Poweshiek County IAGenWeb


Maps of Poweshiek County


Communities of Poweshiek County

The 1896 map below shows the 16 townships in Poweshiek County.


Click the map to open in a full size view.

~source: Atlas of Poweshiek County, Iowa, published by Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1896.  Reproduced by the kind permission of the University of Iowa Libraries Map Collection. The Atlas viewer has several zoom levels, instead of the two we show here. The Atlas has full-page maps of each township, street maps of the cities and towns, portraits of leading citizens of Poweshiek County, and other information.

(1896) Atlas of Poweshiek County, Iowa has township and city maps, portraits of leading citizens, a business directory, and general info.

(1914) Atlas and Plat Book of Poweshiek County, Iowa has township maps, farmers directory, and national info.

(1921) Atlas of Poweshiek County, Iowa has township maps and many pages of ads.

(1928) Farm Atlas of Poweshiek County, Iowa has township maps and many pages of ads.

For genealogical purposes, the best city maps are probably the ones in the 1896 Atlas, above. For modern maps of Grinnell.

The state atlases also have maps of each county, and lots of other information.

(1875) Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Iowa has detailed county maps, showing locations of individual farmhouses, roads, wooded areas and creeks.

(1904) Atlas of the State of Iowa has "topographical" county maps, showing detail of roads, creeks and wooded areas, churches and schools, and a large photo gallery of people and places.

Be sure to check out the
United States Digital Map Library
offered by USGenWeb Archives Project

Collection includes maps for :
  • Indian Land Sessions
  • States and Counties
  • United States

Poweshiek County is almost a square, 24 miles by 24 miles. It is broken up into 16 townships, most of which are 6 miles by 6 miles. The townships are further broken up into one-square-mile sections, numbered 1 to 36, except for the irregular townships in the southern tier. The northern 3 tiers of townships in Poweshiek county are offset west of the southernmost tier.  This is because the "1st Line of Correction", established by the original surveyors to accommodate the Earth's curvature, passes through the county along the border between the two southern tiers of townships.

The City-Data "Notable Locations" map is very useful. (Scroll down or search the page.) It allows you to turn on or off the notable locations, churches, cemeteries, lakes and reservoirs, creeks, and parks.

If you can take the time to figure out how to use it to best advantage, the Poweshiek County Geographic Information System is capable of significantly better aerial-photograph detail than Google Maps.  It also identifies current land-ownership, and provides other information.

Note: "Grinnell" Township was renamed "Grant" Township in 1920.