West Des Moines in Dallas County, Iowa — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Thomas Jefferson

1743 - 1826

December 27, 2025

1. Thomas Jefferson Marker

Inscription. Author of the Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, third president of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia — voiced the aspirations of a new America as no other individual of his era. As public official, historian, philosopher, and plantation owner, he served his country for over five decades. This powerful advocate of liberty was born in 1743 in Albemarle County, Virginia, inheriting from his father, a planter and surveyor, some 5,000 acres of land, and from his mother, a Randolph, a high social standing. He studied at the College of William and Mary, then read law. In 1772 he married Martha Wayles Skelton, a widow, and took her to live in his partly constructed mountaintop home in Monticello. Freckled and sandy-haired, rather tall and awkward, Jefferson was eloquent as a correspondent, but he was no public speaker. In the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Continental Congress, he contributed his pen rather than his voice to the patriot cause. As the "silent member" of the Congress, Jefferson, at 33, drafted the Declaration of Independence. As a reluctant

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candidate for President in 1796, Jefferson came within three votes of election. Through a flaw in the Constitution, he became Vice President.

When Jefferson assumed the Presidency in 1800, the crisis in France had passed. He cut the budget, eliminated the unpopular tax on whiskey in the West, yet reduced the national debt by a third. Although the Constitution made no provision for the acquisition of new land, Jefferson suppressed his qualms over constitutionality when he had the opportunity to acquire the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon in 1803. During Jefferson's second term, he was increasingly preoccupied with keeping the Nation from involvement in the Napoleonic wars, though both England and France interfered with the neutral rights of American merchantmen. Jefferson retired to Monticello to ponder such projects as his grand designs for the University of Virginia.

A French nobleman observed that he had placed his house and his mind "on an elevated situation, from which he might contemplate the universe." He died on July 4, 1826, fifty years after signing the Declaration of Independence. The second President John Adams died

Thomas Jefferson Statue & Marker image. Click for full size.

December 27, 2025

2. Thomas Jefferson Statue & Marker

the same day.

Famous Thomas Jefferson Quotations:
"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government."

"A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government."

"One man with courage is a majority."

"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."

"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive."

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Government & Politics. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #03 Thomas Jefferson series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 4, 1826.

Location. 41° 34.28′ N, 93° 48.207′ W. Marker is in West Des Moines, Iowa, in Dallas County. It can be reached from the intersection of 68th Street and Beechtree Drive, on the right when traveling south. Located outside the entrance to the Jordan Creek Town Center

Markers & Statues outside Scheels image. Click for full size.

December 27, 2025

3. Markers & Statues outside Scheels

Scheels. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 Jordan Creek Pkwy, West Des Moines IA 50266, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Western Iowa and in Greater Des Moines.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Abraham Lincoln (here, next to this marker); George Washington (a few steps from this marker); Ronald Reagan (a few steps from this marker); Welcome to the Jordan House (approx. 3.7 miles away); Walnut Creek, Clive (approx. 4.1 miles away); Prairie Engine (approx. 4.2 miles away); Valley Junction (approx. 4.9 miles away); Welcome to Waukee (approx. 5½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in West Des Moines.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Historic Des Moines / Noted Des Moines Residents

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(was approx. 2.4 miles away but has been permanently removed).

Credits. This page was last revised on January 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 20, 2026. This page has been viewed 62 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 20, 2026.