When the Northwestern railway was built through the north part of Buena Vista county in 1881 a station was established at Linn Grove, and a depot was built there the same year. Prior to that time a settlement had been located near the old mill dam in the Little Sioux river for many years, that being one of the earliest settlements in the county. The old mill supplied the people of that part of the county with grist for years.

No town had been built, nor does it appear that any had been contemplated. The mill was situated on the river at the mouth of a gulch, near which was a fine grove of native timber and it was the timber that attracted the builder of the old mill and the settlers who took the land nearby. But with the coming of the railroad in 1881, and the building of the station, the importance of the place as a business location soon made itself known, and in 1883 C. J. Brostad & Company built a store building and put in a stock of goods. They had the situation to themselves for two years, when, in 1885, Thompson & Buland built an elevator and began to buy grain and stock. Not long after this A. J. Breda put in a hardware stock, also building a building, and the Wisconsin Lumber Company established a yard at the Grove, and the town was an assured fact. C. L. Ward had been located there for some time, owning the mill, and he opened a loan office which soon was changed into a bank. In the meantime several new residences had been erected on the hill above the town, and when a site for the new schoolhouse was wanted that, also, was built at the head of the street leading up the hill from the business section of the town.

The town has never been organized or incorporated, although at least three efforts have been made to do so, the first of which was December 18, 1894, and the last about six years ago. It was proposed to include in the town limits a section of land, or one mile square, but the proposition was defeated.

The town is a splendid business place, having three stores, two banks, two hardware and implement stores, a drug store, three elevators, a brick and tile plant, and all other business places usually found in a town of this size. The records of the township show that in January, 1867, the officers were as follows: I. T. Hollingsworth, clerk; Charles H. Dahl, assessor; Abner Bell, Geo. W. Struble and Henry Steen, trustees and Christian Johnson, road supervisor. The present officers of the township are A. L. Campbell, clerk; W. F. Anderson and R. T. Morris, justices of the peace; F. M. Findley, constable; Ole Cleaveland, assessor, and Harold Haroldson, James Lesis and Ole Mickelson, trustees. The town is governed, with Barnes township, by the trustees and justices of the peace.

MODERN WOODMEN OF AMERICA
Linn Grove Camp No.4854, M. W. A., was instituted June 25, 1897. Twenty-one persons composed the charter membership as follows: G. B. Anderson, Benj. Buland, S. G. Buland, Thomas David, Henry Deden, Harry Dowling, Frank G. Ellis, Joe Englund, F. M. Findley, H. T. Flansburg, C. S, Goodrich, A. W. Jones, R. F. Hughes, Oscar A. Goodrich, Wm. Lewis, H. W. Mayne, Albert E. Phelps, Arthur Phelps, Henry L. Pierce, Joseph Roberts and Ole O. Strome.

The lodge used the rooms above the restaurant until 1908 when they moved into their present hall. They have an enrollment of forty-seven members, with .the following officers: Matt Peterson, V. C.; Ira Fountain, banker; James Morris, clerk; Geo. Reese, W. A.; Ansker Nord, watchman; John Leehy, sentry; Geo. Desriglle, escort; E. E. Smith, physician; Geo. Desriglle, Carl Rokkon, and J. W. Davis, managers.

Wegerslev, C. H. and Thomas Walpole.  Past and Present of Buena Vista County, Iowa.  Chicago:  S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1909, 188-91.