Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Iowa

by Henry Gannett

Plate II. IOWA, one of the north-western States of the American Union. Its boundary lines are—on the S. and N. the parallels 40° 36' and 43° 30' of N. lat., on the E. the Mississippi river, and on the W. the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers. The south-eastern corner projects slightly below the parallel of 40° 36', the boundary following the Des Moines river down to its mouth. The neighbouring States are—Minnesota on the north, Wisconsin and Illinois on the east, Missouri on the south, and Nebraska and Dakota on the west. The length of the State from north to south is about 200 miles, and its greatest breadth from east to west 300 miles. Its area is 35,228,800 acres, or 55,045 square miles.

The State lies entirely within the prairie region of the Mississippi valley, and has a level or undulating surface. Its mean height above the sea is 925 feet,—ranging from 500 in the south-east to 1700 in the north-west. About 24,600 square miles of the area rise less than 1000 feet above sea-level.

The surface presents very little relief. A broad elevation (1700 feet at the north boundary, and decreasing gradually southwards) separates the waters of the Mississippi from those of the Missouri. The position of this “divide” is, for the most part, near the western border of the State, giving to the branches of the Mississippi long courses and an easy fall, while those of the Missouri have comparatively short courses and a rapid fall. Near their sources, these branches, both of the Mississippi and Missouri, flow in broad, shallow valleys. Farther down their courses, however, bluffs develop, and increase gradually in height, while the valleys in general become narrower. The bluffs bordering the valley of the Mississippi, range in height from 200 to 400 feet, the valley between them being usually from 4 to 8 miles in width, although in a few places, as at Dubuque, they close in upon the river on both sides. On the Missouri, the bluffs range from 200 to 300 feet in height, enclosing a bottom land 5 to 12 miles in width.

Rivers and Lakes.—The Mississippi and Missouri are the only navigable rivers. They have ample depth of water for all purposes of inland navigation. At two points upon the former river, indeed (at Rock Island and near Keokuk), there are rapids which at low water form partial obstructions to navigation; but at high water steamers can run them in either direction. A canal is now being made to facilitate the passage of the lower or Des Moines rapids, and works are projected for the improvement of the upper or Rock Island rapids. The other rivers are the Upper Iowa, Turkey, Maquoqueta, Wapsipinicon, Iowa, Cedar, Skunk, or Checauqua, and Des Moines, flowing into the Mississippi, and the Chariton, Nodaway, Grand, Nishnabotany, and Little and Big Sioux, flowing into the Missouri. None of these streams are navigable. A few small lakes are found in the north-west, on or near the divide between the two great rivers. The area of swamp and marsh surface is proportionally small, and is rapidly diminishing.

Forests.—As in most of the prairie region of the Mississippi valley, there is in this State but little forest, the timber being confined to the bottom lands of the streams and the faces of the bluffs. The commonest trees are the oak, elm, cotton wood, black walnut, hickory, maple, and linden. Upon the bluffs is found a sparse growth of pines and red cedar.

Geology.—The geology of tho State is remarkably simple; excepting in the north-western quarter, where the formations are so covered with Quaternary drift as to be unrecognizable, there is from north-cast to south-west a succession of belts, from the Lower Silurian to the top of the Carboniferous, varying in breadth and extending north west and south-east. The Silurian occupies but a com paratively small area in the north-eastern corner. A strip of Devonian follows, 40 to 50 miles in width, extending from Davenport on the Mississippi north-west ward to the northern boundary. The south-western half of the State is overlaid by the different members of the Carboniferous formation, with here and there fragments of Cretaceous beds, which have survived the enormous erosion to which the surface has everywhere been subjected.

Minerals.—It is estimated that about 7000 square miles are underlaid by the Coal-measures. Within this area coal beds of workable thickness and quality have been found at Fort Dodge, Moingona, Des Moines, and Oskaloosa, where they are being extensively worked. The coal is bituminous, no anthracite having been found in the State. The north-eastern part of Iowa is included within the great lead region of the Upper Mississippi; and, although the palmy days of the mines of that region are over, the product is yet very important. The ore, which is galena, is found in pockety deposits in the limestones of the Silurian formation. These deposits vary immensely in size, and in general extend to no great depth, and therefore cannot be relied upon for permanence.

