Click Image to Enlarge
Iowa Counties
There are ninety-nine counties in Iowa. The first two counties, Des Moines County and Dubuque County, were created in 1834 when Iowa was still part of the Michigan Territory. In preparation for Michigan's statehood, part of Michigan Territory was formed into Wisconsin Territory in 1836]. Two years later, the western portion was split off to become Iowa Territory. The south-eastern part of Iowa Territory became Iowa, the 29th state in the union, on 28 December 1846, by which point 44 Counties had been created. Counties continued to be created by the state government until 1857, when the last county, Humboldt County, was created.Scott County, Iowa
Scott County Education, Geography, and History
Scott County is a county located in the state of Iowa. Based on the 2010 census, the
population was 165,224, making it the third-most
populous county in Iowa. Scott County was created on
December 21, 1837. The county seat is Davenport.
The county is named in honor of Winfield Scott
(1786–1866), the general and commander of the United States Army in the
years leading up to the American Civil War.
Scott County is included in the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Etymology - Origin of Scott County Name
Scott county is named for Winfield Scott, the general and commander of the United States Army in the years leading up to the American Civil War.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Scott County History
For thousands of years native
Americans lived on the land which we now call Scott County. In the early 1830s
non-natives of European ancestry began to arrive and settle in the area. Scott
County as a political subdivision was established by an act of the territorial
legislature of Wisconsin in 1837. By this time the county had been completely
surveyed, and copies of the original survey are still available for study. The
new county was named in honor of Major General Winfield Scott,
Commander-In-Chief of the US Army from 1841 until the beginning of the Civil
War, and the presiding officer at the signing of the peace treaty ending the
Black Hawk War. He negotiated the first treaty purchasing lands in Iowa from
Indians.
Located in eastern-most Iowa, Scott County is bordered on three sides by water,
the Mississippi River on two sides, and the Wapsipinicon River on the third.
The first election of county officers took place in February of 1838. Also in
that election voters were charged with the responsibility of choosing a county
seat and the newly incorporated city of Davenport eventually won out, but only
after losing the first time to a town called Rockingham in a rigged election.
Davenport maintains its original Charter City designation, meaning it was a city
prior to Iowa statehood.
From 1838 until 1850 county commissioners were elected annually and in 1861 the
commissioners officially became the Board of Supervisors. In 1874 the number of
supervisor positions was set at five, which it still is today , almost 130 years
later.
Early white settler Antoine LeClaire donated the land for the first, and
subsequent, courthouses. With the addition of county treasurer, recorder,
auditor, prosecuting attorney, and trial courts the courthouse building quickly
became inadequate and in 1886 a magnificent stone, brick, and mortar courthouse
was built at what was then an astronomical sum of $125,000. Even before the
building was complete it was evident there were problems; the entire structure
was sinking in the sandy soil upon which it was built. After a while even the
huge dome was removed in an effort to lesson the weight of the structure. County
government managed to endure in that building until finally, in 1955 a new
courthouse was constructed, an aluminum-clad structure typical of government
architecture at the time.
From the mid 1950s until today Scott County's population has increased by 50%,
and more people means more services to the citizens. Consequently the county
added an annex building which has been remodeled a couple of times, acquired a
six story building called the Bicentennial Building which has been utilized by
various offices over the years, and renovated the jail in 1980, something which
hadn't been done since it's erection in 1897.
Scott County is currently in the midst of an ambitious eleven year renovation
project which will eventually move all non-court related offices out of the
courthouse into the nearby Bicentennial Building. A community pavilion addition
is planned for the Bicentennial Building which will serve as a new boardroom for
the Board of Supervisors and for use by public groups. The entire project is
scheduled to be completed by 2011.
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 468 square miles (1,210 km2), of which 458 square miles (1,190 km2) is land and 10 square miles (26 km2) (2.2%) is water.
Scott county is located in east Iowa.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- Northeast: Clinton County
- South: Rock Island County, Ill.
- Southwest: Muscatine County
- Northwest: Cedar County
Education
Click Image to Enlarge
