CHAPTER III.
EARLY HISTORY AND EXPLORATIONS.
The Struggle for the Middle West. — Although Iowa as a State is comparatively young, the early history of the Iowa country is full of the romance of exploration, adventure, and international conflict. The Iowa country was in a region coveted by the three great nations of Spain, France, and England. Each of these nations struggled for the possession of the vast unexplored domain west of the Mississippi.
Early Explorers. De Soto. — Of De Soto's unfortunate Spanish expedition but little is known except that it was conceived in an avarice for gold and left a trail of slaughter and devastation. In 1541 De Soto discovered the lower Mississippi River, and the next year was buried in its waters. After wandering for several years, they scarcely knew where, across the southern part of the United States, scarcely two hundred and fifty of his army of one thousand men survived to return to the Spanish settlements.
Nicollet. — Although he did not reach Iowa, the great journey of Nicollet in 1634 prepared the way for subsequent discoveries. Jean Nicollet, a Frenchman, sought to find a short water route to China from the Great Lakes; and it is said that he carried with him a gorgeous Man-
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