Fayette County History
Fayette County was among several counties created and named by the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature is 1837. It was the largest county in the world. The eastern and southern boundaries of that day are still used. The western line went to the Missouri River. The northern line followed the Mississippi River to Canadian border across to the White River in the Dakotas. The White and Missouri Rivers defined the western line. By 1847 the present outline was established Covering 720 square miles, Fayette is one of the 10 largest counties in Iowa.
The name honored Marquis d’ LaFayette, a Frenchman who served with General Washington. The mayor of the city Fayette was invited to France in 1957 to help celebrate the 200th birthday of LaFayette.
The establishment of Ft. Atkinson just north of Fayette County provided some protection and a market for settlers. Roads were necessary to transport goods. The Military or Mission Road from Dubuque to Ft. Atkinson cut diagonally across the county. Early roads were often widened Indian paths. The high ground and easy place to cross streams had been found. In later years, railroad engineers followed much the same paths. The diagonal main street in Arlington is a part of the early Mission Road.
The first permanent settlement in the county was made by Franklin Wilcox and family in the cabin he built southeast of Fayette along the neutral line in 1840. The north part of the county was in the neutral zone reserved for Indians. Near Wadena, Culver’s Trading Post was built the next year. Other scattered settlers found locations south and east of these.
The Winnebago Indians were removed in 1848 from Ft. Atkinson and the restrictions on settlement were lifted. Pioneer land seekers came quickly to the northern part of Fayette County. William Wells chose an area, planned a town and named it West Union in 1849. He set aside a public square was pleased to have it later used for the courthouse. Samuel Conner and friends liked the Elgin area for a mill site and town. Delaphine made the first claim in the Clermont but John Thompson platted the town and developed the mill site. James Earll selected the mill site in Auburn. Eli Elrod built the mill at Eldorado with the help of neighbors including Benjamin Iliff. All of these developments were taking place in 1848-50.
The census of 1850 showed a population of 825 which was enough to allow for organization of a civil government in the county. West Union was chosen as the county seat on the second ballot in 1851. The townships of Auburn, Clermont, Dover, Fairfield, Pleasant Valley, Westfield and West Union ( now Union) were also organized in the 1850 because of petitions of settlers. Some of the townships included more than their present area.
Following soon were other economic community centers in 1851. Robert Alexander laid out Westfield (Klock’ Island Area). It later became a part of Fayette (1855) which grew because of the establishment of Upper Iowa University in 1857. Jacobs S. and Maria Guinn started Taylorsville. It later lost business to Brush Creek (1855) which was given the name if Arlington in 1895. Winslow Stearns and others were properties of Lima with its good mill site. It was swallowed by the Volga Recreation Area in the 1970s.
More towns developed in the later 1850s for several reasons. There were enough settlers for a church in 1855 in the region of St. Lucas. The town developed later. The Church has continued to be a dominant factor in the active business community. J. P. Webster planned Waucoma around the mill site in 1854 on the Little Turkey River and platted in the next year. The mill site was the center of the town of Wadena when Horace Countryman and David Herriman mapped it in 1857. The milling industry was very important in the county from the 1850s to 1880s. Not all mill sites developed into towns. The last mill town was Alpha in 1870. A chinch bug infestation in the late 1870s changed Fayette County’s agriculture giving corn a chance to be king instead of wheat.
The coming of railroad tracks into the county in 1872 and into the 1880s expanded the markets for the farmers and industry. The best known main lines were the Rock Island, Milwaukee and Great Western. On the Rock Island line were the new towns of Oelwein (1873), Maynard (1873), and Randalia (1874) with boost given to West Union, Lutra/Elgin and Clermont. The Milwaukee came through Brush Creek/ Arlington, Fayette and Waucoma. On that line depots in Donnan (1878) and Hawkeye (1880) gathered business for new towns. Later a Milwaukee branch went through Wadena, Lima into West Union. The Great Western established depots in Westgate (1886) and Oran (1906) and announced in 1898 the building of the railroad shops in Oelwein providing a major industry and growth for the town.
The state census of 1915 showed the growing industrial economy in the Fayette County. The agricultural population was almost equaled by the manufacturing managers and workers. The trend of farmers leaving the land was noticeable and has continued since the early 1900s. Today the income from industry is slightly more than that from agriculture. Even though there are fewer farmers, the agriculture production has been maintained or increased. The county is fairly balanced in types of agriculture and has a number of small to medium manufacturing plants.
