Library Guides: Iowa-Related Resources: Iowa history

Honey War!

A surveying mistake almost caused a war between Iowa and Missouri in the 1830s. The surveyor’s state boundary line slanted four miles further north on the east side than the west because he forgot to adjust his compass. Another official was sent to resurvey, but his line was a bit north of the original line, to the tune of 2,600 acres. When a Missouri official tried to collect taxes from the settlers who lived in the disputed acres, an Iowa sheriff arrested him. The governors of each state threatened each other with combat, with militias and volunteers called to gather at the border. Before any shots were fired, the federal government stepped in and drew the line (literally). So why is it called “The Honey War”? Early on in the conflict a copse of trees containing a large number of honeybees was destroyed.

Honey War

ISU Library Resources

Just want to browse the book shelves? Try these main areas:
F 621 = History of Iowa LD 2543 = History of Iowa State College

Frontier Forts of Iowa: Indians, traders, and soldiers, 1682-1862 by William E. Whittaker
Call Number: F623 F76 2009
At least 56 frontier forts once stood in, or within view of, what is now the state of Iowa. All sought to control and manipulate Indians to the advantage of European and American traders, governments, and settlers.
A History of Story County, Iowa: Carefully Compiled, From the Earliest Settlement to the Present, March 1, 1887. by William G. Allen
Call Number: F627 S8 A4 1975
Reprint of an 1887 book.
A History of the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts
Call Number: LD2543 R733h (Tier 2 Reference Collection)
This is THE classic book on ISC history.
The Indians of Iowa by Lance M. Foster
Call Number: E78 I6 F67 2009
The Indians of Iowa is written for the general reader and covers the archaeology, history, and culture of all the different native nations that have called Iowa home from prehistory to the present. "Closer look" essays provide details on Indian women in Iowa, traditional ways of life, Indian history and spirituality, languages and place-names, archaeology, arts and crafts, and houses and landscapes. Present-day chapters include "Going to a Powwow," "Do You Have Indian Blood?" and "Indians in Iowa Today."
Iowa: Past to Present by Dorothy Schwieder; Thomas J. Morain; Lynn Nielsen
Call Number: PZ172 Sch99i 2002
A textbook for fifth grade students which traces the history of Iowa from its earliest inhabitants to modern times. Gives an excellent overview in a small volume.
Iowa: The Middle Land by Dorothy Schwieder
Call Number: F621 S38 1996
This history, which focuses on the economic and social history of Iowa, aims to prove that the location of this heartland state has a significant effect on the identity of its inhabitants. It takes the reader from 17th-century Native American habitation, to the sesqui-centennial in 1996.
Outside In: African-American history in Iowa, 1838-2000 by Bill Silag (Editor)
Call Number: E185.93 I64 O98 2001
Each chapter focuses on a particular aspect of that experience--legal and political rights, business and professional leadership, clubs and community organizations, churches and schools, and more--from Iowa's territorial days to the present. Hundreds of photographs accompany the text, which is documented with extensive references. Three themes tie together the historical information contained in Outside In: *The struggle of black Iowans to claim their rights as citizens; *The pursuit of individual opportunity in Iowa's evolving economy over the years; and *The creation of community institutions to help families and individuals through good times and bad.
A Sesquicentennial History of Iowa State University by Dorothy Schwieder (Editor); Gretchen Van Houten (Editor); John R. Anderson; Gretchen Van Houten (Editor)
Call Number: LD2547 S47 2007
Emphasizing the years from 1940-2000, this book builds on an earlier history of the University by Earle Ross. Written in a lively narrative style. Part 1 contains 4 chapters, leading off with a survey of the major developments of Iowa State College's first 80 years, followed by a chronological approach to the years from 1940 forward that highlights presidential administrations. Part 2 broadens the book's coverage with 6 chapters telling the ISU story from the perspective of topics such as the physical landscape of campus, the national and international impacts of the University, and Iowa State athletics through the years.