Our Kind of Town

 

Before we left for our trip, we were looking at a map and trying to plot our drive from Des Moines to Omaha.  Imagine our surprise when we saw a town named Underwood!  We knew we would most definitely have to stop.  There wasn't much to the "town" but it is a patriotic town (how fitting a town named Underwood would be so patriotic!).  Just about every house on the roads in town (maybe six or seven) had at least one flag in the yard.

In 2019, the population of Underwood was 954.  Very surprised to see such a large high school for a town so small.  We didn't see an elementary or middle school so not sure where the kids go before 9th grade.  

Main Street

Here's a little history of the town I found online.  Underwood is located in Norwalk Township in Pottawattamie County. The principal early settlers of the area arrived during the period from 1845 to 1850. In 1847, a flour mill and a saw mill were built on Mosquito Creek, southwest of the present site of Underwood. In 1850, the flour mill was destroyed by a flood. The first school was built in 1863 and soon more homes were built near the school and saw mill. It became known as Downsville. A post office was established there.

With the coming of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad in 1869, the town of Underwood was established three miles northeast of Downsville, which was later abandoned and has entirely disappeared. In 1882, the other railroad that crossed through Norwalk Township, Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul, built a station house, erected a water tank and laid a switch. These improvements were on portions of the farms owned by two men and their farms were to be surveyed and divided into town lots. The name Underwood comes from the name of the first engineer to run a train over the Milwaukee tracks. Two farmers cut the corn stalks off to make a road to the Milwaukee tracks so the depot could be built. This path later became "Main Street".

In 1902, the town was incorporated, a town marshal appointed, sidewalks constructed and a jail built at the cost of $140. The first addition to the town was presented to the town council in 1903. The old school house was moved onto town property and made into a town hall. In 1905, five street lamps were purchased, sidewalks and streets were extended. From 1907 to 1910 the telephone came to town, a water works system was installed and cement sidewalks constructed. By 1917 a fire department was organized. In 1926 a new consolidated school was built at the cost of approximately $75,000. There were 62 students in high school and 116 in the grades with seven teachers in charge.

Admittedly I am a hotel snob, so imagine my shock and horror when I saw the Underwood name on what I can only imagine is the real life version of the Schitt's Creek motel!