A variety of books, such as Abandoned Towns, Villages, and Post Offices of Iowa and From Ackley to Zwingle, which focus on Iowa's history and towns, are available in the Reference Collection and the stacks collection in the F619 call number range.
Iowa History and Culture: A Bibliography of Materials Published Between 1952 and 1986
UNI Reference Z1283 .D38 1989 - Indexes articles and other resources that discuss topics relating to Iowa's history and culture.
Iowa History Reference Guide
UNI Stacks and Reference Z1283 .P46 1952 - This guide also indexes articles and other resources that discuss topics relating to Iowa's history and culture.
Iowa Official Register
UNI Reference JK6330 .I68 - This resource can be used to locate contact information for the county recorder's office of each county. This is where information such as deeds are filed and stored.
Index to the Waterloo Courier
UNI Index/Abstract AI21 .W37 - Indexes stories from the Waterloo Courier from 1974-1991.
Des Moines Register Index/Des Moines Register
Indexes are available since 1965 in varying formats. The paper is available online from 1999 on.
Histories of Counties in Iowa
UNI Special Collections F627 (some also in the stacks collection) - Coverage varies by county, but most counties have histories published between 1880-1915. These provide first facts, such as the first church in the county, as well as information about local organizations, descriptions of the landscape when the area was settled, etc. Another group of histories for various Iowa counties was published in the 1970s.
Polk City Directories
UNI Stacks F629.C25 A18 ( Cedar Falls)
UNI Stacks F629.W3 A18 ( Waterloo)
Created as a marketing tool for businesses, these directories provide residential and business listings with “reverse directory” features. For example, you can look up an address and find out who lives (or lived) at that location. You may need to consult the local historical society or public library in the area you are examining for other cities.
