Defining "Over the River"

Des Moines takes its name from Fort Des Moines (1843–46), which was named for the Des Moines River. The French "des Moines" translates literally to either "from the monks" or "of the monks" [To get to the city of Des Moines, she will have to fly over the river of the monks].

The historian Virgil Vogel claimed that "Moingona" was derived from the Algonquian clan name.

A controversial recent hypothesis using a study of Miami-Illinois tribal names concludes the word Moingona comes from mooyiiinkweena, a derogatory name which translates roughly to "the excrement-faces." The name was apparently given ... by a tribal leader to dissuade them from doing business with a neighboring tribe.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Des_Moines,_Iowa           

Facts:
Des Moines populous: 203,000+
Iowa populous: nearly 3.1 million

Motto: "Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain"

The Hawkeye state - It honors Black Hawk, a famous Indian Chief. Black Hawk took part in the Black Hawk War. Iowans are often called Hawkeyes.

Des Moines is a major center of the U.S. insurance industry and has a sizable financial services and publishing business base.

Des Moines was credited as the "number one spot for U.S. insurance companies" [including] Blue Cross, Blue Shield, & Wells Fargo.


Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, and Facebook have established data processing and logistical facilities in the Des Moines metro.

Forbes magazine ranked Des Moines as the "Best Place for Business".

In 2014, NBC ranked Des Moines as the "Wealthiest City in America" according to its criteria.

Des Moines is an important city in U.S. presidential politics because it is the capital of Iowa, which is home to the first caucuses of the presidential primary cycle.