Contents -- Preface -- Part I: The Early Years -- 1. Native Americans in Iowa -- 2. Exploration, Early Settlement, and Political Development -- 3. Pioneers on the Prairie -- 4. Economic Development in the Nineteenth Century -- 5. Iowans and the Civil War Era -- 6. Cultural Diversity: Immigrants and African Americans in the Hawkeye State, 1883-80 -- Part II: The Middle Years -- 7. Religious and Educational Institutions in Iowa: Establishing the Foundations -- 8. A Home First and a Business Second: Agriculture and Farm Life in the Middle Years -- 9. Town Life in the Middle Land -- 10. Urban Life in the Hawkeye State -- 11. Cultural Diversity -- 12. Social, Economic, and Political Issues in Iowa -- 13. Economic Development: Iowa's Industries and Industrial Workers -- Part III: The Recent Years -- 14. The 1930s: A Time of Trial -- 15. World War II and the Years Beyond -- 16. Iowa in the Sixties and Seventies -- 17. Iowa: The 1980s and 1990s -- Notes -- A Note on Sources -- Index.