OTTUMWA

city, seat (1844) of Wapello county, southeastern Iowa, U.S., on the Des Moines River, 83 miles (134 km) southeast of Des Moines. Settled in 1843 as Louisville, it was renamed (1845) Ottumwa, an Indian word meaning rippling waters. Following a damaging flood (1947), the city recovered its position as a commercial and manufacturing centre with a locally financed program of self-help, Operation Bootstrap. Meatpacking and the manufacture of farm equipment are the chief industries. Ottumwa is the home of Indian Hills Community College (1966). The city's airport is the site of the Airpower Museum, which displays more than 20 ancient airplanes, artifacts from early aviation, and several hundred model airplanes. Inc. town, 1851; city, 1857. Pop. (1992 est.) 24,557.