PREFACE.

In the restless and ambitious disposition of mankind there is more than curiosity, or a misdirected desire for familiarity with remote or insular phases of nature, for there is also that more wisely considerate wish for such extended knowledge as not alone gratifies curiosity, but which stimulates and energizes an ambitiion to extend and develop the domain of civilization, with its attendant resources and comforts.

This brief sketch is not intended by the publishers to fully do justice to the subject, it would be impossible to do so in less than double the space here devoted, and yet it hopes to cover the ground and enlighten its readers upon this section, giving due praise as well to those business men who have made the town what it is--a progressive town that will ever merit the heavy business it has gained.

In justice to the business men herein represented, and to the town which they are so earnestly endeavoring to upbuild, we humbly beg a careful reading of this work.

That Audubon county farms are in a high state of cultivation, the farmers progressive and prosperous, Exira far in advance of any town in western Iowa in improvements recently made, and as a grain and stock market, there can be no doubt in the minds of any who are seeking truthful information.

Transcribed February, 2023 by Cheryl Siebrass from 1857-1891 History of Exira Audubon County, Iowa, From Its Foundation to the Present, Crane Publishing Company, Atlantic, Iowa, pg. 1.