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moved to Cedar county, Ia., in 1874; thence to Sac county in Mar., 1881, purchased land near Fletcher and engaged in present business. From Aug., 1881, to Feb., 1882, they shipped sixty cars of grain.

Rev. William N. McKendrick, undertaker and dealer in furniture was born in Edinburg, Scotland, in 1832; came to America with parents and located in N. Y. In 1847 he moved to Western N. Y. He attended the Baptist College, of Montreal, Canada, for three years, and entered the University in 1859. He was ordained in Michigan, Sept. 20th, 1875. He located at Mapleton, Ia., in 1879, and was pastor of the Baptist church there for two years. He resigned in Sept., 1881; came to Fletcher, purchased property and engaged in present business. He is pastor here and preaches every Sabbath at the school house.

Charles Potts, farmer and land agent, was born in Ross county, O., in 1832. He served during the war of the rebellion in the 28th Ill. Vol. Inft., was wounded at Jackson, Miss. He came to Sac county in 1871 and purchased land on the north shore of Wall Lake. He owns one hundred acres of well improved land one and one-half miles east of Fletcher. He is agent for nonresident lands in this vicinity, also for the Acme pulverizing harrow and clod crusher.

J. O. Rich, proprietor of the livery, feed and sale stables, was formerly of Independence,.Ia., where he was engaged as mason and plasterer for four years. In 1878 he moved to Sac county, purchased land in Wall Lake township, which he still owns. In Feb., 1882, he moved to Fletcher and erected a livery barn on Third st.

W. A. Robinson, postmaster and hardware merchant, was born in Vt. in 1815. He moved to Stockbridge, Mass., when quite young; in 1856 moved to Mercer county, Ill., and engaged in farming until 1869; then moved to Sac county, purchased land in Viola township, which he improved and still owns. He moved to Fletcher in Jan., 1882, and filled the office of postmaster, to which he was appointed in Dec., 1881. He erected building_on Main st., which is occupied by postoffice and hardware stock. Mr. Robinson has filled many minor offices, was the first justice of the peace in Viola township. He has a notary public commission, and does a general collecting business, is agent for several insurance companies.

IDA COUNTY.

Ida County is in the fourth tier of counties from the northern boundary of the state, and is the second east of the Missouri River. It contains 432 square miles or 276,480 acres. The Maple River runs through the county from northeast to southwest. Its principal branches are the Odebolt and Elk, flowing in from the east, and Battle Creek from the west. Soldier River flows westward through the southern tier of townships. There are many smaller streams draining the county in all parts. The valleys of the streams are unsurpassed in fertility, and Maple Valley is especially noted for the beauty and fertility of its farming lands. Maple River, in this county, furnishes several mill sites. The general character of the surface is undulating or rolling prairie, though no portion is too broken for cultivation. The soil in the valleys is a dark mould, in many places from three to six feet deep. The uplands contain more clay, and are well adapted to the raising of wheat and all the cereal crops. This, like other counties in this part of the state, has but a limited supply of timber. We have it on authority of the county surveyor that this county has only about 1,000 acres of natural timber, about one-half of this being in Ida Grove, which is situated on Maple River in about the center of the county. It is mostly oak, walnut, linn, elm and hickory. The white or soft maple skirts the borders of the streams in many places.

Among the wild fruits, the plum, grape, gooseberry and strawberry are found. Stock-raising and dairying succeed well in this county, as it is unsurpassed for pasturage or hay. The wild grass known as the blue-joint predominates in the valleys, and in many places the yield of hay is as high as four tons per acre. Fine well water is found in almost any locality by digging to a moderate depth, rarely exceeding twenty-five feet. No regularly stratified rock formations appear at the surface. The only rocks obtained in the county are the boulders. An abundance of material suitable for the manufacture of brick is found in all parts of the county. The bluff deposit, which overspreads the entire county, has been successfully used for making brick of a good quality. The principal productions are wheat, oats, corn, rye and potatoes. All kinds of vegetables and root crops common to the latitude succeed well. The various kinds of small fruits are easily raised, as well as some varieties of cherries and apples.

