Still moving north we now visit the capital city of Des Moines, Iowa.The photos are: 1) downtown Des Moines; 2) downtown Des Moines at night; 3) the Iowa State Capitol Building (with its golden dome); 4) the Fort Des Moines Memorial (birthplace of Des Moines); 5) the Jordan Creek Mall; 6) the Kruidenier Trail bridge across Gray's Lake; and 7) The Edna M. Griffin Memorial Pedestrian Bridge over Interstate 235.
Des Moines is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857. It is named after the Des Moines River, which may have been adapted from the French Rivière Des Moines, literally meaning "River of the Monks" (however, see "History" section below). The five-county metropolitan area is ranked 91st in terms of population in the United States according to 2007 estimates with 546,599 residents according to United States Census Bureau. The city proper population was 198,682 at the 2000 census.
Des Moines is a major center for the insurance industry and also has a sizable financial services and publishing business base. In fact, Des Moines was credited with the "number one spot for U.S. insurance companies" in a Business Wire article. The city is the headquarters for the Principal Financial Group, the Meredith Corporation, Ruan Transportation, EMC Insurance Companies, and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. Other major corporations such as Wells Fargo, ING Group, Marsh, and Pioneer Hi-Bred have large operations in or near the metro area. Forbes Magazine ranked Des Moines as the fourth "Best Place for Business" in 2007. Kiplinger's Personal Finance 2008 Best Cities List featured Des Moines as #9.
Des Moines is an important city in United States presidential politics as the capital of Iowa, which is home to the Iowa caucuses. The Iowa caucuses has been the first major electoral event in nominating the President of the United States since 1972; therefore many presidential candidates set up headquarters in Des Moines. A 2007 article in the New York Times stated "if you have any desire to witness presidential candidates in the most close-up and intimate of settings, there is arguably no better place to go than Des Moines."
Des Moines is a major center for the insurance industry and also has a sizable financial services and publishing business base. In fact, Des Moines was credited with the "number one spot for U.S. insurance companies" in a Business Wire article. The city is the headquarters for the Principal Financial Group, the Meredith Corporation, Ruan Transportation, EMC Insurance Companies, and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. Other major corporations such as Wells Fargo, ING Group, Marsh, and Pioneer Hi-Bred have large operations in or near the metro area. Forbes Magazine ranked Des Moines as the fourth "Best Place for Business" in 2007. Kiplinger's Personal Finance 2008 Best Cities List featured Des Moines as #9.
Des Moines is an important city in United States presidential politics as the capital of Iowa, which is home to the Iowa caucuses. The Iowa caucuses has been the first major electoral event in nominating the President of the United States since 1972; therefore many presidential candidates set up headquarters in Des Moines. A 2007 article in the New York Times stated "if you have any desire to witness presidential candidates in the most close-up and intimate of settings, there is arguably no better place to go than Des Moines."
Des Moines was founded in May 1843 when Captain James Allen built a fort on the site where the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers merge. Allen wanted to use the name Fort Raccoon, however the U.S. War Department told him to name it Fort Des Moines. The origin of the name Des Moines is uncertain. The French "Des Moines" translates literally to "Of The Monks." "Rivière Des Moines" translates to "river of the monks," known today under the anglicized name of Des Moines River. However, the term could have referred to the river of the Moingonas, named after an Indian tribe that resided in the area and built burial mounds. A hypothesis says that the name, if it is from the French language, refers to French Trappist monks, some of whom lived in huts at the mouth of the river. A more recent hypothesis uses a study of Miami-Illinois tribal names to say the word Moingoana, one of the names given to region, comes from word mooyiinkweena, a derogatory name which translates roughly to "the excrement-faces." The name was seemingly given to Marquette and Jolliet by a tribal leader in order to dissuade them from doing business with a neighboring tribe.
