Beacon, once known as the town of Enterprise, did not fully switch its name over until 1874. Beacon's success revolved around its coal mining connection and proximity to the railroad lines. Before Oskaloosa established a railroad line through its…
Garfield Township is located in the south central portion of Mahaska County, lying just west of the county seat of Oskaloosa. The most notable communities that lie within this township include; Beacon and Evans. At one time, Bolton and Coal City…
Muchakinock, formerly known as Coal Valley, was a town created solely for the purpose of coal mining. H.W. McNeil (a.k.a. Big Mac) and his younger brother W.A. McNeil (Little Mac) were responsible for the founding of the town. At one point,…
This is a town plat of Givin with an unknown date for the map. Givin was founded in 1870 by Harry Brewer, who named the town Givin after John Givin, Superintendent of the Keokuk and Des Moines Railway Company. In 1910, 315 people lived in Givin. …
This is a map of the East Des Moines Township as it appeared in 1936. The most notable communities that comprised the East Des Moines Township at one time included; Givin, Des Moines City, and the famous mining camp of Muchakinock. The entire…
The town of Fremont was established in 1848 by William Morrow, who deeply admired General John C. Fremont, also known in American history as the "Great Pathfinder". In honor of him, Morrow named the town after Fremont. This is a town plat of…
The town of Cedar was founded after it was forced to pick a town name by the postmaster, R.W. Moore. So, in 1869, after Moore was already appointed postmaster, he chose the name Cedar because it hadn't been picked yet after he perused the postal…
Leighton was founded on February 9, 1865 by William C. Leighton, John Carver, and W.A. Burt. The town was named after William C. Leighton after the town was platted. Today, the town inhabits about 150, but the community never inhabited more than…
Black Oak Township sits on the western edge of Mahaska County. Two communities have summed up the township in its history; Lardeo and Leighton. Leighton is the only community that still exists today in the township.
