Jan/Feb 2026 (Volume 18, Issue 1)

 

By Arvid Huisman

 

In 1981 the world was introduced to a new board game called Trivial Pursuit. Though I have an aversion to most board games, I love this one. 

 

In particular, I love local trivia. Let me share some Iowa trivia today. You might just learn something new.

 

If someone were to ask where you could find the world’s largest bullhead fish you should answer, “Crystal Lake, Iowa.” Sure enough, there’s a sign near the Hancock County lake with a “statue” of a 12-foot bullhead mounted above it.

 

See how this works?

 

Iowa is well known for its fertile soil but Wright County in north central Iowa has the highest percentage of grade-A topsoil in the nation. 

 

The St. Francis Xavier Basilica in Dyersville is the only basilica in the United States situated outside a major metropolitan area. In the Roman Catholic faith, a basilica is a church with certain privileges conferred on it by the Pope. While many flock to see Dyersville’s Field of Dreams, they are missing a thing of great beauty if they don’t drive downtown to see the Basilica.

 

When living in Sioux City my home was located less than a mile from the Sergeant Floyd Monument which sits on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River. The obelisk honors Sgt. Charles Floyd, the only man to die during the 1804-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition.

 

Iowa is the only state name that starts with two vowels! And it’s easier to spell than Mississippi and Connecticut.

 

Let me bounce this one off you: the trampoline was invented in Cedar Rapids in 1903 by George Nissen, an Iowa native.

 

When you’re up in far northern Iowa, plan to visit Lake Mills. On the east side of town there is a life-sized bronze sculpture of a Norwegian immigrant family on a six-acre plot of restored prairie. It’s an excellent reminder that most of us are here because of brave immigrants. 

 

TO READ THE ENTIRE STORY AND OTHER FASCINATING STORIES ABOUT IOWA HISTORY, subscribe to Iowa History Journal.