Who explored Iowa?

French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet were the first European explorers of the area that is now Iowa. They explored the Mississippi River in 1673, and Jolliet's map of the region was the first to show the name "Iowa." Other French explorers followed, including Nicolas de La Salle, who built Fort Orleans near present-day Montrose in 1682. In 1762, the French ceded their territory west of the Mississippi River to Spain. The Spanish did not explore the area extensively, and their presence was limited to a few trading posts.

In 1795, the Spanish ceded the Louisiana Territory back to France. President Thomas Jefferson then sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the Louisiana Territory. Lewis and Clark passed through Iowa in 1804 and 1806. Their expedition helped to open up the region to American settlement.

In 1803, the United States government purchased the Louisiana Territory from France. This purchase doubled the size of the United States and included the present-day state of Iowa. American settlers began to arrive in Iowa in the early 1800s. The first permanent settlement was made in 1833 at Burlington. Iowa became a state in 1846.