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History of Sac County, Iowa
1914

Linked items have been transcribed.
Linked chapter titles indicate entire chapter transcribed in one page.
 
CHAPTER
PAGE
CHAPTER I. GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY
Location of Sac County - Area - Drainage - Wall Lake - Early Timber - Soil  - Origin of the Prairies - Their Mystery - Pioneer Animal Life.
25
CHAPTER II. INDIAN OCCUPANCY - COMING OF THE WHITE MEN.
Prehistoric Races - Mounds and Their Builders -The Various Indian Tribes Originally Occupied Iowa - Indian Quarrels - Indian Titles Extinguished -  War
of 1812 - Indian Treaties - Trouble With Indians in Northwestern Iowa  - The Spirit Lake Massacre - Indian Battle in Sac County - Indian Murders  - Last Appearance of Indians - Iowa Territory - State Line War - Iowa Made a State - Constitutional Convention - Re-locating the State Capital - Prohibition of Slavery - Under a Second Constitution.
30
CHAPTER III. ORGANIZATION OF SAC COUNTY
Name - Formation - First County Officials - County-seat Commissioners -  First Election - Later Elections - First Proposed County-seat - Final Location and Report of Commission.
44
CHAPTER IV. PIONEER SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY
Pioneer Hardships and Privations - A Period That Can Not Be Repeated - Reminiscences - Difficulty of Establishing Early Dates and Locations - Early Data - A Pen Picture of Sac County in Pioneer Days - Location of Sac County - Early Settlers and Fruit Growing - The First to Make Settlement  - Later Comers - Pioneer Weather Conditions - Pre-emption Experiences - Postal Facilities - Pioneers Combine Against Land Speculators - First Mill in Sac County - A Hard Winter - Encroachments of Wild Animals - Some Settlement Dates - Natural Resources - List of Settlers -  Prosperity of County in 1880 - Burning Corn for Fuel - Land Values - The Swedish Settlement.
47
CHAPTER V. COUNTY GOVERNMENT
The County-Judge System - County Supervisors - Proceedings of the County Court and Board of Supervisors - Early Marriage - First Grand Jury - Early Salaries - Bounties - Court House History - First Building - Second Court House - Present Structure - The County Jail - The County Farm - Finances of the County - ^Telephone and Telegraph Lines - Disbursements for Drainage Purposes.
64
CHAPTER VI. THE BAR OF SAC COUNTY
Origin of Early Attorneys - Sac County's First Lawyer - Brief Mention of Other Early Attorneys and Those of Later Years - Lawyers Now in Sac City - In Other Towns of the County.
77
CHAPTER VII. MEDICAL HISTORY OF SAC COUNTY
The First Physicians - The Pioneer Doctor's Life One of Hardships and Self-sacrifice - Personal Mention of Many Sac County Physicians - Surgical Work in the County - List of Registered Physicians - The Transients - Present Physicians of the County - The Sac County Medical Society.
82
CHAPTER VIII. THE EVOLUTION OF AGRICULTURE IN SAC COUNTY
Early Misunderstanding of the Soil by the Pioneers - Wheat - Oats - Barley and Buckwheat - Garden Truck - Popcorn - Live Stock - Sheep - Horses- - Stock Cattle - Hog Industry - Tame Grasses - Creamery - Orcharding - Summary - Agricultural Statistics - Agricultural Societies - Fairs.
99
CHAPTER IX. NEWSPAPERS OF SAC COUNTY
Newspapers - First Evidence of Thrift in a New Community - The Pioneer Newspaper of Sac County - James N. Miller - The Sac Sun - The Sac County Bulletin - Odebolt Chronicle - Odebolt News - Wall Lake Blade - Schaller Herald - Sac County News - Lake View Resort - Auburn Recorder - Nemaha Register - Lytton Star.
109
CHAPTER X. BANKS AND BANKING
Little Use for Banks in Early Days - Local System of Barter and Exchange - First Banks - List of Sac County Banking Houses - Sac City Banks - Banking at Odebolt - At Nemaha - Ulmer Bank - The Banks at Early - Banking at Schaller - At Lake View - Wall Lake.
116
CHAPTER XI. EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS
Early High Standard of Education Among Sac County Pioneers - County School Superintendents - First Schools of the County - The Schools of the County in 1884 - Statistics for 1900 - Sac City School District - Educational Institutions of Sac City - Other Sac County Schools - County Teachers' Association - School Houses - George W. Schee - The Delaware Township Union School - Condition of Schools in 1913 - Town and City School Statistics - School Townships - Grade Schools - The Sac City Institute.
126
CHAPTER XII. MILITARY HISTORY OF THE COUNTY
Loyalty of the Pioneers - Source of Trouble Prior to the Civil War - Incidents Leading Up to the War - President Lincoln's Proclamation - Sac County's Part in the Conflict - Bounty and Relief - Veterans in 1884 - Sac County's First Camp Fire - Soldiers' Monuments - Inspection of the Iowa Soldiers' Home - The Spanish-American War - President McKinley's Proclamation - Company M, Iowa National Guard - Grand Army of the Republic  - Sons of Veterans.
138
CHAPTER XIII. CHURCH HISTORY
