Communities
Farnhamville
Before there was Farnhamville, there was a little settlement known as Hardin Creek. In fact, the community was built one-half mile south and west across the Hardin Creek bridge (on Highway 175) on a hill on the north side of the road.
A pioneer named Robert Wyatt hauled materials there to build a grain elevator, but in the meantime W.M. Farnham and family moved to the area from Triumph, IL, and purchased the land where most of Farnhamville is now located. (History books record that Farnham paid $7 an acre for the land.)
A railway company approached Farnham about selling some of this land, because the railroad wanted to extend the line from Gowrie to Lake City and wished to add a railway station where Farnhamville is now located. A deal was completed in June 1881, and 60 acres passed into the ownership of the Western Townsite Company.
The land was platted into business and residential lots on June 19, 1881. Within five years the booming town boasted a creamery, saloon, lumberyard, church, blacksmith shop, new homes, restaurant/boarding house, and a hotel.
Through the years, Farnhamville became a major hub for the local farmers’ cooperative, which is now part of Landus Cooperative. Farnhamville also boasts an array of painted barn quilts, which are displayed outside the public library, residents’ garden sheds and other locations around town.
Content written by Darcy Maulsby, Lake City, author of the history book "Calhoun County" | darcymaulsby.com
Lake City
In 1854, Iowa had been a state for barely eight years, and the first pioneers were already entering the southwestern part of Calhoun County that would become the birthplace of Lake City.
The first white man to establish a home in the area was Ebenezer Comstock, who brought his family to the Raccoon River valley in April 1854 and settled in Jackson Township near the western limits of what later became Lake City. That fall, Peter and Christian Smith also established claims near Lake City. Peter Smith later built the first store in Lake City, a month after the young town was designated the county seat of Calhoun County in April 1856.
While lots were sold and a courthouse was built, the new community grew slowly. Lake City only had about 250 residents until 1881, when the arrival of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad ushered in a boom time. The community’s key location between Des Moines and Sioux City made it one of the most influential railroad towns in the region, and jobs abounded here.
After Lake City residents voted to incorporate the town and elected its first mayor (H.H. Baldwin) in 1881, the city’s population more than quadrupled to 1,160 residents within 10 years. As both the railroad and the local farming community continued to expand, so did Lake City, which boasted 2,703 residents by 1900. While Lake City’s growth leveled off in the early twentieth century, the vibrant town maintained a population of more than 2,000 residents for the next 80 years.
The passage of time has brought many changes to the community, including the drainage of the pond east of town that inspired Lake City’s name and later led to the motto “Everything But a Lake.” Through it all, Lake City has remained rooted in the local farm economy, with citizens who are defined by a “curious mixture of provincialism and progressiveness,” as noted in the 1982 history book “Calhoun County Iowa.”
Content written by Darcy Maulsby, Lake City, author of the history book "Calhoun County" | darcymaulsby.com
Lohrville
In 1881 Lohrville became the first town platted in Union Township, located in the southern tier of Calhoun County. While another town, Eads, was established in the area in 1882, it did not prosper and was vacated within a few years.
Named after Jacob and Mary Lohr family, Lohrville became a major railroad hub with three rail lines. Lohrville became one of the first in the county to consolidate its one-room country schools around 1920. While Lohrville’s population peaked in the 1930-1940 era, the town’s spirit remains strong. Community members continue to improve the town’s walking/biking trail network, as Lohrville embraces the motto “Better, Not Bigger.”
Content written by Darcy Maulsby, Lake City, author of the history book "Calhoun County" | darcymaulsby.com
Manson
Before there was Manson there was Yatesville, a small settlement located three miles southeast of Manson in the northeast corner of Calhoun County. With the coming of the railroad in 1870, the town of Manson was born in 1872.
By 1900, Manson had become one of the largest towns in the county, with 1,424 residents. This growth continued through 1970, when the community’s population peaked at 1,993 people. While a deadly tornado struck the town in 1979, Manson rebuilt its downtown and homes that were destroyed. Today, the town remains a vibrant place to call home.
Content written by Darcy Maulsby, Lake City, author of the history book "Calhoun County" | darcymaulsby.com
Pomeroy
Founded in 1870 and named for State Representative Charles W. Pomeroy, Pomeroy is situated in northern Calhoun County among the cornfields and wind turbines of northwest Iowa. Nearly wiped off the map in 1893 by a devastating tornado, the spirit of the people prevailed.
The railroad was instrumental in the success of Pomeroy, bridging the gap between small, rural towns and larger cities. Today, Pomeroy is an agricultural community that’s proud of its heritage and focused on the future.
Content written by Darcy Maulsby, Lake City, author of the history book "Calhoun County" | darcymaulsby.com
Rockwell City
When the Illinois Central Railroad was built in 1870, Calhoun County’s northern towns of Manson and Pomeroy had grown and become rivals of Lake City for the county seat. The issue came to a head in 1876, when citizens voted to relocate the courthouse near the center of the county.
Rockwell City, platted on the only high ground within a one-mile radius of the center of the county, was founded and became the county seat. In 1880, town founder Mr. John M. Rockwell learned that F.M. Hubbell of Des Moines was bringing his railroad as far as Jefferson. Rockwell traveled to Des Moines and promised Hubbell half of the town lots if he would bring the railroad to Rockwell City. The first train arrived August 7, 1882, and the town’s population doubled that year.
Rockwell City remains a hub of county government, centered around the Calhoun County courthouse. This stunning building, which was built in 1914, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. So is the one-arch Rainbow Bridge designed by James Marsh and built east of town in 1915.
The bridge is one of the main points of interest along Historic Highway 20 in Rockwell City. Since the town is also located near the modern, four-lane Highway 20, Rockwell City maintains strong ties to the past and the future.
Content written by Darcy Maulsby, Lake City, author of the history book "Calhoun County" | darcymaulsby.com
We're working on histories of Calhoun County's other communities. For city information including City Hall address and official information, visit our Calhoun County Economic Development website.
