Zearing, Iowa 1956 History

coln township tested the power of their new cars by driving up the See hill. Thc road leading to the See hill was closed several years ago.

Legend states that an uncle of Jeffries, the famous prize fighter, was a pioneer blacksmith in Illinois Grove. I can not prove the truth of the legend.

Clay Reed wrote an article on the early history of Illinois Grove. Clay loved Illinois Grove. It distressed him to see the timber cut away and the land farmed. Clay told me that he remembered when you could not tell where Illinois Grove ended and Bivens Grove began. In 1956, a wide stretch of farm land separates them.

In later years Clay tried to restore the timber of his boyhood memories on a small section of his land. However, it was too late. His health had failed and he never fully realized his dream. Clay died on October 29, 1951.

I have been requested to write this history. However, I feel too young for such a task. I came to Illinois Grove by birth in 1867. Old men with beards lived there when I arrived.

The trade territory of Illinois Grove extended to where Zearing and Hubbard are located today. Thus in the early days Illinois Grove was actually a vast territory.

The first settlers were generally from Indiana and Ohio. A few came from Pennsylvania and New York. Earliest settlements were in the timber, if possible. That is why Illinois Grove was settled before the surrounding open country. The timber provided shelter from the violent blizzards and storms. The timber also provided fuel and building materials.

Settlers living outside the timber owned timber lots. I bought forty acres on which there were nineteen deeded timber lots. In the early days Illinois Grove was a vast area of magnificent timber. There were no bare spots as there are today.

The town of Illinois Grove was located at the first road intersection straight north of the Illinois Grove Cemetery. The town was on the main road between Fort Dodge and Iowa City. Prairie freighters traveled this road but it was not a stage route.

Several years ago I noticed the prairie road was still visible. Early one morning I happened to be at the road intersection where the town was located. The sun was rising in the east. I looked southeast across a field of oats toward Iowa City. The oats in the field growing on the old road varied slightly in size and color from the remainder of the field.

A star route running from Iowa Falls to State Center delivered mail to the Illinois Grove post office twice per week. The town had