaux Arts style became popular. The Richardsonian style influenced the Chicago School (featuring, among others, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright) and the Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen. HANDICRAFT AND FOLK ART Folk art is found all over Iowa, sometimes in surprising places. There are a handful of painstakingly built religious grottos in the state including the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend. The nine organic, aboveground structures illustrate biblical stories and were created by Father Paul Mathias Dobberstein between 1912 and 1954. In the early 1990s, Father Louis Greving continued his work. In Cedar Rapids, William Lightner built a grotto to express his religious faith in 1929. The grotto is spread over two acres at Mount Mercy College and contains arched entryways, a lagoon, shrines, and a 10-column structure. Lightner's work has been compared to the art of Simon Rodia's Watts Towers in Los Angeles as well as Dobberstein's Grotto of Redemption. Dan Slaughter's Sculpture Park in Macgregor is filled with countless life-sized totem pole carvings of the likes of Elvis Presley, the "Jolly Green Giant," and Pocahontas, as well as more generic characters. The Porter House Museum in Decorah is filled with the personal furnishings, collections, and art of Adelbert and Grace Porter. Bert Porter was a naturalist and photographer and he designed a unique rock wall in the 1930s using his extensive collection of rocks and minerals. HISTORIC ART MOVEMENTS Grant Wood was a leader of the Regionalist art movement in the 1930s. Wood was well known for his paintings of the rural Midwest, especially the aforementioned American Gothic, which depicted a husband holding a pitchfork alongside his wife in front of an Iowa farmhouse. Regionalist artists rejected city life and technology and created art showing the "Heartland" or rural America. Along with Iowa's Wood from Thomas Hart Benton from Missouri, and John Steuart Curry from Kansas were known as the "Regionalist Triumvirate." -World Trade Press

Sports Teams in Iowa

BURLINGTON BEES Sport: Baseball League: Midwest League Level: Semi Address: P.O. Box 824 Burlington, Iowa 52601 Tel: (319) 754-5705 Web: http://burlington.bees.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t420 Venue: Community Field Venue Address: 2712 Mt. Pleasant Street Team Colors: Navy, Yellow, White CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS Sport: Baseball League: Midwest League Level: Semi Address: 950 Rockford Road SW Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404 Tel: (319) 363-3887 Web: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t492 Venue: Veterans Memorial Stadium Venue Address: 950 Rockford Road SW Team Colors: Red, Yellow, Green, Blue Mascot: Mr. Shucks CLINTON LUMBERKINGS Sport: Baseball League: Midwest League Level: Semi Address: 91 6th Avenue North Clinton, Iowa 52732 Tel: (563) 242-0727 Web: http://clinton.lumberkings.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t500 Venue: Alliant Energy Field Venue Address: 91 6th Avenue North Team Colors: Green, Black IOWA CUBS Sport: Baseball League: Pacific Coast League Level: Semi Address: One Line Drive Des Moines, Iowa 50309 Tel: 515.243.6111 Web: http://iowa.cubs.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t451 Venue: Principal Park Venue Address: One Line Drive Team Colors: Red, White, Blue Mascot: Cubbie Bear IOWA ENERGY Sport: Basketball League: NBA D-League Level: Semi Address: 730 Third Street Des Moines, Iowa 50309 Tel: (515) 462-2849 Web: http://www.nba.com/dleague/iowa/ Venue: Wells Fargo Arena Venue Address: 730 Third Street Team Colors: Purple, Orange, Red, Gray, White QUAD CITY RIVER BANDITS Sport: Baseball League: Midwest League Level: Semi Address: 209 S. Gaines St. Davenport, Iowa 52802 Tel: 563-3-BANDIT Web: http://quadcities.riverbandits.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t565 Venue: Modern Woodmen Park Venue Address: 209 S. Gaines St. Team Colors: Red, Black, White Mascot: Rascal SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS Sport: Baseball League: American Association Level: Semi Address: 3400 Line Drive Sioux City, Iowa 51106 Tel: 712-277-9467 Web: http://www.xsbaseball.com/ Venue: Lewis and Clark Park Venue Address: 3400 Line Drive Team Colors: Sand, Red, White Nicknames: The X's, Explorers

Iowa: A Historical Timeline
