Ells, Iowa Explained

Official Name:Ells, Iowa
Pushpin Map:Iowa
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Iowa
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Crawford
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation M:372
Elevation Ft:1221 [1]
Coordinates:42.1675°N -95.2369°W
Area Code:712
Blank Name:GNIS feature ID

Ells was an unincorporated community in Crawford County, in the U.S. state of Iowa. Today it is a ghost town.

History

Ells was a village in Stockholm Township, Crawford County, Iowa, platted in either 1899[2] or 1900.[3] A post office was established in Ells on January 24, 1900 by Benjamin F. Ells. News of the new post office appeared in the Daily Iowa Capital in Des Moines on February 15, 1900.[4]

Ells, located one mile south of Boyer, was on the Illinois Central Railroad and had a train depot and general store in 1911. Benjamin Ells served as the postmaster, appointed by President William McKinley.[5]

The post office at Ells was discontinued April 15, 1914. In 1915, the population of Ells was 26.[6] Today, Crawford County residents consider Ells a "lost" town.

Further reading

Lees, James H. The History of Boyer Valley (1919)

See also

Old Kiron, Iowa, another ghost town in Stockholm Township

Notes and References

  1. Book: Lees, James . Geology of Crawford County . 1927 . 270.
  2. Web site: Crawford County, Iowa, History . 2022-10-03 . iagenweb.org.
  3. Web site: Forgotten Towns of Crawford County, Iowa . 2022-10-03 . www.crawfordcounty.iowa.gov . en.
  4. News: Iowa at Washington . 8 . Des Moines, Iowa . Daily Iowa Capital .
  5. Book: Meyers, F. W. . History of Crawford County, Iowa: A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement . S. J. Clarke Publishing Company . 1911 . en.
  6. Book: Atlas of Johnson County, Iowa . Economy Advertising Company . 1917 . Iowa City, Iowa.