The early 20th century was a bustling time for many cities in the Midwest, and Des Moines was no exception. During this time, the city added streetcars, built many new public schools, and welcomed thousands of new residents. This digital collection from Drake University's Cowles Library offers hundreds of images of the city from 1904 through 1914. First-time visitors should read the introductory...

What were children in Iowa concerned with in the 1870s? This nice digital collection from the University of Iowa Libraries starts to answer that question by bringing together 11 different diaries from young Iowans writing from 1862 to 1907. The diaries were provided by the Iowa Women's Archives, the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Old Capitol Museum. Visitors can click on the Highlights...

Lovers of all things historical, a number of us at the Scout Report could not get enough of the Iowa Maps Digital Collection. As the second-most shared resource this past year, it's clear that our readers enjoyed it too! The Iowa Digital Library allows interested parties to whiz through years of Iowa history, even providing a clickable map of specific counties. The site impressed us with its...

What is a goldfinch, you ask? Of course it is a beautiful bird, but it is was also an Iowa history magazine for young people. Published quarterly by the State Historical Society of Iowa from 1975 to 2000, each issue had a theme (such as immigrants) and included articles, games, and fiction. The University of Iowa Libraries has digitized all of these back issues and visitors can scroll through all...