the capital city of the US state of Iowa. City (pop., 2000: 198,682), capital of Iowa, U.S. Located at the juncture of the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers, Fort Des Moines was established in 1843 to protect the Sauk and Fox Indians. The area was opened to white settlers in 1845. East Des Moines developed and by 1856 had amalgamated with Fort Des Moines to form the present city, which became the capital in 1857. The state's largest city, it is a communications hub and a major commercial manufacturing, governmental, and publishing centre (especially for farm journals). It is the site of Drake University (1881) and home to the KRNT Theatre, one of the nation's largest
A river rising in southwest Minnesota and flowing about 861 km (535 mi) southeastward across Iowa to the Mississippi River. River, southwestern Minnesota into Iowa, U.S. Rising near Pipestone, it flows 525 mi (845 km) southeast to join the Mississippi River near Keokuk, Iowa. Above Humboldt, Iowa, it is known as the West Fork. From the late 1830s until the end of the American Civil War, it was the main commercial artery for central Iowa. It was early utilized for power, and, although none survive, 80 grain mills were built (1840-90) along its banks