Climate.—The climate resembles in its essential features that of the rest of the prairie States, excepting that towards the west the aridity of the atmosphere and the decreased rainfall characteristic of the great plains begin to be perceptible. The annual rainfall ranges from 24 to 44 inches, with an average of about 36 inches, the south eastern portion receiving the greatest amount, and the western part the least. The mean annual temperature ranges from 42° to 52° Fahr., the summer mean from 66° to 79° and the winter mean from 14° to 27° showing a difference between the summer and winter temperatures of 52°. The highest single observed temperatures have been 95° to 105°, and the lowest 18° to 33° below zero, an extreme range of about 125°. The south-eastern portion has the mildest and most equable temperature, as well as the greatest rainfall. Northward and westward the temperature becomes lower and extremes greater.

Soil.—The soil is extremely fertile, whether drift, bluff, or alluvial. The drift, whose name explains its origin, covers the greater part of the State. It is a dark loam, 1 to 2 feet in depth, and of almost inexhaustible fertility. The bluff soil or loess occupies the country bordering upon the valley of the Missouri. It is supposed to be a subaerial deposit, brought by the prevalent westerly winds from the plains of Nebraska and Dakota, and deposited here near the borders of the humid region. It has a great depth, reaching 200 feet in some instances, and is everywhere extremely rich. The alluvial soil, found in the valleys and bottom-lands, is the deposit of the streams, and varies in composition with the country which the streams have traversed above. Much of it on the Missouri and its branches is composed of loess, while that on the Mississippi is mainly altered drift deposits.

Agriculture.—The agricultural interest is by far the largest and most important of the State. In the production of Indian corn it ranks second, and of wheat fifth, among the States of the Union. The following table, taken from the report of the department of agriculture, shows the amount of the agricultural products for 1879:—

	Number of  acres under  each Crop.	Product.	Value.	Average  yield per  acre.
		Bushels.	$	Bushels.
Indian Corn	4,873,400	185,189,200	44,445,408	38.0
Wheat	3,214,400	32,786 880	30,163 930	10.2
Rye	23,400	365,040	197,122	15.6
Oats	1,034,900	37,256,400	8,568,972	36
Barley	195,000	4,290,000	1,930,500	22
Buckwheat	8,000	144,000	99,360	18
Potatoes	105,700	9,090,200	2,908,864	86
		Tons.		Tons.
Hay	2,314,286	3,564,000	16,180,560	1.54

The numbers of different classes of live stock were—horses, 778,400; mules, 44,700; milch cows, 724,500; other cattle, 1,370,400; sheep, 454,400; hogs, 2,778,400. In number of horses Iowa ranks as the fifth, of milch cows and other cattle third, and of hogs second, among the States. The average value of cleared farming land in the State in 1879 was $27.30 per acre; of timber land, $39.36. The increased value of the latter is due to the scarcity of forests. The average monthly wages paid to agricultural labourers during the same year was $23.26; average daily wages, on transient employment, $2.01.

Manufactures.—The manufacturing industries have not yet reached a high degree of development. Those branches connected with agriculture have naturally made most advance. The following statistics, from the results of the tenth census (1880), show the condition of these industries.

