H I S T O R I A N - State Historical Society of Iowa

IOWA
H I S T O R I A N
Volume 15 Number 5 http://www.iowahistory.org September/October 2001
Inside...
History’s cool at The
Museum School
page 3
Archaeology Month
highlights
page 4
Students win with
history
page 5
Historical libraries
receive grant
page 6
Calendar of Events
page 7
Iowa Historian NEWSLETTER OF THE STATE HISTORICAL 1 SOCIETY OF IOWA September/October 2001

DEAR READERS...
by Sarah Oltrogge, editor
Iowa’s heritage surrounds us; it’s an unavoidable
fact. Whether you’re walking in downtown
Des Moines or strolling along Main Street in
Algona, history is there.
Now a little Internet company called
ePodunk.com has recognized Iowa’s treasures of
history and ranked its most historic small towns. SARAH
Number one on the list is Guttenberg, located along OLTROGGE
the Mississippi River in northeast Iowa. The town
was named for Johannes Gutenberg, the printer credited with the
invention of the movable type. With a population of 2,238, Guttenberg
is home to the Bluff Street Historic District, the Guttenberg National
Fish Hatchery and Aquarium Historic District and the Lockmaster’s
House Heritage Museum.
The criteria used to rank these historic towns are the number of
buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places in a
county, the size of National Register Historic Districts in a county,
the age of a county’s housing and the number of county projects
awarded a federal preservation tax credit.
Towns that made the cut were nonmetropolitan and had fewer
than 100,000 residents. Across the country, 138 wonderful destinations
for historic travelers in every state (except Alaska, Hawaii and
North Dakota) are featured.
If you didn’t have a chance to travel the state this summer, take
advantage of the fall foliage and head to the river and visit some of
Iowa’s other historic towns that made the list:
Dubuque–Pop. 56,742, named for Julien Dubuque, early settler.
Visit the Mathias Ham House Historic Site, Mississippi River Museum
and many historic districts.
Maquoketa–Pop. 6,156, named for the Meskwaki term for bears.
Home to Jackson County Historical Society and several historic
districts.
Burlington–Pop. 26,585, named after Burlington, Vt. See the Apple
Trees Museum, Hawkeye Log Cabin and Phelps House.
Also making the list are Ottumwa, Oskaloosa, West Branch and
Kimballton. For more information, visit www.epodunk.com.
IOWA
HISTORIAN
is published bimonthly as a benefit
for members of the
State Historical Society of Iowa
Society Board of Trustees
Thomas Colbert, Marshalltown
Therese (Teri) Goodman, Dubuque
Galen Jackson, Rock Rapids
Gail Sands, Cedar Falls
Terri McMurtry-Chubb,
Des Moines
Rosalyn Middleton, Waterloo
Robert Neymeyer, Parkersburg
Walter W. Pyper, Council Bluffs
Dorothy Schwieder, Ames
Joseph Walt, Indianola
Peggy Whitworth, Cedar Rapids
Sarah Oltrogge
Newsletter Editor
Phone: 515-281-4011
To help Iowans
comprehend who they are and
what they can become, the
State Historical Society of Iowa
serves as a trustee of Iowa’s
historical legacy and an
advocate for understanding
Iowa’s past.
The mission of the
Iowa Historical Foundation
is to raise funds to support the
State Historical Society of Iowa
and its programs,
to preserve Iowa’s heritage and
to educate Iowa citizens
so that they know and
appreciate that heritage.
www.iowahistory.org
Iowa Historical Foundation
Chairman
John Merriman, Clive
Board of Directors
Hal Chase, Des Moines
Meg Courter, Des Moines
Jim Foster, Des Moines
Howard Gregory, Des Moines
Luther L. Hill Jr., Des Moines
Fred Lorber, Des Moines
Sen. Gene Maddox, Clive
Paul J. Meginnis II, Des Moines
Rosalyn Middleton, Waterloo
Tom Morain, Lamoni
Liz Neumann, Des Moines
Robert Neymeyer, Parkersburg
William Peverill, Des Moines
LeRoy Pratt, Des Moines
Gary Reiners, Des Moines
Mary Ann Zug, Des Moines
© 2001 SHSI,
a division of the
Department
of
Cultural Affairs
New faces in the
Society’s archives
Two new people have joined the State Historical Society of Iowa
Archives Bureau in Des Moines.
