
That control began with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, when Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory, of which Iowa was a part, from the French. The US government encouraged the settling of western lands and tensions between various Native American tribes and white settlers increased as the government gained control over western territories. This state-of-the-art museum located in the heart of Chocolatetown gives an insider look at the legacy of one of the 20th century’s most philanthropic entrepreneurs.The first Europeans known to set foot in what later became Iowa were the French explorers Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquette, who traveled down the Mississippi River in the summer of 1673 and visited Native American villages on the river’s western shore.ĭuring the next 200 years, white settlers from the east and immigrants from Europe pushed into the Midwest, driving Native Americans westward. Students of Hershey Industrial School, 1915-1920ĭiscover more about Milton Hershey, his town and his company at The Hershey Story. His dream had grown far beyond acquiring wealth for his own benefit: “One is only happy in proportion as he makes others feel happy.” In 1918, long before his death, Milton Hershey endowed the school that he and Catherine started with his entire fortune. When he and his beloved wife, Catherine, realized they could not have children, they founded a school for orphaned boys.

His wealth was accompanied by a profound sense of moral responsibility and benevolence. He built homes, parks, schools, public transportation and infrastructure, enriching the lives of those around him. Unlike other industrialists of his time, Milton Hershey’s vision of a company town expanded beyond the brick-and-mortar walls of his chocolate factory. In a few years, he perfected his recipe and by 1903 was breaking ground for a new factory in the town that bears his name. Using equipment purchased at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, Milton Hershey began experimenting with boiled milk, sugar and cacao beans in an effort to create affordable milk chocolate that could be mass-produced. Hershey, a man with steadfast convictions and an insatiable curiosity, turned his story from rags to riches by persevering, eventually selling his caramel company for $1 million to devote all his energies to making chocolate.

With two failed businesses behind him, he was an unlikely candidate for success. By the age of 26, Milton Snavely Hershey was penniless.
