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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.

Monona County, Iowa

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

County Seat: Onawa
Year Organized: 1851
Square Miles: 693

Court House:

610 Iowa Avenue
County Courthouse
Onawa, IA 51040-1626

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Monona is named for a word of uncertain Native American meaning.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

The name of Monona County (701 square miles) is believed to be of Indian origin, but its exact meaning is not known. The word may mean "Peaceful Valley" or "Beautiful Valley." Monona was also said to be the name of an Indian maiden who committed suicide by jumping from a high cliff into the Mississippi River in the belief that her own tribesmen had killed her white lover. Some authorities suggest that the county was named for Monona, a town in Clayton County, at the suggestion of Eliphalet Price, representative from Clayton County in the Third General Assembly.

The county was established in 1851. The county's business was first transacted at the Mormon village called Preparation, in Spring Valley Township, where some of the first settlements were made. When Ashton (originally called Bloomfield) was named the county seat in the fall of 1854, a log house served as the first courthouse. Ashton remained the county seat for only four years.

Following an election, county records were removed to Onawa, where a frame courthouse was built during the summer of 1858, at a cost of about $7,000. Attempts were made from 1861 until 1889 to remove the county seat to Belvidere, Arcola, and East Mapleton, but each contest in its turn ended in favor of Onawa.

A courthouse was built in 1891-1892 by S.E. Maxon and Company of Omaha. This brick Romanesque building, with gabled roof surmounted by a tower, is located on the same site as the previous courthouse. A one-story addition was built on the West side of the courthouse in 1967, and another on the East side in 1973.

The old jail was condemned, and Monona County joined with the City of Onawa to construct a law enforcement center, including jail facilities, which was completed in September 1974.

An annex to the courthouse was built in 1980 and dedicated in 1981. This annex was built for court facilities. The original judge's bench, furniture, and fixtures were restored and are being used in the new courtroom.

An annex to the courthouse was built in 1980 and dedicated in 1981. This annex was built for court facilities. The original judge's bench, furniture, and fixtures were restored and are being used in the new courtroom. Also an entire third floor of the building was built and now houses the Department of Human Services. And finally, the basement annex was remodeled to house the county health nurses and the magistrate court.

Sources:
County Recorder Harriet Gray for the county history book commissioned by the Monona County Historical society and published in 1982.
Benita J. Davis, Monona County Auditor, 2002

Neighboring Counties:

North: Woodbury County
Northeast: Ida County
East: Crawford County
Southeast: Harrison County
Southwest: Burt County, Neb.
West: Thurston County, Neb.

Cities and Towns:

- Blencoe	city	Incorporated Area
- Castana	city	Incorporated Area
- Mapleton	city	Incorporated Area
- Moorhead	city	Incorporated Area
- Onawa (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Rodney	city	Incorporated Area
- Soldier	city	Incorporated Area
- Turin	city	Incorporated Area
- Ute	city	Incorporated Area
- Whiting	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."