Gifford, Iowa Explained

Gifford, Iowa
Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Pushpin Map:USA Iowa#USA
Pushpin Label:Gifford
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within the state of Iowa
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Iowa
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Hardin
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population As Of:2000
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Ft:945
Coordinates:42.2883°N -93.0906°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP codes
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:456897

Gifford is an unincorporated community in southeastern Hardin County, Iowa, United States.

The community was founded in 1875 and was the site of two railroad lines: the Chicago & North Western Railroad and the Iowa Central Railroad.

Geography

Gifford is south of the city of Eldora, the county seat of Hardin County.[1] It is at the junction of County Roads D55 and S62 along the Iowa River.[2]

Its elevation is 945 feet (288 m).[3]

History

Gifford was laid out in 1875.[4] It was named for C. T. Gifford, who was instrumental in bringing the railroad there.[5] Three additions were made to Gifford in 1880: the Sheffield, Ankrum, and Peat Additions.

By 1880, Gifford was at junction of two railroads:[6] the Chicago & North Western Railroad and the Iowa Central Railroad.[7] In 1883, Gifford was the site of three general stores, two hotels, one butcher, one drug store, one pottery manufacturer, and one hardware store. It was also the site of the First Baptist Church of Gifford (organized in 1881), the Union Sabbath School (with 70 pupils), and a Masonic Lodge.[8]

Gifford's post office was established on November 9, 1875, and was discontinued on February 28, 1907. Although the post office was reopened on February 17, 1908, it was again discontinued on October 31, 1954, and attached to the Union post office.[9]

Gifford's population was 70 in 1900.[10]

Gifford's population was 150 in 1925,[11] and was 200 in 1940.[12]

Although its post office is gone, Gifford has its own ZIP Code, 50259,[13] even though the ZIP Code system was not implemented until nearly nine years after Gifford's post office was attached to Union's.[14]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Rand McNally. The Road Atlas '08. Chicago: Rand McNally, 2008, p. 38-39.
  2. Book: Iowa Atlas and Gazetteer . 2021 . Garmin, Ltd . Yarmouth, ME . 40.
  3. , Geographic Names Information System, 1979-04-30.
  4. Book: History of Hardin County, Iowa . Union Publishing Company . 1883 . 964.
  5. Book: Chicago and North Western Railway Company. A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. 1908. 77.
  6. Book: Past and Present of Hardin County, Iowa . Unigraphic . Moir, William J. . 1911 . 356.
  7. Web site: Plat Book of Hardin County, Iowa - Gifford; Quebec . 2024-01-23 . Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA . January 23, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240123111015/https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4153hm.gla00042/?sp=37 . live .
  8. Book: History of Hardin County, Iowa, Together with Sketches of Its Towns, Villages and Townships, Educational, Civil, Military and Political History; Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens: History of Iowa, Embracing Accounts of the Prehistoric Races, and a Brief Review of Its Civil, Political and Military History . 1883 . Union Publishing Company . 964-965 . en . January 23, 2024 . January 23, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240123111009/https://books.google.com/books?id=WHBHAQAAMAAJ . live .
  9. , Geographic Names Information System, 2003-09-16. Accessed 2008-06-11.
  10. Book: Cram's Modern Atlas: The New Unrivaled New Census Edition . 1902 . J. R. Gray & Company . 203–207 . en . June 13, 2021 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229210727/https://books.google.com/books?id=9AzrWecxN1wC . live .
  11. Book: Premier Atlas of the World: Containing Maps of All Countries of the World, with the Most Recent Boundary Decisions, and Maps of All the States, Territories, and Possessions of the United States with Population Figures from the Latest Official Census Reports, Also Data of Interest Concerning International and Domestic Political Questions . 1925 . Rand McNally & Company . 189 . en . January 23, 2024 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229220633/https://books.google.com/books?id=WqRRAQAAMAAJ . live .
  12. Book: The Attorneys List . United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Attorney List Department . 1940 . 300 . en . 2023-12-18 . November 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221103000157/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZTcjAQAAMAAJ . live .
  13. Web site: Zip Code Lookup . June 11, 2008 . June 15, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110615070806/http://www.zipinfo.com/cgi-local/zipsrch.exe?cnty=cnty&zip=50259 . dead .
  14. http://www.zip-codes.com/mr_zip.asp The Two "Mr. ZIP Codes"

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