Jackie Perry joined SHSI last spring after completing a master’s
degree in library and information science at the University of Pittsburgh
in December. As assistant
state archivist, Perry
works with government
records and serves as liaison
between the State Archives
and Records Bureau and specific
state agencies on records
issues. She will be working on
grants and policy issues for
electronic records. In July, she
gave a presentation in her
hometown of Bloomfield on
Historical Resource Development
Program grants for documentary
collections (and was
delighted to see so many familiar
faces!).
Perry’s previous experience
includes work with contracts
and records management issues
for the Law Department
at Bayer Corporation, creating
cataloging procedures for the
Archives Photo Collection at the Andy Warhol Museum, and encoding
archival finding aids for the Internet at the Digital Research
Library at the University of Pittsburgh. She also has a strong fine
arts background in painting.
Kristen Langstraat also joined the archives staff this spring. She
is a recent graduate from Luther College in Decorah. Langstraat
began working with the F. M. Hubbell Trust collection as an archives
associate on June 1 and will be working to assist Christina
Schmidt to prepare the collection. The project is expected to last for
two more years. Langstraat is working to add recently acquired
Hubbell family materials to the basic computerized inventory of the
entire collection.
About the Cover
Kristen Langstraat and Jackie
Perry are two additions to the
Society’s Archives Bureau.
This month’s cover photo depicts Alice Wiley, a third and fourth
grade teacher, who is giving a lesson in geography in her railroad
car schoolroom in Troy Mills.
The school district found itself in a bind in 1937 when the previous
school building burned that spring, and come fall, a new building
hadn’t yet been started, even though a grant for $23,850 had
been approved for a new building.
Much like the people in this issue’s article on The Museum
School, Troy Mills education officials had to be creative about
where they housed students temporarily. Abandoned railroad cars
apparently made the grade.
2
Iowa Historian September/October 2001

History’s cool at
The Museum School
Annals of Iowa focuses on
early civil rights issues in Iowa
The summer issue of the Annals of Iowa features two articles on
civil rights activities in unlikely places in Iowa in the 1940s, long
before the better-known activities of the late 1950s and 1960s.
George William McDaniel writes about a legal case brought by
two prominent African Americans in Davenport in 1945 who were
denied service at a local ice cream parlor. Their case provided an
early test of an amendment to Iowa’s Civil Rights Act designed to
make it easier to prosecute violations of the law.
In the other article, Katrina Sanders describes the motivations
and context that led African Americans and a few white citizens to
partner with Fisk University in completing a survey of race relations
in Burlington from 1949 to 1951. That survey revealed discriminatory
practices in Burlington, initiated dialogue about race relations,
provided an opportunity for whites to participate in constructive
community action associated with civil rights, and supplied data
that resulted in positive changes in the community.
QUOTABLE:
“We are anxious to demonstrate the benefits
of learning outside the traditional classroom,
among the experts and artifacts.”
—Jan Drees, principal,
The Downtown School
The Iowa Historical Museum is offering much more than a field
trip opportunity for the Des Moines Downtown School while it
hosts 100 students and their teachers for a month, transforming
itself into The Museum School.
The second through fifth grade students arrived at the building
Aug. 20, and are staying for four weeks while renovations to expand
their building are completed. Klark Jessen, spokesman for the
Des Moines Public Schools, said this first-ever opportunity in Iowa
to hold classes in the Historical Museum makes good sense.
“Challenges early in the process caused the district to search for
temporary alternatives while renovation is completed,” Jessen said.
“And the Historical Building was a perfect fit in terms of location
and education potential.”
The Downtown School was featured in the September 1999 issue
of Working Mother magazine as one of the “10 Best Schools for
Today’s Family.” It offers small class sizes, an integrated curriculum,
multi-age classes, an extended school year, and two locations
close to where parents work in downtown Des Moines.
