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About Cass County
Cass County covers a farming area of Iowa in between Des Moines and Council Bluffs. It lies in the great expanse of the Great Plains, and is covered by rolling hills and verdant farmland and lush vegetation. It was organized in 1851 and named after Lewis Cass, who ran for President in 1848 as a democrat. It includes 565 square miles, and had a population of 13,956 at the 2010 census. As with many rural areas in America, its population has been gradually declining, having peaked at the 1900 census at 21,274 people. The county seat is at Atlantic, its largest city.
Cass County was one of the early areas reached by the railroad in the 1800s. U.S. Highway 6 was built in the 1920s, passing through Atlantic, and heading east-west. Today Interstate 80 is the major travel route through the county, passing just within its northern boundary. U.S. Highway 6 still passes through Atlantic, but has abandoned its older alignment in the eastern part of the county, and instead joins the freeway. U.S. Highway 71 travels north-south through the county, also passing through Atlantic, and Iowa Highway 92 passes east-west through the southern portion of the county.
Two branches of the Nodaway River reach into Cass County, and many other creeks flow through it. 35 inches of precipitation fall annually in this area on the average, providing plenty of water to keep the land looking green.
The first settlers in Cass County were Mormons, who were fleeing religious persecution in Illinois and settled temporarily at Indiantown in 1846. In 1869 the county seat was moved from Lewis, near Indiantown, to Atlantic. The county offices have been housed in four courthouses in Atlantic, the current building have been built in 1934.
For More Information:
Cass County’s official site is at www.casscountyiowa.us. See also Wikipedia’s Cass County article.
Street Index
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690th Street 697th Street 710th Street 725th Street |
730th Street 760th Street 770th Street White Pole Road |