Evans, IA, 1913; Garfield Township; Mahaska County; Iowa

Evans, IA, 1913; Garfield Township; Mahaska County; Iowa

Evans, formerly known as Elida due to the Elida Coal Company operation at a close distance, was founded in 1872 in honor of D.J. Evans, a prominent citizen of the town. Like many communities in Mahaska County, Evans was a coal mining town that brought a diverse group of people into the community. Because of racial prejudice that existed amongst the coal mining workers in the late 1800's, blacks were mistreated and segregated, even when it came to burying the dead. In Evans, one acre of property was set aside for the black population there to be buried. Today, Evans has a population of about 60 people, when at one point it had over 3,000 people living in the community. This is a plat of Evans with it still having the Elida reference in 1913.

Mahaska County Historical Society

Mahaska County Collection

Curtis Media Corporation: Dallas, Texas

2008-07-14

www.wmpenn.edu/library/library/about.html

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Wilcox Library

http://cdm16125.contentdm.oclc.org/u?/p270701coll6,50