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Iowa State...
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Iowa Counties
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Iowa Counties
There are 99 counties in Iowa. The first two counties, Des Moines County and Dubuque County,
were created in 1834 when Iowa was still part of the Michigan Territory. In preparation for Michigan's
statehood, part of Michigan Territory was formed into Wisconsin Territory in 1836]. Two years later, the western
portion was split off to become Iowa Territory. The south-eastern part of Iowa Territory became Iowa, the 29th
state in the union, on 28 December 1846, by which point 44 counties had been created. Counties continued to be
created by the state government until 1857, when the last county, Humboldt County, was created.
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Audubon County, Iowa
Audubon County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Audubon
Year Organized: 1851
Square Miles: 443
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Court House: 318 Leroy, Suite 4
County Courthouse
Audubon, IA 50025-1255
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Audubon is named for John James Audubon, the famous naturalist and painter. (Unique county name)
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
John James Audubon, famous American
naturalist and artist, died in 1855. Admirers of his were influential enough to
get this newly formed county named in his honor. The county was established in
1851 and originated in 1855.
The history of the county is filled with conflicts and battles, most over the
center of county government. The conflict begins with the first site of county
business. One report has the first location of county government in a log
schoolhouse at Hamlin's Grove. A second report has it at Dayton until 1856, when
people realized that Dayton would never become a town. The following year there
was a proposal to move the county seat to Viola (now called Exira). It failed,
but on its second attempt, in 1861, it was approved and the county seat was now
located in Viola.
Fierce battles continued between Exira, Oakfield and Louisville, but the county
seat remained at Exira. In the fall of 1871, the Board of Supervisors approved
$6,948 for the construction of the first courthouse at Exira. This plan was
stopped by yet another county seat battle -- this one coming from Hamlin. The
residents of Hamlin wanted the county seat back in their town. A heated contest
developed between the towns. From 1872-1873, petitioners were out in force
gathering signatures from all over the county. The last 24 hours they were out
all night. In the end, Exira retained the county seat. Following this the
citizens of Exira formed the Exira Hall Company and built the courthouse at a
cost of $2,200.
This is not the end of the county seat battles in Audubon County. In 1878 the
Rock Island Railroad built a branch from Atlantic to their newly formed town of
Audubon. There they built a courthouse and offered it free to the county, if
they moved the county seat to Audubon. An election was held to decide the
location of the county seat. The Rock Island Railroad offered free room and
board for men 60 days prior to the election and there "any man could vote for
Audubon, no questions asked." The men of Exira were apparently no better. Groups
of them, some carrying loaded revolvers, hung around the election centers
"challenging" votes. In the end Audubon was declared the new county seat. To
this day it is said that residents of Exira are still harbor bitter feelings
towards Audubon.
In 1938 the Board of Supervisors applied for a Public Works Administration grant
for the construction of a new courthouse. The estimated cost of the project was
$131,775 and the grant was approved for 45 percent of this. A bond issue was
approved to fund the remaining 55 percent. By the winter of 1939, county
officials began to move into the new courthouse and the dedication ceremony was
held on June 11, 1940.
Source: History of Audubon County, compiled by Lois Oakley, Audubon County
Recorder, Audubon, Iowa. 1990.
Neighboring Counties:
- North: Carroll County
- East: Guthrie County
- Southeast: Adair County
- South: Cass County
- West: Shelby County
- Northwest: Crawford County
Cities and Towns:
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- Audubon
(County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Brayton |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Exira |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Gray |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Kimballton |
city |
Incorporated Area |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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