This book of twenty-five essays will be of heightened interest to anyone who is eager to know about neglected people and events in the history of Iowa and the American Midwest. These essays unearth the adventures of accomplished and interesting people who are too often left out from the standard accounts of Hollywood stars, politicians, celebrities, sports heroes, and, of course, from such iconic films as Field of Dreams. Who today remembers when Salvador Dali spoke in Cedar Falls in 1952? Or when Ralph Waldo Emerson walked across the winter ice on the Mississippi River in order to speak in Iowa towns? Who knows about the Iowans from Manchester who became prominent trading post owners in New Mexico and promoted Native American arts? Who recalls what happened on the day in 1939 when Frank Lloyd Wright and Grant Wood crossed paths in Iowa City?