Jerome Thompson, museum bureau chief for the State Historical
Society of Iowa, said what can be learned from the resources provided
by the museum spans all disciplines.
“This is an exciting chance to use Iowa history as a framework
for learning everything from literature to science,” Thompson said.
“Students can learn in a place that houses the real stuff of history.
We’ll be going way beyond the field trip.”
Museum and other Society staff are doing everything possible to
accommodate the children, teachers and parents involved in the
school’s functions, while at the same time realizing that this is something
that can be used as a model for other museum-school partnerships.
“There’s a ton of resources we can offer the teachers,” Thompson
said. “To me, the important thing is that this is an opportunity
to pilot and we will be evaluating it with the principal and our staff
to see how things might change.”
Other museums have already shown interest in The Museum
School, and museum and state government officials are invited to
observe the children during their classes. Billie Bailey, executive
director of the Grout Museum District in Waterloo, said the project
will be a model for the entire state.
“I’ll be sending my staff to observe this project to see if it is
something we can do in Waterloo,” Bailey said.
Principal Jan Drees said learning outside the classroom is fundamental
to the mission of the Downtown School.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity for Downtown School
students to start the school year at the Historical Building,” Drees
said. “We are anxious to demonstrate the benefits of learning outside
the traditional classroom, among the experts and artifacts. The
Iowa State Historical Building is a wonderful resource and we can’t
quite believe our good fortune to be able to take up residency in
such a stimulating learning environment. My challenge will be to
make this unique learning experience available to all our students in
the future and to show others the possibilities.”
The museum has ample space for the students and the building
remains open for visitors and for other normal business while the
students are here.
Iowa projects win AASLH
award
The American Association for State and Local History will recognize
the winners of its 56th Annual Awards Program during a special
banquet Sept. 13 in Indianapolis.
The Awards Program is the most prestigious recognition for achievement
in the preservation and interpretation of local and state history.
This year, the students and teachers of Central Alternative High
School in Dubuque will receive the Award of Merit for the project,
“A Tribute to Victory: Dubuque in World War II.” The State Historical
Society of Iowa will receive a Certificate of Commendation for
the exhibit, “A Few of Our Favorite Things: 100 Creations of the
20th Century.”
The awards program was initiated in 1945 to establish and encourage
standards of excellence in the collection, preservation and
interpretation of state and local history throughout America.
3
Iowa Historian September/October 2001

Lib
rary
ner
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The Des Moines Historical
Library has a unique collection
of biographical information on
Iowa legislators from around
1836 to the present.
The Legislative File provides
patrons with information concerning
present and past senators
and representatives of
Iowa. The information contains
birth and death dates, major life
experiences, and data about
family members. A variety of
reference sources are examined
to obtain this information, such
as Wor Progress Administration
(WPA) cemetery records,
county histories, census data
and county records.
In 1970, Jon Robison, then
administrative assistant for the
State Historical Society of Iowa,
created this file to address numerous
questions concerning
early legislators. We now have
an alphabetical list of approximately
2,000 state representatives
and senators.
Several staff and volunteer
researchers continue to attempt
to establish dates of death, and
to locate obituaries that might
contain information to complete
the legislator’s vital data.
Volunteers working on the
Legislative File are Edward
Hayes, Helen Whannel, Erma
Fry and Helen Sneller, all of Des
Moines.
“Part of the fun and fascination
of the legislative project for
me was in discovering the persons
involved and their families,”
Hayes said.
“One legislator, who later retired
to Florida with his wife,
returned to Audubon after she
died,” he continued. “He was
living in a retirement home
Baker brings Native American perspective
to Lewis and Clark Bicentennial
Gerard Baker, superintendent
of the “Corps of Discovery II:
200 Years to the Future”
project, will
speak at the State
Historical Building
Saturday, Sept. 22,
from 2 to 3 p.m. in
celebration of Iowa
Archaeology
Month.
Baker is a fullblood
member of the Three Affiliated
Tribes, which include the
Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara.
