This was an easy way of spelling the word now familiar to us as "Iowa." But before that spelling was reached, it was Ayaway, Ayahwa, Iawai, Iaway, and so on.

The remnants of this once powerful tribe now number scarcely two hundred persons.

In Lewis and Clark's time, they were a large nation, with several hundred warriors, and were constantly at war with their neighbors.

Game here grew still more abundant, and in addition to deer and bear the hunters brought in a raccoon.

One of these hunters brought into camp a wild tale of a snake which, he said, "made a guttural noise like a turkey." One of the French voyageurs confirmed this story; but the croaking snake was never found and identified.
On the twenty-fourth of June the explorers halted to prepare some of the meat which their hunters brought in.