Iowa State...
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Iowa Counties
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Ida County, Iowa
Ida County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat:
Year Organized:
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Named: Meaning of County Name State & County QuickFacts:
History
Ida County was established in 1851.
The county’s name is usually credited to Eliphalet Price, about 1852. Price was
on a State Commission to name Iowa’s newly formed counties. The story claims he
was camped east of the grove watching Indian campfires on the far ridge, and the
image brought to mind Mount Ida in ancient Greece. Price called the county Ida,
and even before settlement seriously began, the new county’s most significant
landmark was know as Ida’s Grove. The Grove that someday would give Ida Grove
its name and was one of only a few scattered timber groves in the county.
The first authentic account of the early settlement of Ida County states that in
1854, Robert Townsley and Edward Smith build a cabin and raised a small crop of
corn. The first white child born in the county was a girl to Ed and Margaret
Smith and was named Ida. (Some say she was named for the county; others say the
county was named after her.)
At this point in history Ida Grove takes on the first hint of permanence with
the arrival of Ebenezer Cornstock and John Moorehead. The Cornstocks and
Mooreheads were farmers. They depended on the land to provide for their families
and livestock.
It was the Moorehead’s cabin that was destined to become the center of slowly
growing commerce in the area. The arrangement of early homesteads made his cabin
on the south end of the grove the first human habitation after a 25 mile trek,
and it was only natural that is would become a regular stage coach stop.
The official organization date of the county is just as unclear. The first
settlements were made in 1856 near the Maple River, and some say the county was
organized shortly afterwards in 1858, with a county population of 40. Others say
that the correct date is January 1, 1859.
The county was originally divided into four townships: Douglass, Silver Creek,
Corwin and Maple. From June 6, 1876 to January 4, 1881, the other townships were
detached from the originals.
The county seat was officially located in Ida Grove on December 17, 1860 and the
first regular meeting of the board of supervisors was January 1, 1866. Members
present included: J.H. Moorehead, A.J. Teal and M.G. Aldrich.
The first courthouse of Ida County was built in the original town of Ida in 1871
and was nearly completed before any other building was begun near the site. On
January 12, 1877, the courthouse burned, along with most of the county records.
County offices were then located in various locations around the town.
Late in 1879 a building was constructed with private funds. The county had the
option to either rent or buy the building. In 1880 the county moved its offices
into the building.
On July 2, 1883, the letting of a contract to build a new courthouse and jail as
per plans and specifications of J.P. Bryant was held with W. Townsend and J.M.
Starbuck having the low bid of $28,145 with the erection and completion of the
building to be on or before January 1, 1884.
The 66-foot x 82-foot brick structure is in ornate Victorian style. Due to state
of repairs, in the 1960s the building did undergo some remodeling. The basement
and large courtroom were remodeled into offices and storage space.
In 1974, the 1883 courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic
Places. This makes it eligible for federal restoration funds and prohibits the
use of federal funds for its destruction.
In 1970, the first of seven bond issues asking to build a new courthouse was
defeated. On November 4, 1980 plans to erect “a new courthouse and renovate
portions of the courthouse not previously remodeled at a total cost not to
exceed $900,000 and use federal revenue sharing funds on hand to pay the cost
thereof” was passed and the blending of the old and the new on courthouse hill
seemed to be a suitable compromise to the courthouse issue. This building was
dedicated to the present and future citizens of Ida County on September 25,
1983.
Ida County contains the following municipalities: Arthur, Battle Creek, Galva,
Holstein and Ida Grove. There are 12 townships and the 2000 census shows a
population of 7,837. The county is basically agricultural although there are
three manufacturing companies that employ several hundred people.
Harold Hughes, a native son of Ida Grove, was Governor of Iowa 1962-1968.
In 1987, Bruce M. Snell, Jr. of Ida Grove was named to the Iowa Supreme Court by
Governor Branstad. Judge Snell’s father had also served on the Supreme Court,
making the Snells the first father and son to have served on the Iowa Supreme
Court.
Sources:
Jim Dowling, Sac County Recorder
Lorna Steenbock, Ida County Auditor, 2002
Neighboring Counties:
- North: Cherokee County
- Northeast: Buena Vista County
- East: Sac County
- Southeast: Crawford County
- Southwest: Monona County
- West: Woodbury County
Cities:
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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Penn Foster High School
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