His presentation, “We Saw Them
Coming: An Indian Perspective
of the Voyage of Discovery,” will
focus on the Lewis and Clark expedition
and how it affected Native
Americans in the early 19th
century.
Corps of Discovery II is a
project conducted by the National
Park Service to commemorate
the bicentennial of the Lewis
and Clark expedition, scheduled
for years 2003 to 2006.
Baker is a key
management official
working with other
federal and state
agencies, private
industry and diverse
communities.
Under his leadership
as superintendent,
Corps of Discovery
II will recreate the epic
journey of Meriwether Lewis and
William Clark by retracing the
historic trail, crossing 19 states,
including Iowa, and following in
the footsteps of these explorers.
“I’ve always been interested
in not only my culture, but in the
explorers who followed the Missouri
River,” Baker said. “All of
the explorers came through Indian
country, so the opportunity
now exists to bring the tribes on
board and give them an opportunity
to tell their part of the
story.”
Baker attended school on the
Fort Berthold Indian Reservation
at Mandanee, N.D., and graduated
from St. Mary’s High School in
New England, N.D. He graduated
in 1979 from Southern Oregon
State University with degrees in
criminology and sociology.
Baker began his career with the
National Park Service in 1979, and
worked for the U.S. Forest Service
before returning to the NPS
as superintendent of Little Big
Horn Battlefield National Monument
in Crow Agency, Mont. In
1998, he became superintendent
of Chickasaw National Recreation
Area in Oklahoma, and received
the U.S. Department of the
Interior’s Honor Award for Superior
Service.
Baker currently lives in Omaha.
Dig In: Archaeology Month events feature Fort Des
Moines II and Dallas County site
September is Iowa Archaeology
over 50 volunteers, including Moines II. The site also contains
Month, and to celebrate, the many residents of Polk and Dal-
evidence of an Oneota encamp-
State Historical Society of Iowa las counties, has added to the ment and of the earliest commercial
has lined up fascinating topics chapter in the story of Iowa a
and residential development
on Iowa archaeological projects. millennium ago.
in the town of Fort Des Moines.
On Saturday, Sept. 8 at 10 a.m., Alex will present the new discoveries
Also on Sept. 15, Eric Ander-
Lynn Alex of the Office of the
made while working on son, city manager for the City of
State Archaeologist will present the project, and give information Des Moines, will lead a discussion
“1000 Years Ago in Dallas on how others can take part in
about the long-term preser-
County, Iowa: Archaeological uncovering Iowa’s archaeological
vation and interpretation of the
Findings at the Maxwell Site.”
past.
site. Sponsors of the presentavation
One thousand years ago, Native
On Saturday, Sept. 15 from10 tion are the State Historical Socited
American communities dot-
a.m. to noon, Randall Withrow ety of Iowa, Central Iowa Chap-
the valleys of the Des and Chris Schoen of The Louis ter of the Iowa Archaeological
Moines and Raccoon rivers in Berger Group, Inc. will present Society, the City of Des Moines,
Central Iowa. Armed with the “Recent Discoveries at Fort Des and the Polk County Historical
bow and arrow, their inhabitants Moines II.” The Louis Berger Society.
hunted deer, elk and smaller Group provides cultural resource
The State Historical Building
mammals; caught catfish and
services for archaeologi-
is located at 600 E. Locust in Des
sucker; planted small gardens of cal projects and has a branch Moines. All Archaeology
corn, squash and sunflowers; office located in Marion. Month activities, including
continued on page 5 and made beautiful earthenware These archaeologists have Gerard Baker’s presentation, are
pots. Summer excavation at the uncovered remnants of the free and open to the public. Call
Maxwell Site in Dallas County by 1840s military post, Fort Des KC Hummel at (515) 281-6058 for
4
more information.
Iowa Historian September/October 2001

Iowa girls take top score at
national history event
Two seventh-grade students from Indian Hills
Junior High in Clive claimed victory by winning
first place in the National History Day competition
in June in Washington, D.C.
