"Roland is improving right along. It has of stores, two general, one hardware, one furniture, one dressmaking and millinery, and one grocery. It has also a restaurant, and a hard and sweet cider establishment. Those who wish to get drunk can be accommodated at the latter institution. It also has three blacksmith shops, two shoemaker shops and one harness shop; one grain buyer and coal dealer, a lumber yard, a creamery and two farm implement houses. The people can usually get what they want in the way of trade. Roland needs a hotel, a drug store, a doctor, and perhaps a lawyer, and some other necessary evils, to make it a complete town. "
By the year 1887, according to Allen's "History of Story County" whch was published that year, Roland had two dry goods stores, two grocery stores, a furniture store and undertaker, hardware and implement store, lumber dealer, creamery, tile factory, meat market, milliner, coal and grain store, two blacksmiths, and a drug store. The town, as yet unincorporated, was indeed thriving.
These early pioneers had also the love of the God of their fathers in their hearts, and a deep respect for education. They built a church on B. Henderson's farm, and a school house just west of the present Standard Service Station. It is worthy of notice that they borrowed the money themselves from H. J. Wulfsburg with which to build the first school house. That building, built in 1862, still stands on or near its original site. Two churches were established in the Roland community during the same year. The Bergen Lutheran Church, originally a part of the St. Petri congregation at Story City, was established in Roland at its present site in 1874. The Salem Lutheran Church was established in 1868 and also built a house of worship in 1874. It was located one mile west of Roland, approximately where Floyd Christian now lives, and later was moved into Roland.
Much has been written of the difficulties encountered by the early pioneers because of the condition of the land in this area, principally the sloughs. The land the first settlers found was flat, the rivers and streams were wide and shallow, the result of the glaciers which once covered the northern part of the state. Because the land was flat, and because of the abundant rainfall, this area was almost continually a sea of mud.
As land prices rose with the influx of immigrants, it was found that it was more profitable to drain ponds than to plow around them or to buy additional land and cultivate only the higher ground. It was also found that finer crops were harvested profitably in drained ground in spite of the high cost and laborious effort expended.
A commission was appointed on December 22, 1891 to carry out the necessary steps for incorporation of the town. A general election was called for March 7, 1892, and the following officers were elected: Mayor, W. O. Bates; Councilmen, Andrew J. Olson, Jonas Duea, Charles Christian, O. O. Stole, Iver Johnson and Carl Oleson; and Clerk, Sam J. Michaelson.
Roland's first town council got down to business on March 18, 1892, and the group passed Ordinance No. 1 on March 28th creating the office of town
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