The county was organized in 1837 when the following officers were elected: Robert C. Roberts, treasurer; W. D. Brown, sheriff, and Robert Caulk, Samuel Brazelton and George J. Sharp, commissioners. The first term of court was held in a log cabin at Mt. Pleasant in April, 1837, at which Judge David Irwin presided. The first house in Mt. Pleasant was built in the fall of 1835 by Joseph Moore who opened a store in it. William Thompson was the first mayor of Mt. Pleasant. In 1849 D. M. Kelsey established the first newspaper called the Iowa Freeman. In and about the town of Salem a large number of families of Quakers settled at an early day. The first insane asylum of the State was located at Mt. Pleasant. The main line of the Burlington and Missouri Railroad runs through the county from east to west.
HOWARD COUNTY lies in the third tier west of the Mississippi River and its northern boundary is the Minnesota line. It was originally a part of Fayette and as first established in 1851 contained but twelve townships. In 1855, however, the north half of townships ninety-seven, ranges eleven to fourteen were detached from Chickasaw and added to Howard, giving it an area of four hundred seventy-six square miles. The county was named for General T. A. Howard of Indiana.
The first white man who built a cabin within the limits of this county was Hiram Johnson who in December, 1851, settled at Oregon Grove on the Turkey River. In 1854 several families came to Oregon Grove among whom were S. M. Cole, H. S. Shuttleworth, George Scofield, Thomas Lewis and C. M. Munson. This grove is about two miles south of the town of Cresco. Soon after the beginning of this settlement several families located near Cresco. Among them were C. S. Thurber, M. L. Shook, James Siddall, M. G. Goss and others. In 1855 other families settled on the Little Wapsipinicon.
The county was organized in 1855, electing the follow-
