Information and photos of children's outdoor chores on the farm from 1870-1950 from the Collections of the Iowa Rural Schools Museum of Odebolt

Information and photos of girls' indoor chores at home on the farm from 1870-1950 from the Collections of the Iowa Rural Schools Museum of Odebolt

Information and photos of historical school documents and Iowa books in Iowa Schools from 1870-1950 from the Collections of the Iowa Rural Schools Museum of Odebolt

Information and photos of morning routines in Iowa Schools from 1870-1950 from the Collections of the Iowa Rural Schools Museum of Odebolt

Information and photos of school awards in Iowa Schools from 1870-1950 from the Collections of the Iowa Rural Schools Museum of Odebolt

Information and photos of students desks and devices in Iowa Schools from 1870-1950 from the Collections of the Iowa Rural Schools Museum of Odebolt

Information and photos of teacher's desk and furnishings in Iowa Schools from 1870-1950 from the Collections of the Iowa Rural Schools Museum of Odebolt

Information and photos of teaching methods and devices in Iowa Schools from 1870-1950 from the Collections of the Iowa Rural Schools Museum of Odebolt

Information and photos of Toys and Games used by children at home and in Iowa Schools from 1870-1950 from the Collections of the Iowa Rural Schools Museum of Odebolt

What is a goldfinch, you ask? Of course it is a beautiful bird, but it is was also an Iowa history magazine for young people. Published quarterly by the State Historical Society of Iowa from 1975 to 2000, each issue had a theme (such as immigrants) and included articles, games, and fiction. The University of Iowa Libraries has digitized all of these back issues and visitors can scroll through all of them from this site. Visitors might do well to start by looking at the issues titled "Health in Iowa" and "Traveling Entertainment." Educators might consider these works as a model for teaching young people about history as each issues is well-curated and contains a mix of visual materials and thoughtful text.

Historical images of farm children at school or on their way to school

Historical images of Iowa farmers, farms, families and their work on the farm

Here you can find nearly all of Iowa’s 99 counties atlases in digital collection. In addition, county atlases from the late 1800s and the early 1900s are being digitized.

The Iowa Digital Library features more than a million digital objects created from the holdings of the University of Iowa Libraries and its campus partners. Included are illuminated manuscripts, historic maps, fine art, historic newspapers, scholarly works, and more. Digital collections are coordinated by the Digital Scholarship & Publishing Studio.

Iowa celebrated its 150th anniversary of statehood in 1996 . [Photo by Dorothy Dvorachek] Meskwaki Singers and Dancers of Tama perform on the grounds of the state capitol at the 1996 Festival of Iowa Folklife. As part of that celebration, some 150 Iowa musicians, craftspeople, storytellers, radio announcers, farmers, cooks, doctors, basketball players, teachers, scholars, and state officials participated in the Smithsonian Institution’s Festival of American Folklife on the National Mall of the United States in Washington, D.C. They demonstrated various aspects of Iowa’s cultural traditions to more than 1.2 million visitors, and received a great deal of media attention—generating some 600 newspaper articles and 50 television and radio segments. This living exposition of Iowa’s cultures was remounted on the State Capitol Grounds in Des Moines in August 1996. Over 85,000 people visited this Festival of Iowa Folklife. In addition, the festivals generated an Iowa Public Television documentary, Iowa Folks ...

Images of the cover of historic books on Iowa and historic handbooks for Iowa Teachers.

We are committed to preserving and promoting the state’s history and encouraging a public conversation about the story of Iowa. Our mission is to advance the understanding and appreciation of Iowa history among the state’s students, scholars and general public. We have established a number of programs designed to heighten public awareness and interest in Iowa history, expand educational opportunities in Iowa history, and make this history more widely available.

This site is committed to maintaining and nurturing the history of Iowa and its story. They have numerous programs to increase public interest and understanding of Iowa history. Their goal is to create more educational opportunities and make Iowa’s history more available for the public.