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Iowa State Capitol Building, Des Moines
Courtesy: Iowa Tourism Office |
Welcome
to Iowa, the Hawkeye State. With its fertile, rolling prairies, Iowa is
one of the foremost farming states in the United States. One fifth of the
nation's corn harvest is produced in Iowa. Wet springs combined with warm
summers create a favorable environment for plantings of corn and soybeans
in the state's top-grade farmland. Although agriculture is the mainstay of
the economy, Iowa has also encouraged the growth of manufacturing and
service industries.
If
you are going to have large farms, you might as well ensure that you have
the right equipment to work those farms, and in that spirit Iowa produced
the first tractor. Today, the state claims the largest tractor
manufacturing plant in the U.S.
| THE NAME:
The state of Iowa, originally a territory of Wisconsin west of the Mississippi River, was named after
the Iowa River.
The Iowa River was named after the Iowa Indians who lived in the territory. The tribal name "Ayuxwa"
was spelled by the French as "Ayoua" and by the English as "Ioway." "Ayuxwa" means
"one who puts to sleep."
Source: Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S.
State
Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut - 1994 |
| THE NICKNAMES:
The Hawkeye State: This popular nickname for the state of Iowa is said to have come from the scout, Hawkeye,
in James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans, published in 1826. According to the Iowa State web site, "Two Iowa
promoters from Burlington are believed to have popularized the name." The nickname was given approval by
"territorial officials" in 1838, twelve years after the book was published and eight years before Iowa became a
state.
The two men responsible for the promotion of this nickname are thought to be Judge David Rorer of Burlington and the
newspaper publisher, James G. Edwards of Fort Madison and, later, Burlington. Burlington had been established
in 1833 after the Black Hawk War of 1832. Mr. Edwards changed the name of his Burlington newspaper, The
Iowa Patriot, to The Hawk-Eye and Iowa Patriot in tribute to his friend Chief Black Hawk.
Judge Rorer is said to have suggested "The Hawkeye State" after finding the name in The Last of the Mohicans
while Mr. Edwards proposed the nickname "Hawk-eyes" in 1838 to "...rescue from oblivian [sic] a momento [sic], at
least of the name of the old chief," Black Hawk.
The Corn State: This nickname pays tribute to Iowa's corn crop. Iowa leads the country in the
production of corn. Iowa has also been called the "Land Where the Tall Corn Grows," in tribute.
Land of the Rolling Prairie: Iowa has been referred to as the "Land of the Rolling Prairie" because of
the vast rolling prairies that covered the state.
Source:
University of Missouri-Kansas City in the School of Education, (http://www.umkc.edu/imc/iowa.htm), September 28, 2002
The Hawk Eye, (http://www.thehawkeye.com/hawkeye/about.html), September 24, 2002
Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S. State
Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut - 1994
Shankle, George Earlie, Phd State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers and
Other Symbols H. H. Wilson Company, New York - 1938 (Reprint) |
THE CITIZENS:
People who live in Iowa or who come from Iowa are called Iowans. Upon occasion, Iowans are referred to as Hawkeyes. |
THE QUARTER:
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| U.S. Mint image |
The Iowa quarter is the fourth of 2004, and the 29th in the 50 State Quarters® Program. On
December 28, 1846, Iowa became the 29th state to be admitted into the Union. The Iowa
quarter design features a one-room schoolhouse with a teacher and students planting a
tree, and the inscriptions "Foundation in Education" and "Grant Wood." The design is
based on "Arbor Day," a painting by Grant Wood, who was born near Anamosa, Iowa. He
spent his career as a proponent of small-town values, which he celebrated in the iconic
images of small-town plain folk and verdant Midwestern vistas for which he is
world-renowned.
Iowans have had a commitment to education since the State's earliest days. When Iowa became
a state in 1846, it already had a number of rural country schools in each of its counties.
Iowa established its first high school in the 1850s, although high schools generally did
not become widespread in the United States until after 1900. Private and public colleges
also quickly took root in the new State.
Although Iowa has long been a leader in agriculture, the State is unique in that it is the
only one whose east and west borders are completely formed by rivers - the Mississippi
and Missouri Rivers.
In May 2002, Governor Thomas J. Vilsack established the 16-member Iowa Quarter Commission,
which worked with libraries, banks and credit unions to solicit ideas and concepts for
the state quarter design. The Commission received nearly 2,000 submissions, which were
narrowed to five candidate themes, including "American Gothic," "Foundation in Education,"
"Feeding the World," "Sullivan Brothers," and "Beautiful Land."
In July 2003, the United States Mint forwarded five approved candidate designs to Governor
Vilsack for final recommendation. Three designs were emblematic of the "Feeding the World"
theme, and the other two represented the "Young Corn" and "Foundation in Education"
concepts. Governor Vilsack chose the "Foundation in Education" design, which was approved
by the Secretary of the Treasury on August 26, 2003.
Source: The United States Mint, http://www.usmint.gov, September 4, 2004.
For more on the state commemorative quarters, visit this page.
This 50 State Quarter Map is a great way to store all 50 State Quarters. |
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