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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.

Wright County, Iowa

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

County Seat: Clarion
Year Organized: 1851
Square Miles: 581

Court House:

115 North Main Street
County Courthouse
Clarion, IA 50525-1459

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Wright is named for Silas Wright, an U. S. senator from New York and sixteenth governor of New York; and Joseph A. Wright, an U. S. senator from Indiana

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Wright County is somewhat special; it is named in honor of two men -- Silas Wright, 12th governor of New York, and Joseph Albert Wright, governor of Indiana.

The county was established in 1851. Prior to 1854, only hunters and trappers had seen the area known today as Wright County. But in August 1855, the first elections were held in the county, at the log cabin home of S. B. Hewett.

The first county seat of Wright County was Eagleville, but this town was a "paper town" and the county seat was moved to Liberty (Goldfield) by election in 1858. The first courthouse of Wright County was a two-story framed building built that same year. It served the county until the county seat was moved to Clarion in 1866.

Due to its exact location in the center of the county, Clarion was chosen as a better site for the county seat. Clarion was originally named Grant, but it was changed to Clarion -- after Clarion, Pennsylvania -- in June 1870. After the removal of the county seat from the town of Liberty (Goldfield), a decision on whether to move the old courthouse from Goldfield to Clarion or build a new one could not be reached. The problem was finally resolved in November 1865, when the courthouse committee contracted Perry & Nees to build a two-story, frame building for $5,600. Due to additions, the final cost of the second courthouse was $5,950.

In an 1890 election the voters approved the building of a new courthouse and jail. When the results were released to the public there was much celebrating done. Some of the residents of Clarion were so excited that they soaked the jail in oil and set it on fire.

The current courthouse was built in 1891-1892 at a cost of $50,000. It is constructed of red brick, and in 1974 it under went an extensive remodeling to the interior and exterior. The remodeling and an addition to the sheriff's office cost $350,000 which was paid with federal revenue sharing funds.

Source: History of Wright County, ed. Hon. B. P. Birdsall, B. F. Bowen and Co., 1915.

Neighboring Counties:

North: Hancock County
Northeast: Cerro Gordo County
East: Franklin County
Southeast: Hardin County
South: Hamilton County
Southwest: Webster County
West: Humboldt County
Northwest: Kossuth County

Cities and Towns:

- Belmond	city	Incorporated Area
- Clarion (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Dows	city	Incorporated Area
- Eagle Grove	city	Incorporated Area
- Galt	city	Incorporated Area
- Goldfield	city	Incorporated Area
- Rowan	city	Incorporated Area
- Woolstock	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."