A Little Local History of Des Moines

 

"I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to."

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-Search our Local History Pages and Wiki

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-Go to the Local History section of our website

-Des Moines History Books

-Historic Places in Des Moines

-Iowa Vertical File Index

-Men and Women of Iowa Biographies Index  (includes link to Pioneers of Polk County index)

-Selections from the Midwestern

 

The meaning of the name "Des Moines"

 

There has been some confusion over the origin of the name "Des Moines." The generally-accepted explanation is that it came from the French explorers' interpretation of "river of the Moingonas," named for an Indian tribe, the Moingonas, that resided in the area. The source of this information is an article from the Des Moines Tribune dated March 14, 1981, which had a fuller explanation (along with several other erroneous interpretations of the name). 

 

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