Donnan, Iowa
Encyclopedia
Donnan is a former city in the U.S. state
of Iowa
, located in central Fayette County
. For many years, this farm hamlet was Iowa's smallest incorporated city. The town's population slowly eroded over the years; by 1990 the population had dropped to 7, and the remaining residents voted to disincorporate. Donnan ceased to exist as a city in early 1991.
ted in 1878 as Donnan Junction, located at the junction of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific
and Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific
railroads. Donnan was named in honor of William G. Donnan
(1834–1908), who served the area in the House of Representatives
from 1871-75.
The town plat showed Donnan divided into five blocks, with blocks 2 and 3 divided into 18 parcels each. Blocks 1, 4, and 5 were smaller because of the railroad lines running diagonally through the community. Donnan had three streets running north-south; from westernmost to easternmost the streets were named Maple, Logan, and Sumner. The east-west streets were named Woodard Street and Washburn Avenue. By 1916, only six houses had been built, and these were all on Logan Street. Several farmhouses also fronted the Rock Island railroad tracks (see map).
Aside from the post office and railroad depot, the community also had a meeting hall, a pool hall, stock yards, a restaurant, an implement company, a hardware store, a grain elevator
, a livery stable, a blacksmith shop, and a three-story hotel. Despite attracting a number of businesses and the site's prime location at the junction of two railways, the town never attracted many residents. The population of Donnan peaked at around fifty people in the 1940s.
The City of Donnan was the state's smallest recognized community in 1954; the post office served 12 families (50 residents) and the school. Officials at the U.S. Postal Service that year decided to close the Donnan post office, but due to protests from residents, in February 1955 the closure was cancelled. Donnan did, however, lose its school in 1957; The hotel at Donnan had been moved to Sumner
in 1947 and the building was converted into apartments.
Lynn J. Webb served as Donnan's postmaster up until his death in 1955; Webb also ran the filling station
and general store
run out of the same building. Gertrude Menuey served as postmaster from 1955 to the 1970s. Eileen Lee was the postmaster during the 1980s.
A. L. Begalske served as mayor of Donnan until his death in 1955. Matthew Porter was appointed mayor after Begalske's death, and served for the next 35 years. Ruth Holmes was the town clerk, Margaret Gage the treasurer.
to the county seat at West Union
bypassed Donnan's main street, New Donnan Road, in the early 1970s.
By 1977, Donnan consisted of "an abandoned grain elevator, an unused railroad depot, three farms, four occupied houses, and a few empty buildings". The Rock Island Railroad
tracks at Donnan were pulled up in 1977. By 1978, the town's population had dropped to 13. That year Donnan residents celebrated the city's 100th anniversary.
Donnan's few remaining residents fought "long, hard, and unsuccessfully" to keep the post office open. By 1982, however, postal officials prevailed. When the post office closed, on July 23, 1982, commemorative covers prepared by the Iowa Postal History Society gave the town's population as ten. Residents resisted the closing of the last business in Donnan "because [Donnan] citizens love it and hate to see it die", Mayor Porter said in 1988.
In 1990, the last seven residents made national headlines when they reluctantly voted to disincorporate, ending their town's status as an officially recognized city. At the disincorporation hearing Matt Porter, who had served as the town's mayor for 35 years, stated "Three of us are in our 70s and sooner or later it's got to come. There's no one else to carry on". Donnan ceased to exist in March 1991; the final vote was 6 to 1 in favor of disincorporation.
A monument on New Donnan Road pays tribute to the empty community, which lies just two miles (3 km) north of its nearly empty sister community of Randalia (population 84). In October 2007, like Donnan before it, Randalia lost its post office, some time after losing its school and general store. Matthew Porter died in a fire in his home in Donnan in 2009.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, located in central Fayette County
Fayette County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 20,880 in the county, with a population density of . There were 9,558 housing units, of which 8,634 were occupied.-2000 census:...
. For many years, this farm hamlet was Iowa's smallest incorporated city. The town's population slowly eroded over the years; by 1990 the population had dropped to 7, and the remaining residents voted to disincorporate. Donnan ceased to exist as a city in early 1991.
Early years
The post office at Donnan was established on July 10, 1874; The town was platPlat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted in 1878 as Donnan Junction, located at the junction of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986. The company went through several official names...
and Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
railroads. Donnan was named in honor of William G. Donnan
William G. Donnan
William G. Donnan was a pioneer lawyer, Civil War officer, and two-term Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 3rd congressional district during the administration of President Ulysses S...
(1834–1908), who served the area in the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 1871-75.
The town plat showed Donnan divided into five blocks, with blocks 2 and 3 divided into 18 parcels each. Blocks 1, 4, and 5 were smaller because of the railroad lines running diagonally through the community. Donnan had three streets running north-south; from westernmost to easternmost the streets were named Maple, Logan, and Sumner. The east-west streets were named Woodard Street and Washburn Avenue. By 1916, only six houses had been built, and these were all on Logan Street. Several farmhouses also fronted the Rock Island railroad tracks (see map).