Industries, 1880.	Number of  Establishments.	Capital.	Greatest number of  Hands employed  at any one time during the Year.	Average day's wages for a Skilled  Mechanic.	Average day's wages for an Ordinary  Labourer.	Total amount paid in wages  during the Year.	Materials.	Products.
Agricultural implements	58	$1,085,530	1075	2.06	1.26	$235,335	$559,861	$1,148,872
Boots and shoes	543	477,077	1025	1.76	1.23	253,681	445,443	1,179,811
Bricks and tiles	276	474,614	2760	2.08	1.17	370,929	227,637	935,507
Carpentering and building	374	531,660	2664	2.06	1.34	536,924	1,197,845	2,175,346
Cheese and butter	237	742,633	897	1.50	.95	127,430	1,087,645	1,555,188
Flouring and grist mill products	701	7,950,560	3025	2.09	1.14	845,714	16,567,552	21,062,744
Lumber, sawn and planed	332	5,035,440	5886	1.88	1.23	1,399,779	3,808,696	6,401,940
Printing and publishing	151	1,150,786	1384	2.00	1.17	509,529	525,536	1,431,589

Communication.—For means of communication and transportation Iowa is dependent almost entirely upon its railroads and its two bounding rivers. It has no canals, if we except the short one around the Des Moines rapids.

In 1880 there were forty-five railroads, working 4779 miles of track, with a total capital stock of $60,000,000, and a funded debt of $44,400,000. The total amount invested in railroads exceeded $100,000,000. The total gross earnings of the companies from passengers, freight, and mails was $5,218,000, of which $1,415,000 or 27 per cent. were net earnings. This is but 2³⁄₁₆ per cent. on the capital stock.

Banks.—According to the report for 1880 of the controller of the currency, there were in operation in Iowa 75 national banks, having a capital of $5,837,000, and an outstanding circulation of $4,697,314; 60 State banks and trust companies, with a capital of $2,521,985, holding $6,100,307 of deposits; 245 private bankers, representing a capital of $2,583,754, with deposits amounting to $7,017,806; and 4 savings banks, with a capital of $48,107, having deposits amounting to $208,018.

Administration.—As in the other States, the governmental power is divided among three departments, known as the executive, legislative, and judicial.

The officers of the executive department are the governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, superintendent of public instruction, and register of the State land office. All these officers are elected by the people, the term of office being in each case two years. No one is eligible for the office of governor or lieutenant-governor who is less than thirty years of age, or has not been a citizen of the United States and of the State for at least two years. The governor is commander-in-chief of the militia. He has the power of filling vacancies in office in cases for which the law does not otherwise provide, of calling the general assembly to meet in extra session, of vetoing laws passed by the general assembly, and of pardoning persons convicted of any crime excepting treason. The lieutenant-governor is ex officio president of the State senate; and, in the event of the death, resignation, or removal of the governor, he assumes his office.

The legislative department is vested in the general assembly, which consists of a senate and house of representatives. The former consists of not more than 50 senators, who are elected for terms of four years. Each senator must be at least twenty-five years of age, and must be a citizen of the State. The house of representatives consists of not more than 100 representatives. Their term of office is two years. A representative must have attained the age of twenty-one years. The general assembly meets at Des Moines (which since 1857 has been the capital), and holds a regular session once in two years. The judicial department comprises a supreme court and district and circuit courts. Its officers are the judges of the several courts, clerk and reporter of the supreme court, attorney-general and district attorneys, all of whom are elected by the people. The supreme court consists of four judges, whose term of office is six years. The senior in office is the chief justice. The State is divided into a certain number of judicial districts, in each of which are elected every four years a judge of the district and of the circuit court and a district attorney. The latter is the prosecuting attorney for his district.

The representation of the State in the national congress consists of two senators, chosen by joint ballot of the two houses of tha general assembly, and of nine representatives, elected directly by the people of the congressional districts.

The State is divided into ninety-nine counties. Their officers are all elected by the people, and the tenure of office is two years. They are three, five, or seven supervisors (who collectively form a “board of supervisors”), an auditor, a clerk of the district and circuit courts, a sheriff, treasurer, recorder, superintendent of schools, coroner, and surveyor. The board of supervisors have authority over the property of the county, levy State and county taxes, and keep in repair roads and bridges. Each county is divided into civil townships, which are in most cases 6 miles square, corresponding with the congressional or survey townships of the general land system. Each township is under a civil government, administered by three trustees, a clerk, an assessor of taxes, and two or more justices of the peace and constables. All these officers are elected by the people, and all, with the exception of the justices of the peace, whose term is two years, serve for one year only. The trustees are the general managers of the affairs of the township. They are the judges of election, and have charge of fences and roads, and the care of the poor. Cities and towns, when incorporated, are not removed from the jurisdiction of the township officers.

