Iowa Files: Iowa in the 1840s; Cheap Land and Broken Treaties

Historian Kent Halstead will share the story of Taoyateduta (Chief Little Crow) shot in 1863 and buried in 1971, the story of the Warrior Black Hawk’s life and imprisonment, the story of the Half-Breed Tract in Extreme Southeast Iowa.

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 will be explained with 2 stories, 1 about the role of Native American Remains that were taken from Effigy Mounds National Monument and hidden in a garage and The Mayo Clinic’s Role in taking Native American Remains in December of 1863!

This joint library-Historical Society event is free and open to the public thanks to the support of West Des Moines Historical Society Members, EMC Insurance Foundation, the West Des Moines Library Friends Foundation and the Iowa Arts Council. 

All Iowa Files programs will be live streamed on the West Des Moines Historical Society’s Facebook Page and all videos will be closed captioned. They will also be uploaded to their YouTube channel after the event takes place.