1673: French explorers, Jolliet
and Marquette explored the area for the
King of France 1682: LaSalle explored
Mississippi River, claimed the river and
land for King of France 1762: King of France transferred
claim to the land to the King of Spain
during Seven Years' War 1788: Julien Dubuque became first
white settler in Iowa 1800: Spain transferred land back
to France during Napoleonic Wars in
Europe 1803: United States acquired Iowa
in Louisiana Purchase 1804: Lewis and Clark expedition
arrived; only death on the expedition
occurred 1808: U.S. Army built Fort
Madison 1811: New Madrid fault caused
earthquakes in central Iowa 1813: Troops abandoned and burned
Fort Madison 1820: Missouri Compromise made
Iowa non-slave territory 1832: Black Hawk War ended; Sauk
tribe forced to cede land west of
Mississippi River 1833: Iowa Territory opened for
settlement 1834: Patrick O'Connor first
person hung in Iowa 1846: Nearly 20,000 Mormons
crossed Iowa; Iowa admitted to Union as
29th state 1847: Dutch immigrants arrived at
Pella 1856: First train from Chicago
arrived Iowa City; band of Sioux indians
massacred settlers at Spirit Lake 1857: State capital moved to Des
Moines from Iowa City 1858: First legislative session
held in Des Moines 1867: Grasshopper invasion
occurred, crops damaged; first railroad
completed through Iowa 1890: Huge meteor struck ground
11 miles northwest of Forest City 1893: Pomeroy tornado struck
Calhoun County, destroyed 80% of homes,
killed 71 and injured 200 1901: Record temperature of 113
degrees set in Sigourney 1907: Last lynching occurred 1909: Earthquake felt in eastern
Iowa 1912: Record low temperature of
-47 degrees set in Washta 1913: Keokuk Dam completed;
Martin Block Coal Co. produced largest
single piece of coal - 2,445 pounds 1916: Prohobition closed Iowa
breweries 1920: Devil's Backbone designated
Iowa's first state park 1928: Herbert Hoover elected
president of U.S. 1935: First Heisman Trophy
presented to Iowan, Jay Berwanger 1940: Henry Agard Wallace elected
vice president of U.S. 1942: Five Sullivan brothers
killed in World War II 1949: Effigy Mounds National
Monument designated 1954: Governor William S.
Beardsley killed in automobile accident
1965: Herbert Hoover National
Historic Site established 1983: Last Maytag wringer washer
produced 1991: Riverboat gambling
legalized 1993: Flooding caused more than
$2 billion in damages 1998: Derecho in Washington, Iowa
caused wind gusts of 123 mph 1999: New state slogan "Fields of
Opportunites" selected
Iowa Timeline History