Iowa Trivia & Tidbits

Looking for Iowa trivia? Try our list Iowa little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

Dedicated in 1934, Lake Keomah State Park near Oskaloosa (pop. 10,938) was named by combining the first syllables of the two counties-Keokuk (pop. 11,400) and Mahaska (pop. 22,335)-that helped finance the park.

first appeared: 10/18/2009

Bird watchers will want to look down in Audubon (pop. 2,382), where tile mosaic replicas of John James Audubon's bird prints are inlaid in the sidewalks. The sidewalk art honors the famed artist and naturalist for whom the city and county are named.

first appeared: 10/4/2009

A no-nonsense, frugal mother of nine, Thelma Meyer, of Granger (pop. 583), is the inspiration behind the line of green household cleaners called Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products. Her daughter, Monica Nassif, founded the Minneapolis-based company in 1999.

first appeared: 9/20/2009

The Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum in the Grout Museum District in Waterloo (pop. 68,747) features a re-created bow of the USS Juneau, the U.S. Navy cruiser on which the town's five Sullivan brothers fought and died during World War II. The museum explores Iowans' roles in all wars since the Civil War.

first appeared: 9/6/2009

Built in 1883 for Joshua Secrest, the Gothic-style octagonal Secrest barn in West Liberty (pop. 3,332) has a bell-shaped roof and is believed to be one of a kind.

first appeared: 8/23/2009

Built in 1878 along the Des Moines River in Bonaparte (pop. 458), the former Meek Grist Mill no longer attracts farmers with wagonloads of grain. Customers today are hungry diners at the Bonaparte Retreat restaurant.

first appeared: 8/9/2009

The first user of the microblogging service Twitter to collect more than 1 million followers was actor Ashton Kutcher, born in 1978 in Cedar Rapids. In April, Kutcher beat cable TV news network CNN in a challenge to reach the mark.

first appeared: 7/26/2009

—Built in 1912, a 50-foot-diameter round barn near Allerton (pop. 559) has been restored and features a loft free of support columns, made possible by its web-like construction. The barn is part of the International Center for Rural Culture and Art, which includes an old schoolhouse and a church.

first appeared: 7/12/2009

—In the Mississippi River town of Guttenberg (pop. 1,987), Ingleside Park, which runs the length of the community along the riverbank, is a popular spot for picnickers, joggers, fishermen and barge watchers. Barges lock through nearby Lock & Dam No. 10.

first appeared: 6/28/2009

—To settle a rivalry between towns for the Lee County (pop. 38,052) seat in 1847, the state legislature granted jurisdiction to both Keokuk (pop. 11,427) and Fort Madison (pop. 10,715). This is the only county in the state with two county seats.

first appeared: 6/14/2009

—The Iowa Hall of Pride in Des Moines showcases the achievements of Iowans, from student athletes to sports legends and movie stars to scientists. Some of the newest exhibits honor Shawn Johnson, Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics, from West Des Moines (pop. 46,403); golfer and Masters champion Zach Johnson, of Cedar Rapids; and Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones, of Des Moines.

first appeared: 5/31/2009

—In 1972, archery champion Doreen Wilber (1930-2008), of Jefferson (pop. 4,626), became the state's first female athlete to win an Olympic gold medal.

first appeared: 5/17/2009

—Leonard Olson's artwork is colorful and ever-changing at his Kaleidoscope Factory in Pomeroy (pop. 710), opened in 2004.

first appeared: 5/3/2009

–At the Iowa Trolley Park in Clear Lake (pop. 8,161), visitors can ride a passenger–propelled handcar and motorized speeder, both used to transport railroad workers and equipment.

first appeared: 4/19/2009

—The state's smallest county in land area is Dickinson (pop. 16,424) with 381 square miles, and the largest is Kossuth (pop. 17,163) with 973 square miles.

first appeared: 4/5/2009

—The University of Iowa, in Iowa City, was founded on Feb. 25, 1847, only 59 days after Iowa became a state. The first building owned by the university is Old Capitol, which was deeded to the university when the state capital moved in 1857 to Des Moines.

first appeared: 3/22/2009

—The word tractor was popularized by Charles W. Hart and Charles H. Parr to describe their “gasoline traction engine.” Hart-Parr tractors were manufactured in Charles City (pop. 7,812) in the early 1900s.

first appeared: 3/8/2009

—Built in 1897, the 168-foot-tall Marston Water Tower supplied water to the campus of Iowa State University in Ames (pop. 50,731) and was the first steel water tower west of the Mississippi River.

first appeared: 2/22/2009

—Since 1935, customers have sipped milkshakes at the 25-foot-long soda fountain at the Princess Sweet Shop in Iowa Falls (pop. 5,193), an art deco-style building with a café and ice cream parlor.

first appeared: 2/8/2009

—The sidewalks were getting dings and cracks from beer kegs being unloaded at bars near Iowa State University in Ames (pop. 50,731), so last August the city installed a creative solution: a shock-absorbing rubber sidewalk, made from shredded recycled tires.

first appeared: 1/11/2009

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