The native American tribes were the first people to live in Iowa.  Docota shout, Illini loway, Missioure, and Otoe lived on the land.  In 1673 the French explorers came to the land to claim the land from the people who lived their.  The French explorers reached the area in 1673. In 1682 the land was claimed by the French. Over the next century Spain and France fought multiple wars over the region and the control shifted back and forth between the two countries. In 1803 the United States acquired the territory through the Louisiana Purchase. Iowa became the 29th state in 1804.