In the 1500s, the largest settlement in the United States was in Northwest Iowa. It was a settlement of more than 6,000 residents from various Native American tribes. A new documentary Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City tells the story of the once great city in Lyon County.
"It's part of a national historic landmark," explains the film's director Kelly Rundle. "If you think about the year that we are depicting in the film, which is around 1650, Boston had maybe 2000 residents, and Good Earth had between 6-10,000 residents
During the second half of this River to River interview, host Ben Kieffer talks with Rundle, and John Doershuck, director of the office of the state archaeologist.
Doershuck says the state is working collaboratively with the state of South Dakota to develop a park commemorating the site that crosses state lines.
In the first half of this hour, Kieffer talks with Stephen Benjamin, mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, who is U.S. Conference of Mayors Vice President about race relations, police department transparency, and immigration. Quentin Hart, mayor of Waterloo, also joins the conversation.
