History and Legends of Placenames in Iowa

In preparing his volume on the place names of Iowa, Dr. Leon C. Hills gathered a wide range of historical facts and early legends in order to illuminate the map of the state for younger readers. Through careful study of available records, he traced the origins and meanings of hundreds of names, many of them drawn from the languages and traditions of more than forty Indian tribes, while others reflected the influence of explorers, soldiers, settlers, and the varied peoples who laid the foundations of Iowa’s communities. Although written for elementary pupils, the work sought not merely to entertain but to preserve valuable fragments of Iowa’s early past that might otherwise have been forgotten; in doing so, it provided teachers and students with a rich supplement to courses in history, geography, and literature.

Hills emphasized that his study was not intended as a full history of the state but as a guide to the stories suggested by the names upon the map. Each name, whether belonging to a county, township, village, river, or natural landmark, served as an entry point into broader narratives of exploration, settlement, and cultural heritage. The Spanish claim to the Mississippi Valley is recalled in the town of DeSoto, just as the French presence is evoked by Marquette in Clayton County. Dubuque, both county and city, directs attention to the first permanent white settler, while the name of the state itself introduces students to the Iowa tribe. Hills noted more than four hundred place names, including over a hundred of Indian origin and many tied to the Colonial and Revolutionary eras, biblical tradition, classic literature, or significant conflicts ranging from the Black Hawk War to the First World War.

The study also revealed how township names, numbering more than sixteen hundred across the state, reflected the aspirations, loyalties, and ideals of the early inhabitants. Certain names helped trace the routes of the Underground Railroad or the trails of the Latter Day Saints; others honored presidents, heroes, poets, or ancient figures; still others marked striking natural features such as the ancient outcrops of Gitchie Manito State Park in Lyon County. Throughout the volume, Hills directed pupils to numerous reference works, encouraging further reading and thoughtful exploration. In its addenda, the book provided additional material for school compositions, along with a complete list of Iowa’s counties and the origins of their names.

History and legends of place names in Iowa

This copy of the original book has been reproduced by offset. Photographs consequently are not of original quality.

Source

Hills, Leon C., History and legends of place names in Iowa : the meaning of our map, Omaha, Neb. : Omaha School Supply Co., 1937.

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