Iowa ABC’s

By: Jordan McDonald

A is for ……….

AGRICULTURE

Iowa harvests 13.7 million acres of corn for grain a year according to the 2011 census. Iowa harvests 9.26 million acres of soybeans a year according to the 2011 census.

B is for………. Blue Bunny Icecream Factory

The Blue Bunny icecream capital is located in LeMars, Iowa. At Blue Bunny ice cream factory makes the most in the world.

C is for........

Cattle

We use cattle for beef, steak and also milk. Dairy cows produce about ten gallons of milk daily.

D is for ……….

Des Moines Des Moines is the capital of Iowa. Des Moines was founded in 1843.

E is for ……

Eastern GoldfinchThe Eastern Goldfinch is Iowa’s state bird. The Eastern Goldfinch was adopted in 1933.

F is for ……

Fort Madison

Fort Madison was used from 1803 – 1813 which was where Black Hawk’s first battle against U.S. troops, the real War of 1812. fort Madison is located near the mouth of Des Moines River.

G is for ……….

Geodes

The geode is Iowa’s state rock. Geodes hold the most common mineral which is quartz.

H is for ……….

huntingIowans hunt deer and pheasants the most. You can only get two permits for hunting in Iowa.

I is for ……….

Iowa River

The Iowa River is about 323 miles long and goes from the top of Iowa down to the southwest corner.There are many rivers in Iowa but the Iowa River is commercially fished for carp and buffalo fish.

J is for ……….

John Wayne

John Wayne is a famous cowboy. He was born in Winterset, Iowa.

K is for ……….

Kate Shelley Bridge

The Kate Shelley Bridge was named after Kate Shelley when she saved a lot of people and told engineers not to go over the bridge. Later on the bridge was rebuilt and named the Kate Shelley Bridge.

L is for ……….

Log houses

Some advantages you’ll have when you have a log house are warmth, less bugs, sturdy, and dry. Some disadvantages are it can burn easily, splinters, and it takes more people to build it.

M is for……….

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in North America and it is 2,530 miles long. It is the 4th largest river in the world.

N is for ……….

Norwegian American Museum

The Norwegian American Museum celebrates the history of the people of Norway that settled in Iowa. It is located in Decorah and the Norwegians believed in nisses [mischievous elves].

O is for ……….

Oak trees

The oak tree is Iowa ’state tree. Oak trees produce sweet and edible acorns that animals love to feed on.

P is for ……….

Pigs

Two of the meats that we get from pigs are bacon, and porkchops. Male pigs are called boars and female pigs are called gilts but if she had babies she would be called a sow.

Q is for ……….

Quaker Oats Company

Quaker Oats was founded in 1901 by the merger of four oat mills. In 1969 Quaker Oats acquired Fisher-Price and spun it off in 1991.

R is for ………. Ragbrai Ragbrai is a bike ride across Iowa and brings riders from all over the US. The average of its length is 472 miles and has about 8,500 riders.

S is for ..........

Sod houses

Some materials need to make a sod house are sod, lumber, plow, mud, and oxen.Some disadvantages are bugs, snakes, dirt floors, weeds, and leaks.

T is for ……….

Terrace Hill

Terrace Hill was built by Benjamin Franklin as a home for his family. When it was first built it was on the western edge of Des Moines and now it’s in the center.

U is for ……….

University of Iowa

More than 30,500 people enroll at universities in Iowa. The University of Iowa is a big national research university located on a 1,900 acre campus in Iowa City, Iowa.

V is for ……….

Villisca Axe Murder House

On June 10th, 1912 the Josiah Moore family and two Stillinger girls were murdered in what is now the Villisca Axe Murder House. An axe belonging to Josiah Moore was found in the room occupied by the Stillinger girls.

W is for ……….The Wild

Prairie Rose is Iowa’s state flower. It became Iowa’s state flower in 1897.

Wild prairie rose

X is for ……….

Basilica of St. Francis Xavier

The Basilica of St. Francis Xavier is the parish for the residents of Dyersville, Iowa. It is one of the 52 basilicas in the United States.

Y is for ……….

Yellow River State Forest

Yellow River State Forest is partly owned by the Iowa Department of Natural resources. The forest was established in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps..

Z is for ……….

Blank Park Zoo

The Blank Park Zoo was officially opened on May 26, 1966. It was a zoo for children and there was a castle with a moat, a replica of Noah’s ark, a petting zoo and a miniature railroad but at the end of 1982 the zoo closed.