Preparation Canyon State Park in western Iowa preserves a relatively undisturbed section of the Loess Hills, marked by steep ridges and a notably secluded landscape. Its name comes from Preparation, a frontier settlement founded here in the 1850s by Charles B. Thompson and Mormon followers who had left wagon trains bound for Utah, believing earthly life prepared the soul for the next world. The community once included 67 houses and several businesses but had largely vanished by the turn of the 20th century. The park was assembled through land sales by Walter and Martha Perrin, descendants of the original settlers, preserving both the natural terrain and the memory of an unusual religious community.