National Treasures
Find more information on National Park Service sites and
landmarks [www.nps.gov].
National Historic Site
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum [www.hoover.archives.gov] affords visitors many insights
into the life and leadership of America’s 31st president. Located in West
Branch, the site includes Hoover’s birthplace cottage and final resting place.
A blacksmith shop, one-room schoolhouse, Friends meeting house, replica of the
Oval Office, and changing American history exhibits are also part of the
library and museum operated by the National Archives and Records
Administration. The Visitor Center is operated by the National Park Service.
National Monument
Effigy Mounds National Monument [www.nps.gov/efmo] is a group of prehistoric American Indian
burial and ceremonial mounds located near Marquette in northeast Iowa. The
mounds — shaped like birds and animals between 500 B.C. and 1300 A.D. — form
the sacred centerpiece of a 2,526-acre forest along the Mississippi River
bluffs. Natural resources include 11 miles of hiking trails, tallgrass prairie
and wetlands.
National Heritage Area
Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area [www.silosandsmokestacks.org] is a federally designated,
37-county region in northeast Iowa, where visitors experience the past and
present of Iowa agriculture through a network of sites. One of only 27 National
Heritage Areas in the United States, Silos and Smokestacks tells the story of
American agriculture, agribusiness and farm life. It is affiliated with the
National Park Service.
National Wildlife Refuges
Wildlife
— whether the fin, feather or fur kind — thrives in Iowa, where five National Wildlife Refuges offer habitat for them and viewing opportunities for nature lovers.
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, located near Missouri Valley in west central
Iowa, offers 7,800 acres of refuge to migrating waterfowl — especially geese
and ducks — along the Missouri River. Bald eagles also winter here.
Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge
Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge, located in northeast Iowa along the
Mississippi River, is part of the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish
Refuge.
Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge and Prairie Learning Center
Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge and Prairie Learning Center, near Prairie
City in central Iowa, showcases Iowa’s prairie heritage. Auto and walking tours
encounter buffalo and elk, native flowers and prairie grasses.
Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge
Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge, near Toolesboro in southeast Iowa, is a
natural haven for wildlife along the bend in the Mississippi River.
Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge
Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge, located in northwest Iowa, is Kossuth
County’s welcome to wildlife.
Find more information on wildlife and fish refuges [http://refuges.fws.gov].
|