Iowa History Month offers opportunity to dig into past

by Michael Morain

Iowa Culture Wire

If you really want to understand Iowa, you have to explore it from the ground up. You have to get up close and personal.

“We’re not flyover country,” said Pamela Riney-Kehrberg, who teaches history at Iowa State University. “The problem with looking at everything from 30,000 feet is that you miss out on the texture. You miss out on the detail. You miss out on the people, the places, the moments that really make history come alive.”

So every March, during Iowa History Month, the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs invites Iowans to zoom in and discover something new about the past. The annual tradition offers a chance to learn about earlier Iowans who have influenced their communities, their state, their country and, in many cases, the entire world.

The State Historical Society of Iowa, a division of the department, has lined up an array of in-person and online programs for all ages. Iowans and others can tune in to online presentations, take part in activities for families with children, discover materials in the new Iowa History Collection Catalog and take guided tours at the State Historical Museum of Iowa in Des Moines.

This year Iowans can also see a pop-up display about “Iowa’s People and Places,” which the state museum sent to all 99 counties to mark Iowa’s 175th statehood anniversary. Schools, libraries, museums, and other organizations across the state are hosting their own history events to join the month-long celebration.

“Every small town and big city in Iowa has its own story to tell,” said Michael Plummer, who leads the Local History Network, a statewide program the State Historical Society created to connect more than 200 community-history groups to resources and professional expertise. “Iowans tend to be pretty humble, but throughout

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our history, every county has had its share of colorful characters and dramatic turning points.”

Of course, the value of history extends beyond community pride. As Thomas Jefferson noted, an “informed citizenry” is essential to a functioning democracy.

Stefanie Wager of Grimes, who recently served as president of the National Council for the Social Studies, challenged the popular notion that those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it.

“Historians will argue that point, but there are patterns,” she said. “We want people to recognize those patterns and make connections between the past and present.”

She added that examples from state and local history show how grassroots efforts can build momentum for national progress. Women’s suffragists who marched in Boone helped pave the way for the 19th Amendment. Civil Rights activists in Des Moines and Waterloo helped set the stage for Martin Luther King Jr.

“That’s why state and local history is so important,” she said. “When people feel more connected to their communities, they’re more likely to engage in that community, more likely to volunteer and take care of it. The history connection to that is often overlooked, but it’s a huge part of civic engagement.”

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