Enterprise, Iowa Explained

Official Name:Enterprise, Iowa
Settlement Type:unincorporated community
Pushpin Map:Iowa#USA
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Polk
Unit Pref:Imperial
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Ft:1004
Coordinates:41.7319°N -93.5302°W
Area Code:515
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:456382

Enterprise is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Iowa, United States. Enterprise is located in Douglas Township.[1] The state capital and county seat of Des Moines is located slightly less than 10 miles away.

History

With the discovery of a large vein of coal just a few miles east of Ankeny, The Des Moines Coal & Mining Company (later renamed to the Enterprise Coal Company) would open Enterprise Mine No. 1 in 1903. As more workers arrived, a town was quickly set up to accommodate the miners and their families. Drivers were paid $1.75 per day, common laborers earned between $1.50 and $1.60 per day, and miners would earn $1.25 per ton. The town would expand further with the opening of Mine No. 2 in 1907, about a half mile to the south of the town. In 1914, the Enterprise Coal Company was ranked as one of the top 24 coal producers in the state. The vein would eventually run dry, and in 1919 Enterprise would be shut down as a coal mining town. Many of the workers moved to Ankeny, and began new lives farming the surrounding area or working for the numerous stores in the town's center.[2] The population was 35 in 1940.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 1919 county map. Polk County. 4 December 2017.
  2. Book: Images of America: Ankeny . Terri A. Deems with the Ankeny Area Historical Society . 2013 . 10–11. 9781467110389 .
  3. Book: The Attorneys List . United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Attorney List Department . 1940 . 299 . en.