History of Cherokee County |
History of Cherokee County |
| HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY AND ITS COUNTY SEAT, CHEROKEE Cherokee County was one of 49 divided from Indian Treaty lands by the Third Iowa General Assembly in 1851. The lawmen picked names that had no connection with the area or with its history. The Little Sioux River winds through Cherokee County, making it one of the most scenic in western Iowa. The river and its tributaries have carved deep into the glacial till. Many high points afford beautiful view; best of all is seen from the top of Pilot Rock, a huge boulder of red Sioux quartzite left by the last glaciation. On a hill south of Cherokee, the rock served as a guide post and meeting place for red men and for white explorers. Pioneers made their homes in the fertile, wooded valley before venturing to develop the open plains. After scouting the area in 1856, Robert Perry picked a spot by the river in Pilot township for the county's first home. While getting supplies at Sergeant Bluff he met two scouts of the Milford, Massachusetts Emigration Company. They were seeking land for their members whose wagons were close behind. After Perry's vivid description of "his" valley, the scouts walked up the Little Sioux River. They chose a site on the west side of the river, northeast of the present city of Cherokee. Enough land was preempted so that each of the thirteen Milford colonists who came in 1856, two of them with families of children, had a town lot, a wood lot and acreage for farming. Another group of ten men led by George Banister settled several miles south the same summer. The first winter was cold and food was scarce. Roving Indians visited the cabins, amazed at the number of whites who had invaded their hunting grounds. They demanded food, and killed some of the settlers' livestock. As they went further north and found more people the redmen became angry. Read the whole exciting story of the Spirit Lake Massacre in the spring of 1857 in "Hawkeye Adventure" by Reida-Irwin. In 1862, a series of stockades with blockhouses were built by the government, putting an end to all Indian troubles in Iowa. Fort Cherokee looked out over the Milford Colony. During the Civil War, many county men enlisted and their families withdrew to more populated areas. After the war, they came back to their land and homes. Promise of a railroad from Ft. Dodge to Sioux City running through Cherokee brought many business and professional people during the late 1806's. The railroad was finally completed in 1870. (Note, there is the word "error" hand written next to the date of 1870). It did not cross the Little Sioux where expected, although speculators had built up quite a town near the bridge built by the early colonists. In the spring of 1870 these folks moved about a mile and a half to the new depot the railroad had set up, dragging houses, shops and their county courthouse with them. New Cherokee grew very fast and soon had many stores and a newspaper, The Times, which celebrated its Centennial in 1970. Cherokee had a Centennial Celebration in 1956 honoring all of the pioneers. Agriculture has been the basis of progress here as elsewhere in Iowa. Industry is largely dependent on agriculture, with the manufacture of implements and tools for the farmer, and a large packing plant. In the early days mills for sawing timber and for grinding grain into flour were essential; now remnants of its dam are all that remain of the old White Mill north of town. The gravel deposits near Cherokee are a rich resource. Vast amounts of stone and sand left by ancient glaciers, and sorted by stream action, made excellent material for railway beds and for mud-free roads. Today these gravels are essential for highway and all other construction. In 1885 the Illinois Central Railroad began digging into a gravel hill south of Cherokee with a big steam shovel. Countless carloads of this gravel ballast improved the company's roadbeds, from here to New Orleans. The hill disappeared and a large pit developed. As this filled with water from natural springs, a sizable lake formed. Now Spring Lake Park is Cherokee's chief recreation area. Connecting railroads opened up new trade territories in 1888. Larrabee was established as a station on the line from Cherokee to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. On the line south to Onawa, Quimby was platted, and Washta moved across the river to be on the railroad. In 1902 the Cherokee State Hospital, now named Mental Health Institute opened. Beautifully situated on a thousand acres of high land west of town, it has had many additions and changes. Every community has its famous people, unusual events, organizations and businesses. Further information will be found in: Cherokee Centennial - 1956. Obtainable from Cherokee County Historical Society. Cherokee Daily Times Centennial Issue - 1970. Obtainable from the newspaper. (Source: The above history was contained in the former Cherokee County Historical Society's book of Cherokee County historical working papers.) Author: Orange S. Wight (Source: Iowa Independent, Cherokee, IA., Thurs, Jan 11th, 1877, pg. 1) |
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