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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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Crawford County, Iowa
Crawford County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Denison
Year Organized: 1851
Square Miles: 714 |
Court House: 1202 Broadway
County Courthouse
Denison, IA 51442-0423
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Crawford is named for William Harris Crawford, a presidential candidate as well as United States
Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of War.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
Crawford County is named in honor of
William Harris Crawford. He was a Georgia senator, Secretary of War, Secretary
of the Treasury (1817-1825) and a presidential candidate in 1824.
The county was established in 1851 and originated in 1855. The county has always
been Denison. It is named after its founder and promoter Jesse W. Denison. Born
in New York, Denison knew that the settlement of the Mississippi Valley was the
future of the United States. He formed the Providence Western Land Company of
Providence, Rhode Island. He soon was successful in filing for 23,000 acres in
Harrison and Crawford counties. With the help of a surveyor, Denison laid out
his "dream city." With its central location in the county, Denison was the
logical choice for the county seat.
The first courthouse was a brick building built by H. C. Laub in 1857. Only the
upper floor was completed for an assembly room; county offices did not move in
until the summer of 1859. By 1878 county offices outgrew the building and an
addition the same size was added. During the spring, summer and fall of 1902,
much agitation occurred for the need of a new courthouse. The advocates of a new
courthouse cited many reasons: the county records and papers were in danger of
being destroyed by fire, the old courthouse had run out of space, and the county
was wealthy enough to afford one.
Construction of the new courthouse started on November 10, 1903, a whole year
after an election approved it. The courthouse was to originally cost $75,000,
but additions and changes, added $40,000 to that figure. The first story is
constructed of Port Wing sandstone and the second and third stories are made of
Bedford White stone. The dome and all marble work were done by Morzen and Rokahr
at a cost of $20,850. After much heated discussion, the Board of Supervisors
ordered the removal of the dome for safety reasons in 1946. A complete
restoration of the courthouse, including interior paint, new wiring and new
windows and doors was done in 1976. A celebration was held in May of that same
year.
Source:
History of Crawford County, Crawford County Recorder
Denise Meeves, Crawford County Recorder
Neighboring Counties:
- Northeast: Sac County
- East: Carroll County
- Southeast: Audubon County
- South: Shelby County
- Southwest: Harrison County
- West: Monona County
- Northwest: Woodbury County; Ida County
Cities and Towns:
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- Arion |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Aspinwall |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Buck Grove |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Charter Oak |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Deloit |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Denison
(County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Dow City |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Kiron |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Manilla |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Ricketts |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Schleswig |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Vail |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Westside |
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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