“Iowa and the Meskwaki Nation” Presentation by the Iowa Department of Transportation and Johnathan Buffalo

Join Iowa’s Scenic Byways for their final “Iowa’s America 250 Scenic Byways Road Trip” with a ride on the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway to the Meskwaki Nation.

They are headed to visit us because Iowa history is defined by its connections to the Meskwaki Nation. Join researchers Kathy Gourley, Cindy Nagel and Johnathan Buffalo as they team up to present the interesting picture of events that have tied the Meskwaki Nation and the State of Iowa together for nearly two centuries.

Learn about the complex relationships, policy, archaeology, and history surrounding the decades that formed the state and the Meskwaki Settlement.

“Iowa and the Meskwaki Nation”

Sunday, June 28, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Meskwaki Tribal Center Gymnasium

349 Meskwaki Rd, Tama, IA 52339-9634

• Kathy Gourley (retired State Historical Society of Iowa) will present on Meskwaki history from the 1830s and 1840s. This time brought about some remarkable change for the Meskwaki Nation and Gourley will provide details of historical events that would shape the Meskwaki and the State of Iowa for decades.

• Cindy Nagel of Tallgrass Archaeology will present on Meskwaki archaeology from the early 1840s. Nagel’s research focuses on the Wacoshashe and Poweshiek village that was located in Iowa County. Attendees will get a glimpse of what life was like for Meskwaki people across this dynamic period.

• Johnathan Buffalo has served as the historic preservation director for the Meskwaki Nation since 1996. His career and research have shaped historians both in Iowa and beyond.

This presentation will review some major aspects of Meskwaki history and highlight some unique elements of Iowa as seen through the Meskwaki experience.

This presentation is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Transportation in honor of the semiquincentennial anniversary of the United States of America (A250) activities in 2026.