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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.

Clarke County, Iowa

Clarke County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Osceola
Year Organized: 1846
Square Miles: 431

Court House:

100 South Main Street
County Courthouse
Osceola, IA 50213-1270

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Clarke is named for James Clarke, a territorial governor of Iowa.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Clarke County was originally part of Des Moines County and was established as a separate county on January 13, 1846. It is named after James Clarke who was the Governor of Iowa Territory.

The first settlers of Clarke County were the Mormons, who were on their way to Salt Lake City, Utah. None of them stayed for a long period of time; it was just a stopover for them on the Mormon Trail.

During the session of the Legislature in 1850-1851, a commission consisting of two men and one women was appointed to locate a county seat for Clarke County. In the late summer of 1851 they chose an area and named it Osceola, after a Seminole Indian Chief. George Howe had already claimed the area intended for Osceola, however. It was part of his farmland. He later sold the land to the county for $100.

Although the county had established a county seat, the first courthouse was not completed until 1854. It was contracted for $1,000 but the completed price was $1,600. It was abandoned on January 1, 1883. A second courthouse was built on the same site. It was a red brick structure, complete with a clock tower.

This building was torn down in the fall of 1955 and the construction of a new and modern looking courthouse began in the winter of the same year. The cornerstone was laid in August 1956 and the building was ready for occupation in November 1956. Bonds were approved to cover the $275,000 cost.

Population of Clarke County went from 548 in 1851 to 12,440 in 1900 to 8,287 in 1990. Larger farms have replaced the many small farms; and many residential houses have been torn down, thus reducing the rural population. Manufacturing is now a major livelihood for many families in Clarke County.

Some significant dates and events in Clarke County history:

1858 - Stagecoaches brought DAILY mail to Osceola

1864 - 500 volunteers from the county took part in the Civil War

1884 - County has 72,952 apple trees, 103 school buildings, 3,597 students, 189 teachers, average farm is 145 acres.

1911 - Bluegrass Trail (Highway 34) crosses the county

1907 - Brick paving of streets in Osceola completed

1926 - Concrete replaces brick-paved streets

1953 - Clarke County Hospital opens in Osceola

Partial source: Enid Kendall, Clarke County Recorder

Neighboring Counties:

Northeast: Warren County
East: Lucas County
Southeast: Wayne County
South: Decatur County
Southwest: Ringgold County
West: Union County
Northwest: Madison County

Cities and Towns:

- Murray	city	Incorporated Area
- Osceola (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Woodburn	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this 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."