This presentation visually showcases the history of our city, from the indigenous people to around 1950, using a combination of maps, photographs and historic book and journal excerpts.  Topics include how Des Moines got its name and what it means, Marquette and Juliet’s contact with the native people of what is now Iowa in 1675, the establishment of Fort Des Moines #2 in 1841. The presentation also covers the growth of the city from 1843 to 1900, the move of the Capital from Iowa City to Des Moines, and the famous people and buildings of our city.

 

The presentation is the result of years of research by Archie Cook, a historian and current tour guide of the extremely popular Woodland Cemetery Historical Tour.   

 

This free event is open to all, including members, their guests, and anyone interested in learning about our city’s rich history.  Join us at the Iowa Genealogical Society, located at 628 East Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa.  

Enjoy complimentary cookies and coffee provided by Vibrant Coffeehouse + Kitchen, our promotional partner located one block west of the Iowa Genealogical Society Library.

 

A dive into FamilySearch tools – some old and some new.  We’ll explore the Research Wiki, one of the best resources you have to learn about researching places and topics.  Then we’ll move on to searching in the FamilySearch catalog; there are treasures to be found there that aren’t included in the indexed records. And finally we will discover the power of the newest tool – Full Text Search.  It’s still in experimental form but we can use it to search the original handwritten texts of US Land and Records.

 

• Instructor: Theresa Liewer
  • Theresa Liewer is long time volunteer with IGS, serving as an instructor and officer as well moderating Special Interest Groups in Irish and DNA research as well as RootsMagic software.
• Location: Hybrid - in person or via Zoom only - your choice!
• Cost: Members: $15          Non-Members: $25