Blue Book of Iowa Women

Winona Evans Reeves edited and compiled this history. she wrote several books about Midwestern women during her career. The author believed this is the first history written about Iowa women to be published in the state, and many women, the Historical Department of Iowa, and the State Historical Society helped her in the venture.

Higher Education In Iowa

After 1824, when the Sac and Fox Tribes signed a treaty with the U.S. Government, a portion of land called the "Half-Breed Tract" was settled by the expanding U.S. population. The first school was opened in this tract of land in Galland, Lee County, Iowa. It is difficult to know what to call the early schools in Iowa, for many were built as multi-purpose buildings; serving as schoolhouse, church, and court house for the town. Before the schools were funded by taxes, many towns financed their schools by subscription. In 1858, the Township School System was created by Iowa Law. This Bureau of Education Circular also describes several other interesting Iowa Laws that pertained to education. In 1876, women county superintendents became a possibility when the legislature passed a law that no one would be ineligible for any school office by reason of sex. In 1886, a law was passed that mandated physiology and hygiene instruction, including the effects of alcohol, stimulants, and narcotics.

Illustrated Review Showing Development...

The Rod Library has this book in its Map and Special Collections, but the paper is very brittle, since it was published about 1915 by the Earl J. Robinson & Company, located in Chicago.  There is important information here: statistics, maps, history, photos, commercial and agricultural data, 1910 Census information, and a gazetteer.  The last portion of the book is in atlas form, covering the other states of the Union and other countries.

Indian History of Winneshiek County

In 1913, Charles Philip Hexom decided there was a lot of erroneous information circulating about the Winnebago Tribe.  He examined material gathered from letters and interviews with the tribal members, as well as information from the Wisconsin Historical Society, the Iowa Library Commission, and the U. S. Ethnological Bureau.  This is the compilation that resulted from his research, along with Hexom's own illustrations.

Iowa, the First Free State in the Louisiana Purchase

"The Aborigines were in a low state of barbarism." This is one of the themes that run through this history of Iowa from 1673-1846. The Aborigines were the Sac, Fox, and Sioux Tribes. The author, William Salter, was a member of the "Iowa Band," a group of 12 Christian missionaries who agreed to travel to the untamed West. Salter was also one of the founders of Iowa College in 1846 (now known as Grinnell College.) This particular book belonged to John H. Leavitt, who signed and dated it on July 21, 1905. It then passed in ownership to Erma Plaehn, long-time Professor of Political Science at UNI. Dr. Plaehn then donated the book to the Rod Library.

Memorial Day 1899

The Superintendent of Public Instruction of Iowa (Richard Barrett) wrote this booklet for the teachers of Iowa. In order to present a Memorial Day Program, suggested ideas abound in the form of songs, scripture readings, recitations for girls or boys, quotations to answer roll call, and readings. These would be followed by a short address by a citizen or teacher, and then decoration of the graves.

Plants of Iowa

The young folks of Iowa were the target readers for this book in 1907. It could serve as a checklist of all the plants found growing in Iowa. This particular issue of the Bulletin of the State Horticultural Society provides a preliminary list of over 3,000 species, with the hope of a later issue completing the task to include more than 5,000 species, and include cultivated plants. This issue contains native plants and those introduced from other parts of the world that have become naturalized. So, from slime moulds to barberries, here are the lists.

Selections for Arbor and Bird, Memorial Day

Arbor Day was an important day for Iowa in 1906. State administrators wanted to make the day special so that the people of the state would plant trees in their yards, parks, and near roadways. To encourage this, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, John F. Riggs, wrote this booklet filled with short plays, tableaux, songs, recitations, and finger plays for schools’ use. Bird Day is a companion holiday to Arbor Day, and is always celebrated May 4^th. Arbor Day is the last Friday in April.

The Story of Iowa, A Children's History

Do you remember studying Iowa History in 5th or 6th grade? If you grew up in Iowa, the chances you did are about 100%. Thomas Christensen wrote the first edition of this book in 1928, and soon after that, the Iowa General Assembly passed a law requiring the study of Iowa History. This 2nd edition of The Story of Iowa, a Children’s History was published in 1931. It takes this new law into account, providing many photos and maps, so that the subject can be taught by many different methods.

Frederick Starr initially wrote this work as a bibliography for the Proceedings of the Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences in 1895. Starr was an internationally known figure in anthropology who began his career on the Chautauqua circuit. He went on to do studies in Africa, the Philippines, Japan, and Korea. This particular booklet is fascinating for Iowan archaeology; Indian burial mounds, broken pottery, bones, and charcoal come to life with many diagrams.

We Love Iowa Audio Collection

With music and lyrics written by long time Des Moines area musician Bob Cook, the album "We Love Iowa" was published in 1979 as a promotional album for an area Savings & Loan Association. The eleven songs on the album, from the signature tune "We Love Iowa" to "Are You Goin' to the Fair?", evoke the loyalty and love that Iowans have for the Hawkeye state.