Amy Paul and Katie Pauley won their top prize
in the junior group documentary category with a
project on scientist Barbara McClintock. The two
had seen a newspaper article about a play written
on McClintock, and thought the subject
matter fit well with the National History Day
theme, “Frontiers in History: People, Places,
Ideas.”
“I think what was really interesting to us was
all the challenges and the obstacles she had to
face,” Paul said. “She went to Cornell University,
and at the time she was there, they didn’t
allow women in the genetics department. And
there were a lot of times people didn’t take her
seriously becasue she was a woman.”
McClintock is an American geneticist and
Nobel laureate, most noted for her discovery that
genes can transfer their positions on chromosomes,
which is important for the understanding
of hereditary processes.
Of 3,000 History Day participants last spring,
Paul and Pauley were among 45 Iowa junior and
senior high students who advanced to the national
competition. In Washington, Paul said they
competed against 80 different projects. This is
Day trip offers chance to retrace Lewis and Clark Trail
Anyone interested in learning
more about the Lewis and
Clark Expedition is invited to the
Lewis and Clark Autumn Outing
Motor Coach Day Trip
scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 13.
Cost for the day trip is $50
per person. Registration is on
a first-come, first-serve basis
and the deadline is Thursday,
Sept. 13. Ten spaces are being
reserved for State Historical
Society of Iowa staff and volunteers.
The outing is being organized
by the Northeast Nebraska
RC&D, as the bicentennial
commemoration of the
Lewis and Clark Trail nears. It
will begin at the Corps of Discovery
Welcome Center near
Crofton, Neb., at 8:30 a.m. The
RC&D is holding 10 spaces for
SHSI staff and volunteers,
though more may be added if
the first time in the eight years History Day has
been sponsored by the State Historical Society of
Iowa that an Iowa project has won first place at the
national level.
“I was surprised,” Paul said. “It was just an honor
to go to nationals. After watching the run-offs, we
weren’t sure how we would do because they’re all
very good at that level.”
“We didn’t exactly expect it but we had worked to
try to get there the whole way, so it was pretty fun
to get it,” Pauley added.
Governor Tom Vilsack and Lt. Governor Sally
Pederson awarded Amy Paul, left, and Katie Pauley
with gold medals and a check for $1,000 for winning
the National History Day competition in June.
needed. Carpools may be arranged
for travel to Crofton in
order to keep expenses down.
The itinerary is as follows:
Lewis and Clark Visitor’s
Center–Calumet Bluff near
Gavin’s Point Dam, South Dakota.
Spirit Mound–The explorers
visited here after hearing from
Native Americans that it was
haunted by ghosts.
W. H. Over Museum–Located
on the campus of the University
of South Dakota.
Elk Point, S.D.–Site of the first
American election (Patrick Gass
promoted to sergeant through
election after Sergeant Floyd’s
death).
Sergeant Floyd River Museum,
Sioux City–Sgt. Floyd
was the only member of the expedition
to die on the journey.
Ponca State Park–Lewis and
Clark passed through this part
of the river in August 1804. Incredible
3-state overlook of the
Missouri River valley.
Ionia Volcano–Lewis and
Clark’s journals told of a blue
clay bluff that appeared to be
on fire and too hot for a man to
bury his hand in the earth at
any depth.
Wiseman Monument–This
marks the area where tribal hostilities
took place in 1863.
Brookey Bottom–Park and
recreation area along the Missouri
River and Lewis and Clark
Trail.
Back to Corps of Discovery
Welcome Center, about 6:30
p.m., and finally back to Des
Moines.
For more information or a
registration form, call KC
Hummel at (515) 281-6058.
Lib
rary
ner
cor
from page 4
there,
Iowa
age
City
101, when
Library
he had his
first balloon ride. A county history
of Linn County described
the heroic exploits of a lawyerbanker
of Marion and Cedar
Rapids, and then explained how
later, with the help of his
friends, a former law partner he
opposed was denied the Republican
nomination for Congress.
“While many legislators remained
in their home areas after
leaving the legislature, a
number could be found in
county histories, death records
or cemetery listings. Some
county histories do record that
persons have moved to a new
home. It was a challenge to try
to locate the others–not always
successfully met.
