Sac City, Iowa was first platted in 1855 by John F. Duncombe of Fort Dodge, Iowa. The town was so named because the Sauk and Fox Indians were in possession of the land at the time of the Louisiana Purchase. The City of Sac City was incorporated nineteen years later, in 1874.

Judge Eugene Criss, credited with being the father of Sac City, left Wisconsin and crossed the Mississippi River in the early months of 1855 by covered wagon. He was in search of waterpower and had the desire to establish a settlement in a new and untried country. Deciding upon the North Raccoon River to begin his settlement, Judge Criss proceeded to erect the first log cabin in Sac City, establish himself in the hotel business, as well as keep a stage station and general store for nearby settlers. The Criss Hotel was a log house, fourteen by seventeen feet, with a loft that could be reached by a ladder. The building was enlarged in 1857 to seven rooms and was considered the best hotel between Fort Dodge and Sioux City.

Several more hotels were begun in the following years, among these was the Hendrickson Hotel, later named the Park Hotel. The Park Hotel became the best hotel in town and hasn't been structurally changed since 1912 when the first remodeling was completed.

As early as 1859, there was talk of building a railroad through Sac County, but the first railroad didn't come through Sac City until 1879. The railroad companies refused to lay tracks through undeveloped or mildly developed areas, and Sac City didn't meet the requirements. The railroad companies demanded communities be far enough advanced to provide a quick return to capital before they would construct a steam and iron highway through the area. When it came, the railroad benefited Sac City incredibly. The Chicago & Northwestern connected Sac City, Wall Lake, Auburn, Odebolt, Lake View, Early, and Schaller as well as the cities where crops were sold.

The railroad helped support many of the early industries of Sac City by allowing the owners to transport their products throughout the country. The Canning Factory benefited the most from the railroad. Established in 1899, the Canning Factory was one of Sac City's best enterprises. The canning season usually lasted about a month, and the factory employed about three hundred and fifty men and women during the peak of its season. The factory produced as many as two million cans of sweet corn each year.

Another early industry was the Sac City Creamery established in 1879, and most people in Sac City had milk delivered once or twice each week. This industry served the surrounding communities until 1971 when it was sold to Anderson-Erickson Dairy of Des Moines.

Sac City was also home to a hospital called the Allen Institute for the cure of "those addicted to the liquor, tobacco, and opium habits." The hospital, established in 1893, occupied an entire city block and was operated by Dr. J. I. Allen. Dr. Allen held the exclusive rights to the cure in the state of Iowa and was quite successful.

Sac County's first and second Courthouses

Sac City was appointed the county seat in 1856, and the first Sac County Courthouse was erected in 1862. The courthouse served its purpose well until 1873 when citizens of Sac County realized the county had outgrown the tiny building. Thus, a second courthouse was built. The building was eighty-five feet by fifty-six feet, a beautiful building of brick with limestone foundations and an impressive tower on the top. It was declared to be one of the best county buildings in Iowa. This courthouse was first used in January 1874, and the old courthouse was sold shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, in 1888 a prisoner set fire to the jail attached to the courthouse while attempting to escape, and both buildings were destroyed. Sac City erected a third courthouse at a cost of thirty thousand dollars. This courthouse has been in use since with minimal structural changes.

Above: The first school in Sac City.
Right: The Sac City Institute, later to become the first High School. To read more about the Sac City Institute as it was in 1895, please click here.

The pioneers of Sac City were also very interested in providing their children with a good education, and the first school was held in a log cabin as early as 1856. In the following years, many schools were opened throughout the area, but by 1892, the progressive element of Sac City saw the need for a higher level of education in the area and set about creating the Oak Park Normal College. The board reorganized in 1894 and changed the name to the Sac City Institute. The Institute was very effective and only declined when the students acquired a tendency to study abroad, and state institutions offered better facilities. The doors of the Sac City Institute were closed in 1912 and the building used as a high school.

The people of Sac City were never lacking for entertainment. The earliest parties were largely house-warmings, barn-raisings, husking-bees, box socials at the schoolhouse, and everyone enjoyed square dancing. The first movies were shown in the Opera House, built in 1883.

The Sac City Chautauqua Association was organized in December of 1904 with 120 members. The Association brought many fine programs to the community, and because transportation was still slow and laborious, many families stayed in tents on the grounds for the entire Chautauqua session, about eight or nine days. At first the meetings were held in a tent, but by 1908, the citizens of Sac City built a Chautauqua Building in which to hold their meetings. This building is one of three Chautauqua Buildings still standing in the State of Iowa.

The first Sac County Fair was held in 1871 on ten acres of ground east of Sac City that had been purchased by the Sac County Agricultural Society the same year. The fair was one of the biggest events of the year and brought people in wagons and buggies from miles around to see the harness races, livestock exhibits, produce, needlework, and art goods.