Settlers came and lived near the fort, and on May 25, 1846, Fort Des Moines became the seat of Polk County. On September 22, 1851, it was incorporated as a city with its own charter approved in a vote on October 18. In 1857, the name Fort Des Moines was shortened to Des Moines alone and the state capital was moved from Iowa City. By 1900, Des Moines was Iowa's largest city with a population of 62,139.
In 1907, the city adopted a city commission government known as the Des Moines Plan, comprising an elected mayor and four commissioners who were responsible for public works, public property, public safety, and finance. This form of government was scrapped in 1950 in favor of a council-manager government, and further changed in 1967 so that four of the six city council members were elected by ward rather than at-large. As with many major urban areas, the city core began losing population to the suburbs in the 1960s (the peak population of 208,982 was recorded in 1960).The population was 198,682 in 2000 but dropped to 196,998 in 2007. However, the growth of the outlying suburbs has been a constant and the overall metro area population is over 534,230 today.
During the Great Flood of 1993, heavy rains throughout June and early July caused the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers to rise above flood stage levels. The Des Moines Water Works was submerged by flood waters during the early morning hours of July 11, 1993, leaving an estimated 250,000 people without running water for 12 days and without drinking water for 20 days. Des Moines suffered major flooding again in June 2008 when they had a major levee breach.
The skyline of Des Moines changed during the 1970s and 1980s as several new skyscrapers were built. Before then, the 19-story Equitable Building, from 1924 (at that time it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River), was the tallest building in the city and the tallest building in Iowa. That changed when the 25-story Financial Center was completed in 1973 and the 36-story Ruan Center was completed in 1974. They were later joined by the 33-story Marriott hotel (1981), the 25-story Hub Tower and 25-story Plaza Building (1985), Iowa's tallest building, Principal Financial Group's 45-story tower at 801 Grand (1991), and the 19-story EMC Insurance Building (1997). This time period also saw the opening of the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines (1979) which hosts Broadway shows and special events, the Des Moines Botanical Center (1979) which is a large city botanical garden/greenhouse on the east side of the river, the Polk County Convention Complex (1985), and the State of Iowa Historical Building (1987). The Des Moines skywalk system also began to take shape during the 1980s. By the beginning of 2006, the skywalk system was more than three miles (5 km) long and connected most main downtown buildings.
The city is in the midst of major construction in the downtown area. The new Science Center of Iowa and the Iowa Events Center opened in 2005, while the new central branch of the Des Moines Public Library, designed by renowned architect David Chipperfield of London, opened on April 8, 2006. The World Food Prize Foundation, which is based in Des Moines, announced in 2001 that it will restore the former Des Moines Public Library building as the Dr Norman Borlaug/World Food Prize Hall of Laureates. In 2002 the Principal Financial Group and the city announced plans for the Principal Riverwalk, which will feature trails, pedestrian bridges across the river, a fountain and skating plaza, and a "civic garden" in front of the City Hall. Multiple existing downtown buildings are being converted to loft apartments and condominiums. This trend is highlighted by the success of the East Village district of shops, studios, and housing between the capitol district and the Des Moines River.
Settlers came and lived near the fort, and on May 25, 1846, Fort Des Moines became the seat of Polk County. On September 22, 1851, it was incorporated as a city with its own charter approved in a vote on October 18. In 1857, the name Fort Des Moines was shortened to Des Moines alone and the state capital was moved from Iowa City. By 1900, Des Moines was Iowa's largest city with a population of 62,139.
In 1907, the city adopted a city commission government known as the Des Moines Plan, comprising an elected mayor and four commissioners who were responsible for public works, public property, public safety, and finance. This form of government was scrapped in 1950 in favor of a council-manager government, and further changed in 1967 so that four of the six city council members were elected by ward rather than at-large. As with many major urban areas, the city core began losing population to the suburbs in the 1960s (the peak population of 208,982 was recorded in 1960).The population was 198,682 in 2000 but dropped to 196,998 in 2007. However, the growth of the outlying suburbs has been a constant and the overall metro area population is over 534,230 today.
