Review of "Story of Iowa," by W. L. Wallace

Review of

Story of Iowa, by W. L. Wallace


Four out of five stars

 Written in 1931, this short history of the state of Iowa must be read with that fact in mind. It was designed to be a history textbook for students before they enter high school, there are sections that will seem simplistic to the modern reader. Unlike other history books that cover this area, a great deal of ink is consumed explaining the role and actions of the Native Americans in affecting the early history of the state. Even though they were warlike in many ways, there was often friendship and cooperation between the Native Americans and the European interlopers.

 While modern readers may consider the explanations of the exploration, settlement and development of the state of Iowa to be a bit quaint, this is still an interesting book to read. For it shows how the history of the state was presented to students in the early thirties. One fascinating feature is the appendix listing the origin of the names of all the counties in Iowa.