City of Cainsville
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City of Cainsville |
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Cainsville History Past & Present The first settlers came to this area in 1842, when it was essentially a dense forest of large trees, underbrush, and swamp land west of the river. In 1854, a lone heavy-set man with dark hair stood on the banks of the Grand River. His name was Peter Cain. He and a few partners constructed a crude sawmill and gristmill. Men came from 30 to 40 miles bringing their grain to be ground. Mr. Cain soon realized the need for a store and built one. Cainsville's fame began to spread and in April 1855 Andrew Clark secured a surveyor and a town was laid out and named Cainsville in honor of Peter Cain.In the 1850's and 1860's, a large group of people known as Bohemians settled west of Cainsville. These hardworking people still have an impact on the community. In 1884, the first railroad was laid from Leon, Iowa and during the mining days 860 to 900 tons of coal were transported daily. In 1921, Cainsville was the second largest city in Harrison County. It then had a population of 1,050. (from Cainsville and Community History, 1991. This book is out of print.) Cainsville is a community comprised of friendly, hardworking people who are students, parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents that farm, work in business, own their own businesses, or are retired. The City of Cainsville is typical of many rural communities with declining population and higher than average age mean. But in recent years, Cainsville has seen a resurgence of people, young and old, moving back to the area. Various reasons include: "a great place to raise children", "tired of the crime-ridden city", "miss living near family", "a great place to retire", and "quiet, peaceful, and you can count on your neighbors". The trend may be reversing and starting to head upward once again as telecommunications and the attractiveness of rural areas draws people back. |
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