Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA), also known as America's Agricultural Heritage Partnership is one of 49 federally designated heritage areas in the nation and is an Affiliated Area of the National Park Service. Through the development of a network of sites, programs and events, SSNHA's mission is to interpret farm life, agribusiness and rural communities-past and present.
Silos & Smokestacks was designated as a national heritage area in 1996. The name is intended to reflect both the farms and industries that constitute agribusiness. The Silos & Smokestacks region covers the northeast third of the state of Iowa, including thirty-seven counties. The cities of Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Waterloo, Dubuque, and Iowa City are all located within the region. The National Park Service recognizes over 90 community and privately operated sites in the area that interpret the story of American agriculture. These range from dairy farms and museums to vineyards and tractor assembly plants. Included in the area are the Amana Colonies and Living History Farms, two of Iowa's best known tourist attractions. Silos & Smokestacks also includes several state-designated scenic byways and the nationally designated Great River Road along the west bank of the Mississippi River.
Famous quotes containing the words national, heritage and/or area:
“A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing.”
—Alexander Hamilton (1757–1804)
“It seems to me that upbringings have themes. The parents set the theme, either explicitly or implicitly, and the children pick it up, sometimes accurately and sometimes not so accurately.... The theme may be “Our family has a distinguished heritage that you must live up to” or “No matter what happens, we are fortunate to be together in this lovely corner of the earth” or “We have worked hard so that you can have the opportunities we didn’t have.””
—Calvin Trillin (20th century)
“... nothing is more human than substituting the quantity of words and actions for their character. But using imprecise words is very similar to using lots of words, for the more imprecise a word is, the greater the area it covers.”
—Robert Musil (1880–1942)