The History of 4-H in Black Hawk County

by

Robert Dittmer

    The origins of the 4-H program can be traced as far back as 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act. This act enabled states to establish universities that would offer instruction in agriculture, mechanical arts, and homemaking. The first of these institutions, which were called "land grant universities" because they were financed with the revenue from the sale of land grants provided for by the Morrill Act, was located near Ames, Iowa, and is now Iowa State University.

    The Morrill Act was important to the development of 4-H because it intended for the universities it created to provide educational programs that had practical applications for the people it served. This idea was clarified in 1914 by the Smith-Lever Act, which created what we now know as extension programs and is often regarded as the official beginning of 4-H. Eventually, 4-H programs were sponsored by extension services and, today, 4-H is an important component of county extension programs across the country. In Iowa, 4-H is closely associated with Iowa State University Extension services.