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Sioux County, located in the northwest corner of Iowa, was formally organized on
January 20, 1860. Its name is in honor of the Sioux Indian tribe, which was once
prosperous in the area. Sioux means "Snakes" or "Little Snakes."
The first county seat of Sioux County was Calliope. It was a small village,
established in 1860 with no more than 15 residents, the entire population
of the county at that time.
The first courthouse was built in Calliope in 1860. It served the
county until 1872 and was a one-and-one. The name means either "People
of the Yellow Earth"or "red bana-half story log cabin. It contained
portholes, like a fort, for protection from outlaws and Indians. The
building also served as living quarters for county officials and other
residents.
As was previously mentioned, Calliope contained all the residents of the
county, but in 1869 that all changed. At this time there was a large
increase of immigrants, mostly from the Netherlands, into the area.
The town of Orange City was laid out by Henry Hospers in the eastern
part of the county, and the immigrants from the Netherlands flocked
to the area.
It was not long before a rivalry developed between the two towns.
This rivalry became so heated that, on January 22, 1872, 55 bobsleds
left Orange City bound for Calliope. Along the way they met up with
25 more sleds from the Hull area. When these raiders arrived at
Calliope, they cut a hole in the log courthouse and removed the
safe and all of the county records contained within. They then
hauled the 5,000-pound safe back to Orange City.
The safe and county records were later returned to Calliope with the
agreement of both towns. However, the county seat was officially
removed to Orange City with an election held in November 1872.
The old log cabin in Calliope was sold and county offices were
scattered around Orange City for several years. Then, with the
help of a bond issue, the construction of a red and buff-colored
sandstone building began in June 1902. Construction was stalled
when the construction company went bankrupt later that year.
The building was finally completed in October 1904. There was a
huge celebration containing bands, glee clubs, speeches and even
fireworks. M.P. Van Oosterhout of Orange City furnished two 1,400
pound. steers for the barbecue.
Lightning struck the courthouse tower in 1907, knocking off about
four feet of the pinnacle, which broke many roof tiles. A 10-foot
bronze statue of "Lady Justice" (Vrouwe Justitia), replaced the
broken pinnacle.
From 1976-1982 extensive improvements were made to the courthouse
and its facilities: a new roof, renovated courtroom, an elevator,
the latest computer system, and new voting machines. In 1977, the
Sioux County Courthouse was placed on the National Register of
Historic Places.
The new Sioux County Human Services Building was completed in 1991.
The building was designed to complement and mirror the courthouse by
using the same Romanesque Revival architecture.
Taken from History of County Governments in Iowa, published in 1992
by the Iowa State Association of Counties, Des Moines, Iowa
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