PRIOR TO 1673 PRE-EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT The area now known as Iowa is home to Native American tribes 13,000 years before European settlement. About 17 tribes reside in the Iowa region at various points in history, including the Ioway (for which the state is named), the Sioux, and the Missouri. By the Woodland period (1,000 BCE–1,000 CE), they are using the area’s rich soil to grow crops like corn and have established complex societies. These peoples will eventually be driven out of the area by social and political upheaval and U.S. encroachment. 1673–1805 EUROPEAN EXPLORATION AND CLAIMS 1673 French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet explore the Mississippi River, reaching Iowa. 1682 The French colony of Louisiana (New France) is established. This vast swath of 828,800 square miles (2,147,000 sq km) in the middle of the continent encompasses 14 modern-day states, including all of present-day Iowa. 1762 France secretly cedes Louisiana to Spain with the Treaty of Fontainebleau. 1800 France retakes the Louisiana Territory from Spain as part of the secretly negotiated Treaty of San IIdefonso. 1803 The United States purchases the Louisiana Territory from France for $11,250,000 plus cancellation of almost $4 million of debt. 1804 (March 24) President Thomas Jefferson approves an Act of Congress to divide the newly acquired Louisiana Territory into two parts: the Territory of Orleans and the District of Louisiana (which includes Iowa). 1805–1833 AN EMERGING TERRITORY 1805 (July 4) The District of Louisiana becomes the Louisiana Territory. 1808 Iowa’s Fort Madison is constructed by the U.S. Army to control trade along the Mississippi River and help pacify the Native American population in the region. It is the first permanent U.S. military fortification on the Upper Mississippi. 1812 (June 4) Iowa becomes part of the Missouri Territory when the Louisiana Territory is renamed to avoid confusion with the new State of Louisiana. 1813 British-allied Sauk war leader Black Hawk leads his first attack on the United States, capturing Fort Madison during the War of 1812. It remains the site of Iowa's only true military battle. 1820 The U.S. Congress passes the Missouri Compromise, prohibiting slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of parallel 36°30' except within the boundaries of the proposed state of Missouri. 1821 Missouri becomes a state in 1821, effectively leaving Iowa part of an unorganized territory. The area is closed to new American settlers, not to be reopened until the end of the Black Hawk War in 1832. 1829 The federal government exiles the Sauk and Meskwaki tribes from their villages in western Illinois, forcing them across the Mississippi River into the Iowa region. 1832 After being defeated in the Black Hawk War, the Sauk and Meskwaki tribes are forced to relinquish some of their land in eastern Iowa. Known as the Black Hawk Purchase, the land constitutes a 50-mile-wide strip along the Mississippi River, stretching from the Missouri border to Fayette and Clayton counties in northeastern Iowa. 1833–1861 AMERICAN SETTLEMENT AND STATEHOOD 1833 (June) The first official American settlement in Iowa is established in the area of the Black Hawk Purchase. Most of Iowa's early American settlers come from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia. 1834 (June 8) Iowa becomes part of Michigan Territory. 1836 When Michigan becomes a state, Iowa splits off as part of the Wisconsin Territory, becoming the Iowa District. 1839 (July) Twenty-six years before the end of the Civil War, the Iowa Supreme Court decides a fleeing slave named Ralph became free when he stepped on Iowa soil. In Re the Matter of Ralph is the court’s first official ruling. 1841 Iowa City becomes the capital of the Iowa District. 1844 Although still part of a territory, Iowa drafts its first constitution. It is later rejected in a public vote, the key dispute being the suggested boundaries of the prospective State of Iowa. 1846 Iowa drafts a second constitution, essentially the same document as the 1844 draft but calling for the state boundaries as they are known today. It is instrumental in Iowa being granted statehood. (December 28) The Iowa District becomes the state of Iowa, the 29th state admitted to the Union. 1847 The University of Iowa becomes the first public university in the country to admit men and women on an equal basis. 1850 Limestone is discovered under the banks of the Wapsipinicon River. By the late 1800s there is a flourishing quarry industry, leading to the establishment of Stone City. The quarries have since become some of the largest in the U.S., shipping limestone across the nation. 