History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/3/Counties/Lucas
LUCAS COUNTY was created in January, 1846, and at that time embraced a portion of Clarke County but in 1849 was reduced to its present limits. It lies in the second tier north of Missouri and midway between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and contains twelve townships embracing an area of four hundred thirty-two square miles. The county was named for Robert Lucas the first Governor of the Territory of Iowa. In 1846-7, the year of the Mormon exodus through Iowa, several families stopped at Chariton Point near the river of that name in Lucas County, where they built cabins and remained several years. They were the first white settlers in the county. In September, 1847, William McDermott and family made a claim ten miles east of the Chariton River. In March, 1848, Elijah Baldwin and family settled west of McDermott’s and in June, James Rolland located south of them. Before the close of the year there were eight families in the neighborhood. During the following year many families made homes in various parts of the county.
In August, 1849, an election was held and the following officers chosen: William T. May, Jacob Phillips and J. G. Robinson, county commissioners, who proceeded to
QUARTZITE ROCK ON JASPER POOL,
In Lyon County
organize the county. In September, 1849, the commissioners chosen to locate the county-seat reported a site on the Chariton River which they named Polk. The citizens of the county at a public meeting held in November changed the name to Chariton and a town was platted and a public sale of lots ordered in December. In April, 1850, a contract was let for the building of a log courthouse in which the first term of court was held in May, 1851, over which Judge McKay presided. A mill was built by Isaac C. Cain and Pleasant Williams on Whitebreast creek. In the winter of 1852-3 Crawford Sellers taught the first school in the court-house.
The first newspaper in the county was the Little Giant, established in 1856 by George M. Binckley. The Chariton Patriot was a weekly journal started by John Edwards in 1857. The Burlington Railroad runs through the county from east to west passing through the towns of Russell, Chariton and Lucas.