“In the middle of nowhere” as it were when Herbert Hoover was born here, it still seems that way for visitors not from this area. Located along the great interstate 80 (which spans New York to San Francisco), the Herbert Hoover Library & Birthplace is about a 15 minute drive from the nearest town, Iowa City (population about 80,000). It is humbling to see where Hoover was born – a since restored very small wooden two-room cottage. He did not grow up wealthy but through his own education and business acumen became quite successful.
He became associated with the west coast of the USA, living some years of his childhood in Oregon – graduating in the first ever class from Stanford, working in California gold mines and marrying a girl who spent much of her childhood in California. Hoover really enjoyed fishing, later became a member of the San Francisco based Bohemian Club (the club still has one of his fishing poles on display).
Both Hoover and his wife Lou, (she was originally buried in California) are buried on the property (a small trail leads to their grave sites). Visitors can explore the inside of the library and then walk the spacious grounds which on one side lead right into the cute little town of West Branch and its several boutique shops. Not to be missed are some of the restored buildings from Hoover’s youth, including his birth house, a blacksmith shop and the old one room school.
Another highlight of a visit to the property is a walk among the Tallgrass Prarie. 81 acres of prairie lands have been restored to their native plants and grasses. It is estimated that less then 3,000 acres of native prarie grasses remain in all of Iowa today. The main trail is a short hike up to the Isaac Miles Farm at the top of Cook’s Hill (a relative of the Hoovers) and where the Hoover kids would go sledding in the winter. Several original buildings remain. For more information, visit: www.hoover.archives.gov
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