Tidbits

On April 10, 1886, an act dividing the state into eighteen judicial districts was approved. Under its reorganization, the northwestern counties were arranged in the following districts:

Fourth District--Cherokee, O'Brien, Osceola, Lyon, Sioux, Plymouth, Woodbury, Harrison and Monona.

Other judges of the Fourth district have been: Anthony Van Wagenen, Rock Rapids, Lyon County, 1892-94.

The standardized rural school law passed by the Thirty-eighth General Assembly marked a turning point in Iowa's educational policy, for it was the first time that the body had recognized the necessity and the desirability of extending direct financial aid and encouragement to the one-room rural school.

During the school year 1923-23 rural schools located in ninety-four counties were standardized.

Those matters which are most intimately related to the development of education in Northwestern Iowa have been traced, and of times, specific mention made of the useful participation of that section of the state in the general progress of institutions and measures in vital educational growth. The total enrollment in the ninety-nine counties of the state of those of school age, five to twenty-one years, was for the school year 1923-24, 561,873 and the average daily attendance, 449,391. The twenty counties of Northwestern Iowa coveresd by this history made the following showing:

Source: Northwestern Iowa Its History and Traditions 1804-1926 by Arthur F. Allen Volume 1 1927

At Doon, "Bonnie Doon," in a new community on a new road, Congregationalism proved to be the "solvent of the sects," although the sects outnumber the Congregational stock three or four to one. It is said that Congregationalism rode into Hawarden on the cow-catcher of the first train. A church building and the round-house went up together. Ionia starting out with ninety-five members, was the result of an evangelistic campaign conducted by Rev. N.L. Packard of Nashua. He was called to attend a funeral in the community, and turned the service into an evangelistic meeting. The meetings went on until this number were ready for church membership. Later he added two other churches, Bassett and Chickasaw, by a like series of meetings held in these communities.

Larchwood was the name of a twenty-two thousand acre farm owned by Sir Richard Sykes of Manchester, England. At the first service held on the farm, by Secretary Douglass, he gave out what to him were familiar hymns, but to his surprise, English carols, utterly foreign to Iowa soil, were sung. The church, however, has since been annexed to the United States, and has become just like the rest of us.

Following are the Petit Jurors for the April term of Court, which convenes on the 8th:

John Reesy, Little Rock	J.S. Tumposky, Larchwood

W.S. Hart, Larchwood	Fred Alexander, Little Rock

Ed Tracy, Larchwood	Chas. Everett, Lester

Henry Moon, Rock Rapids	Henry Cuyan, Doon

L. Miller, Rock Rapids	M.H. Bahnson, Inwood

Henry McKee, Rock Rapids	J.J. Unhoefer, Alvord

Wm. Zorn, Doon	A.C. Burns, Larchwood

G.M. Dell, Alvord	W.D. Matthews, Doon

F. Tauseh, Rock Rapids	H. Schildt, Little Rock

Theodore Schultz, Doon	Will Marher, Ellsworth

E. Brown, Rock Rapids	H.J. Schneede, Alvord

P. Kook, Rock Rapids	T.J. McMains, Lester

Ed Wheaton, Rock Rapids	F. Hill, Rock Rapids

A.J. Apple, Rock Rapids	R.H. Spencer, Lester

Herman Johnson, George	Thos. Fitzgerald, Inwood

C.H. Smith, Rock Rapids	Tom Burgeson, Inwood

C.J. Locker, George	T.E. Wade, Rock Rapids

	G.T. Nagle, Rock Rapids

Lyon County Tidbits

from the late 1800's