Iowa Prairie

This partially restored tall grass prairie covers seventy-six acres and was planted in 1971, extending from the historic Miles Farm at the hilltop on the left to form the southwestern boundary of the historic site. Before the settlement of West Branch, eighty-five percent of Iowa consisted of prairie, and trees were scarce until people planted them. Jesse Hoover imported lumber to build the birthplace of Herbert Hoover, while the plowed fields of the Miles Farm characterized the immediate landscape during Hoover’s youth. Remnants of prairie survived along Wapsinonoc Creek and the Burlington Railroad tracks, where Herbert Hoover spent many hours as a boy. He kept a strong interest in nature and recalled a summer in Sioux County, Iowa, living with Uncle Pennington Minthorn on a prairie farm being broken, staying in a sod house, and riding the lead horse of a team opening virgin soil. The prairie was established for its historical significance, educational value, and aesthetic appeal, and a demonstration plot includes and identifies species native to Iowa.

West Branch, Iowa · United States