During the Great Flood of 1993, heavy rains throughout June and early July caused the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers to rise above flood stage levels. The Des Moines Water Works was submerged by flood waters during the early morning hours of July 11, 1993, leaving an estimated 250,000 people without running water for 12 days and without drinking water for 20 days. Des Moines suffered major flooding again in June 2008 when they had a major levee breach.
The skyline of Des Moines changed during the 1970s and 1980s as several new skyscrapers were built. Before then, the 19-story Equitable Building, from 1924 (at that time it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River), was the tallest building in the city and the tallest building in Iowa. That changed when the 25-story Financial Center was completed in 1973 and the 36-story Ruan Center was completed in 1974. They were later joined by the 33-story Marriott hotel (1981), the 25-story Hub Tower and 25-story Plaza Building (1985), Iowa's tallest building, Principal Financial Group's 45-story tower at 801 Grand (1991), and the 19-story EMC Insurance Building (1997). This time period also saw the opening of the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines (1979) which hosts Broadway shows and special events, the Des Moines Botanical Center (1979) which is a large city botanical garden/greenhouse on the east side of the river, the Polk County Convention Complex (1985), and the State of Iowa Historical Building (1987). The Des Moines skywalk system also began to take shape during the 1980s. By the beginning of 2006, the skywalk system was more than three miles (5 km) long and connected most main downtown buildings.
The city is in the midst of major construction in the downtown area. The new Science Center of Iowa and the Iowa Events Center opened in 2005, while the new central branch of the Des Moines Public Library, designed by renowned architect David Chipperfield of London, opened on April 8, 2006. The World Food Prize Foundation, which is based in Des Moines, announced in 2001 that it will restore the former Des Moines Public Library building as the Dr Norman Borlaug/World Food Prize Hall of Laureates. In 2002 the Principal Financial Group and the city announced plans for the Principal Riverwalk, which will feature trails, pedestrian bridges across the river, a fountain and skating plaza, and a "civic garden" in front of the City Hall. Multiple existing downtown buildings are being converted to loft apartments and condominiums. This trend is highlighted by the success of the East Village district of shops, studios, and housing between the capitol district and the Des Moines River.
Today's Jumble (12/09/08):
OSHUE = HOUSE; ROHTT = TROTH; REVAEB = BEAVER; LESING = SINGLE
CIRCLED LETTERS = HOSTROBERSLE
When the siblings opened the shoe repair shop, they became---
"SOLE BROTHERS"
Today is National Pastry Day. The ball-bearing roller skate was patented on this day in 1884 and the first Christmas Seals were issued in 1907. There are 16 days until Christmas.
Other things on this day in history:
536 - Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome while the Ostrogothic garrison peacefully leaves the city, returning the old capital to its empire.
1425 - The Catholic University of Leuven is founded.
1531 - The Virgin of Guadalupe said to have first appeared to Juan Diego at Tepeyac, Mexico.
1793 - New York City's first daily newspaper, the American Minerva, is established by Noah Webster.
1824 - Patriot forces led by General Antonio José de Sucre defeat a Royalist army in the Battle of Ayacucho, putting an end to the Peruvian War of Independence.
1835 - The Republic of Texas captures San Antonio, Texas.
1851 - The first YMCA in North America is established in Montreal, Quebec.
1856 - The Iranian city of Bushehr surrenders to occupying British forces.
1861 - American Civil War: The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War is established by the U.S. Congress.
1872 - In Louisiana, P. B. S. Pinchback becomes the first serving African-American governor of a U.S. state.
1875 - Massachusetts Rifle Association "America's Oldest Active Gun Club" is founded.
1888 - Statistician Herman Hollerith installs his computing device at the United States War Department.
1897 - Activist Marguerite Durand founds the feminist daily newspaper, La Fronde in Paris.
