DES MOINES, de-moin, Iowa, city, capi tal of the State, and county-seat of Polk County; near the geographical centre of the State, long. 16° 43' 52" W.; lat. 41° 35' 45" N. It is situated at the junction of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers, and is entered by 19 lines of steam railroads and 4 lines of interurban electric roads, operating 203 miles of track. The city is built on a plateau 849 feet above the sea-level, is intersected by both rivers, which are spanned by eight bridges, and is 54 square miles in area. The business portion lies near the rivers and the residences are on the higher grounds beyond.
The city is located in the heart of a rich coal mining district, the mines in the vicinity employing over 3,500 persons, and hav ing an annual output of 3,500,000 tons. The principal industries, besides coal mining, in clude pork packing, structural iron, brick and tile, foundry and machine shop products, brass goods, clay products, carriages and wagons, fur niture, cotton and woolen goods, cement, wall paper and proprietary medicine, shoes, caskets, art glass, aluminum ware, gloves and caps, work garments, suspenders. It is also noted for its immense insurance interests, there being in the city 45 insurance companies. The in surance pay-roll approximates $200,000 per month. Des Moines is the greatest farm journal centre in the world. The products of Des Moines' 412 factories, employing more than 5,000 operatives, amount to more than $30,000,000. The city has a growing jobbing trade of $103,000,000 a year—an increase of 100 per cent in six years.
Banks and There are 21 banks and trust companies in the city, with a combined capital of $3,200,000 and annual de posits of over $40,000,000. There are published in the city four daily newspapers, four weekly newspapers, and 47 other periodicals.
Public Buildings, Churches, Educational Institutions, Among the most imposing structures in the city are the State capitol, erected at a cost of $3,000,000; the Soldiers' Monument, costing $150,000, erected on the site of the old State house; capitol extension park, $2,000,000; the State Historical building, for the collection and preservation of historical records, specimens of art, science and taxidermy, front age 260 feet, depth 90 feet, height 60 feet, cost $500,000; the county courthouse; the United States government building, containing the post-office and Federal courts ; the State arsenal; the city library, containing over 50,000 volumes; two large hospitals and the city hall. There are several small libraries, five large opera houses and 32 hotels. The education of the young is
provided for by 50 public schools and several high schools, the pupils being furnished with free textbooks. For highei and technical edu cation there are Drake University (Christian), founded in 1881; Des Moines College (Baptist) (q.v.), founded in 1865; Danish Lutheran Col lege; Highland Park Normal College (Presby terian) ; Iowa College of Medicine and Surgery; one college of osteopathy and seven technical schools. The college population of the city is 6,500. A military post for cavalry was estab lished there by Congress, the land and buildings costing $1,200,000.
Public city has 19 public parks covering in all 970 acres of land, and the Iowa State Fair Grounds, 600 acres in extent, are also permanently located there. The streets are well laid out and paved, there being 150 miles of brick and asphalt pavement; the city is lighted by gas and electric light, the gas dis tributed by 100 miles of mains, and the electric current carried over 110 miles of wire; the sewage and water systems are excellent, the waste being carried off by 93 miles of brick and pipe sewers, and the water conveyed to all parts of the city through 110 miles of mains by the Holly system for general use and fire pro tection.
History, Government and Population.— Fort Des Moines was built in 1843 to protect the rights of the Sacs and Foxes, and around it a settlement was made in 1846 by emi grants from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Mis souri. In 1851 it was incorporated as the town of Fort Des Moines and in 1857 received its charter as the city of Des Moines. In 1856 it became the capital of the State by act of the legislature. The form of government before 1907 was under the general incorporation laws of the State and council of nine members elected annually and representing the seven wards into which the city is divided. In 1907 the Des Moines plan of commission govern ment was adopted. Five commissioners elected at large direct the affairs of the city. The annual income of Des Moines is about $1,100, 000, and the budget of expenditures amounts to $1,000,000, the principal items being $965, 76384 for schools, $155,875 for the fire depart ment, $90,580.09 for street lighting and $99, 968.61 for the police department. The city debt, exclusive of school debt, amounts to $2,057, 028.41; property valuation $127,164,442, and tax rate 33.5 mills. Among American cities Des Moines ranks 35th in population and 17th in postage receipts.