Census Religious Statistics for 1905 - Methodism - Sac City M. E. Church, and the Churches at Pleasant Hill, Nemaha, Odebolt, Early, Wall Lake and Schaller - Free Methodists - Presbyterian Churches at Sac City, Odebolt, Early, Lytton, Auburn, Wall Lake and Schaller - Baptist Church at Sac City  - Congregational Church - Swedish Mission - Catholic Churches at Schaller, Odebolt, Wall Lake and Early - German Evangelical Churches at Lake View,
Coon Valley Township, Auburn, Lake View, Schaller and Cook Township - Latter-day Saints - Episcopal Church - The Adventists - Christian Churches - Sac County Young Men's Christian Association.
155
CHAPTER XIV. LODGES OF THE COUNTY
Free and Accepted Masons at Sac City, Schaller, Lake View, Early, Odebolt, Wall Lake and Auburn, with Its Appendant Orders - Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Sac City, Schaller, Early, Wall Lake, Lytton, Auburn, Odebolt and Lake View - Knights of Pythias at Sac City.
175
CHAPTER XV. RAILROADS AND TRANSPORTATION
Influence of Railroads on Community Development - First Moves for a Railroad in Sac County - Present Railroad Mileage in County - Account of the Coming of the Various Railroads.
183
CHAPTER XVI. COUNTY AND STATE OFFICERS, ELECTIONS, ETC.
Elections, Officers and Votes from 1856 to 1912 - Special Propositions and Elections - Election Contest - Prohibitory Amendment Vote, 1882 - Presidential Vote of the County - Gubernatorial Vote - Congressional Vote - State Representatives - County Officers - Judges - Auditors - Treasurers - Recorders - Sheriffs - Clerks - Supervisors - Coroners - School Superintendents.
187
CHAPTER XVII. TOWNSHIP HISTORIES
Township Government - Dates of Township Subdivisions - Naming of Townships - Douglas Township - Drainage - Settlement - Wheeler Township - Location - Boundary - Settlement - First Election - Coon Valley Township - Location - Natural Features - Cook Township - Characteristics - The Cook Ranch - Richland Township - The Great Wheeler Farm (now Adams Ranch) - Town of Odebolt - Its Commercial Interests - First Officers - Public Utilities - Library - Postoffice - Concert Band - Popcorn Industry - Cedar Township - Scene of Last Battle Between the Sioux and Sac and Fox Indians - Lytton - First and Present Officers - Delaware Township - First Settlers - Town of Nemaha - Business Directory - Clinton Township - Mills - Eden Township - Value of Farm Lands - Eureka Township - Town of Schaller - Incorporation - First Officers - Public Utilities - Business Interests - Boyer Valley Township - Pioneer Settlers - Town of Early - Incorporation - Public Works - Postoffice - Business Directory - Levey Township - Town of Wall Lake - Commercial Interests - Incorporation of Town and Official Roster - A Great Railroad Center - Postmasters - Wall Lake Township - Wall Lake, a Natural Curiosity - Lake View - A Reminiscence - Business Interests - Sac Township - Town of Auburn - Incorporation - Business Interests - Grant City - Ulmer - Viola Townsliip - Pioneer Settlers - Carnarvon - Jackson Township.
209
CHAPTER XVIII. SAC CITY
A Fine Natural Site - Location - Natural Features - Town Plat - Eugene Criss, "Father of Sac City'" - Business Interests in 1873 - Early Mills - Hotels - Industries - Wayt Monument Works - Allen Institute - Municipal History - Water Works, Lighting, Etc. - Fire Department - City Officials - Commercial Club - Oakland Cemetery - Soldiers' Monument - Public Library  - Remembering Washington - Postoffice History - Chautauqua Association - Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company - The Good Time Club.
263
CHAPTER XIX. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS OF INTEREST
Population of County - Census Summary - Farm Statistics - Village Plats - Incorporated Towns - Local Market Prices at Various Dates - The Notorious James Brothers at Sac City - Oil and Mica Excitement - Cyclone Days - Drowned at Wall Lake - Temperance Sentiments- - Fifty-Year-Old Mortgage - Peat for Fuel - Days of Mourning - Death of General U. S. Grant - Death of President McKinley - Death of Senator Dolliver - Wonderful Mineral Hailstones - Snow Blockade in 1880 - Old Settlers' Association - Weather Notes - Herding Stock in Early Days - Robbery and Murder - Grand Centennial Celebration - Registered Farm Names - Prairie Fires - Early-day Blizzard -  Sac County Women Machinists - Autumn Frosts - Weather Records - The Grasshopper Plague.
287
CHAPTER XX. REMINISCENCES
The Sagacity of a Dog - Storm and Flood - Pioneer Boy's Reminiscence - Frozen in a Blizzard - An Adventure in Hell Slough.
322
CHAPTER XXI. ANIMALS AND GAME BIRDS OF SAC COUNTY 331
INDEX TO BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF SAC COUNTY 345

Source: History of Sac County, Iowa by William H. Hart
With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and
Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families, Illustrated, 1914
B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc. Indianapolis, Indiana
Contributed by Miles Davis.

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