According to the WPA Guide to 1930s Iowa, pioneer Luther H. Barnes dreamed of a great city growing on the banks of the Little Sioux River in northwest Iowa. He platted Sioux Rapids in 1858 but the “community failed to thrive” and Barnes left “heart-broken and impoverished.” He may just have been a few years ahead of his time: eleven years later, D.C. Thomas and David Evans replatted the town, residents settled, and postal service was established by 1870. Sioux Rapids is now home to 720 people.
In 1900, a series of four brick buildings were constructed in the Keokuk County town of Kinross to form what was known locally as the “Brick Block.” Businesses operating in the block included a hardware store, druggist, general store, and local bank. In 1972, the Kinross Bank moved its grandiose two story location within the brick block to the modest building pictured which now serves as the City Hall.
Kinross has continued to lose businesses and population in the ensuing years; in 2010, the population was 73, down from a peak of 142 residents a hundred years prior.
The Floyd County community of Rudd sits just north of U.S. Highway 18 in the northwest quadrant of the county. Platted as Danville in 1869, the community was quickly renamed Rudd to recognize a man who promised to contribute $1,000 for a church in exchange for town naming rights. His contribution never materialized, but the town name remained. Rudd was officially incorporated in 1900.
Nearly ten years ago, black mold was first discovered at the Lu Verne Post Office and a clean-up was conducted. The clean-up was unsuccessful, and a test two years later in showed mold problems continued to exist. The building was vacated and the Post Office was relocated to Lu Verne City Hall two blocks north in September 2003. Once considered a temporary relocation, this unique sharing arrangement remains in place today.
The City Hall is located between the Post Office and Public Library in the Louisa County town of Letts. Founded in 1855, Louisa was originally known as Ononwa. Confusion grew between Ononwa and the western Iowa town of Onawa, so city officials decided to change the name. At this time, the local Methodist Church was looking for a $600 donation for a bell and fixtures. The first $100 was donated by resident Madison Letts; in gratitude, townspeople voted to rename the town Lettsville. The name was shortened to Letts and officially incorporated as Letts in 1877.