The first authentic account of the early settlement of Ida county was that, in 1854, of Robert Townsley and Edward Smith, who

built a cabin and raised a small crop of sod corn. During the same summer Samuel King settled about a mile further down the valley, and broke up a small farm. These, however, proved to be but transient settlers.

The first permanent settlement of whites in Ida County was made in Ida Grove, on Maple River, in 1856. The settlers were E. Comstock, from Michigan, and Judge John H. Morehead, whose family still resides at Ida Grove.

The county was organized in 1858. The first election was held at Ida Grove in August of that year, when the following officers were elected: John H. Moorehead, County Judge; J. S. Loveland, Treasurer and Recorder, and B. Warren, Clerk of the District Court. At this time the population of the county was only about forty persons. Since that the population has increased very rapidly and in 1880 was 4,382. The county has settled very fast within the past two years and 5,500 may now be considered a low estimate of population. The present county officers are: Isaac Bunn, Clerk of the Courts; Wm. Jones, Auditor; F. W. Tibbetts, Treasurer; T. S. Snell, County Surveyor; E. L. Worcester, Recorder; F. A. Eastman, Sheriff; Dr. A. T. Baker, Coroner: Mrs. A. H. Smith, Superintendent of Schools; J. G. Freeman, Chairman; John Bunn, James Taylor, Board of Supervisors.

The first child born in Ida County was Ida Grove Smith, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. Smith. The first death was a child of the same family. The remains were taken to Smithland, in Woodbury county, for interment. The first railroad, a branch of the Chicago & Northwestern, crossed into Ida County August 21st, 1877, and is now extended as far west as Mapleton, in Monona County. Ida County has fair prospects for another road through to Ida Grove soon--the same one that passes through Sac City and Sac County.

IDA GROVE.

The county seat of Ida county was, previous to arrival of the railroad, in the fall of 1877, situated on the north side of the railroad track and Odebolt River. After the appearance of the railroad at this place, a new town sprang up on the south side of the river, which was christened Ida Grove. This town is now the county seat, and is located on the northeast quarter of section 15, township 87, range 40. The village commands a fine view of the beautiful valley of Maple River. It is about twenty-eight miles from Denison, Crawford county.

Upon one of the high ridges near the village there was formerly an extensive Indian encampment, where the remains of buffalo, elk, deer, and other game are still scattered over the surface, or half embedded in the soil. The course of a deeply worn Indian trail is said to have been a great highway for the natives, who only a few years ago occupied this portion of the State.

The first postoffice established in the county was located at Ida, and for years this was the only one.

The old town of Ida was laid out in 1871 by S. W. Hobbs. The new town was laid out by the Blair Town and Lot Company in 1877, and is situated on the left bank of the Maple River, about five miles from the geographical center of the county. Isaac Bunn built the first house in Ida Grove. Selling that almost immediately, he erected the second, and still later the third house in the town. The first brick building was erected by Chaffee & Williams, in 1880, and is the one in which the Pioneer office is now located. Since then a number of massive brick structures have been erected, and the town is fast building up with large and substantial brick buildings.

The first child born in the town was Sarah, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Macomber.

The first store was opened by Engstrom & Smith as a hardware store.

The town was incorporated April 26th, 1878. H. A. Miller was elected the first Mayor, and J. W. Reed. Recorder. The first Trustees were: T. S. Snell, W. P. Evans, J. O. Engstrom, Calvin Bailey, and L. Tinkle. The present town officers are: Frank Burns, Mayor; Frank W. Shearer, Recorder; A. L. Houser, J. E. Jurgenson, J. H. Stough, Trustees, and R. Johnston, Assessor.

