1931 Farm Directory and Mail Routes
Town Information

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LAKE VIEW One of the pretty little towns of the county is Lake View, situated on the shore of the county's one lake, Wall lake, in Wall Lake township. Platt Armstrong was one of the founders of this town, coming there from Lost Nation, Clinton County, in 1875. In 1890 he helped to platt what is now Lake View, though the first nme given the town was Fletcher, so called from James Fletcher, the man who assisted Mr. Armstrong in laying out the town. In 1887 the name was changed to lake View. Mr. Fletcher purchassed the land that the town is on, and built the depot, inasmuch as the railroad people had promised the folks at Sac City and Wall lake that they would put no town between the two stations, when the new road was put through. Lake View at the present time is the third largest town in the county, having a population of nine hundred and ninety-three. Lying as it does on the west shore of the lake, it derives much benefit in a business way from the lake resorts that call many people there during the summer months. A beautiful and extensive park has been laid out within the town limits, which will be a great addition to the place in a few years. Good schools and churches add to the advantages of the town. LYTTON Lytton is a thriving little town at the east side of Cedar township close to the Calhoun county line. When the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad built their line from Rockwell City to Storm Lake through Cedar township, this little town of Lytton was started. It was incorporated in 1911, and at this time has a population of three hundred and seventy-three. For a small town Lytton is well represented in various business enterprises, and as it lies in the midst of a good farming community, drawing trade from Calhoun county, as well as the surrounding territory in Sac, is a good trading center. Lytton is electrically lighted, and a majority of the homes have the modern conveniences that make for happy comfortable living. It is not far from the county seat, is on the main primary road to larger places not far distant. There is a fine consolidated school at Lytton, a Presbyterian church, and strong German Lutheran churches in the community. There are strong Odd Fellows and Rebekah lodges, and many other activities of a social nature in the town and community, and the place ranks well in comparison with other towns in Sac and Calhoun counties. NEMAHA Nemaha, one of the youngest towns in the county, a little more than thirty-one years old, was platted October 2, 1899 by the Milwaukee Land Company. It is in the northeastern part of the county. The name, like many others in this section of the country, is of Indian origin. A post office was established with the construction of the railroad and a consolidated school is located there. There is also a fine Methodist church, erected in 1920, which serves as a community church. The town, at the last census, had a population of one hundred and forty-six, and for a place of this size, business is well represented. It has a wide farming territory in Sac and Buena Vista counties from which to draw trade, and is a prosperous and business like community. Pleasant, comfortable homes make a desirable place in which to live, where one prefers a small time location and a farming community. Social interests are not wanting, as in these days of club activities there is always enough in this line to keep even small town life from becoming monotonous. One will find no finer people in the county than in this thriving town of Nemaha. ODEBOLT Odebolt is the second town in size in the county, and is a very pretty town, with its hundreds of beautiful shade trees and fine residences. Odebolt was incorporated in March, 1879. It has an elevation of one thousand three hundred and sixty-five feet above sea level. It has a beautiful public park, which is a source of pride to its people. Among the early pioneers of the town was M. H. Hempen, who was the first to engage in business at this point. He sold construction supplies to the railroad gangs when they were constructing the line through the county. The first house was constructed by Ward Van Dusen, and was used both as a residence and store room. The railroad was finished in Odebolt in 1877, the first train arriving on November 19. H. T. Martin organized the first Sunday school in 1877, and was also commissioned notary public. When the depot was finished he was appointed station master and his daughter, Miss Emma, was the first telegraph operator. They came here from Story county. A fine town hall and an excellent public library are among the public buildings of the town and a number of religious denominations are represented, they being the Methodist Episcopal, the Catholic, the Presbyterian, the Evangelical Mission and the Swedish Lutheran. SAC CITY Sac City, which is the county seat of Sac County, is situated on the Coon river and possesses one of the choice natural city sites of the county. It is the oldest town in the county, having been platted in 1855. In that year Eugene Criss came from Wisconsin and built the first house on the ground where the city now stands. It was a log house, and we believe it is still standing, having recently been restored and moved to the fair grounds. Mt. Criss lived the life of a real frontiersman, trading with the Indians, with Keokuk as his trading point. He operated the first general store in the place, was county judge, mayor of his town, and a member of the legislature in the early days. The post office was established in Sac City in 1857, and prior to that time mail was brought from Fort Dodge. From that small beginning Sac City has become the city of two thousand, eight hundred and fifty-four population at the present time, having made a gain of nine percent over the previous census. It has wide-awake, progressive business men, who are ever ready and willing to act on any proposition which they feel is for the advantage of the community. The county fair is a great event each year for the town, as well as for the county. Sac City is a city of churches, and they have spent money generously for their school system, which is second to none in a city of the sme size in the state, and is in keeping with modern educational progress. They have a strong commercial club, a beautiful golf course, and are most active in lodge and club work. Sac City has a canning factory, which furnishes employment to many during the canning season and has other lines of activities which make it a good place in which to live. The duties of the various county officials, and their army of helpers about the court house, give employment to another class of workers and adds to the interest of the official family of the county. The residents of the county may well take pride in their county seat, both as to its beautiy of location and its leadership. WALL LAKE The town of Wall Lake, in Levey and Viola townships, is a railroad junction for the Sioux City-Carroll line and the Sioux City-Moville line. The town was platted in 1877, on the edge of what was known for years as the "Goose Pond." It was doubtless called "Wall Lake" from the lake which is three miles northeast of it. The town, at the last census, showed a population of seven hundred and forty-nine. This place has the Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic and German Lutheran churches, has a good school system, with a modern building, and like all other towns in this day and age, has all of the needed lodges and clubs to make up the social life of the town. Wall Lake is on direct railroad lines to Chicago and Sioux City and also to Omaha. The Illinois Central runs a mile south of the Northwestern depot, and the railway facilities for so small a place are unusually good. The business of the town is sufficient for their needs, and the place has the distinction of having had no bank failures during these years of depression. They are in the midst of a good farming and stock raising territory, and as a small town have a delightful community life.

Source: Farm Register of Sac County, Iowa, 1931
A Complete Record of Farm Ownership in the County -
Living Tenants on Farms -
Shwoing Road Systems and
Rural Mail Routes of County
Compiled and Published by The Odebolt Chronicle
in Co-operation With Business Men
and Breeders of the County

Transcribed by Lynn Diemer-Mathews and uploaded February 26, 2024.