1851 The Santee band of the Sioux becomes the last native tribe to negotiate a treaty, or "peace document," with the federal government. While the resulting Santee reservation is located in Nebraska, today the majority of Santees live in Sioux City, which has a Santee population of 4,000. Iowa abolishes barriers to marriage because of race more than 100 years before the U.S. Supreme Court will ban such laws nationwide. 1854 Radical German Pietists found the Amana Villages about 20 miles from Iowa City. Known as the Ebenezer Society or the Community of True Inspiration, they live communally in the settlements for more than 70 years. The site will be designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1965 and become a popular tourist attraction. 1856 Chief Mamenwaneke, representing the Meskwaki people, purchases 80 acres of land, establishing the Meskwaki Settlement. This will grow to over 7,000 acres not subject to the reversals of federal policy that will deprive most natives of a secure home. 1857 (March 8–9) The Spirit Lake Massacre. A group of 14 Sioux attack Spirit Lake, a settlement of people from Milford, Massachusetts in the northwestern area of Iowa. They kill between 35 and 40 settlers. The massacre will be the first of a series of incidents leading up to the Sioux uprising in Minnesota five years later. (September 3) Iowa’s new constitution goes into effect. Still in use today (although much amended), it is one of only 10 state constitutions in continuous use for more than a century. Neither African Americans nor women are given suffrage in the document. The issue of suffrage for blacks is submitted to a popular vote but is defeated. 1861–1900 THE CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION ERAS 1861 The Civil War erupts. A "free state," Iowa overwhelmingly supports the Union. While no battles will occur in the state, more than 75,000 Iowans will serve. Over 13,000 will be killed and 8,500 wounded. 1867 The Union Pacific railroad reaches Council Bluffs, its designated eastern terminus at the time. The railroad’s freight capabilities help the growth of industry and agriculture. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, even small Iowa towns will have six passenger trains arriving and departing each day. 1868 Iowa voters approve a state constitutional amendment giving African-American males the vote. The Iowa Supreme Court rules that racially segregated "separate but equal" schools are unconstitutional, 85 years before the U.S. Supreme Court will rule similarly. 1869 Iowa encourages immigration by printing a 96-page booklet entitled Iowa: The Home of Immigrants. As a result, German, English, Dutch, Swedish, and Danish immigration booms. These groups principally become farmers, while Italians, Croats, and African Americans are mainly drawn to the coal industry scattered throughout central and southern Iowa. Iowa will remain a primarily agricultural state into the 21st century, with 92 percent of its land devoted to agriculture, principally corn, soy, and pork production. After an Iowa Supreme Court ruling, Iowa becomes the first state in the Union to admit women to the practice of law. 1870 Both houses of the general assembly pass a women’s suffrage amendment. Two years later, when the legislature considers the amendment again before it can be submitted to the general electorate, it is defeated. Iowan women will have to wait until the passage of the federal 19th Amendment in 1920 for suffrage. 1873 The Iowa Supreme Court rules against racial discrimination in public accommodations 91 years before the U.S. Supreme Court reaches the same decision. 1876 The state capital is moved from Iowa City to Des Moines. 1884 The Iowa Civil Rights Act passes, supposedly outlawing racial discrimination by businesses. However, the courts narrowly apply the law and de facto discrimination continues. 1894 Women are granted "partial suffrage," allowing them to vote on issues but not for candidates. 1900–1930 EARLY 20TH CENTURY 1901 John and Robert Stuart and George Douglas start an oats processing plant in Cedar Rapids. In time, this firm will merge with three other mills and adopt the name Quaker Oats. 1917 The U.S. enters Word War I. Iowa farmers purchase more land and raise more corn, beef, and pork for the war effort with the help of federal wartime subsidies. 1920 Wartime subsidies disappear, and Iowa farmers experience severe economic hardships for the first time. They form coalitions in an attempt to manipulate the market by withholding goods, with little success. 