B y : L a u r e n S h a p c o t t

A is for the Amana Colonies. The Amana Colonies are located in east central Iowa and are made up of seven villages. These seven villages were founded by German- speaking European settlers in 1855, who were seeking religious freedom. Hence, Amana means “ remain true.”

B is for Blue Bunny Ice cream. Blue Bunny Ice cream is made by Well’s Dairy in La Mars, Iowa. Le Mars is located in northwestern Iowa. Le Mars is called “ Ice cream Capital of the world” because more ice cream is made in Le Mars than anywhere else in the world. They make over 120 million gallons of ice cream a year!

C is for the Covered Bridges. The Covered Bridges are located in central Iowa near Winterset. In the late nineteenth century there were nineteen original Covered Bridges built in Madison county. The six bridges remaining in Iowa were made famous by the Clint Eastwood movie “ The Bridges of Madison County.” The names of these bridges are Hallowell, Ames, Rosemont, Hogback, Cedar, and Culter-Donahoe.

D is for Dams. Iowa has 111 dams! Three of them are located in central Iowa and form recreational lakes. They are Rathbun Dam, Saylorville Dam, and Redrock Dam. Others are located on the Mississippi River and the Missouri River.

E is for the Effigy Mounds National Monument. The Effigy Mounds National Monument is located in northeast Iowa along the Mississippi River. It contains 2,526 acres with 206 mounds of which 31 are effigies. It was proclaimed a National Monument on March 5, The 206 mounds represent over 2,000 years of mound building along the Mississippi River.

F is for Fort Madison. Fort Madison is a town located in the southeast of Iowa, in Lee County. It was named after the military fort that was built in 1804.

G is for the Eastern Goldfinch. The Eastern Goldfinch was Iowa’s official state bird in It was chosen as the state bird because it is commonly found in Iowa and stays through the winter. Seeds from dandelions, sunflowers, ragweed, and evening primrose are the main source of food for the Eastern Goldfinch. MALE FEMALE

H is for Herbert Hoover. Herbert Hoover was the first president born west of the Mississippi River. He was born on August 10, When he died at the age of 90 on October 20, 1964 he was buried near his birthplace in West Branch.

I is for the Iowa River. The Iowa River is 329 miles long. The river starts in north central Iowa in Hancock county and leaves Iowa in the south eastern part of Iowa and empties in the Mississippi River.

J is for the Julien Dubuque Monument. The Julien Dubuque Monument is located on the edge of the bluff above Catfish Creek. The Monument was constructed in 1897 and was made up of rock- faced limestone ashlars which was mined from a near by quarry.

K is for the Keokuk National Cemetery. The Keokuk National Cemetery was established in The cemetery is located in Lee County, two miles west of the city of Keokuk. There is two sections of the cemetery the eastern section and the western section.

L is for the Living History Farm. The Living History Farm is located in Central Iowa, in Urbandale county. The farm’s mission was to tell the story of Midwest agriculture for over the past 300 years.

M is for Mamie Eisenhower. Mamie Eisenhower the first lady of Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in Boone, Iowa. She was the first lady to be the first lady for 8 years through 1953 to Mamie was born on November 14, 1896 and died on November 1, 1979.

N is Norway. Norway is located within a 15- minute drive of Cedar Rapids. The community was founded in 1863 by Norwegian Osmond Tuttle and named in honor of its well known for its strong baseball tradition that brought the Norway Tigers 20 state school championships.

O is for the Oak tree. The Oak tree is Iowa’s state tree. It became the official state tree on March 13, It was chosen as the state tree because it is abundant in the state and serves as shelter, food, and nesting cover for many animals and birds. Out of the 60 or so species of oak, 30 are native to the state of Iowa.

P is for Pella. Pella was founded in 1847 under the leadership of Dominie Hedrick Pieter Schulte. The group of 800 Dutch settlers from the Netherlands, was seeking freedom from the State Church and relief from the potato blight. They purchased 18,000 acres for $1.23 per acre on the high ridge between the Des Moines and Skunk Rivers.

Q is for the Quad Cities. Quad Cities is the nickname given to the following four cities: Davenport, Iowa, Bettendorf, Iowa, Rock Island, Illinois, and Moline, Illinois. They border the eastern side of Iowa. The first railroad bridge built across the Mississippi River connected Davenport and Rock Island, Illinois in 1856.

R is for the Raccoon River. The Raccoon River has three streams, the North Raccoon River, the South Raccoon River, and the Middle Raccoon River. It is located in central Iowa, a little west of the Des Moines River, and is approximately 200 miles long. During the flood of 1993, the Raccoon River flooded the water treatment facility of Des Moines, shutting off the cities supply of drinking water.

S is for the Salsbury House. The Salsbury House is located in Des Moines. It is a 42- room mansion built in the 1920’s and is filled with original art, rare books, and antique furnishings from around the world.

T is for Terrace Hill. Terrace Hill is home to Iowa’s Government and family. It was built by Iowa’s first millionaire, B.F. Allen in In 1884 the Hubble family purchased the home and donated it to the State of Iowa in 1971.

U is for the Universities of Iowa. There are three main universities in Iowa. They are Iowa State University[ Ames, IA],University of Iowa[ Iowa City, IA], and University of Northern Iowa[ Cedar Falls, IA]. These schools are known for their studies in: Iowa State University – Vetting and Engineering, University of Iowa – Doctor and Culture Studies, University of Northern Iowa- Education and Accountings.

V is for the Villisca Ax Murder House. The Villisca Ax Murder House is located in the southeastern corner of Iowa in Villisca. The house is known for its Murder which was on Thursday, June 10, The murder killed 8 people 2 adults and 6 children. Who killed them is still a mystery today.

W is for Wind Energy. Iowa leads the United States in the percentage of its electricity that comes from wind. Iowa generates 3,675 megawatts a year! There are plans to add more turbines in the near future.

X is for Iowa being ranked XXX [30 th ] in population. Iowa’s population is 3,046,355, which makes it the 30 th most populated state in the United States. There is an average of 53 people living in every square mile of Iowa.

Y is for the youth home of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura Ingalls Wilder was an author that wrote about her life on the praires in the 1800’s. She moved around a lot with her family but lived in Burr Oak, Iowa part of her life. She puplished her first book when she was 65 years old and wrote a total of eight books called the “ Little House on the Prairie” series.

Z is for Zig Zag. The Snake Alley in Burlington, Iowa zig zags back and forth between 5 th and 6 th street. It is made up of bricks and is a one way street going downhill. The street was made by German immigrates in Snake Alley hosts the Snake Alley Art Fair annually in June on Father’s Day.

L A U R E N S H A P C O T T T h e E n d  