Editing Iowa, Louisiana (section)

==History==
The history of this region is filled with stories of the early Midwestern settlers from [[Kansas]], [[Illinois]] and [[Iowa]], of the [[Acadians]] ([[Cajuns]]), and of [[Jean Lafitte]]'s [[pirate]]s.{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} The community of Iowa was developed in the mid-19th century.

The railroad that cut through this country brought settlers who were lured to the prairie land for rice farming, cattle raising and later oil fields. Much of southwest Louisiana was developed by the North American Land and Timber Co. Seaman A. Knapp, president of the [[Iowa State College of Agriculture]], was engaged in 1885 to demonstrate the suitability of the region for [[rice]] production. Knapp attracted a number of Iowans to settle the area.<ref>[http://alft.net/familyhistory Letter of Nancy B. Vezinet, archivist for the State of Louisiana, Mar. 24, 1982. She excerpted the relevant passages from ''Cities and Towns of Louisiana'' by Clare D'Artois Leeper. Cf. also "The Vinton-Lake Charles Colony" by A. A. Wentz in the ''Vinton'' (Ia.) ''Eagle'', Apr. 14, 1896.]</ref> The settlers were lured to this area by advertisements published in newspapers in the midwestern states.

Iowa experienced a growth boom when oil was struck in 1930 and oil companies came to try their luck in the Iowa oil and gas fields. Even though this was the [[Great Depression]] era, Iowa thrived as more men came to work in the oil fields.

Today, oil continues to be a vital part of the town's economy, as are farming and cattle.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.iowala.org/index/index.php |title=iowala.org |access-date=July 22, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070804021303/http://www.iowala.org/index/index.php |archive-date=August 4, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nationalmathtrail.org/submissions/Vincent/Iowa.htm |title=nationalmathtrail.org |access-date=July 22, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930080145/http://www.nationalmathtrail.org/submissions/Vincent/Iowa.htm |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The town of "Iowa" is actually pronounced with the long A sound at the end ("EYE-uh-way"), opposed to the pronunciation of the state of Iowa.