Tall grasses like big bluestem dominate this small prairie; they once covered a virtual ocean of land in central North America.
NPS Photo
Yellow coneflowers are among the brilliant flowers that bloom during the summer in the tallgrass prairie.
Tallgrass Prairie
When Herbert Hoover's grandparents moved to this area in the middle of the 19th century, most of Iowa was covered by tallgrass prairie, dotted with brilliant wildflowers through the growing season. Many of these grasses grew to over 6 feet in height with their roots reaching downward twice as deep in the fertile soil.
"My grandparents and my parents came here in a covered wagon. In this community, they toiled and worshipped God. They lie buried on your hillside. The most formative years of my boyhood were spent here. My roots are in this soil."
Herbert Hoover
The Tallgrass Prairie Trail Map helps visitors to explore the prairie and experience the area’s natural heritage. The Visitor Center has an exhibit about prairies and an interpretive garden with examples of tallgrass prairie plants.
Tallgrass Prairie: A Multidisciplinary Curriculum for Teachers (PDF file, 24.9 MB) provides opportunities for learning and activities in science, social studies, language arts, mathematics, and reading. It encourages observations, problem solving, and high-order thinking.
Prairie trails are mowed grass over rolling hills. An asphalt walkway leads to the prairie trailhead from the Presidential Library and Museum. The incline is steep and assistance will be necessary for those in wheelchairs. An audio station is at the Gravesite area parking lot. Some prairie plants grow along the sidewalk approaching the gravesite.
Take a Virtual Tour
This is a stop on the virtual tour of Herbert Hoover National Historic Site.
Did You Know?
General Land Office surveyors who first came to Iowa commented that the territory was fit only for waterfowl. Eighty-five percent of Iowa used to be soggy tallgrass prairie.
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