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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.Harrison County, Iowa
Harrison County Education, Geography, and History
Harrison County is a county located in the state of Iowa. Based on the 2010 census, the
population was 14,928.
The county was created in 1851. The county
seat is Logan. Harrison county is named for ninth United States President William H. Harrison.
Harrison County is included in the Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Etymology - Origin of Harrison County Name
Harrison county is named for William Henry Harrison, the ninth president of the United States.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Harrison County History
The first territorial governor of
Indiana and ninth president of the US, William Henry Harrison, is the namesake
of Harrison County.
The county was established in 1851. Locating commissioners selected a site for
the county seat and named it Magnolia in 1853. The 160 acres was donated by the
United States Government. A log cabin courthouse was built at this site, and in
September 1854, it and all of the county records were destroyed in a fire.
A second courthouse was built later in 1854 with proceeds from the sale of town
lots. This building was used until 1873, when it was condemned. At this time a
brick building was constructed at a cost of $5,000. In 1876 the county seat was
moved to Logan and this building was sold to the Methodist Episcopal Church of
Magnolia.
A full block of land was donated by the city of Logan for the third courthouse.
In 1877 a two-story 55-foot x 70-foot brick building was constructed at a cost
of $14,000. The residents of Logan paid $9,000, and the county paid $5,000.
In 1890 it had become apparent that the county had outgrown the courthouse.
There was still some debate on the location of the county seat, so even after a
grand jury had condemned the old courthouse, a proposal to construct a new one
was defeated in an election. It was not until 1910 that a $100,000 bond issue
was approved.
Construction of the present courthouse commenced on July 5, 1910. The architect
was J. E. Mills of Detroit and the contractor was W. J. McAlpine of Dixon, Ill.
The 68-foot x 96-foot building was constructed of steel and concrete. It is
faced with Bedford limestone. Total cost of construction and equipment of the
courthouse was $103,205.15.
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 702 square miles (1,820 km2), of which 697 square miles (1,810 km2) is land and 4.8 square miles (12 km2) (0.7%) is water.
Harrison county is located in west Iowa. Part of the DeSoto National
Wildlife Refuge is located in this county.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- Northeast: Crawford County
- East: Shelby County
- Southeast: Pottawattamie County
- Southwest: Washington County, Neb.
- Northwest: Burt County, Neb.; Monona County
Education
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