In 1873 Horace A. Cowles, Civil War veteran, set up the Cyclone post office in his home one mile east and one mile south of present-day Shelby. A second post office, Arcade, was established on mile east of town in 1879; a year later it moved to the…

Polk, founded in 1906 and named after U.S. President James K. Polk, was the last town established in Polk County. When the Union Pacific Railroad began building a branch line in the area, J. Wesley Wilson, his brothers Nathan and Victor, and…

The site for Stromsburg was selected in 1870 by Lewis Headstrom, member of a townsite company from Galva, Illinois. In 1872 the town was platted and named "Stromsburg," the last syllable of Headstrom's name plus "burg," which…

The early settlement of Polk County in 1867 brings us in close touch with the trail of the pioneer. Then from year to year, others came and settlement advanced. These early settlers came by covered wagon, many with ox team. The nearest railroad was…