Iowa Pathways

Media Artifacts

Browse this collection of photos, videos, maps, and more. You may be surprised at what you uncover.

Time Frame Artifact Type Title(desc)
1930s Video Rural Midwest Farm Life in the Early 20th Century In the early twentieth century, life on the farm was challenging but families were very self-sufficient. Farmers were able to...
1920 Photo 'Inpassable' Dirt Road This handmade sign warned drivers that the road was impassable. (The sign maker wasn't a good speller!) Before hard-surfaced roads,...
1656 Photo 1656 map showing the uncharted west A map of the undiscovered western United States. This early map shows how little was known about the western part...
c. 1850s Video 1850s Surveyor Kit | Time Travel Iowa Surveyor tools were instrumental in the development of our state and the planning of our communities. Surveying in Iowa began...
1906 Interactive 1906 Voting Booth (360 Views) In the late 1800s, mechanical voting devices were being introduced in U.S. elections. This 1906 model was one of the...
1938 Photo 1909 Maytag touring car 1909 Maytag Touring Car on display at the Iowa State Fair, Des Moines, 1938.
1862 Photo 6th Iowa Cavalry, 1862 6th Iowa Cavalry during the Civil War. Their headquarters were in Dakota. 1862.
1975 Video A Big Leap for Iowans Former US Ambassador to Cambodia Kenneth M. Quinn talks about Iowans welcoming refugees from Southeast Asia in 1975.
Early to Mid 1900's Video A Good Horse Made All the Difference The planting, cultivating and harvesting of crops were dependent on a good horse.
1979 Video A Legacy Continues Former chief of the Bureau of Refugee Services Wayne Johnson talks about the roles former Iowa Governor Robert Ray and...
ca. 1910 Photo A man stands in the doorway of a sod home on his farmstead A man stands in the doorway of a sod home on his farmstead. Due to a lack of trees many...
1935-1941 Video A Rural Iowa Town Supports the World War II Effort The impact of America’s involvement in World War II was felt in communities across Iowa. In this segment of Iowa...
1980s Video A Short-Lived Agriculture Boom Leads to the 1980s Farm Crisis Extensive land loans, high land prices, and low interest rates combine in the 1970s to build the short-lived agricultural boom...
2003 Video A Survivor’s Story A Guatemalan native adopted by Iowans tells of life in her war-torn homeland where her parents were massacred and she...
Video A U.S. Platoon Leader Remembers Vietnam Dan Gannon is a Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970. He spent more than 300...
Video A U.S. Soldier Recalls Vietnam War Battle Experiences U.S. veteran Caesar Smith gives a first hand account of the fighting conditions in Vietnam. Caesar Smith was a career...
1975 Video A Wonderful Risk Former president of the Des Moines Register, Michael Gartner, talks about the risks involved with welcoming refugees to a state.
1980s Video Activism During the 1980s Farm Crisis Farmers, politicians, and activists rally around the 1980s farm crisis.
1925 Photo Advertisements on Bridge, ca. 1925 Advertisements on Chicago Great Western Railroad underpass on the Lincoln Highway - U.S. 30 on east edge of Carroll. Note...
Video African-American and White Families Lived Side By Side in the Early 1900s Mining Town of Buxton, Iowa In the early 1900s , the diverse nature of the small mining town of Buxton, Iowa stood in stark contrast...