A Poem: The Counties of Iowa

The Counties of Iowa

Published in Annals of Iowa

Volume 13, No. 8 (April 1923), Page 619

--------------------------------

  In the early '70's while attending school in Adel, Iowa, a teacher, Miss Mattie Ferguson, introduced to us the following composition on "The Counties of Iowa."  If she told us the name of the author it has slipped my memory, although the lines have stayed with me. I have dictated this "poem" several times in the past for publication, but in the last few months have had a number of requests for a copy. At the suggestion of our State Librarian, Johnson Brigham, I have prepared a copy for publication in the Annuals of Iowa for preservation. 

  --Almeda Brenton Harpel, 1125 Twenty-first Street, Des Moines, Iowa.

----------------------------------------

Our home is in Iowa, westward toward the setting sun,

Just between two mighty rivers where the flowing waters run.

We have towns and we have cities; we have many 
    noble streams;

We have ninety-nine counties and now we'll say their names.

Lyon, Osceola, Dickinson, where the Spirit Lake we see,

Emmet, Kossuth, Winnebago, Worth near Lake Albert Lea.

Mitchell, Howard, Winneshiek and Allamakee shall find

Make eleven northern counties on the Minnesota line.

Clayton, Dubuque, Jackson, Clinton, together with 
    Scott and Muscatine,

Lee, Louisa and Des Moines upon the eastern line are seen.

Van Buren, Davis, Appanoose, Decatur, Ringgold, 
    Wayne we spy,

Taylor, Page and Fremont upon Missouri's border lie.

Pottawattamie, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Woodbury, 
    Plymouth, Sioux

Are all the counties around the borders of the state we view.

Next we point to O'Brien, Palo Alto, Clay, Hancock, 
  Cerro Gordo, Floyd now see,

Chickasaw   say, Fayette, Bremer, Butler, Franklin, next upon 
    the map we see.

Wright and Humboldt, Pocahontas, Buena Vista, Cherokee,

Ida, Sac, Calhoun and Webster, Hamilton with name so rare.

Next is Hardin, Grundy, Black Hawk, Buchanan, Delaware.

Jones, Linn, Benton, Tama, Marshall, Story, Crawford, 
    Carroll, Boone,

Let us not your patience weary, we will have them 
    all told soon.

Cedar, Greene, Johnson, Iowa, and Poweshiek by the same,

Next is Jasper, Polk and Dallas, names of presidential fame.

Guthrie, Audubon, and Shelby, Cass, Madison and Adair,

Warren, Marion, Mahaska and Keokuk is there.

Henry, Jefferson, Wapello, Monroe, but Washington 
    we missed.

Lucas, Union, Clarke and Adams, and Montgomery fills the list.