“The project provided insights
into Iowa history and
information about many people
who played significant parts in
that history,” Hayes added.
Sometimes a request for information
about a legislator
benefits our library as well. Recently,
a church archives in
Canada requested information
about the later years of Benjamin
Spencer, a person they
believed had been elected to the
Iowa legislature after he moved
to this state from Ontario. We
were able to provide the church
with information on Representative
Spencer’s life in Iowa, and
in return, we received information
that we didn’t have about
his early years in Canada.
The Legislative File is available
for research during the
library’s regular hours: Tuesday-Saturday,
9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
at the Historical Building, 600
E. Locust, Des Moines. Call
515-281-6200 for information.
5
Iowa Historian September/October 2001

Carver Trust helps Historical
Library collection go online
The card catalog at the State
Historical Society’s Libraries will
be brought into the 21st century
by going online, with the help of
a $141,198 grant from the Roy J.
Carver Charitable Trust.
The grant will fund the first
year of work to automate the card
catalog at the State Historical Libraries
in Iowa City and Des
Moines. The libraries’ holdings
will then be accessible through
a click of the mouse.
“The biggest advantage of an
automated catalog is that anyone
anyplace in the world who
has access to the Internet will be
able to find out what we have in
our library,” said Paula Smith,
catalog librarian in Iowa City.
The Society’s holdings will be
included as an independent database
in the University of
Iowa’s online system, InfoHawk.
Access will be made available
within the next 15 months
through the Society’s Web site,
www.iowahistory.org, as well as
through the University of Iowa
Libraries’ Web site,
www.uiowa.edu/homepage/libraries,
and eventually through
other sites.
“We are incredibly
grateful
for this lead gift
from the Carver
Trust which will
allow us to develop
and implement
an automated
~ catalog
system,” said
S h a n e r
Magalhaes, bureau
chief for the
State Historical
Society libraries.
“We recognize that there is much
work ahead, but with the Carver
Trust grant in hand, we now have
valuable match money for numerous
grant programs that we
could pursue in the near future.”
Iowa is one of only 17 state
historical societies without automated
catalogs for their libraries.
Online access will improve
the visibility of the libraries’
holdings and likely increase the
use of the col-
QUOTABLE:
“Having access to an
online catalog reflecting
the holdings of the
Society’s libraries will
be a real bonus for
researchers from all
over the country.”
—Shari Stelling,
associate librarian
lection by
young researchers
who use the
Internet as a
tool.
“Having
access to an
online catalog
reflecting
the holdings
of the Society’s
libraries
will be a
real bonus for researchers from
all over the country—as well as
folks down the street from us—
who won’t have to call or visit
to find out whether we have a
particular resource,” said Shari
Stelling, library associate in Des
Moines. “We’re very excited
about finally getting our catalog
online.”
The Carver Charitable Trust, located
in Muscatine, is the largest
private foundation in the state of
Iowa. It was created through the
will of Roy J. Carver, a Muscatine
industrialist and philanthropist
who died in 1981. The Trust awards
more than $14 million annually in
support of scientific research,
scholarships, libraries, general education
and other issues related to
the needs of Iowa youth.
“We believe that a project of
this type is consistent with the
Trust’s mission to improve and
enhance educational opportunities
within the state of Iowa, and
should also serve to promote
scholarly interest in our state’s
rich and varied historical heritage,”
said Dr. Lynne Sasmazer,
program director for the Carver
Trust.
Iowa History Survey shows teachers need more resources
A survey of Iowa history teachers conducted last spring shows
an ever-present need for more and updated resource materials
on the subject.
“It pretty much confirmed what I knew about Iowa history
teachers,” said Lynn Nielsen, professor of education
at the University of Northern Iowa who conducted the survey.
“I knew that outdated material was a problem, but when I
got to the material on textbooks, I was amazed at how many
people were still using materials copyrighted in the sixties—some
even before.”
Of 1,250 teachers in K-8 public and private schools throughout
the state, approximately 16 percent of the surveys were returned, a
large enough sampling to get a feel for what teachers need in the
area of Iowa history.
