Rebirth of a City

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The capital city of Des Moines, Iowa got its name from Fort Des Moines which was named for the Des Moines River. “Des Moines” is French and translates to “monks” or “of the monks”. The origins of Des Moines go back to 1843 when Captain James Allen saw to the construction of a fort at the point where the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers merged. Allen wanted to give the fort the name Raccoon Fort but the U.S. War Department had it named Fort Des Moines. The purpose of the fort was to control the Sauk and Meskwaki Indians. When the Indians were removed from the state the fort was abandoned in 1846. Many fort-related remains have survived and are now under what today is Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and First Street. Des Moines was incorporated as a city on September 22, 1851, and became the state capital in 1857. By 1900 it was Iowa’s largest city. At the turn of the 20th century, Des Moines took up the project “City Beautiful” and many large Beaux Arts public buildings and fountains were constructed along the Des Moines River. Buildings that have survived from this time are the old Des Moines Public Library which is now home of the World Food Prize and the City Hall. The fountains were buried in the 1950s. The Des Moines skyline changed during the 1970s and 1980s with new skyscrapers being built. In 2005 the new Science Center of Iowa, the Blank IMAX Dome Theater, and the Iowa Events Center opened. Today the Des Moines River Walk is one amazing sight to see. There are many parks and attractions. Anyone been to Des Moines?