HISTORY: Sac Co., IA From the A.T. Andreas Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Iowa, 1875 This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Pat April 2003 ************************************************* Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************* ________________________________________________________ NOTE: For more information on Sac County, Iowa Please visit the Sac County, IAGenWeb page at http://iagenweb.org/sac/ ________________________________________________________ SAC COUNTY. Sac County is the third from the Missouri River, and the fourth from the north line of the state. It contains a superficial area of five hundred and seventy-six square miles, or 368,640 acres. It is admirably watered and drained by North Raccoon and Boyer Rivers and their tributaries, together with several branches of Maple River, which have their sources in this county. One of the largest of these is Elk Creek, in the northwest part of the county. Cedar and Indian Creeks are important tributaries of North Raccoon. Boyer River rises in Buena Vista County, and flowing south, crosses Sac County near the middle. The southern extremity of the important chain of small lakes occupying the "Great Watershed," is in Sac County. The middle of the county is about on the summit ridge, Raccoon River on the east flowing to the Missouri. On the "watershed" between Raccoon and Boyer Rivers, are situated several small lakes, the largest of which is called Wall Lake. This lake is in township eighty- six and eighty-seven, of range thirty-six, being in the southern part of the county. This little body of water covers an area of about three square miles, an in very few places exceeds a depth of twelve feet. Part of the shore is bordered by embankments of earth and boulders, in some places the boulders having the appearance of a wall laid up by the hands of man, and hence the name, Wall Lake. The lake is abundantly stocked with fish, and during the Spring and Autumn months is resorted to by vast number of water fowl. In the north part of the county another lakelet covers an area of about one square miles. It is in township eighty-eight of ranges thirty-six and thirty-seven. There are some groves of timber bordering Raccoon and Boyer Rivers. The leading varieties are oak, black walnut, cottonwood, linn, elm and maple. The general character of the surface is rolling, but in no part much broken. Very little is too flat or wet for cultivation. The soil is of great fertility, being admirably adapted to corn, wheat, oats, grass, and vegetables of various kinds. The valleys of the principal streams present belts of farming country of great beauty and fertility. Stock raising is a profitable industry. HISTORICAL. The first white settler in Sac County was Otho Williams, who located at Big Grove, on North Raccoon River, in the southeast part of the county, in 1854. He opened a farm in the timber, with thousands of acres of rich prairie land on all sides of him. The following settlers soon followed him; F. M. Cory, Leonard Austin, Joseph Austin, William F. Lagourge, William I. Wagoner and Seymour W. Wagoner. The last named was major of a cavalry regiment in the Union army during the Rebellion, and was killed while leading a charge in battle. Previous to 1856, Sac was attached to Greene County for political and judicial purposes. The first election for county organization was held at the house of Eugene Criss, April 7, 1856, when thirty-seven votes were cast for the entire county. The following were the county officers elected; Samuel W. Watts, County Judge; Francis Ayres, Clerk of the District Court; F. Lagourge, Sheriff; H. C. Crawford, Prosecuting Attorney; F. M. Cory, Treasurer and Recorder; and Jacob McAfer, Drainage Commissioner. The first District Court was held at Sac City, June 8, 1857, by Judge C. J. McFarland. Only three cases were tried. The first marriage in the county was that of Elijah Wine and Miss Montgomery, December 15, 1857. During the latter part of August, 1857, a party of surveyors found a man dead in a slough on the prairie, who was supposed to have been murdered, as a ball had passed through his back. The remains were not identified, and at the time of the discovery created some excitement in the settlement. Henry A. Evens' estate was the first administered on in the county, and Rovert E. Browning the first administrator appointed. The first county warrant was issued July 31, 1856, to Thomas Napier, for county books; amount, $56,25. The second, August 2, 1856, to J. M. Jopnes, for county books, for $176. The first deed on record is from Joseph Smith to A. N. Taylor. Fort Dodge, a distance of fifty miles, was the nearest post office. The early settlers would frequently meet at Sac City and hire some one to go after their mail, and would pay twenty-five cents on each letter received. They had also to go there to get their blacksmithing and milling done, and to Des Moines, a distance of one hundred and five miles, for their groceries and provisions. Near the mouth of the Cedar there were encampments of the Pottawattamies and Maquoketa tribes; they were attacked by a war party of Siouxs, when the two tribes united, in common defense, the latter retreated up the Cedar, hotly pursued by the former. Near the north line of the county, the Sioux halted and fought the two tribes for several hours. A number were killed on both sides. The Sioux were defeated. The graves of the "fallen braves" are still to be seen on the banks of the Cedar, near the county line, and from their appearance a great number must have been killed. Previous to the organization of the county, the following persons were appointed commissioners to locate the county seat; C. W. Williams, T. E. Brown, and a Mr. Huxford. They made selection of a point six and a half miles west of the east line of the county, on the west bank of North Raccoon River, adjacent to a fine body of timber. At this place a town was laid out on the 4th day of July, 1855, John F. Buncomb, of Fort Dodge, acting as surveyor. The new town received the name of Sac City. SAC CITY. This is a pleasant village in the oldest settled portion of the county. There is good water power here, and a fine body of timber. It was the first town laid out in the county, and is the county seat. The first house erected was a large log building, which was occupied by Eugene Criss as a hotel. He hauled the windows, doors, nails and lumber for finishing all the way from Dubuque, two hundred and seventy miles. The second house was built by James Gammon. A new, handsome and substantial court house has just been completed at this place. GRANT CITY.—This is a village located on section fourteen, township eighty-six, range thirty-five, in the southwestern part of the county. Its location is on the east bank of North Raccoon River, in a grove of timber. There is also good mill power on the river at this point. The village was laid out in 1863. It has a Baptist, Episcopal and Methodist church, several mills, and stores with general stocks of goods.