Palo Alto County, Iowa
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 4 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1977. Most listings are in or near Emmetsburg, West Bend.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for Iowa is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Palo Alto titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP3 of 4 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
4 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Emmetsburg Public Library | Emmetsburg | 1983 |
| First Presbyterian Church | West Bend | 2010 |
| Grotto of the Redemption | West Bend | 2001 |
| Ormsby-Kelly House | Emmetsburg | 1977 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBPalo Alto was formed in 1851 (1851-01-15) from unknown / original county.
PALO ALTO created from Non-County Area 9 attached to POLK.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusPalo Alto County population from 1860 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 132 | 4,131 | 14,354 | 15,486 | 16,170 | 15,891 | 14,736 | 12,721 | 10,147 | 8,996 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS23 cemeteries and 1 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 23 of 23 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Calvary Cemetery |
| Calvary Cemetery |
| Crown Hill Cemetery |
| Ellington Cemetery |
| Evergreen Cemetery |
| Graettinger City Cemetery |
| Highland Cemetery |
| Lincoln Cemetery |
| Lost Island Lutheran Cemetery |
| Riverside Cemetery |
| Riverside Cemetery |
| Rush Lake Cemetery |
| Saint Jacobs Cemetery |
| Saint Johns Cemetery |
| Saint Johns Lutheran Cemetery |
| Saint Johns Lutheran North Cemetery |
| Saint Lukes Cemetery |
| Saint Marys Cemetery |
| Saint Pauls Cemetery |
| Silver Lake Cemetery |
| Valley View Cemetery |
| Vernon Township Cemetery |
| West Bend Cemetery |
Historical populated places — 1 of 1
| Name |
|---|
| Fallow |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
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Search HMdb for Palo Alto County, Iowa
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