The 14 incorporated cities and several unincorporated communities provide services for the 23,000 people in the bounteous Fayette County.
(Source: Frances R. Graham, "Historic Milestones of Fayette County, Iowa". West Union)
The name honored Marquis d’ LaFayette, a Frenchman who served with General Washington. The mayor of the city Fayette was invited to France in 1957 to help celebrate the 200th birthday of LaFayette.
The establishment of Ft. Atkinson just north of Fayette County provided some protection and a market for settlers. Roads were necessary to transport goods. The Military or Mission Road from Dubuque to Ft. Atkinson cut diagonally across the county. Early roads were often widened Indian paths. The high ground and easy place to cross streams had been found. In later years, railroad engineers followed much the same paths. The diagonal main street in Arlington is a part of the early Mission Road.
The first permanent settlement in the county was made by Franklin Wilcox and family in the cabin he built southeast of Fayette along the neutral line in 1840. The north part of the county was in the neutral zone reserved for Indians. Near Wadena, Culver’s Trading Post was built the next year. Other scattered settlers found locations south and east of these.
The Winnebago Indians were removed in 1848 from Ft. Atkinson and the restrictions on settlement were lifted. Pioneer land seekers came quickly to the northern part of Fayette County. William Wells chose an area, planned a town and named it West Union in 1849. He set aside a public square was pleased to have it later used for the courthouse. Samuel Conner and friends liked the Elgin area for a mill site and town. Delaphine made the first claim in the Clermont but John Thompson platted the town and developed the mill site. James Earll selected the mill site in Auburn. Eli Elrod built the mill at Eldorado with the help of neighbors including Benjamin Iliff. All of these developments were taking place in 1848-50.
The census of 1850 showed a population of 825 which was enough to allow for organization of a civil government in the county. West Union was chosen as the county seat on the second ballot in 1851. The townships of Auburn, Clermont, Dover, Fairfield, Pleasant Valley, Westfield and West Union ( now Union) were also organized in the 1850 because of petitions of settlers. Some of the townships included more than their present area.
Following soon were other economic community centers in 1851. Robert Alexander laid out Westfield (Klock’ Island Area). It later became a part of Fayette (1855) which grew because of the establishment of Upper Iowa University in 1857. Jacobs S. and Maria Guinn started Taylorsville. It later lost business to Brush Creek (1855) which was given the name if Arlington in 1895. Winslow Stearns and others were properties of Lima with its good mill site. It was swallowed by the Volga Recreation Area in the 1970s.
More towns developed in the later 1850s for several reasons. There were enough settlers for a church in 1855 in the region of St. Lucas. The town developed later. The Church has continued to be a dominant factor in the active business community. J. P. Webster planned Waucoma around the mill site in 1854 on the Little Turkey River and platted in the next year. The mill site was the center of the town of Wadena when Horace Countryman and David Herriman mapped it in 1857. The milling industry was very important in the county from the 1850s to 1880s. Not all mill sites developed into towns. The last mill town was Alpha in 1870. A chinch bug infestation in the late 1870s changed Fayette County’s agriculture giving corn a chance to be king instead of wheat.
The coming of railroad tracks into the county in 1872 and into the 1880s expanded the markets for the farmers and industry. The best known main lines were the Rock Island, Milwaukee and Great Western. On the Rock Island line were the new towns of Oelwein (1873), Maynard (1873), and Randalia (1874) with boost given to West Union, Lutra/Elgin and Clermont. The Milwaukee came through Brush Creek/ Arlington, Fayette and Waucoma. On that line depots in Donnan (1878) and Hawkeye (1880) gathered business for new towns. Later a Milwaukee branch went through Wadena, Lima into West Union. The Great Western established depots in Westgate (1886) and Oran (1906) and announced in 1898 the building of the railroad shops in Oelwein providing a major industry and growth for the town.
The state census of 1915 showed the growing industrial economy in the Fayette County. The agricultural population was almost equaled by the manufacturing managers and workers. The trend of farmers leaving the land was noticeable and has continued since the early 1900s. Today the income from industry is slightly more than that from agriculture. Even though there are fewer farmers, the agriculture production has been maintained or increased. The county is fairly balanced in types of agriculture and has a number of small to medium manufacturing plants.
The 14 incorporated cities and several unincorporated communities provide services for the 23,000 people in the bounteous Fayette County.
(Source: Frances R. Graham, "Historic Milestones of Fayette County, Iowa". West Union)