1923 In Des Moines, construction begins on Salisbury House, cosmetic magnate Carl Weeks’ estate modeled after the King’s House in Salisbury, England. Completed in 1928, its building costs reach $1.5 million. 1926 After developing an early variety of hybrid corn, Iowan agricultural researcher Henry A. Wallace founds the seed company Pioneer Hi-Bred. By 2000, Pioneer will be the second-largest producer of hybrid agricultural seed in the U.S. 1928 West Branch native Herbert Hoover becomes the 31st president of the United States. Eight months after he takes office, the Wall Street stock market crash occurs. Hoover is widely blamed for the economic turmoil of the next few years. Shantytowns erected by the newly homeless are even labeled "Hoovervilles." Hoover serves only one term in office. 1930–1950 THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND WORLD WAR II 1930 Iowa native Grant Wood creates the iconic painting American Gothic, using a house from Eldon as a backdrop. The house will be listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, and Grant’s painting will become one of the most recognizable and parodied images in American art. The Great Depression influences the gradual shift away from smallholder farming to larger farms, increasing urbanization and the growth of manufacturing industries in Iowa. 1933 (May 12) President Franklin Roosevelt introduces a federal farm aid program, The Agricultural Adjustment Act. Now secretary of agriculture, Henry A. Wallace serves as principal architect for the program. The act helps alleviate the situation, but Iowa farmers will not experience full economic recovery until the 1940s. 1934 The Mother Mosque of America in Cedar Rapids becomes the first permanent structure in North America built specifically to serve as a mosque. 1939 Bulgarian-American physicist John Vincent Atanasoff creates a prototype for the world’s first electronic digital computer while a professor at Iowa State University. 1941 The U.S. enters World War II. Iowa’s city-centered manufacturing industries flourish during the war. By 2000, more than 60 percent of the state’s population will be urban. 1949 The Iowa Supreme Court outlaws racial discrimination by public businesses after Edna Griffin is denied service at a Des Moines drugstore. Sometimes called "the Rosa Parks of Iowa," Griffin actually begins her anti-discrimination crusade seven years before Parks sparks the Montgomery Bus Boycott. 1950–PRESENT MODERN IOWA 1965 The Iowa Civil Rights Act passes, establishing the Iowa Civil Rights Commission to investigate and litigate civil rights complaints. (December) Three students wear black armbands with peace signs to school in protest of the Vietnam War and are subsequently suspended. The students sue the school board, and the case reaches the Supreme Court in 1969. In a landmark First Amendment decision, the court rules in favor of the students, confirming their right to express political views on school grounds. 1970 Inspired by hybrid pioneer Henry A. Wallace, Iowa native Norman Borlaug receives the Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to increasing crop yields worldwide. Iowa State University funds much of Borlaug’s research in plant genomics, in which he develops strains of high-yield rice. 1980 Voters reject the addition of an Equal Rights Amendment outlawing gender-based discrimination to the state constitution. Another similar proposal is rejected in 1992, even though the state previously ratified a federal Equal Rights Amendment. 1980s The Farm Crisis causes a major economic downturn in Iowa not seen since the Great Depression. The crisis spurs a major population decline in the state that will last a decade. 1998 A state law passes restricting marriage to union "between one man and one woman." 2009 (April 3) The Iowa Supreme Court unanimously overturns the state’s same-sex marriage ban, and Iowa becomes the third state to legalize gay marriage.
	Click to enlarge an image Prior to 1673: Sioux chief 1673: Jacques Marquette 1808: Upper Mississippi River near Harpers Ferry 1813: Black Hawk 1841: A bird's-eye view map of Iowa City circa 1868 1844: Iowa Territorial Seal 1847: University of Iowa seal, mosaic 1857: Spirit Lake Cabin 1867: Council Bluffs, Golden Spike monument 1869: Pro-Immigration Poster 1869: Soybeans 1901: Quaker Oats Company magazine advertisement 1926: Henry A. Wallace 1928: Herbert Hoover 1928: Hooverville near Portland, Oregon 1930: Grant Wood Iowa state quarter from 2004 1970: Portrait of Henry Wallace 1970: Norman Borlaug (photo 2003)