The state of Iowa is a part of the Midwestern part of America. The state of Iowa is situated and bordered by Big Sioux and Missouri rivers to the western side and River Mississippi to the east. The state is also known as the thirtieth most populous state in the country with over 3,145,711 residents. It is also considered the twenty-sixth largest state in the United States which occupies an area of about 56,272.8 sq miles.
The Hawkeye State
However, even with all that said, how famous exactly is Iowa? First, is the nickname “The Hawkeye State”. The state of Iowa has its official nickname ever since 1838, which is 8 years before it attained statehood. This name of the state was first made popular by both James Edwards (a newspaper publisher) and Judge David Rorer.
The newspaper publisher Edwards changed the name of Burlington’s newspaper to ‘’Hawk-Eye and Iowa-Patriot’’ in honor of the Sauk leader known as chief Black-Hawk. At the time, he proposed the name Hawk-Eye in 1838 in commemoration of the Sauk leader. It is a huge part of the state’s history as the “Hawk-eye” was initially applied to the hero of James Cooper’s fictional book titled ‘’the last of the Mohicans’’
Iowa State Fair
There is also the Iowa State Fair. If you’re looking to have some fun and enjoyment, then this can be a great initiative. This Iowa State Fair is one of the biggest and most famous state fairs in the country. It is an annual fair that is held every August. The event was first held in October 1854 in Fairfield with a small budget of about $323.
The next of this event was held in the year 1855, and then it moved from town-to-town for a few years. The fair has been hosted by numerous towns including Cedar Rapids, Keokuk, Clinton, Dubuque, Burlington, Iowa City, Oskaloosa, and Muscatine. After some time, it was then moved permanently to its current State in 1878 in Des Moines. When it was moved to its current location, the state legislature of Iowa appropriated the funds for the fair.
The Origin of the Sliced Bread
As a fun fact, the state is also knowns as the place of origin of the sliced bread. The innovative inventor of Otto Rohwedder was born in 1880 in Davenport, Iowa to Elizabeth and Claus Rohwedder. He then continued to live in Davenport until he attained the age of 21 years when he attended the public schools in Davenport and became a jeweler.
After some time, Otto worked as a jeweler for a few years before selling his stores to build a bread slicing machine. Interesting to see that his first prototype was actually not successful. This was until he managed to design a device that could slice and wrap bread in 1927.
Grotto of Redemption’s shrine
If you’re touring the place, you can also check the Grotto of Redemption’s shrine, a religious shrine situated in West Bend, Iowa. The nine caves portray the life of Jesus Christ, and it has the biggest collection of petrifications and minerals in the world. It is the biggest grotto on earth. The Grotto is the world’s most complete manmade collection of petrifications, shells, fossils, and minerals in one place.
Lastly
Lastly, one of the things that Iowa is really remembered for is its corn supply. The United States is the leading producer of corn in the world followed by China. The United States managed to produce over 15.1 billion bushels in 2017, with Iowa, the leading producer of corn in the country, providing over 2.7 billion bushels. Over 99% of the corns produced in Iowa are field corns which are used as corn syrup, corn oil, corn starch, or corn cereal.
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