Not only do teachers want updated materials, they also expressed
a need for a packaged teaching unit that might include a curriculum
guide, videos, instructional Web sites, and ideas for field trips and
projects.
“This survey confirms that there is a need for materials that teachers
can use in teaching Iowa history,” said Jerome Thompson, museum
bureau chief for the State Historical Society of Iowa. “The
most important part of this is that we’ve got some baseline data to
go by.”
The survey couldn’t have come at a better time, Thompson said,
as it ties in with one of the goals of Imagine Iowa 2010–to make
Iowa a national leader in cultural education, and make teaching
Iowa history an integral part of the educational curriculum.
In fact, the ball is already rolling on updating educational
materials–Iowa State University Press will be issuing
a new edition of Iowa Past to Present: The People
and the Prairie, by Dorothy Schwieder, Thomas Morain and
Nielsen. The text was identified in the survey as the number one
source of Iowa history information by teachers.
“The challenge is getting the word out and getting teachers
access to the materials,” Thompson said.
Another promising result of the survey deals with field trips. As
school districts tighten their budgets, Nielsen assumed field trips
would be the first to go. Not so, he said.
“You hear that field trips have been cut, but there were a lot of
Iowa history field trips,” he said. “At least in the area of Iowa
history, field trips have not been cut out.” The most popular trips
identified were to Living History Farms in Urbandale, and the State
Capitol and the State Historical Museum in Des Moines.
Most teachers who answered the survey also showed that Iowa
geography, early exploration and pioneer life received the greatest
emphasis in their curriculum.
“The bottom line on this thing is that teachers want some leadership
in the teaching of Iowa history,” Nielsen said.
6
Iowa Historian September/October 2001

“1000 Years Ago in Dallas County, Iowa: Archaeological
Findings at the Maxwell Site”
Saturday, Sept. 8, 10 a.m., FREE
State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines
Join Lynn Alex of the Office of the State Archaeologist to
hear about this project, see the new discoveries, and find
out how you can take part in uncovering Iowa’s archaeological
past.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
We Saw Them Coming: An Indian Perspective of the Voyage of
Discovery
Saturday, Sept. 22, 2-3 p.m. FREE
State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines
Baker is a full-blood member of the Three Affiliated Tribes which
include the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara. His presentation will
focus on the Lewis and Clark Expedition and how it affected Native
Americans in the early 19th century.
Recent Discoveries at Fort Des Moines II
Saturday, Sept. 15, 10 a.m.-noon, FREE
State Historical Building Atrium, 600 E. Locust,
Des Moines
Come learn about the birthplace of the city of Des Moines.
Archaeologists have uncovered remnants of the 1840s
military post, Fort Des Moines II. The site also contains
evidence of an Oneota encampment and of the earliest
commercial and residential development in the Town of Fort
Des Moines. Artifacts from the site will be on display
during the presentation.
Sunday afternoon lecture
Sunday, Sept. 16, 2 p.m.
Western Historic Trails Center, 3434 Richard Downing
Avenue, Council Bluffs
Sunday afternoon lecture hosted by the Historical Society
of Pottawattamie County. Call 515-366-4900.
River City Round-Up
Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 22 and 23
Western Historic Trails Center, 3434 Richard Downing Avenue,
Council Bluffs
Demonstrations by the Mid-American Woodcarvers Association.
Call 515-366-4900.
Organ recital
Sunday, Sept. 30, 2 p.m. FREE
Union Sunday School, Clermont
Call 319-423-7378.
Fall Foliage Weekend
Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 6 and 7
Montauk, Clermont
Fayette County Fall Foliage Weekend. Call 319-423-7173.
Yes!
I’m interested in becoming a member
of the STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF IOWA.
Individual Membership $40
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✶ Iowa Historian newsletter
✶ 10% discount at Museum Store &
Cafe
✶ Time Travelers Society
✶ Exclusive member benefits
Heritage Circle $100 & Over
✶ Individual and family benefits
✶ 20% discount on books at the Museum
Store
✶ Annals of Iowa scholarly journal
✶ Premium Iowa history book
✶ Special pre~opening access to new
exhibits
Family Membership
Add $20 to the individual
membership. If joining the
Heritage Circle and desire family
membership, check this box .