The Ida County Pioneer was the first paper published in Ida Grove. During the winter of 1872, Robert Wilkinson, Frank Burns, C. P. Lund, C. C. Brown, Geo. E. Johnson, H. H. Lund, M. G. Aldrich, R. H. Campbell, W. J. Wagoner, W. P. Evans, W. Wilkinson, James F. Wilkinson, C. Hathaway, Isaac Bunn and E. B. West, formed themselves into a stock company for the purpose of purchasing material and publishing a newspaper at Ida. The necessary money was raised, and W. P. Evans took charge of the publishing. The first number, then as now, was called the Ida County Pioneer, and the first issue was on Thursday, March 3d, 1872, from the upper story of the Court House. The paper was a six-column folio. Republican in politics and began with a circulation of 150. It was printed in long primer type, upon an old poster press, known among older Iowa journalists as "Old Muley," the press upon which J. N. Dixon, the "blind editor," published his first paper, the Indianola Journal. It had also done service in the early days of Des Moines journalism on the Iowa Statesman and State Register. Immediately after the first sheet of the Pioneer was printed, it was taken by E. B. West, the County Aulitor, down stairs and presented to the Board of Supervisors, who were then in session, and was made by them the official paper of the county. Within two or three months after the first issue of the paper, W. P. Evans purchased the shares of all the stockholders and became sole proprietor. On the 27th day of August, 1874, Evans sold the Pioneer to C. B. Chaffee and George T. Wil

liams, who enlarged the paper to a seven-column folio. In the spring of 1876 Chaffee & Williams sold an "Amateur" press and purchased a large stock of job type and a new quarto-medium "Star" jobber, and in 1877 purchased a new Washington press. April 4th, 1878, the Pioneer was enlarged to an eight-column folio. In the spring of 1881, Chaffee & Williams sold the Pioneer to Theron Akin, who suppressed the paper. About the 1st of April, 1881, W. P. Evans re-established the Pioneer, purchasing a large office with four presses. The present proprietor continued the publication until December, 1881, when he leased it to Suiter & Simpson, two practical printers, who are the present editors. It is one of the official papers of the county, is a seven-column quarto and has a circulation of 1,200.

The Maple Valley Era is a Republican paper, and was started by L. Stanfield and C. N. Clark, August 22d, 1877. This paper was started as a five-column quarto, but October 18th, 1877, it was enlarged to an eight-column folio. March 22d, 1879, L. Stanfield sold his interest to the junior partner, C. N. Clark, who changed the day of publication from Wednesday to Friday. Mr. Clark then added to the office a quarto-medium Gordon jobber, and a new invoice of type. In March, 1880, the paper was again enlarged, this time to a nine-column folio. July 1st, 1881, the publisher purchased a new power press, and enlarged the paper to a seven-column quarto. L. T. Chapin purchased a one-half interest in the Era January 1st, 1882, and it is now run under the firm name of Clark & Chapin. It is a Republican paper, and one of the official papers of the county. It has a circulation of 1,000 copies.

J. H. Moorehead was the first postmaster in Ida Grove, he having received his appointment in 1860. He was succeeded by W. P. Evans, who was appointed late in the year 1872. C. N. Clark is the present incumbent. It is a money-order office.

The first Court House of Ida County was built in the town of Ida in 1871, and was nearly completed before another building was begun on the town site. January 12th, 1877, the Court House was burned, together with most of the county records, and for three years afterwards the county offices were kept in small buildings rented by the county. During the latter part of the year 1879, the present Court House was built on a contract by which the county had the privilege of renting or buying at certain figures. The Clerk removed to the new building in December, 1879, and the other officers followed in January. The upper story is used for court purposes, and the lower part for various county offices. The county purchased the building in 1880. The population of the town may now be estimated to be from 1,200 to 1,500, and it is fast increasing.

The business of Ida Grove may be classified as follows: Six general stores, three grocery stores, one clothing store, one boot and shoe store, two restaurants, three drug stores, two banks, two fur

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