The Hawkeye State

Iowa earned its nickname "The Hawkeye State" in honor of Chief Black Hawk (c. 1767–1838), a Sauk war leader who fought to reclaim his people's ancestral lands in Illinois during the 1832 Black Hawk War. Following his defeat, Black Hawk spent his final years in Iowa, and his legacy left a lasting mark on the region, inspiring the state's enduring nickname along with Black Hawk County and numerous other sites bearing his name.