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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.
 

Crawford County, Iowa

Crawford County Education, Geography, and HistoryCrawford County, Iowa Courthouse

Crawford County is a county located in the state of Iowa. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 17,096. Crawford County was created on January 1, 1851. The county seat is Denison. Crawford county is named for William Harris Crawford, United States senator from Georgia and United States Secretary of the Treasury.

Etymology - Origin of Crawford County Name

Crawford county is named for William Harris Crawford, a presidential candidate as well as United States Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of War.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Crawford County History

Crawford County is named in honor of William Harris Crawford. He was a Georgia senator, Secretary of War, Secretary of the Treasury (1817-1825) and a presidential candidate in 1824.

The county was established in 1851 and originated in 1855. The county has always been Denison. It is named after its founder and promoter Jesse W. Denison. Born in New York, Denison knew that the settlement of the Mississippi Valley was the future of the United States. He formed the Providence Western Land Company of Providence, Rhode Island. He soon was successful in filing for 23,000 acres in Harrison and Crawford counties. With the help of a surveyor, Denison laid out his "dream city." With its central location in the county, Denison was the logical choice for the county seat.

The first courthouse was a brick building built by H. C. Laub in 1857. Only the upper floor was completed for an assembly room; county offices did not move in until the summer of 1859. By 1878 county offices outgrew the building and an addition the same size was added. During the spring, summer and fall of 1902, much agitation occurred for the need of a new courthouse. The advocates of a new courthouse cited many reasons: the county records and papers were in danger of being destroyed by fire, the old courthouse had run out of space, and the county was wealthy enough to afford one.

Construction of the new courthouse started on November 10, 1903, a whole year after an election approved it. The courthouse was to originally cost $75,000, but additions and changes, added $40,000 to that figure. The first story is constructed of Port Wing sandstone and the second and third stories are made of Bedford White stone. The dome and all marble work were done by Morzen and Rokahr at a cost of $20,850. After much heated discussion, the Board of Supervisors ordered the removal of the dome for safety reasons in 1946. A complete restoration of the courthouse, including interior paint, new wiring and new windows and doors was done in 1976. A celebration was held in May of that same year.

Source:
History of Crawford County, Crawford County Recorder
Denise Meeves, Crawford County Recorder

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 715 square miles (1,850 km2), of which 714 square miles (1,850 km2) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2) (0.1%) is water.

Crawford county is located in west Iowa.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

  • Northeast: Sac County
  • East: Carroll County
  • Southeast: Audubon County
  • South: Shelby County
  • Southwest: Harrison County
  • West: Monona County
  • Northwest: Woodbury County; Ida County

Education



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