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French explorers Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette are believed to be the first Europeans to visit Iowa. They described Iowa as lush, green, and fertile. Iowa has been home to approximately 17 different tribes. Today, only the Meskwaki tribe remains. The first American settlers officially moved to Iowa in June 1833. Primarily, they were families from Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri. Iowa became the 29th state in the union on December 28, 1846. The Chicago and North Western Railway reached Council Bluffs in 1867. Council Bluffs was designated the eastern terminus for the Union Pacific Railroad. The completion of five major railroads across Iowa brought major economic changes as well as travel opportunities. During the American Civil War, more than 75,000 Iowans participated in the war, 13,001 of whom died (mostly by disease). Iowa had a higher percentage of soldiers serve in the Civil War, per capita, than any other state in the Union, with nearly 60% of eligible males serving. Iowa saw a large increase in farming of beef, corn, and pork during World War I, but farmers saw economic hardships after the war. These hardships were the result of the removal of war-time farm subsidies. Total recovery did not happen until the 1940s. The Farm Crisis of the 1980's saw a major decline of family farms in Iowa and around the Midwest, and it was marked by a sharp drop in the state's rural population. Although Iowa's primary industry is agriculture, it also produces refrigerators, washing machines, fountain pens, farm implements, and food products that are shipped around the world. Iowa is also a major producer of ethanol and biodiesel. Bergman, Marvin, ed. Iowa History Reader (1996) essays by scholars. Ross, Earl D. Iowa Agriculture: An Historical Survey (1951) Sage, Leland. A History of Iowa (1974) Schwieder, Dorothy. Iowa: The Middle Land (1996) excellent scholarly history.
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