Your family will enjoy the individual
membership benefits plus:
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Special notice of family activities
Membership cards for each
member
Kids’ events calendar &
newsletter
20% discount at the Museum
Store on children’s books and
toys
Complete the form below and mail with
your payment to:
Membership Program
600 East Locust
Des Moines, IA 50319;
515-242-5217
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7
Iowa Historian September/October 2001

IOWA
HISTORIAN
State Historical Society of Iowa
600 E. Locust
Des Moines, IA 50319
Pre-Sorted Standard
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 1195
Des Moines, IA
IN YOUR WORDS
by Dorothy Schwieder
My husband and I recently
moved to a townhouse, and as
with every move, we now find
ourselves in a somewhat different
environment.
Leaving behind a home surrounded
with
many tall trees
and a rather small
backyard, our
townhouse complex
is surrounded
with a large,
neatly tended expanse
of lawn.
Dorothy
Schwieder
An unexpected and delightful
discovery, however, is a narrow
swatch of prairie wetland, located
just behind the townhouse
complex. Looking out each day
and seeing the tall prairie grass
is a constant reminder that almost
everywhere, even at our very
doorsteps, we can find important
remnants of the past.
This setting has caused me to
reflect once more on all our immediate
surroundings, particularly
in regard to our heritage as
Iowans. Having taught history
for 34 years at Iowa State University,
which included a yearly
course in Iowa history, I have
come to appreciate the historical
treasures that exist here. Like
many others, I have come to understand
that in Iowa, as elsewhere,
history is everywhere.
We need only to look around
to see how many valuable resources
we have at our very fingertips.
These local resources are
important for all age groups, but
I think the most important for elementary
school children. What
better way to study Iowa history,
for example, than by learning
about one’s immediate heritage
such as the surrounding physical
environment, local architectural
styles, and the history of
our communities and community
institutions These phenomena
can be experienced in a firsthand
manner. As one elementary
Iowa history teacher put it recently:
Children learn so much
better when they can see, touch
and feel the subject matter.
As Iowans, I believe we
should all do more to help our
young people appreciate their
local communities as well as
statewide resources. I believe
every age group should understand
the past, not only in a national
sense, but also in terms of
the immediate.
So often when school children
study history, the emphasis is on
places and happenings far away.
I believe we have the responsibility
as educators, parents, and
concerned citizens to emphasize
that the resources at our very
doorsteps make for important,
interesting and exciting history.
This approach should generate
many rewards as young people
come to understand and appreciate
the importance of their own
heritage.
Today there is much concern
about young people leaving this
state. While there are many views
on what should be done to make
Iowa a more appealing and exciting
place to live, one more way is
to help develop an increasing interest
in, and appreciation of, local
history and culture.
We already have so many excellent
museums and organizations
engaged in the preservation
and interpretation of our past, perhaps
what is needed is to emphasize
even more strongly the link
between existing historical institutions
and the public schools. It
should be pointed out that the
State Historical Society of Iowa
has already developed many fine
programs for youngsters including
a curriculum guide for Iowa
history teachers. The guide includes
suggestions to help teachers
incorporate local history material
into their course work. An
exciting new adventure is The
Museum School highlighted in
this issue. In addition to studying
their regular courses, students
will learn about Iowa and
Des Moines history, making use
of the museum’s exhibits and artifacts.
As Iowans, we are fortunate
to have local historical resources
that are varied, interesting, and
accessible. Let’s help our children
and grandchildren learn to
understand and appreciate these
wonderful resources.
Dorothy Schwieder is professor
emerita of history at Iowa State University,
where she taught courses in
Iowa history. She is also chairperson
of the State Historical Society of
Iowa Board of Trustees.
If you’d like to be considered for
the guest column, please contact Sarah
Oltrogge at 515-281-4011 by
Oct. 1.