Intrigue, mystery, and all of the scandalous history of politics surrounds the political maneuverings of times past as the location of the center of politics has moved around the state from Burlington, to Iowa City, and finally to Des Moines.

Iowa was originally part of the “Michigan Territory.” When Michigan achieved statehood in 1836, Iowa became part of the “Wisconsin Territory.” The Iowa Territory was later carved out of the Wisconsin Territory to include everything of the Wisconsin Territory that was west of the Mississippi.

The first Iowa Territorial legislature met in Burlington. While it was never officially declared to be the capitol, many historians still describe Burlington’s role of hosting the first territorial legislature as the capitol. This meeting of the first territorial legislature formalized government in the Iowa Territory. And as part of its first acts, declared that Iowa City would be the capitol of the Iowa Territory.

Iowa City hosted the state capitol for many years. It was not until Iowa achieved statehood, that part of the new state constitution specified that the seat of government would be in Des Moines. The political intrigue of the writings of the time would make even the most strident of today’s political activist blush. As power brokers maneuvered and negotiated the form that Iowa’s state government would take, the decision to locate in Des Moines was a political decision of the time, not a geographical one.