Monona County

 Monona County has two distinctive land formations: the Missouri River flood plain and wilderness on the west and the rugged Loess Hills formation on the eastern side. the Loess Hills of Western Iowa can bbest be viewed in Monona county. Some of the deepest and widest loess deposits are found here. Along the Missouri river discover the wonders of marshlands and oxbow lakes, their inhabitants; Lewis and Clark areas; and even river access to some locations.

Nature packed excursions may be taken by wandering through the numerous native prairie and woodland areas, as well as exploring the backroads while hiking, biking, bird watching, butterfly searching, camping, photographing nature, fishing, hunting or studing nature.

It is not uncommon to see deer, wild turkey, pheasants, bald eagles, red tailed hawks, large turkey vultures or other wildlife along the roads and waterways.

Monona County, whose present popluation is approximately 10,000, was organized in 1854 with a population of 122. Official administration, at first, was a preparation, then Onawa became County Seat, with the present court house being built in 1891 and 1892. Early on, the county became a melting pot of immigrants; with Scandinavians settling in Fairview, Moorhead, and Soldier; the Germans settling around Mapleton; the Irish and Scotch settling near Blencoe.

The Loess Hills

The Loess Hills are an American treasure, unique in the world. The angular band of rugged natural prairie-topped and woodland-cloaked hills run from Plymouth County in northern Iowa to the vicinity of St. Joseph, Missouri. They are characterized by the "Cat Step"­ naturally formed, long, narrow terrace cutting across the upper hillside and steeper slopes.

The Loess Hills (pronounced "luss") are a fragile and highly erodable, historical and unique geological natural wonder formed of loess (simply meaning wind-blown) soil deposits of some 18,000 or more years ago. Throughout thousands of years continued erosion has created the sharp angles and deep ravines found today. Loess, although found across the state and in other areas of the nation, is deepest here, to depths of over 200 feet in places. Only in China can similar geological formations be found.

Original plant and animal species have been protected by the rugged loess topography. Most of the rare animals and plants of Iowa are in the Loess Hills. Natural prairie species are found here that are usually found only in very dry areas far to the west.

The Loess Hills, today are affectionately called "the Fragile Giants", a term coined by Corneilia F. Mutel in her book "Fragile Giants: A Natural History of the Loess Hills".