Incorporation
The settlement was officially incorporated (as Donnan) in 1922 so that a school could be built. An area of 1 square miles (2.6 km²) of land was included within the city limits so the area would meet the state's 25-person minimum population requirements. By the 1930s, several improvements had been made in the town, including a diagonal road built alongside the Rock Island railroad. This road, named New Donnan Road, became the town's main thoroughfare.Aside from the post office and railroad depot, the community also had a meeting hall, a pool hall, stock yards, a restaurant, an implement company, a hardware store, a grain elevator
Grain elevator
A grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates, and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a silo or other storage facility...
, a livery stable, a blacksmith shop, and a three-story hotel. Despite attracting a number of businesses and the site's prime location at the junction of two railways, the town never attracted many residents. The population of Donnan peaked at around fifty people in the 1940s.
The City of Donnan was the state's smallest recognized community in 1954; the post office served 12 families (50 residents) and the school. Officials at the U.S. Postal Service that year decided to close the Donnan post office, but due to protests from residents, in February 1955 the closure was cancelled. Donnan did, however, lose its school in 1957; The hotel at Donnan had been moved to Sumner
Sumner, Iowa
Sumner is a city in Bremer County, Iowa, United States. The city is located along the county's eastern border, between Bremer and Fayette counties. The population was 2,106 at the 2000 census. The Bremer County portion of Sumner is part of the Waterloo–Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in 1947 and the building was converted into apartments.
Lynn J. Webb served as Donnan's postmaster up until his death in 1955; Webb also ran the filling station
Filling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
and general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
run out of the same building. Gertrude Menuey served as postmaster from 1955 to the 1970s. Eileen Lee was the postmaster during the 1980s.
A. L. Begalske served as mayor of Donnan until his death in 1955. Matthew Porter was appointed mayor after Begalske's death, and served for the next 35 years. Ruth Holmes was the town clerk, Margaret Gage the treasurer.
Decline
Gradually, even the small population of Donnan eroded, leaving the town with fewer than 25 residents in 1970, and just 18 in 1972. All businesses except the post office had closed by the early 1970s. County road W-25, a paved highway from nearby RandaliaRandalia, Iowa
Randalia is a city in Fayette County, Iowa, United States. The population was 84 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Randalia is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
to the county seat at West Union
West Union, Iowa
West Union is a city in Fayette County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,549 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Fayette County...
bypassed Donnan's main street, New Donnan Road, in the early 1970s.
By 1977, Donnan consisted of "an abandoned grain elevator, an unused railroad depot, three farms, four occupied houses, and a few empty buildings". The Rock Island Railroad
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
tracks at Donnan were pulled up in 1977. By 1978, the town's population had dropped to 13. That year Donnan residents celebrated the city's 100th anniversary.
Donnan's few remaining residents fought "long, hard, and unsuccessfully" to keep the post office open. By 1982, however, postal officials prevailed. When the post office closed, on July 23, 1982, commemorative covers prepared by the Iowa Postal History Society gave the town's population as ten. Residents resisted the closing of the last business in Donnan "because [Donnan] citizens love it and hate to see it die", Mayor Porter said in 1988.
In 1990, the last seven residents made national headlines when they reluctantly voted to disincorporate, ending their town's status as an officially recognized city. At the disincorporation hearing Matt Porter, who had served as the town's mayor for 35 years, stated "Three of us are in our 70s and sooner or later it's got to come. There's no one else to carry on". Donnan ceased to exist in March 1991; the final vote was 6 to 1 in favor of disincorporation.
A monument on New Donnan Road pays tribute to the empty community, which lies just two miles (3 km) north of its nearly empty sister community of Randalia (population 84). In October 2007, like Donnan before it, Randalia lost its post office, some time after losing its school and general store. Matthew Porter died in a fire in his home in Donnan in 2009.
See also
Other discontinued cities in Iowa:- AthelstanAthelstan, IowaAthelstan is a former city in Taylor County, Iowa, United States, along the Platte River, and is also majority owned by the Young family. The population was 18 at the 2000 census...
(final population: 18 in 2004) - Green IslandGreen Island, IowaGreen Island is an unincorporated community in Jackson County, Iowa, United States....
(final population: 54 in 1993) - Hurstville
- KentKent, IowaKent is a former city in Union County, Iowa, United States. The population was 52 at the 2000 census. In 2003, after years of rural flight, the tiny city was disincorporated, ending its status as an officially recognized community.-Geography:...
(final population: 52 in 2003) - LittleportLittleport, IowaLittleport is an unincorporated community and former city in Clayton County, Iowa, USA. After the Volga River flood of May 16, 1999, much of the town was destroyed and most residents moved away. At the 2000 Census, there were 26 residents...
(final population: 26 in 2005) - Moneta (final population: 29 in 1999)
- Oneida (final population: 49 in 1994)
- Plain View