1905 - In France, the law separating church and state is passed.
1917 - In Palestine, Field Marshal Edmund Allenby captures Jerusalem.
1922 - Gabriel Narutowicz is announced the first president of Poland.
1931 - The Constituent Cortes approves the constitution which establishes the Second Spanish Republic.
1935 - Walter Liggett American newspaper editor and muckraker killed in gangland murder.
1937 - Second Sino-Japanese War: Battle of Nanjing - Japanese troops under the command of Lt. Gen. Asaka Yasuhiko launch an assault on the Chinese city of Nanjing.
1940 - World War II: Operation Compass - British and Indian troops under the command of Major-General Richard O'Connor attack Italian forces near Sidi Barrani in Egypt.
1941 - World War II: The Republic of China, Cuba, Guatemala, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, and the Philippine Commonwealth, declare war on Germany and Japan.
1941 - World War II: The 19th Bombardment Group attacks Japanese ships off the coast of Vigan, Luzon.
1946 - The "Subsequent Nuremberg Trials" began with the "Doctors' Trial", prosecuting doctors alleged to be involved in human experimentation.
1950 - Harry Gold is sentenced to thirty years in jail for helping Klaus Fuchs pass information about the Manhattan Project to the Soviet Union. His testimony is later instrumental in the prosecution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
1953 - Red Scare: General Electric announces that all communist employees will be discharged from the company.
1958 - Red Scare: The John Birch Society was founded in the United States.
1960 - The first episode of Britain's longest running television soap opera Coronation Street is broadcast.
1961 - The trial of Nazi Adolf Eichmann in Israel ends with him being found guilty of 15 criminal charges, including charges of crimes against humanity, crimes against the Jewish people and membership of an outlawed organization.
1961 - Tanganyika becomes independent from Britain.
1962 - Petrified Forest National Park was established in Arizona.
1965 - The Kecksburg UFO incident: a fireball is seen from Michigan to Pennsylvania; witnesses report something crashing in the woods near Pittsburgh. In 2005 NASA admits it examined an object.
1968 - NLS (a system for which hypertext and the computer mouse were developed) is publicly demonstrated for the first time in San Francisco.
1979 - The eradication of the smallpox virus is certified, making smallpox the first and to date only human disease driven to extinction.
1987 - Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The First Intifada begins in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
1988 - The Michael Hughes Bridge in Sligo, Ireland is officially opened.
1990 - Lech Wałęsa becomes the first directly elected president of Poland.
2003 - A blast in the center of Moscow kills six people and wounds several more.
2006 - Moscow suffers its worst fire since 1977, killing 45 women in a drug rehabitational center.
1425 - The Catholic University of Leuven is founded.
1531 - The Virgin of Guadalupe said to have first appeared to Juan Diego at Tepeyac, Mexico.
1793 - New York City's first daily newspaper, the American Minerva, is established by Noah Webster.
1824 - Patriot forces led by General Antonio José de Sucre defeat a Royalist army in the Battle of Ayacucho, putting an end to the Peruvian War of Independence.
1835 - The Republic of Texas captures San Antonio, Texas.
1851 - The first YMCA in North America is established in Montreal, Quebec.
1856 - The Iranian city of Bushehr surrenders to occupying British forces.
1861 - American Civil War: The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War is established by the U.S. Congress.
1872 - In Louisiana, P. B. S. Pinchback becomes the first serving African-American governor of a U.S. state.
1875 - Massachusetts Rifle Association "America's Oldest Active Gun Club" is founded.
1888 - Statistician Herman Hollerith installs his computing device at the United States War Department.
1897 - Activist Marguerite Durand founds the feminist daily newspaper, La Fronde in Paris.
1905 - In France, the law separating church and state is passed.
1917 - In Palestine, Field Marshal Edmund Allenby captures Jerusalem.
1922 - Gabriel Narutowicz is announced the first president of Poland.
