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Cultural Point 2: Intrinsic Qualities

and historic assessment and Context

Resources

Important byway resources that attract and engage visitors are called “intrinsic qualities.” The
National Scenic Byways Program defines intrinsic qualities as “features that are considered
representative, unique, irreplaceable, or distinctly characteristic of an area.”

There are six intrinsic quality categories: cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, natural, and
scenic. The Iowa Valley Scenic Byway’s primary intrinsic qualities are cultural and historic. While
important to the IVSB, the other four intrinsic qualities are considered supporting, not primary,
elements�

Approximately 915 resources have been identified for the two primary intrinsic qualities, cultural
and historic. A single resource may embody more than one intrinsic quality. Some of the most
important resources are discussed here. A summary listing of all the intrinsic quality resources is
found in an accompanying data CD.

HISTorIC CoNTexT

The intrinsic quality resources focus upon the two anchor communities, the Meskwaki Settlement
485 and the Amana Colonies, although significant resources are present between the anchors as well.
A brief overview of the history and importance of the anchors and the connecting communities is
presented�
MESkWAkI SETTLEMENT

As the only federally recognized American Indian tribe in Iowa, the Meskwaki carry the government
assigned name of Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa. Of Algonquin affiliation, the Meskwaki
trace their ancestral origins to points farther east — along the Saint Lawrence River and later to
areas near Detroit, Michigan, and Green Bay, Wisconsin. Coming from the Eastern Woodland
Culture area, the Meskwaki’s language is spoken in the same dialect as the Sauk and Kickapoo.
As the pressure of French fur trading activities and Euroamerican settlement in the 1700s and
1800s pushed the tribe toward the Upper Mississippi River Valley and major tributaries like the
Iowa River, the Meskwaki and the Sauk became among the dominant tribes in the region. Drawn to