Des Moines County, Iowa

County: Des Moines

State: Iowa

Lat/Long: 40.9167, -91.1833

Located in southeast Iowa, Des Moines County was originally part of the Michigan Territory when it was created in 1834. At that time, it constituted a tract of land fifty miles wide. In April 1836, it became part of the Wisconsin Territory. In December 1836, the Wisconsin Territory's Legislative Assembly divided the county into several new counties and fixed new boundaries for Des Moines County. In July 1838, it became part of the Iowa Territory, then, in 1846, part of Iowa.

Merriam-Webster’s Geographical Dictionary, 3rd ed. (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1997), 317; The History of Des Moines County, Iowa (Chicago, IL: Western Historical, 1879), 181, 385-86, 388, 392; “An Act Dividing the County of Des Moines into Several New Counties,” 7 December 1836, Laws of the Territory of Wisconsin (1836), 76; “An Act for the Admission of the State of Iowa into the Union,” 28 December 1846, Statutes at Large of the United States 9 (1862):117