99 Counties

Learn how Iowa counties were formed and have changed over a 36 year span from 1836 to 1872.

As far back as the 1850s, coal mines were part of Appanoose County. Experience what an Iowa coal mine was like and how the coal was used.

The Ice House Museum teaches us about how people preserved their food before refrigerators and freezers were used.

Explore how Kate Shelley, an ordinary young girl did an extraordinary thing.

Today, your family probably buys bread at the market, but once upon a time you had to make the ingredients and then bake your own bread at home.

Being President is a busy job, without much time for exercise. The Presidential doctors got creative when it came to keeping the only President from Iowa, Herbert Hoover, healthy and fit.

The Surf Ballroom is a famous and historic music and dance hall. It's a place to go have fun with friends and hear all kinds of music. It is also famous for a much sadder tale.

Brick is one of the oldest building materials in the world. Learn about brick construction at the United Brick and Tile Company.

Before electric power tools, hand-and-foot powered tools were what people used to build things. At RVP 1875, these tools are still used to build furniture today.

When pioneers first began coming to Iowa, they established one-room schoolhouses all over the state. 

Long ago, glaciers covered parts of Iowa. As they melted, they left behind lakes, like Little Wall Lake in Hamilton County.

Britt, Iowa is home to the National Hobo Museum and the National Hobo Convention. Hobos have played an important role in this community and in our state.

The Steamboat Bertrand sank while traveling on the Missouri River in the 1860s. It was carrying people to mining towns in Montana, seeking to make a better life for themselves.

Frank Gotch made history in the sport of wrestling. Learn how is accomplishment paved the way for young wrestlers today.

Ida Grove is known as Castletown, USA. One influential person played a big role in building the many buildings that look like castles.

The Wagaman Mill in Lynnville was built in a very strategic place to take advantage of the power of a nearby river. 

On the same day that the Old Capitol building became part of the University of Iowa, a meteorite fell to Earth, connecting these two events in history.

At the Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge, swans are being protected from hunting by protecting and preserving resources and the environment.

Learn how the town of Keokuk overcame travel and trading obstacles on the river using engineering solutions.

Waldo's Rock Park in Marion, Iowa is home to a large rock that doesn't match any others around it. Instead, it matches rocks found in Minnesota. This rock is an example of a glacial erratic, moved and left behind by a glacier.

The Lover's Leap Swinging Bridge was built to solve a problem for citizens.

Pammel State Park is the home of the only highway tunnel in Iowa.

The Nelson Pioneer Farm in Oskaloosa is the home of a rare cemetery just for mules. 

Lake Redrock is a manmade lake. When it was made, several towns were submerged under the surface and are now known as the Lost Towns of Lake Red Rock.

Today, buttons are made of plastic. But not too long ago, Muscatine, Iowa was the button capitol of the world. They specialized in making pearl buttons. 

The small town of West Bend, Iowa is home to a huge feat of engineering and design success. Let's see how one man's vision resulted in a beautiful, above ground "cave" is called The Grotto of the Redemption.

The Jordan House is one of the oldest homes in Polk County. The history of the house includes keeping a very important secret.

A rare white bison can be seen at Botna Bend Park in Pottawattamie County. A rare combination of genes gives this bison it's color. 

During Brooklyn, Iowa's Flag Day celebration, the town recreated "Serv-a-Son" chocolate bars, which lifted the spirits of Iowa soldiers during World War II.

In Sac County, the barn quilts are particularly noticeable. Explore how this type of artistic expression has brought a community together.

This hand-carved antique carousel has been a source of entertainment since 1913. Next time you pass by on Interstate 35, stop by for a ride on one of its horses, pigs, chickens or chariots.

There was a time when no Iowa town was more than five miles from a train depot. For some towns, like Eldon, the railroad was a way of life. 

The State Theatre is the world's oldest continually operating movie theater. Since being invented, movies have become an important part of entertainment for people all over the world.

Blacksmiths made and repaired tools. The Quasdorf Blacksmith and Wagon Museum gives an authentic feel of what a blacksmith's shop was like.