Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1909-08-04
HOW COUNTIES WE'RE NAMED.
Prof. George Chandler, Well Known
Educator Explains Method of
Naming Iowa Counties.

George Chndler, for twenty-seven
years connected with the public
schools of Iowa has given much
study to Iowa history and recently
has given attention to the naming Of
counties.
When Iowa was admitted into
the union in 1896" said Mr.. Chand-
Ter to representative of the. Des
Moines Register-Leader, there were
only twenty-seven organized coun-
] ties within her border, and they
were in the eastern part of the state.
So little faith did congress have in
the formation of the new west of
the Mississippi that the western
boundary of Iowa, as proposed by
that body in 1912, was north and
south line in longitude II degrees
80 minutes west from Washington
1t was argued by the solons of that
time that the land to the west of
that line was part Of the Great
American Desert" and would never
be inhabited.
| Washington, Adams (first county
seat Quincy. Jefferson, Madison
Monroe, Jackson, Van Buren, Harri-
son, Polk. Taylor and Buchanan
counties were named for the presi-
dents, although Buchanan county
was named before it's namesake had
been chosen to the highest office in
the gift of the people. Johnson
county was named in honor Of Rich
ard Johnson, the only vice president
ever chosen by the United States
senate.
THE legislature of 1850 appointed
a committee of three to name the re-
naming fifty-One counties, twenty
one other counties having. being or
ganized and named between 1916
and 1850. Hon p. M. Cassidy Of
Des Moines was one of that commit
tee and much Of the work Of the
committee was done by him. He
told the writer of this sketch. some
years ago. about the work of this
committee and could not help feel
ing during the entire interview that
I was talking to a maker IL history.
LAS the committee consisted of
three, the idea of three was kept in
mind as much as possible in naming
the counties. So we find the three
great names, Webster, Clay and Cal
houn. 1t was shortly after the close
Of the Mexican war, and naturally
the three important battles of that
war were cOmmemorated in naming
Iowa counties-Palo Alto, Cerro
GOrdo and Buena Vista. 1t was also
shortly after the Irish rebellion OF
1848 and the names of three noted
Irishmen, Emmett, O'Brien and Nit
chell, are found on the map of our
state. Bremen, POcahontas, and Ida
were named for women, Louisa hav-
ing been named at an earlier date.
"Sergeant's Bluff, just below Sioux
City, was named in honor of Sergt.
Charles Floyd, the first white man
was a member of the Lewis and
Clarke expedition and the body was
buried on the bank of the river at
the point named in his honor. 1t
was the intention of the committee
to have the county of Woodbury. call
ed Floyd in honor of Sergeant Floyd.
the legislature was amended and
the names Floyd and Woodbury. were
jostled about and the historical set
ting of Floyd county was entirely
lost. Charles City. the county seat
of Floyd county, is said to have been
named in honor of one of the early
settlers of the place, and not for
Charles Floyd at all.
"Allamakee county was named for
Allan Makee, a half-bred Indian
trader. BY dropping the m of his
given name, a single word was form
ed and the county so named. In
dian names of persons and tribes are
found in the names of counties all
over the state. as the following list
will show: Winneshiek, Winnebago,
Osceola, Sioux, Chickasaw, Pocahon-
tas, Cherokee, Sac, Black Hawk.
Tama, Monona, Poweshiek. Iowa,
Muscatine. Keokuk, Mahaska. Potta-
wattamie. Appanoose. Wapello and
Des Moines.
"In 1880 CrOcker county was or
ganized out of the northern part Of
Kosuth county, but the act was de-
clared unconstitutional few years
later on the ground that the new
county contained only 420 square
miles and the new constitution of
Iowa. adopted in 1857, provided that
thereafter no new county should be
established within this state with an
area less than 432 square miles"