BUENA VISTA COUNTY is located in the third tier from the western boundary of the State and in the third south of the Minnesota line; it contains sixteen congressional townships, making an area of five hundred seventy-six square miles. This territory was originally a part of the counties of Dubuque and Buchanan but in 1851 was formed into a county and named to commemorate the Battle of Buena Vista. It was first attached to the county of Wahkaw (now Woodbury) in 1853.
In May, 1856, Abner Bell of New Jersey and his brother-in law, W. K. Weaver and family, and John W. Tucker settled in the northern part of the county near the Little Sioux River at a point called Sioux Rapids. Soon after Arthur T. Reeves, Moses Van Kirk, James H. Gleason and Moses Lewis took claims in the vicinity. In the spring of 1857 the settlers were plundered by a band of Sioux Indians under Inkpadutah while on their way to massacre the colony at Okoboji and Spirit lakes. The men were overpowered by the savages while the women were most brutally treated but no one was killed.
In 1859 the county government was organized by the election of the following officers: A. T. Reeves, judge; W. K. Weaver, treasurer; J. W. Tucker, clerk; and Abner Bell, sheriff. In 1860 the county-seat was located by commissioners in the northwest quarter of section eighteen, township ninety-three, range thirty-six on land belonging to W. S. Lee and the town named Prairieville but no buildings were erected and it never advanced beyond a paper town.
While the county was sparsely settled some of the officials entered into a conspiracy to enrich themselves by levying and collecting taxes in large amounts for building bridges, school-houses and the making of other public improvements. Contracts were let to friends of these officials at enormous prices and the profits divided. Schoolhouses were built on unsettled prairies, non-resident taxes appropriated and when finished the houses were
