History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/3/Counties/Kishkekosh
KISHKEKOSH COUNTY was created in February, 1843, and named for a famous Fox Indian chief. It was organized in July, 1845, when E. S. Rand, Israel Kister and J. A. Galligher were appointed commissioners to locate the county-seat. They chose a site where Albia now stands, and a town was laid out named Princeton.
In May, 1843, John B. Gray went from Burlington into the northeasterly part of the new county, made a claim and built a cabin. James Hilton, James and Josiah Boggs, John and W. G. Clark and James Myers settled in the county a few months later. During the next two years many families arrived and in the summer of 1845 the preliminary steps were taken to organize the county government. In 1844 an election had been held at Clark’s Point, two miles northwest of where Albia stands, at which W. G. Clark was chosen justice of the peace. During the same year Mr. Clark laid out a town at Clark’s Point named Clarksville. The first election for county officers was held here in August, 1845, at which the following were chosen: W. G. Clark, probate judge; James Hilton, clerk; T. Templeton, treasurer; John Clark, sheriff, and J. M. McMullen, M. H. Clark and J. S. Bradley, county commissioners. The election was held at John Clark’s log cabin where the first term of the District Court was also held in 1845. On the 19th of January, 1846, an election was held to decide upon a permanent county-seat which resulted in favor of Princeton.
On the 1st of August, 1846, the name of the county was changed to Monroe and the county of Kishkekosh ceased to exist.