HISTORY: O'Brien County From the A.T. Andreas Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Iowa, 1875 ************************************************* Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************* ________________________________________________________ NOTE: For more information on O'Brien County, Iowa Please visit the O'Brien County, IAGenWeb page at http://iagenweb.org/obrien/ ________________________________________________________ O'BRIEN COUNTY. O'Brien County is the second from the west line and the second from the north line of the state, is twenty-four miles square, containing a superficial area of 576 square miles. The largest stream is the Little Sioux River, which crosses the southeast corner. Henry Creek rises in the northeastern part of the county, draining several townships, while Waterman and Mill Creeks flow through the central and southern townships, and are all branches of the Little Sioux. Floyd River rises in several branches in the northwestern part of the county, affording drainage to several townships. The supply of timber is very limited, being mostly confined to groves on the Little Sioux, in the southeastern corner of the county, and is chiefly oak, hickory, maple, elm and cottonwood. When protected from the fires timber grows rapidly, and many of the settlers have promising groves of planted trees. The soil of this region is exceedingly productive, and in its wild state produces luxuriant crops of native grass, which is excellent for pasturage or hay. The bottom or table lands along the streams, are composed of a deep, rich vegetable mold, on a sub-soil resembling clay mixed with gravel. The soil of the upland prairies is the highly productive bluff deposit of this part of the state, with a vegetable coating, and produces in great perfection all kinds of grain and vegetables. The surface is generally undulating, and susceptible of easy cultivation. There are no exposures of rock "in place," or in quarries, in the county. The only stone being the boulders that are found scattered over the surface, and are mostly granite, red-quartzite, with a few magnesian limestone. The material of the bluff formation is manufactured into very good brick, and this, of course, is abundant. Excellently pure water is easily obtained in all places at a few feet below the surface. The great abundance of excellent wild grass and pure water render this a fine region for stock-raising, especially where provision is made for winter shelter. In this, as well as other counties in this part of the state, settlers must plant trees to insure a future supply of fuel, and thus may soon obviate the necessity of depending upon coal shipped from other parts of the state. HISTORICAL. The first white settlers in O'Brien County were H. H. Waterman and family, who on the 11th day of July, 1856, located on the northeast quarter of section 26, township 94, range 39. They removed here from Bremer County, Iowa, but were formerly from the State of New York. The county was organized in 1860, the first election being held at the house of H. H. Waterman, where the following first county officers were chosen; J. C. Furber, County Judge; H. H. Waterman, Treasurer and Recorder; Archibald Murray, Clerk and County Surveyor. The first county seat was at a place called O'Brien, in the southeast corner of the county, where the principal settlement was made prior to the construction of the Sioux City and St. Paul Railroad. The first district court was held here by Judge Henry Ford. The first religious meeting held in the county assembled at the home of pioneer Waterman, while Mrs. Waterman taught the first school at O'Brien. The first newspaper was the O'Brien Pioneer, commenced by B. F. McCormack and J. R. Pumphrey. It is now edited and published by A. H. Willits & Son. At the general election of 1872 a vote was taken on the question of the permanent location of the county seat, which resulted in favor of the geographical center of the county. Accordingly a town was laid out at that point, to which the name of Primghar was given. At the time the surveyors were engaged in the work of laying off the town plat, the persons present were Messrs. Pumphrey, Roberts, Iaman, McCormack, Green, Hays, Albright and Renok. The initials of these names in the order given form the word Primghar, and hence it was agreed that this should be the name of the new town. The first house on the town site was erected by J. R. Pumphrey for county purposes. The next was a house of public entertainment, erected by C. F. Albright. The county officials for 1875 are as follows; ANDERSON J. EDWARDS, Auditor. ALONZO H. WILLITS, Clerk. JULIUS C. DOLING, Treasurer. ANDREW J. BROOKS, Recorder. EDWARD A. NISSEN, Sheriff. JESSE A. SMITH, Supt. of Common Schools JOHN F. BURROUGHS, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. PRIMGHAR. This has been the county seat since 1872. It is located at the center of the county on a high and well drained prairie, 25 miles from Cherokee, 28 from Spencer, and 28 from Sibley. The place is laid out with a public park, which has been planted with forest trees, and as it is surrounded by a region of great fertility, will doubtless make a thriving town. SHELDON. —This place is located on the line of the Sioux City & St. Paul Railroad, in the northwest part of the county. The town site is on a beautiful prairie slope rising from the railroad, and extending back on the higher land. The railroad was completed to this place, January 1, 1873, and the first building erected about the same time. Among the first buildings was a commodious hotel erected by the railroad company. It is a shipping and business point for a large extent of country. O'BRIEN. —This is a village in the southeast part of the county, and is situated on a fine, dry plateau about seventy-five feet above the Little Sioux, the river forming a semi-circle around the village. The elevated banks on the opposite side form a pleasing back-ground to the landscape in that direction. This was the former county seat, and is the oldest settled portion of the county.