Palo Alto County
It is the second tier of counties from the northern boundary of the State, and
the fourth east of the Missouri River. It is bounded on the north by Emmett
County, on the east by Kossuth, on the south by Pocahontas, and on the west by
Clay. It is twenty four miles square, and contains 576 square miles. The west
branch of the Des Moines River passes through the county from northwest to
southeast, and affords many good sites for mills and manufactories, which are
much needed. There are seven very pretty lakes of good water in the county,
among which the principal is Medium Lake, in the central portion. This lake is
about three miles long, over a fourth of a mile wide, is partly bordered by
timber, and surrounded by beautiful land. The general surface of the county is
partially rolling, and principally prairie, with about fifteen hundred acres of
timber mostly along the Des Moines River. The gentle slopes of the prairie
towards the river, through six townships of this county, are as beautiful if not
more so, than along any other river in Iowa or any other part of the west. The
soil is mostly dry, very slightly sandy on some portions of the wide river
bottoms, and on the prairies it appears to possess those desirable qualities
that make it adapted to both grass and grain. The principal varieties of timber
are ash, oak, elm, maple, hackberry and hickory.
--Hair, James T., Ed. Iowa State Gazetteer, Shippers' Guide and Business Directory. Chicago: Bailey & Hair, 1865. p. 298
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