Page 4 - DesMoinesRiver

Introduction

Water has always been of vital importance to life on
earth. The evolution of plants, animals, and human
societies has been profoundly affected by its presence, ab-
sence, and quality. From the time that the earliest people
set foot in the state to the present day, Iowa’s river valley
forests and backwater wetlands have provided a wealth
of microenvironments that offer diverse plant and animal
resources to fulfill human needs. The waterways provided
routes for travel, trade, and communication and the rich
organic sediments deposited by floods formed the foun-
dation for agriculture as early as 2,800 to 3,000 years
ago. Coal, clay, and other minerals dug from the river
banks were used for handcrafts and industry and the
rivers themselves often provided power to turn the mills
and drive the machines of those industries.

Native Americans watch Marquette and Joliet paddle down the Mississippi River. University of Iowa Museum of Natural History exhibit. Why Do They Call It the Des Moines
River?
Des Moines River at Lacey-Keosauqua State Park. Photographed by John Wenck.
4 A River of Unrivaled Advantages—Life Along the Lower Des Moines River The Dakota called it “river-of-the-red-stone”. They
named it for the red rocks (Sioux quartzite) found along
its banks in Minnesota. Farther downstream, the Ioway
called it “the-lots-of-raccoons-river”. Although these
names may have been known by early European explor-
ers they were never recorded on any of their maps.
The name Des Moines comes from the French. During
the late 1700s French explorers met a group from the
Illini nation called the Moingueas living along the river
in central Iowa. The French abbreviated the name to
“Les Moines” and called the river they lived along, “Des
Moines”. Since that label was recorded on French maps it
became the name by which the river is known today.