History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/3/Counties/Emmet
EMMET COUNTY, originally included in the limits of Fayette, was created by act of the Legislature in 1851 with its present boundaries and named for the Irish patriot Robert Emmet. Its northern boundary is the Minnesota line, it is the fourth county from the western limits of the State and contains twelve townships embracing an area of four hundred four square miles. East and west branches of the Des Moines River flow southeasterly through the county and it contains several beautiful lakes. In 1856 George and William Granger, R. E. and A. H. Ridley, Henry and Adolphus Jenkins, Jesse Coverdale and D. W. Hoyt made claims in the vicinity of a beautiful grove where Estherville stands. A strong stockade was built near the river in 1857 to protect the settlers from the Sioux Indians and a company of soldiers was stationed there. In 1858 a town was laid out by Adolphus Jenkins, R. E. Ridley and Jesse Coverdale and named Estherville for Esther A. Ridley, the wife of one of the proprietors, who was the pioneer woman of the settlement and the only one during the first winter. R. E. Ridley built the first house in the new town.
The county was organized in February, 1859, and the following officers chosen: Adolphus Jenkins, judge; Jesse Coverdale, clerk; R. E. Ridley, treasurer; and A. H. Ridley, sheriff. The county-seat was located at Estherville by L. H. Smith and O. C. Howe, commissioners, appointed by Judge A. W. Hubbard of Sioux City. The first newspaper was established in 1868 at Estherville by O. C. Bates and Eaton Northrop and named the Northern Vindicator.