Magnolia County's Birth and Early Elections in Harrison County
Historical notes recount Harrison County's 1851 creation, 1853 organization, and selection of Magnolia as county seat by Commissioners Abram Fletcher, Charles Wolcott, and A. D. Jones. It details prior claims at Calhoun and Logan, the first election logistics, and early officials, including Sheriff Michael McKenney and Judge Stephen King.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Harrison County
Keokuk County
Fourth General Assembly
Abram Fletcher
Charles Wolcott
A. D. Jones
Fremont, Mills
Pottawattamie
Magnolia
United States
Wiliam Henry Harrison
Michael’ ‘McKenney
Pottawattamie County
Daniel Brown
Calhoun
Logan
Boyer River
Owen Thorpe
Many Hot Battles Over Early County Seat
When Harrison County organized in 1853 the county seat location was hotly contested. Magnolia won initially over Calhoun and Logan area, with East Side supporters urging Magnolia to stay. Civil War era petitions and remonstrances shaped later efforts, including Missouri Valley’s push in 1870. The county seat history continues on page seven.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Harrison County
A. D. Jones
Pottawauamie
Abraham Fietcher
Fremont County
Charlies Wolcott
Mills County
Magnolia
Calhoun
Logan
Slong
Boyer River
Cathown
Board of Supervisors
Missouri Valley
Uriah Hawkins Came To County During July 1847
Historical notes tell how Harrison County grew from a frontier to a center of prosperity. The account explains pioneer courage, sacrifice, and the county’s evolution through railways highways and institutions, aiming to preserve memory of early settlers and their impact on 1954 prosperity.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Uriah Hawkins
Harrison County
Iowa
First Person Killed In County Traced To 1850 Murder
The piece recounts early county killings with 1850 murders linked to a French trader Charles LaPonteur near Little Sioux. It describes the attack by Sioux warriors on his seven Omaha wives, a mother sacrificing to save her daughter, and the daughter escaping while the mother is slain and scalped. It notes another 1864 killing in City Township by William Brown targeting a young Native man, amid Civil War turmoil.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Errison County
Charles LaPonteur
Little Sioux
la Ponteur
Scarcify
Little
Sioux
City Township
William Brown
Minnesota
Pioneers of 40 Years Ago by D W Butts
An 1890 article by D W Butts reflects on Harrison County Iowa landscapes fifty years earlier, contrasting wild bears and lush prairies with modern barren fields and ranching traces. The piece previews a continuation on page two.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Butts
Squatters and Regulators Defined in 1854 Iowa History
The article recalls 1830 treaty land cession, 1836 westward Indian tents, and 1852 settlement surveys. It highlights Squatter Sovereignty from 1827 to 1853 with pioneer justice, Regulators backed by Council Bluffs parties, and lists key regulators such as James W. Bates George Blackman William Fallon and dozens more who protected settlers from land sharks and insisted on lawful entry.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Iowa
Council Bluffs
Reimaui
Judee Lynch
James W. Bates
George Blackman
William T. Fallon
N. Garyatt
Thomas B Neeley
Joel Patch
James Hardy
Lucius
Merchant
Peter Barmett
H. H. Lochiing
Solomon Barnett
Ezra Vincert
Henry George
Horatio Carwood
Thomas Durham
Robert Hall
Jacob Huffman
First Government In Harrison County Set Up Under Old County Judge System
Historic summary of Harrison County's early government under a single county judge, led by Stephen King. It notes the shift to a district-based system in 1871, the 1854 courthouse fire destroying records, and the evolution of county administration through 1869 when auditor duties began.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Harrison County
Stephen King
Couners
Geremen
County Fudge
Sephen King
P. G. Cooper
Brainard
Harrison
Madison
Adams
Jackson
Sioux
Marcy
Boyer
Magnolia
Raglan
Cass
Jefferson
Calhoun
Taylor
Webster
Union
la Grange
Hoosier
Cincinnati
Centennial dedication marks Harrion County pioneers
The dedication from the Logan Herald-Observer and The Woodbine Twiner honors pioneers who settled Harrison County ten decades ago. It salutes builders of homes, farms, roads, churches, and schools whose sacrifices transformed the county from wilderness into a prosperous community.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Harrison County
Logan Herald-Obsever
Woodbine Twiner
Yellow Smoke Murdered at Dunlap in 1869
An old Omaha Chief named Yellow Smoke was murdered in cold blood by white men at Dunlap. A known gambler and frequent visitor to country schools, he allegedly bilked teachers and pupils of dinners. After a late night gambling dispute, he was found dead near the depot the next morning, the crime attributed to unknown hands. The account links the incident to Harrior County.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Yellow Smoke
Dunlap
Christavived
Harrior
Orchard Establishment Before Civil War
Fragmentary OCR notes reference an orchard established prior to the Civil War and a county fair. Mention includes 1863, apple varieties, and experiments with Jaov** and Towr entities. Details are garbled but point to historical orchard planting before canal era conflicts.
Five Times Grasshoppers Devastated Harrison County Plague of 1857
Five outbreaks of grasshoppers struck Harrison County in 1857 and again in 1858 and 1867. Sightings began August 23 1857 with masses covering fences in a dirty lead color and eggs laid by the insects. The plagues recurred in March 1858 and returned August 27 1867 in vast numbers overwhelming fields and even bending full-grown corn stalks. The Northwestern Railway trains were affected by the insect swarms.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Harrison County
Sax
Northwestern Railway
Also Mentioned on This Page
Lewis and Clark
Tourtes
Hore Magnolia
Edtor
D. W. Butts
Towa
Missouri River
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!