Lucas County 1868-2010: Fewer people, fewer bees

Lucas County in 1875

It's kind of interesting to think about the fact that roughly 300 fewer people were living in Lucas County during 2010 --- year of the last federal census --- than were here in 1868, when statistics were gathered for the 1869 Iowa census.

That's just one of the useless bits of information I'm now in possession of thanks to a report published in The Chariton Democrat of Jan. 11, 1870, summarizing county results of the 1869 census (data collected during 1868).

Iowa's 1857 Constitution had included a provision that state census enumerations be taken during 1859, 1863, 1865, 1867, 1869, 1875 and every 10 years thereafter. The enumerations 1859-1875 were statistical, not every-name, so researchers are far more familiar with the enumerations of 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915 and 1925.

This constant counting can be compared to proud parents weighing their newborn babies twice a day. It was a way of gauging progress across the state --- and also a development tool. Although the population in Lucas County was relatively dense by 1868, vast areas of the state remained wide open for settlement.

Here's the text of The Democrat article:

+++

We have received from Hon. Ed Wright, Secretary of State, a copy of the "Census of Iowa," as returned in 1869, from which we gather some valuable and interesting statistics, in addition to that published last fall.

The County had, in 1868, 1,733 dwellings, 1,744 families, 4,711 white males, 4,423 white females, 51 negroes, and a total population of 9,185; 1,901 voters, 48 foreigners not naturalized, and 1,418 militia.

She has 60,203 acres of land enclosed and 48,295 in cultivation; 7,770 acres of spring wheat, 107 of winter wheat, 22,518 of corn, 6,237 of oats, and 5,514 of tame grass. She has 7,435 bearing fruit trees, 29,944 not bearing; 4,627 horses, 9,991 head of cattle, 16,134 hogs, 20,417 sheep and 1,217 hives of bees.

We had 135,092 bushels of spring wheat, 1,115 fall wheat, 799,818 corn, 186,257 of oats and 33,972 of Irish potatoes.

The value of farm produce for the year 1868 was $641,444, stock $204,692, agricultural implements, $74,140, value of manufactures, $37,280. 

The average value per acre of the land was $6,38. The assessed value of all lands and town lots in the county on the 1st of January, 1869, was $1,963,350.

The average yield per acre of the farming lands was, wheat 17.35 bushels, oats 29.91, corn 35,54, rye 15.30, and potatoes 88.69.

+++

By the time results were in for the 1870 federal census, Lucas County's population had grown to 10,388, and that general trend would continue until 1920 when population peaked at 15,686 thanks to lively coal and ag industries. After that the trend has been steadily down, to 8,898 in 2010.

But if you consider that discouraging, think how the bees must feel. We have no idea how many hives there are in Lucas County now, but the number certainly is down sharply from 1870's total of 1,217.