Collections from Iowa National Parks

National Park Service, Museum Management Program

In celebration of the National Park Service Centennial in 2016, this exhibit showcases one object from every national park museum collection in Iowa. We invite you to explore museum collections from Effigy Mounds National Monument and Herbert Hoover National Historic Site.

Emma Big Bear Basket , From the collection of: National Park Service, Museum Management Program

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This basket was sold to the donor by Mrs. Emma Big Bear. It is a good example of Winnebago/Ho-Chunk basket making. Baskets like these may have been used in the construction of the different types of mounds that are located in Effigy Mounds National Monument.

Effigy Mounds National Monument, EFMO 10002

Cradle , ca 1874, From the collection of: National Park Service, Museum Management Program

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This was the cradle the infant Herbert Hoover used in the small two-room cottage where he was born in 1874. The cottage was built by Herbert's father Jesse, a blacksmith, woodworker and farm implement dealer who reputedly also made this cradle. The cradle is one of only a few Hoover family items from the period known to still exist.

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, HEHO 1

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Park museum staff from: Effigy Mounds National Monument and Herbert Hoover National Historic Site.

National Park Service, Museum Management Program Staff: Amber Dumler, Stephen Damm, Ron Wilson, and Joan Bacharach

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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

National Park Service, Museum Management Program

Stories from National Park Service, Museum Management Program