The unincorporated Warren County community of Prole was founded in 1884 and named for local businessman Albert Westren Prole. Postal service was established in September 1884 and has continued since; the location now is open two hours daily. The Post Office shares a building with Gabby’s Restaurant, which serves classic comfort food; call ahead for hours at (515) 981-9347.
The Humboldt Independent touted the July 1928 opening of the Humota Theatre as “more proof that Humboldt was a prospering little city.” The Humota was considered to be one of the finest in northwest Iowa, with fireproof walls, state-of-the-art “moving picture machines,” leather-cushioned seats, and attractive side lighting. The name was proposed by resident John Green as a combination of the adjacent Humboldt and Dakota City. “Humota” was chosen over suggested alteratives including “Idelhour,” “Dreamland,” “Taft,” and others.
The first picture shown at the theatre was “The Cossacks,” a silent black-and-white film considered to be one of the best productions of 1928. Though a specific count wasn’t provided, the Independent wrote the new movie house drew a “splendid crowd” on its opening evening and a “success both considering the entertainment and the reception of the new building by the public.”
A major remodeling project in 1983 added the metal exterior along with entirely new auditorium seating. Additional upgrades were made to the theatre in 2008, when cup holders were added to seats, a new screen was installed, and a digital surround stereo was implemented. Movies are shown twice daily at the Fridley Theatre-owned single-screen theatre with an additional matinee showing on Saturdays and Sundays.
Likely one of the youngest libraries in the state, the Elberon Public Library opened its doors on June 9, 1990. It originally opened as a branch of the library in Keystone, a community seven miles west of Elberon. The Keystone Public Library agreed to offer advice along with a loan of 200 books, while the City of Elberon agreed to allow the library to use the meeting room in the local community center.
As the library collection grew, so did the need for a larger library space. On February 13, 2006, the Elberon Public Library officially opened in a permanent space in the front of the expanded Elberon Community Center. The new space led to a growth in visitors and circulation, with 483 more visitors and 1,001 more items checked out in 2006. The library now holds over 5,000 books, 500 videos, and checked out nearly 6,000 items to community members in 2010.
The Gillett Grove Town Hall is located in a refurbished one-room schoolhouse on the west side of the Clay County community. Founded incorporated in 1874 and named after area residents the Gilbert brothers, 55 residents call Gillett Grove home according to the 2000 census. In February 2010, area residents overwhelmingly voted to resolve the South Clay school district and its last remaining school in Gillett Grove. Students were separated into other school districts including Spencer, Sioux Central, Clay-Central-Everly, Ruthven-Ayrshire, and Laurens-Marathon.
While Dakota City has only one-fifth the population of adjacent Humboldt, it has retained its status as county seat since Humboldt County was established in June 1857. As the adjacent town of Humboldt (then called Springvale) grew, several challenges were made to Dakota City’s status as county seat, and a proposal in 1872 to combine the communities and build a new courthouse building failed. A red brick courthouse was ultimately constructed in Dakota City in 1873, though the county seat location remained a controversial topic.
As businesses and churches relocated from Dakota City to Humboldt, the residents of Humboldt grew emboldened in their beliefs the county seat should be relocated. Humboldt resident T.W. Rogers argued in 1910 that “Dakota City had no sewerage, fire protection or police… there is no lawyer, doctor, bank, large store or any business enterprises.” He highlighted the lack of a restaurant or hotel, noting out-of-towners with courthouse business had to stay in Humboldt and walk to Dakota City.
In 1918, a vote to merge the towns failed, with Dakota City residents voting 56 to 45 to stay separated. In 1923, a proposal to replace the dilapidated courthouse in Dakota City was met with strong opposition from Humboldt residents. In 1936, the Works Projects Administration stepped in and helped the citizens of Humboldt County with $185,000 for use in construction of a new courthouse. A bond issue to add $95,000 to the WPA contribution passed easily, and the current (pictured) courthouse was ready for occupancy in 1939. The courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.