Fort Des Moines: Iowa Time Machine September 22, 1851

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On September 22, 1851, the City of Des Moines was initially incorporated as Fort Des Moines. Iowa’s capital city since 1857, Des Moines grew from a frontier fort to Iowa’s most populous city and seat of government.

Identified as a prime location for a military fort by the 1st United States Dragoons on their march up the Des Moines River in 1835, the confluence of Iowa’s largest internal river and the Raccoon River drew human interest for thousands of years before American settlement. Archaeological evidence abounds throughout the area, showing occupation at least 7,000 years in the past, including the massive ‘Palace’ complex near the southeastern Des Moines wastewater treatment plant.

Captain James Allen oversaw the construction of Second Fort Des Moines at the confluence starting in May 1843. Although Allen suggested Fort Raccoon as the fort's moniker, the U.S. War Department insisted on Des Moines as the name. As the dispossession of Iowa’s Indigenous peoples ended during the mid-1800s, the government decommissioned the fort.

In 1846, Fort Des Moines became the seat of Polk County, and by September 1851, the city was ready for incorporation. After voters approved a charter in October 1851, the city started to flourish with the help of an early expansion of the coal industry in the area. In 1857, officials dropped “Fort” from the city’s name, leading to the Des Moines known and loved by Iowans today. #Iowa #OTD #History #DesMoines #Fort