The Past and Present of the Kiron Community

In 1867, three Swedish emigrants decided to settle on the gentle rolling hills of Northern Crawford County. C.J.Star, C.P. Frodig and N.F. Rodine, who had been living in Monona County, went prospecting in Monona County looking for land to purchase for themselves and other friends back in Swedebend. The land along the Missouri River was not to their liking so they came back to Denison, Iowa.Here they met P.J. Denison, an agent for the Providence of Western Land Company. Mr.Denison told them about the land north of Deloit in Otter Creek Valley. The men decided to locate there and purchased 300 acres at three dollars an acre.

Mr.Star wrote his friend, Andrew Norelius who was living in Minnesot and spoke so favorably of this cheap and fertile land, that is 1868, Mr. Norelius with Hans Buller, Eric Ward, and J. Norell came by prairie schooner to see for themselves this wonderful land. Seeing was believing and they decided to join their friends in Iowa. They influenced others and within three years, there were 13 families in the new settlement.

In September of 1867 H. Hollander, P. Peterson, A. Anderson, Elias Monson, Peter Nielsen, Peter Carlson, D.L. Johnson, N.P. Erickson, John Hoaglund, Peter Star, Peter Weberg Sr., John Sparfeldt, Carolina Peterson and Mrs. Beck joined Frodig, C.J.Star, and Rodine and former the new Swedish community.

The following year, 1868, brought another influxof Swedes from Swedebend. They were Nels Olson, John A. Erickson, Fred Beck, John Anderson, I. Michaelsen, C.F.Clauson, N. Lindberg, Louisa Duncan, C.Carlson, Gust Peterson, and J. Hendrickson. Twenty Swedish families had settled in northern Crawford County within two years. No wonder the settlement in the northwest part of Stockholm Township soon became known as Swedeburg.

By 1873, a post office was established in the thriving colony and because the settlers felt the name, Swedeburg, was too similar to other Swedish settlements in Iowa, a committee was selected to choose a new name for the village. Within five years, there were two blacksmith shops, two stores, a wagon maker and close to a dozen framed houses making up the settlement.

Establishing a Post Office
The post office was established in 1872 with Andrew Norelius being appointed as the first postmaster, a position he held for 18 years. The office was located in his home. The position itself was not very lucrative and entailed a horseback ride to Deloit twice a week no matter what the weather. Then a Star Route was established from Denison to Odebolt by way of Deloit and Kiron with the mail being delivered by stage or wagon. Often the settlers would stand on a high hill to watch for the mail and also goods for the merchants and sometimes long awaited passengers who had come to join relatives or friends in the community.

German Settlement
The first few years, the settlement was made up entirely of Swedish emigrants. After five or six years, a few people of German descent settled south and east of the Swedish colony. From Clinton County, Iowa, came three farmers, Henry Giermann, August Baker, Henry Vosgerau, and also a young blacksmith, Fred Gronau, who opened his own blacksmith shop. He invested his earnings in land purchased from Swedes who had moved on to Sac and Ida County. Whenever he could, he bought more land and within 20 years, he had one of the largest landholding around Kiron and was the largest cattle feeder in Western Iowa.

Homes of Early Settlers
By the 1870;s the new settlers coming to the Kiron vicinity were able to build frame houses as lumber could be brought by tram to Denison and later to Deloit. It was expensive but made for much more comfortable living than the dugouts constructed by the first settlers. These somewhat primitive homes were dug into a hillside with an end and two sides underground with only the front wall exposed. Smoke rising from the stove pipe sticking out of the ground was the only visible sign from a distance that someone was making their residence there. The roof was reinforced with rafters on which layers of sod were piled. During the rainy weather, water often dripped down onto the clay floor below into the home, making living very difficult. Snakes were sometimes known to come down through the ceiling. One can well understand why the early settlers built frame homes as soon as they were financially able.

Coming of the Railroad
The location of the post office was a positive factor in the growth of Kiron. The coming of the railroad was the next most important event to affect the Town's history. It was thought that the railway station was to be located in the already established village of Kiron. There was some dispute as to the the right way, causing the Chicago Northwestern Rail Company to decide to locate its depot one mile west in the northeast section on Otter Creek Township.

The town site was purchased by the Western Town Lot Company from N.P. Swanson in 1899 G.A. Norelius was appointed the local land agent to sell the lots. Then began a general exodus for the original town to the new town.

The schoolhouse located on a hill above the new railroad tracks was move one fourth mile south of the town for the safety of the children.

Hardships to overcome
Kiron did not become a thriving community without overcoming the epidemics, grasshoppers plagues, and the drought that affected the people and the economy of western Iowa.

The early settlers endured the diptheria epidemic of 1877. There was no known remedy for the disease so that in early times every family in the community was affected by it. Some lost as many as three children.

The people had struggled through a difficult winter when early in the spring of 1878, one of the worst cyclones hit the area south of Kiron.Many farm buildings and homes were destroyed and one person was killed. Another cyclone struck in October but was less damaging than the first. Between these two two cyclones, the settlers endured a plague of grasshoppers. If any people had reason to despair, these early settlers certainly did. But they faced their adversities with courage and determination. Neighbor helped neighbor and somehow they persevered.

The summer of 1891 brought unusually hot winds. The corn vrop was burned in the fields, though some of the small grain did survive. Trees were cut so that the livestock could feed on the leaves. Wells went dry as did the small streams. Settlers had to haul water from a long distance to survive.

The winter that followed was also a difficult one as the water supply was still low because of the summer drought. But the Kiron community, like others, was determined not to give up hope. They put their trust in God to see them through all these adversities.