Grinnell

History

Grinnell was founded by settlers from New England who were descended from English Puritans of the 1600s. Grinnell was founded in 1854 by four men: Josiah B. Grinnell, a Congregationalist from Vermont; Homer Hamlin, a minister; Henry Hamilton, a surveyor; and Dr. Thomas Holyoke. The city was to be named "Stella", but J. B. Grinnell convinced the others to adopt his name, describing it as rare and concise. Grinnell was incorporated on April 28, 1865, and by 1880, Grinnell had a population of around 2,000. Located at the junction of two railway lines (east–west line of the Rock Island Railroad and the north–south Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway), it is the largest community in Poweshiek County. Grinnell was a stop on the Underground Railroad from its founding. One of the most famous events occurred in February 1859, when abolitionist John Brown, and 12 slaves he was helping escape to freedom, were hosted by J. B. Grinnell and several other community residents. Because of J. B. Grinnell's efforts to help slaves and end slavery, in 2013, the National Park Service included his gravesite at Hazelwood Cemetery on the [https://www.nps.gov/subjects/undergroundrailroad/ntf-listings.htm National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom] listings. The Mormon Trail ran along the southern edge of Grinnell. The trail was traveled by an estimated 100,000 plus travelers from 1846 to 1869, including some 70,000 Mormons escaping religious persecution. The Pioneer Company of 1846–1847 established the first route; from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Salt Lake City. A stone marker memorializes the Mormon Handcart Trail and the grave of a child who died along the trail near Grinnell. In 1846, Grinnell College, a private liberal arts college, was established. Two major events marked the early years…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Grinnell has a humid continental climate with hot humid summers, and cold snowy winters. The precipitation averages 38.19 in (970 mm) yearly. Summers are the rainiest times of year, with over two thirds of the precipitation falling between April and September in an average year.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,336
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,090
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,064
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  1,019
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  984
• White-breasted Nuthatch

  Sitta carolinensis Latham, 1790 · Aves
  872
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  872
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  839

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2025-06-25
  10 km WNW of Marysville, Iowa
• M 3 — 2025-06-25
  5 km S of Knoxville, Iowa
• M 3.3 — 2025-06-25
  8 km SE of Knoxville, Iowa