Iowa is the 29th state of the United States, having joined the
union on December 28, 1846. The official name of the state is
"State of Iowa", and the U.S. Post Office abbreviation for the
state is IA. The state is named for the Native American Iowa
people. - Adapted from "History of Iowa" by Dorothy Schwieder,
professor of history, Iowa State University Marquette and Joliet
find Iowa lush and green In the summer of 1673, French explorers
Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquette traveled down the
Mississippi River past the land that was to become the state of
Iowa. The two explorers, along with their five crewmen, stepped
ashore near where the Iowa River flowed into the Mississippi. It
is believed that the 1673 voyage marked the first time that
white people visited the region of Iowa. After surveying the
surrounding area, the Frenchmen recorded in their journals that
Iowa appeared lush, green, and fertile. For the next 300 years,
thousands of white settlers would agree with these early
visitors: Iowa was inde