1931 - The Constituent Cortes approves the constitution which establishes the Second Spanish Republic.
1935 - Walter Liggett American newspaper editor and muckraker killed in gangland murder.
1937 - Second Sino-Japanese War: Battle of Nanjing - Japanese troops under the command of Lt. Gen. Asaka Yasuhiko launch an assault on the Chinese city of Nanjing.
1940 - World War II: Operation Compass - British and Indian troops under the command of Major-General Richard O'Connor attack Italian forces near Sidi Barrani in Egypt.
1941 - World War II: The Republic of China, Cuba, Guatemala, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, and the Philippine Commonwealth, declare war on Germany and Japan.
1941 - World War II: The 19th Bombardment Group attacks Japanese ships off the coast of Vigan, Luzon.
1946 - The "Subsequent Nuremberg Trials" began with the "Doctors' Trial", prosecuting doctors alleged to be involved in human experimentation.
1950 - Harry Gold is sentenced to thirty years in jail for helping Klaus Fuchs pass information about the Manhattan Project to the Soviet Union. His testimony is later instrumental in the prosecution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
1953 - Red Scare: General Electric announces that all communist employees will be discharged from the company.
1958 - Red Scare: The John Birch Society was founded in the United States.
1960 - The first episode of Britain's longest running television soap opera Coronation Street is broadcast.
1961 - The trial of Nazi Adolf Eichmann in Israel ends with him being found guilty of 15 criminal charges, including charges of crimes against humanity, crimes against the Jewish people and membership of an outlawed organization.
1961 - Tanganyika becomes independent from Britain.
1962 - Petrified Forest National Park was established in Arizona.
1965 - The Kecksburg UFO incident: a fireball is seen from Michigan to Pennsylvania; witnesses report something crashing in the woods near Pittsburgh. In 2005 NASA admits it examined an object.
1968 - NLS (a system for which hypertext and the computer mouse were developed) is publicly demonstrated for the first time in San Francisco.
1979 - The eradication of the smallpox virus is certified, making smallpox the first and to date only human disease driven to extinction.
1987 - Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The First Intifada begins in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
1988 - The Michael Hughes Bridge in Sligo, Ireland is officially opened.
1990 - Lech Wałęsa becomes the first directly elected president of Poland.
2003 - A blast in the center of Moscow kills six people and wounds several more.
2006 - Moscow suffers its worst fire since 1977, killing 45 women in a drug rehabitational center.
3 comments:
Carol and Lois were visisting Jefferson City yesterday. But they were talking about snow. We only had a little bit here in New England so far.
Lois, I have never been to Jefferson City. I drove somewhat close to it back in 1981 on the way to Branson and Silver Dollar City.
By the way - I am rooting for the Sooners (that hurts! I am from Nebraska). Don't read anything into that, though. It's because I cannot stand the Gators. To date they were on the receiving end of the worst defeat in a national championship game - Nebraska 62, Florida 24 in the Tostitos Fiesta Ball, on Jan. 2, 1996 for the 1995 championship. If Florida isn't careful, they could get their ass whipped a bit worse this time around.
Hope you enjoyed your visit to Des Moines. I have lived here for almost two years, moving here from warmer climates. We have a lot going on here.
Hey, Drdad: Wow, Des Moines is gorgeous! I LOVE that pedestrian bridge! Who'd o' thunk it! We need some around here, not over the interstate so much as for students around the local college. I've never seen anything like those before. Very pretty!
I know very well that you are from Nebraska, and I won't hang my cowgirl hat on your loyalty to the Sooners...except this once. I'm just happy to know that you have your limits and that somebody else can beat out OU. I do so hope OU opens a can or two of whoop ass on the Gators. It will be exciting in any case.
Thanks for the trip. A gorgeous and interesting place.
Karen: thanks for dropping in. Was the climate change a huge adjustment? I think it would be for me. Your city is just beautiful!
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