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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.

Lyon County, Iowa

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

County Seat: Rock Rapids
Year Organized: 1851
Square Miles: 588

Court House:

206 S. 2nd Avenue
County Courthouse
Rock Rapids, IA 51246-1538

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Lyon is named for Nathaniel Lyon, an Iowan soldier who was the first United States general killed in the American Civil War.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Lyon County was named in honor of Nathaniel Lyon, brigadier general in the Mexican and Seminole Wars. Lyon was killed while leading the First Iowa Infantry at the Battle of Wilson's Creek in Missouri. This was the first battle in which Iowa troops took part.

The county was established in 1851. The county was originally called Buncombe County, in honor of Edward Buncombe of North Carolina. On September 11, 1862 it was officially changed to Lyon County. The county originated in 1872.

The first county business was held in the homes of the various county officials, often over 45 miles apart. Some offices were held in the village of Beloit. In 1873 the county offices were all located in the town of Rock Rapids, named for the rapids found in the Rock River.

Bids for the first courthouse were opened on May 5, 1873 but it was not until June 24, 1874 that the cornerstone was laid into place. The $14,000 courthouse was dedicated in 1875.

This building was later moved to the north, where it became the Marietta Hotel. Today the three-story building stands as the Boon-Mar Apartments.

The present Lyon County courthouse was started in 1916 and completed one year later at a cost of $135,053. The three-story structure is constructed of Indiana limestone, and the main entrance is appropriately decorated with a carved stone lion.

Construction of an elevator for the courthouse was first proposed in 1967, but objectors appeared at a public hearing with a petition signed by 136 people who were opposed to the project. The matter was dropped until 1987, when an elevator and an exterior chairlift were installed.

Many of the original pieces of oak furniture are still used in the building. In the summer of 1991, an inventory was taken of all unused furniture, equipment and miscellaneous items throughout the building. Many of these pieces were donated to the Lyon County Historical Society. A public auction was held to dispose of the rest of the items.

Sources: Buncombe to Twenty Two, Paul C. Smith & Lucy Colby
Anniversary Booklet and Lyon County Minute Books
Kenneth Mellema, Lyon County Auditor

Neighboring Counties:

North: Rock County, Minn.
Northeast: Nobles County, Minn.
East: Osceola County
Southeast: O'Brien County
South: Sioux County
West: Lincoln County, S.Dak.
Northwest: Minnehaha County, S.Dak.

Cities and Towns:

- Alvord	city	Incorporated Area
- Doon	city	Incorporated Area
- George	city	Incorporated Area
- Inwood	city	Incorporated Area
- Larchwood	city	Incorporated Area
- Lester	city	Incorporated Area
- Little Rock	city	Incorporated Area
- Rock Rapids (County Seat)	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."