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Iowa Counties
There are ninety-nine 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.Chickasaw County, Iowa
Chickasaw County Education, Geography, and History
Chickasaw County is a county located in the state of Iowa. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 12,439. Chickasaw County was created on January 15, 1851. The county seat is New Hampton. The county is named for the southern Indian Nation whose chief was Bradford.
Etymology - Origin of Chickasaw County Name
Chickasaw county is named for the Chickasaw Native American tribe.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Chickasaw County History
The county is named for the prominent
Indian nation in the south. The county was established in 1851 and originated in
1853.
The county seat in the early stages of the county was located at Bradford, named
after the chief of the Chickasaw Indian tribe. A plain log cabin, erected at a
cost of $1,840, was used as the first courthouse. In the spring of 1857 the
county seat was moved to New Hampton, a town more centrally located in the
county. Following this there were several attempts to remove the county seat
from New Hampton. Some county seat bidders were Fredericksburg, Bradford, and
Forest City. All were unsuccessful in gaining the county seat.
In 1865 the first courthouse in New Hampton was completed. In 1876 an addition
was completed on this building. The entire building was totally destroyed in a
fire on March 26, 1880. Many irreplaceable documents were lost, but many more
were saved with the help of the "Hook & Ladder Co.," and concerned citizens.
With the help of a falling mist and buckets of water, the fire was finally
extinguished, with total losses estimated at $2,000.
Due to towns fighting over the location of the county seat, it was not until
1881 that the central portion of a new courthouse was completed at New Hampton.
The third courthouse cost $10,500 to complete; New Hampton paid $5,000 of the
cost. The building was made of brick and stone. The inside was trimmed with
black walnut and ash. In 1905 a wing was added on at a cost of $4,219, and one
year later a second wing was completed with a cost of $200.
The current courthouse was completed in 1929 at a cost of $134,000. Architects
for the courthouse were Ralston and Ralston of Waterloo, and it was constructed
by Tarazar Construction Co. of Albert Lea, Minnesota.
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 506 square miles (1,310 km2), of which 504 square miles (1,310 km2) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2) (0.3%) is water.
Chickasaw county is located in northeast Iowa.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- North: Howard County
- Northeast: Winneshiek County
- Southeast: Fayette County
- South: Bremer County
- Southwest: Butler County
- West: Floyd County
- Northwest: Mitchell County
Education
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