Mason City

History

The land upon which Mason City now stands was previously a grove of trees surrounded by the expansive and gently rolling tallgrass prairies of north-central Iowa. This wooded area was situated near the limestone outcroppings that line the confluence of Lime Creek (now known as the Winnebago River) and Willow Creek. In the years immediately preceding the east-to-west expansion of the United States, this land was inhabited by the people of the Ioway, Winnebago, Meskwaki (Fox), Sauk, and Dakota Native American tribes. The first White settlers arrived in the area in 1853, and they were John Long, Joseph Hewitt, and George Brentner, who hailed from LaSalle, Illinois. Long was a member of a Free Masonic Order, and they initially named the dense wood stand as Masonic Grove. The next year, in 1854, more settlers involved in Free Masonic groups arrived, and platted a town, first known as Shibboleth and later Masonville. Coincidentally, the name Masonville was proposed by John Long to honor his son, Mason, who died en route to then Shibboleth. In 1854, John McMillin opened the first store, and Dr. Silas Card opened the first medical practice in the area. Ultimately, in 1855 the name was changed to Mason City to differentiate from another Masonville in Delaware County. Until 1855, Mason City was without local county government, and Cerro Gordo County (named for the Battle of Cerro Gordo during the contemporaneous Mexican–American War) was attached to the Floyd County government and commission. In August 1855, Cerro Gordo County citizens voted to organize their county government, and three commissioners were appointed to decide on the county-seat. The commission had selected Mason City as its preferred county seat. In December 1856, the Iowa General Assembly voted to relocate the…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Mason City is located in the north-central region of Iowa, and is 120 miles north of the state capital of Des Moines, and 135 miles south of the twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The city lies along the Winnebago River, formerly called Lime Creek and Willow Creek, the main outflow of Clear Lake, which is 8 miles to the west. Other creeks within city limits include Camlus Creek, Chelsea Creek, and Ideal Creek. There is also a slough on the northeastern side of the city called Buffalo Slough bordered by Plymouth Road. The vicinity is located within the Winnebago-Shell Rock-Cedar-Iowa River watershed, which later joins the larger Mississippi River system downstream. The geology of Mason City and other surrounding areas in Cerro Gordo County includes deposits of clay, limestone, dolomite, and sandstone. These sedimentary rocks fueled an important economic sector of longstanding quarrying, brick, and cement production. Much of the remaining land within and near city-limits was once tallgrass prairies, but has now been developed as rich farmland. This region of the Upper Midwest is known as the Prairie Pothole region includes flat landscapes and glacial lakes. Mason City has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb), bordering closely on the hot-summer variant. This area has four distinct seasons, with humid, warm summers and cold, snowy winters.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  681
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  656
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  650
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  638
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  602
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  592
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  574
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  543

Largest nearby schools

• Mason City High School
  High · Mason City · 956 students · 17.1:1 ratio
• Clear Creek Elementary School
  Elementary · Clear Lake · 688 students · 15.6:1 ratio
• John Adams Middle School
  Middle · Mason City · 480 students · 14.1:1 ratio
• Lincoln Intermediate
  Middle · Mason City · 468 students · 12.6:1 ratio
• Clear Lake High School
  High · Clear Lake · 458 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• Harding Elementary School
  Elementary · Mason City · 380 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• Hoover Elementary School
  Elementary · Mason City · 375 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Roosevelt Elementary School
  Elementary · Mason City · 357 students · 12.3:1 ratio