History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/3/Counties/Carroll
CARROLL COUNTY was at one time a part of the large territory of Benton but, in 1851, was established by act of the Legislature and named for Charles Carroll, one of t he signers of the Declaration of Independence. It lies in the third tier east of the Missouri River, in the fifth south of the Minnesota line and contains sixteen congressional townships, making an area of five hundred and seventy-six square miles.
In 1854 Enos Buttrick of Greene County made a claim and built the first log cabin in the limits of Carroll, on section two, township eighty-two, range thirty-four. The old Indian trail known as the “War Path,” a dividing line between the Sioux and Pottawattamie hunting grounds, ran through townships eighty-two to eighty-five, range thirty-six. It was a well beaten path visible for many years after the Indians were removed from the State. The penalty was death for any Indian who should be found hunting on the land belonging to the other tribe. The old battle-field where the last conflict took place between these hostile tribes was near Crescent Lake in Carroll County.
In July, 1855, the first steps were taken toward organizing a county government in Carroll and at the August election the following officers were chosen: A. J. Cain, judge; Levi Thompson, clerk; James White, treasurer; J. Y. Anderson, sheriff, and L. M. Curdy, prosecuting attorney. The population at that time was about one hundred. The first school was opened by Jane L. Hill in the spring of 1856 at Carrollton, a town which was that year laid out on the middle branch of the Raccoon River in the southern part of the county. It became the first county-seat and O. H. Manning here established a paper named the Carroll Enterprise. The Methodists organized the first church in the county at this place. A term of court was held here by Judge M. F. Moore in November, 1858. The Northwestern Railroad was built in 1867 and a new town laid out on its line near the geographical center of the county named Carroll, which soon became the county-seat. The Carroll Herald was started the following year by J. F. H. Sugg.