Illustration of a settler riding in a covered wagon being pulled by two oxen.  Black, bold text on orange background.

In 1972, Kensett Iowa celebrated its 100^th anniversary with a festival and established Centennial Park which is currently used for yearly town anniversary celebrations, and other outdoor events. Kensett is a small rural community in Worth County formed in 1872 shortly after the railroad was built through that territory. It was named after a Baltimore oyster packer named Thomas Kensett who vowed to build a church in the town if the citizens named it after him. The community was named Kensett but the town’s namesake never fulfilled his promise.

White text above an illustration of a brown walrus on blue background.

The 49th state to join the United States, Alaska was purchased from Russia on March 30, 1867 for $7.2 million (approximately two cents per acre).  Alaska's state sport is dog mushing, the state fossil is the Wooly Mammoth, and the state mineral is GOLD!

The Pacific walrus (pictured) inhabits the Bering and Chukchi seas to the west coast of Alaska.  They prefer shallow waters and eat mainly clams. The average adult male weighs over 2,700 lbs and is 10.5 feet long.  Both the male and female walrus has tusks which can reach over 3 feet in length.

Illustration of two hot air balloons on sky-blue background. Three white clouds are positioned to the left of the two hot air balloons. Red text inside each white cloud. Yellow text on first hot air balloon reads "Read 1,000,000 Minutes" with a black illustration of a child reading. Second hot air balloon has a yellow and red zig-zag design. Black text on yellow border. 

The button pictured above most likely served as a souvenir for Read-A-Million participants in a 1985 event in Iowa. The 'Read-A-Million Minutes' program was started in 1981 by Duane Boehmke, an elementary school principal from Denver, Iowa. Since then, the program has been active in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Arizona, and Georgia. Even internationally, in such places as Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Peru. The Read-A-Million minutes program is developed and coordinated by the State Area Education Association Educational Services, with help from state educators throughout Iowa.

Thin black line encircles an illustration of a Russian dancer wearing tall black hat, red jacket, and blue pants. Black text on white background. 

This is a tourist souvenir produced by the Sitka, Alaska's Visitors Bureau, the button has an image of a Russian dancer on it, which was the bureau's symbol, or 'mascot,' during the 1970s.

Illustration of a black ship with white sail on the ocean.  The ship is set in front of a large grey iceberg with red and white stripes running along the horizon. Black text below the image on white background. 

The button pictured above is a tourist souvenir from the Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Center in Moorehead, Minnesota. The Hjemkomst is a life-size replica of a Gokstad Viking ship discovered in Norway in 1881. The button commemorates Hjemkomst's successful sail from New York City to Oslo, Norway in the summer of 1982. The idea of building the Hjemkomst was that of Robert Asp, a guidance counselor who worked at Moorehead Junior High School. Although he died before the sail, the Asp family carried out Robert Asp's dream of sailing the Hjemkomst all the way to Norway.

Illustration of a black saxophone against a white background.  Black text surrounds the image.

The button pictured above was produced by Buffalo State University's music department in preparation for a jazz concert they had held in November of 1978. 

Blue text on white background.

Presumably made by the city of Las Vegas as a tourist souvenir, the button pictured above is a slightly more subtle variation of the city's current advertising catchphrase—"What happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas." 

Black and white image of two tractors. Horizontal black text reading "75 Years of Progress" divides the button into upper and lower halves. Black text on white background around the border of the button.  

The Cedar Valley Engine Club held a show in the mid-1970s celebrating 75 years as a club. The club was established as a non-profit on September 14th, 1966, with their first official meeting at Mitchell County Fairgrounds, Iowa. Collectors of farm machinery and other historically significant industrial pieces, to this day, meet at fairgrounds to share these pieces. Since 1970, the club's show has been held at a location seven miles West of Charles City, Iowa. 

White text on black background.

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Black text on white background.

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