Des Moines used to host one of the most exciting festivals in the Midwest, a carnival of Marde Gras-esque proportions.

The story of Alfred Lawson's utopian, non-profit university is one of the stranger episodes in the history of the Midwest.

The 81 acre lot to the west of Des Moines that would become Greenwood Park had begun to be developed as a private park by the original owner, T.E. Brown – believing that the location and the landscape…

Everyone in America were riding bicycles in 1896, and the people of Des Moines were no exception.

For over 85 years, DMPL has brought services to the community with the help of outreach vehicles

The "flood of the century" caused great damage to the city of Des Moines, and no one who lived through it was untouched.

Union Park was established in 1894 as one of Des Moines’s first parks. Originally comprised of 27 acres, the park boasted an aviary, pavilion, stone fountain, and greenhouse when it first opened.…

George C. Baker of Polk City, Iowa, invented Baker Barbed Wire, manufactured it in Des Moines, and before too long it was the world’s largest manufacturer of barbed wire. Barbed wire was a significant…

On January 4, 1904 the Capitol Building caught fire. According to an article in the Des Moines Register and Leader the House Legislative Chamber and adjacent rooms were gutted by the fire. The cause…

Much debate has been held over where the first night professional baseball game was played. In the late 1920s, minor league baseball attendance was slowly declining and night baseball was viewed as a…