History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/3/Counties/Humboldt





on the east fork of the Des Moines River about three miles above the junction of the two branches, in the year 1854. The following year they were joined by J. C. Cusey, George W. and Fletcher Hand, Eber Stone and William Miller with their families. Dakota City was laid out by Edward McKnight in 1856 and in 1857 was made the county-seat. A mill was built on the river by Bergk and McKnight and a post-office established with Charles Bergk as postmaster. The Methodists organized a society in 1856.

The county government was established in 1857. The following were the first officers chosen at the August election in 1857: Jonathan Hutchison, judge; J. F. Williams, clerk; Alexander McLane, treasurer; D. H. Nivers, sheriff, and J. S. Ellis, prosecuting attorney. In August, 1860, A. S. White and Charles Bergk issued the first number of a newspaper named the Humboldt County Independent. In 1863 Rev. S. H. Taft arrived with a colony of some forty persons from central New York, who settled upon ten sections of land lying along the west fork of the Des Moines River west of Dakota City. Here they laid out a town named Springdale, built a dam across the river, erecting a sawmill and a flouring-mill. Mr. Taft also founded Humboldt College which was established in a large stone building erected for that purpose. The town made a rapid growth and in time the name was changed to Humboldt. The Northwestern and the Minneapolis railroads run through the county.