Award-winning Iowa historian and University of Northern Iowa assistant professor Kevin Mason will visit the Fairfield Public Library on Monday, September 28th at 7:15 p.m. to present his new book, Retracing the Dragoon Trail in Iowa, published by Michigan State University Press, according to a release from the Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce.
Drawing from his new book, Mason will take attendees on an immersive journey along the 1835 First U.S. Dragoon Expedition, exploring how Iowa’s prairies and wetlands evolved into the farms, towns, and highways that define the state today. The presentation blends environmental history, Indigenous perspectives, and the spirit of firsthand travel to reveal how Iowa’s landscape still echoes with the stories of its past.
The book was inspired in part by Mason’s 2021 walk across Iowa — featured on Iowa Public Radio and the Iowa PBS series Iowa Life — during which he examined how the 1835 expedition charted not just a physical route across the territory but also the early stages of Iowa’s environmental transformation. The book combines fieldwork, archival research, and on-the-ground storytelling to illuminate how landscapes and communities have changed since the 19th century.
“I wanted to understand how history lives in the land itself,” Mason said. “By retracing the Dragoons’ path, I was able to see how the stories of Iowa’s people and environment are deeply intertwined.”
The book has drawn praise from fellow authors. “Mason gives the reader a brilliant tour of Iowa, the most Midwestern state, which will help people from all regions understand the center of our country,” said John K. Lauck, author of The Good Country and editor-in-chief of Middle West Review. Neil Dahlstrom, author of Tractor Wars and The John Deere Story, added: “Mason’s meticulous research and vivid narrative take us on a remarkable march through Iowa history, seamlessly connecting centuries of people, culture, commerce, and the geography that shaped it all.”
In addition to his research, Mason is the founder of Notes on Iowa, a digital public history platform that reaches more than three million users each week across social media and the web. He will be traveling across Iowa throughout 2026 for author events, readings, and community programs.
Mason will also be at the Ottumwa Public Library on Tuesday, September 29th at 10:00 a.m., and then the Oskaloosa Public Library afterwards at 6:30 p.m.
Retracing the Dragoon Trail in Iowa is available at msupress.org and booksellers everywhere.
