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Description

Unrecorded 19th-Century Texas Town Plan. A Colony for Iowans in Texas.

Large and impressive town plan of Iowa Park, Texas, showing the city shortly after its rebranding efforts aimed at attracting increased settlement from Iowa. An intriguing piece, this map includes insights into the late-19th-century settlement of North Texas.

The map shows the proposed grid structure of the town, extending on both sides of the railroad tracks. The map names a post office and railroad, which are still in their current locations. The street names shown have remained in use, and the grid structure is much the same as it is in Iowa Park today. However, other features have changed: the location of the Cameron Hotel (depicted in the lower right but likely never built) is the present location of the Middle School, many of the parks and boulevards were never developed, Antelope Lake and Park was never built, and the churches, YMCA, and high school are all in the wrong location. 

One of the most interesting features of the map is its connection with emigration from Iowa. Iowa Park was originally founded as Daggett Switch in 1888, but the name of this railroad town was very quickly changed to Iowa Park in an effort to attract additional settlement as part of a "Iowa-Texas Colony." This effort was spearheaded by the Texas Pan-Handle Company, which produced the current map, whose president, J. Kennedy was located in Iowa Park, and whose secretary, D. C. Kolp, was located in Des Moines. Kolp is credited as one of the two founders of Iowa Park by the town's website, alongside his apparent relative A. J. Kolp. D. C. Kolp was evidently involved in other Texas development projects, as evidenced by his map of Ingleside.

Early History of Iowa Park

Initially named Dagget Switch over its proximal location to a junction on the Denver, Texas & Fort Worth Railroad. However, its founders, the Texas Panhandle Company and D. C. Kolp, organized an immigration train from Iowa to the area which allowed for the initial population of the town.

The early years of Iowa Park were troubled with an 1891 fire destroying a large part of the community. By 1900, the town would have a population of 792. The discovery of oil has led to Iowa Park's lasting success.

Rarity

We trace no examples of this map through OCLC or other means. We have not traced any additional examples of this map having traded on the market.

Condition Description
Fold lines. Tape reinforcement to intersecting folds on verso. 19th-century American ink manuscript on verso reading "Iowa Park Texas."