Native Americans help establish ag in Iowa

Richard Miller sits in a wing of the Mills County Historical Museum in Glenwood, surrounded by artifacts representing Native American culture there.

Much of that is devoted to the Glenwood culture of Native Americans who arrived in southwest Iowa well over 1,000 years ago.

“We have quite a collection here,” says Miller, a volunteer at the museum. “We have at least 30 cultures represented here, and much of that is from the Glenwood culture.”

That group is known for farming, growing crops including maize and beans. They lived in earthen homes and hunted and fished along the Missouri River.

The settlements were discovered as excavation work began on U.S. Highway 34 from 1970 to 1972, Miller says. Additional sites were found as houses were built west of Glenwood.

Miller says there are probably only a few sites that remain intact dotted throughout Mills County.

A good amount of the museum’s collection was gathered by local collector Paul Rowe. In addition to collecting thousands of items, Rowe cataloged everything, including date and location.

Included among the artifacts are many items used in farming.

‘First family farmers’

Thanks to the huge collections of artifacts, much is known about the Glenwood culture, says Stephen Lensink, associate director in the Office of the State Archaeologist at the University of Iowa.

He says the area along the Missouri River has been farmed for more than 4,000 years. Corn eventually became the most prevalent crop among Native Americans living in the valley.