By Danny Tiarks

A is for Ames, Iowa  Ames was named in honor of Oakes Ames, a congressman from Massachusetts with railroad interests.  The first business in Ames, began in the summer of 1865, and was operated out of the railroad depot.

B is for Butter cow  The butter cow has been an Iowa State Fair staple since  The first “ Butter Cow” in Iowa was made by sculptor John K. Daniels at the 1911 Iowa State Fair.

C is for corn  Iowa has produced the largest corn crop of any state for the past 14 years.  Iowa has deep, rich soils that are good for growing corn.

D is for Des Moines  Des Moines has one of the largest skywalks in the U.S.A., and it is over 4 miles long.  Des Moines is Iowa’s state capital.

E is for Eastern Goldfinch  Iowa named the eastern goldfinch as the official state bird in  The eastern goldfinch is found throughout Iowa and stays during the winter months.

F is for Field of Dreams  In 1988 Hollywood built a baseball diamond in Dyersville, Iowa for the movie, Field of Dreams.  It is one of Iowa’s most popular tourist attractions.

G is for Grenville Dodge  General Grenville M. Dodge was a union army officer during the Civil War.  He was also a U.S.A. congressman, business man, and railroad executive who helped build the Transcontinental Railroad.  His house is in Council Bluffs and is a National historic landmark.

H is for Herbert Hoover  Herbert Hoover was born on August 10, 1874 in West Branch, Iowa.  He was the first president born west of the Mississippi River and remains the only president from Iowa.

I is for ISU  I.S.U. was established on March 22,  “Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm” was what it was named first and cost $ 5,379. Then in 1959 it was renamed Iowa State University or I.S.U. for short.

J is for Johnston, Iowa  Johnston is located in northwest Des Moines, Iowa.  Johnston was named after John F. Johnston who was a freight supervisor in the railways.  My cousin, Bret, lives there with his wife Brittany.

K is for Kate Shelley Bridge  The bridge opened to traffic on August 20, 2009, when the Union Pacific ran its first train across the new span.  It cost over 7 billion dollars to fix the bridge from a big flood.  In 1881 a flash flood washed out a railroad bridge near Kate Shelley’s home. She went to get help and saved 2 of the 4 crew. When the bridge was rebuilt they named it after Kate Shelley.

L is for limestone  Most people never notice, but hidden under Iowa’s fertile soils are rich supplies of limestone.  Nearly 800 tons of limestone from Anamosa, Iowa were used in the construction of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California.

M is for Mississippi River  The Mississippi River is the eastern border of Iowa.  The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America.  You can fish, swim, and drive a boat almost anywhere.

N is for Newton, Iowa  They started making washing machines in 1909 in Newton, Iowa by the company Maytag.  Newton is also the home of the Iowa Speedway, a 7/8ths mile race track designed by NASCAR Champion Rusty Wallace.

O is for the oak tree  Iowa designated the oak as the official state tree in  The oak was chosen because it is found everywhere in the state and provides shelter, food, and nesting cover for many animals and birds.

P is for Pottawattamie  Pottawattamie County is located in southwest Iowa on the Nebraska border.  The county gets its name from the Potawatomi Native American tribe.  Underwood is located in Pottawattamie County.

Q is for Quaker Oats  Quaker Oats began in Cedar Rapids in  The city’s determination to have a railroad connection led to Cedar Rapids’ role as a major Midwest industrial center.  Quaker Oats in Cedar Rapids is still home to the largest cereal mill in the world.

R is for Raccoon  Many people in Iowa trap and hunt raccoons.  A raccoon’s hind feet can rotate (point backwards), making it easy for them to climb down a tree headfirst.

S is for Snake Alley  Snake Alley is a street located in Burlington, Iowa.  It is the most crooked street in the world and is made of limestone and blue clay bricks.

T is for Train Museum  The Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot was constructed in1899 on the south edge of downtown Council Bluffs and today is operated as a museum and model train display.  All railcars displayed outdoors were donated by the Union Pacific Railroad.  In July 1873 Frank and Jesse James and the Younger Brothers robbed the Rock Island near Adair, Iowa.

U is for Underwood  Underwood is located in Norwalk Township and was established in  The name Underwood comes from the name of the first engineer to run a train over the Milwaukee tracks in Underwood.

V is for violets  Several species of violet are native to Iowa.  Violets usually grow in colonies and can be found in a wide variety of habitats ranging from dry, rocky prairies to moist woodlands.  Most violet species have heart shaped leaves.

W is for wild rose  To the early settlers the wild rose of Iowa represented resilience and beauty.  In 1897 the wild rose became the official state flower.  The Iowa State Legislature choose to not single out a specific species of the rose as the state flower. To this day any wild rose within the state’s boundaries is the Iowa state flower.

X is for Xeon Liquidators  Xeon Liquidators sell premium HID Lights in Des Moines and the surrounding area.  They also sell conversion kits to convert standard headlights to HID bulbs.

Y is for Yellow River State Forest  The forest was established in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps with land at the mouth of the Yellow River.  The Yellow River State Forest is home to the only fire tower in Iowa.

Z is for zoo  In 1963 Mr. A.H. Bland donated $150,000 for the construction of a children’s zoo in Des Moines.  The Des Moines Children’s Zoo officially opened on March 8, 1966.