Our nation is 250 — but 250 years ago, Iowa was a world apart. On this episode of River to River, a look at the Iowa that was.
An ecologist takes us back to a yesteryear’s landscape of endless tallgrass prairie, bison, elk and whooping cranes, and explains why Iowa is now the most ecologically altered state in the nation.
A historian discusses the Indigenous nations living here in 1776 and why the American Revolution mattered enormously to people who may not have even known it was happening. And the tribal historic preservation officer of the Meskwaki Nation joins the program to discuss on her people's presence in Iowa.
Guests:
- John Pearson, ecologist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Kevin Mason, assistant professor of history, University of Northern Iowa
- Tieranny Keahna, tribal historic preservation officer of the Meskwaki Nation, enrolled member of the Meskwaki Nation