Value of Property.—The preliminary results of the tenth census (1880) show the following figures regarding the wealth, debt, and taxation of the State:—

Assessed valuation of real estate	$296,254,342
Assessed valuation of personal property	101,268,422
Total assessed valuation	397,522,764
Amount of State tax	827,305
Amount of county tax	4,280,091
State debt in 1879	545,435
Bonded debt of counties	2,607,211
All other debt of counties	325,165

Judging from returns of true valuation of real estate from a few counties, scattered over the State, the true valuation of real estate must be not far from $900,000,000. It is impossible to make an estimate of the true valuation of personal property.

Education.—The State is divided into school districts, each civil township constituting one, with such incorporated cities and towns as may so elect. The support of the educational system is derived from the proceeds from all sales of State lands, 5 per cent. of all proceeds from sales of land belonging to the general Government within the State, a county tax of not less than 1 mill nor more than 2½ mills on the dollar, and a district tax of not more than 1½ per cent. upon the assessed valuation of the property within the school district. Besides these, there are several other minor sources of revenue. The amount of the school district tax for 1880 was $3,704,465, and the county tax for schools, $409,110, giving a total taxation for support of schools of 4,113,575. The total valuation of school property is estimated at 12,197,396. The total school district debt, all which is bonded, is $1,125,138. The schools are graded, and classified as primary, intermediate, grammar, and high schools. The law permits a high school in each county.

The State supports one university, located at Iowa City. It comprises academical, normal, medical, and law departments. The State also supports a school of agriculture and the mechanical arts, located near Ames, in Story county. There are also several colleges supported by religious denominations, the greater number of them belonging to the Methodists, theological seminaries, and a college under the direction of the Norwegian Luther Synod.

Population.—The inhabitants of the State in 1880 numbered 1,624,620, a gain of 36 per cent. on the number of 1870. The following tables show the growth of the population since 1840, and give details of its distribution in 1870 and 1880:—

	White.	Coloured.	Total.	Increase  per cent.
1840	42,924	188	43,112	...
1850	191,881	333	192,214	346
1860	673,779	1069	674,913	251
1870	1,188,207	5813	1,194,020	77
1880	1,614,510	9953	1,624,620	36

	1880.	Percentage.	1870.	Percentage.
Males	848,234	52	625,917	52½
Females	776,386	48	568,103	47½
Natives	1,363,132	84	989,328	83
Foreigners	261,488	16	204,692	17

The density of the population is 30 inhabitants per square mile. Excluding the cities of 10,000 inhabitants and upwards (the urban population), this density is reduced to 27.

The principal cities of the State, with their population in 1880, are as follows:—

Des Moines	22,408
Dubuque	22,254
Davenport	21,834
Burlington	19,450
Council Bluffs	18,059
Keokuk	12,117
Cedar Rapids	10,104
Clinton	9,052
Ottumwa	9,004
Muscatine (estimated)	8,294

History.—Iowa was originally a part of the Louisiana purchase. In 1834 all that part of the United States lying west of the Mississippi river and north of Missouri, including the present area of Iowa, was placed under the jurisdiction of the Territory of Michigan, and two years later the Territory of Wisconsin was created, including what is now Iowa. In 1838 Iowa itself was made a Territory, and on December 28, 1846, it was admitted to the Union as a State. At the time of the Louisiana purchase, this region was occupied by the Sioux, Sac and Fox, and Iowa tribes of Indians. The first white settlements within the State were made along the Mississippi in 1833,—Fort Madison, Burlington, and Dubuque being the first points occupied. From these points settlement spread westward, and the growth of the Territory and State has from that time been rapid and steady. (H. G.*).

VOL. XIII	IOWA.	PLATE II
ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA, NINTH EDITION.