AN UNBLEMISHED LAND

Hardin county was created by an act of the General Assembly approved January 15, 1851.

At the time the entire northwestern portion of the state of Iowa was a wild open prairie. What is now Hardin county had less than a dozen families living within its borders.

The first settlement made in what is now Hardin county was made in 1849, by Greenberry Haggin, a native of Kentucky. He was the first white man to drive a stake, erect a cabin, and make a home in one of the most beautiful parts of the state.

During the winter of 1849-50, Mr. Haggin was the only resident of Hardin county. In the spring of 1850 several more pioneer settlers arrived; James Dawdy, William Robinson, Abram Grimsley, Samuel Smith Sr., Samuel Smith Jr., Alexander Smith, T. N. Hauser, Jacob Miller, Jacob Kidwiler each with the exception of Kidwiler, settled in what is now Union township.

Jacob Kidwiler and his family settled in what is now Jackson township.

The third settlement was made in what is now Eldora Township. Samuel Smith Jr., settled there in the fall of 1850. His nearest neighbor was Jacob Miller, six miles to the south.

Prior to it’s organization, Hardin County was attached to Marshall county, for Judicial purposes. It should be noted that even though Hardin county was attached to Marshall county, the county to the south was not inhabited in any great extent more than Hardin. In 1851, Marshalltown consisted of but one cabin.

In February, 1853 a petition of the voters of the county was presented to the county judge of Marshall county, who ordered an election, on the 2nd day of March, for county officers.

At this election Alexander Smith, was elected County Judge; Samuel Smith, Recorder and Treasurer; James D. Putnam, Clerk of the District Court; Thomas Bennett, Sheriff; William Shafer, School Fund Commissioner. William Shafer, was found to be unqualified, and Samuel R. Edgington, was appointed in his place.

A convention was held at the home of Reuben King, south of the present town of Eldora, in late February 1853. This convention was for the purpose of nominating candidates for the various offices to be voted on. This was the first convention ever held in Hardin county.

A committee was appointed to select candidates, and they didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings so they presented two sets of names for each office. This meant that nearly every known man in the county at the time was nominated for something. None-the-less the work of the committee was found satisfactory, and the report was adopted.

Now that the new county was organized, its county officers didn’t have a permanent meeting place to conduct the business of the county.

Hardin county was now a part, of the Fifth Judicial District, and in June 1853, Judge William McKay appointed John Hockett, of Marshall county, and Mr. McDaniels, of Story county, commissioners to choose a location for a county seat for Hardin county. They met in what is now Eldora the latter part of that month, and selected the present site which was centrally located within the settlements that existed at that time. After selecting the site they called on Mrs. S.R. Edgington to name the town, and she gave it the name Eldora.

In the coming years, Eldora would have several challenges for the location of the county seat including from Steamboat Rock, but has always prevailed.

When Hardin county was first organized, the county judge performed all of the duties later performed by the Board of Supervisors. His immediate duty was to organize the townships and decide on their boundaries. Those records were lost so there is little information about the original organization of the townships prior to 1861.