Milford History

A History of the City of Milford, as detailed in the 1992 Milford Centennial Book. The first settler in Milford Township was A.D. Inman in 1866. Some other claims were entered that year, but were never improved, nor is it certain who made them. The year 1869 brought in a large number of homesteaders, however… The tax list of 1873 for Milford Township give the names of [52] settlers. Some of these men owning land in the township, but not residing within its borders. The name of Milford was given by Seymour Foster & Company…

The land upon which the new town of Milford was laid out was purchased from John Lawler. The town was planned by him, surveyed, platted, and the plat filed at the Dickinson County Courthouse on August 21, 1882…

On December 2, 1891, there was filed in the office of the Clerk of the District Court at Spirit Lake, Iowa, in cause No. 1010 1/2, a petition asking the court to appoint commissioners to conduct a special election on the question of organizing a municipal corporation to be known as Milford, Iowa, and signed by fifty-eight residents in the proposed corporate limits.

Thereupon the court appointed H. Calkins, William Chase, E.A. Case, Carl Torstenson, and R.B. Nicol as commissioners, who upon notice, called a special election to be held in the Chase House in Milford, January 11, 1892, to vote on the question of incorporating the town. Following the election the town was declared duly incorporated and notice thereof was duly published in the Milford Mail February 18, 1892.

On March 14, 1892, the first meeting fo the town council of Milford was called by the first mayor of Milford, W.F. Pillsbury. Councilmen were William Chase, J.A. Ellis, C.A. West, R.C. McCutchin, A. Davison, and George O’Farrell. Recorder was J.J. Norheim. Tom Davis was elected town marshall and street commissioner, and P. Rasmussen, treasurer.