Victor

History

Prior to its opening for European settlement, the area around what is now Victor was home to the Sac and Fox Indians. The Dragoon Trail trail follows the path of the 1st U. S. Dragoons, the country's first mounted infantry unit, on their historic march in the summer of 1835. The purpose of the march was to scout Iowa after the Black Hawk Purchase of 1832. This trail generally followed the Bear Creek Valley in western Iowa County and passed about a mile south of what would later become Victor. In 1856 and 1857, Mormon Handcart Pioneers followed the Dragoon Trail south of Victor on their way from the end of the rail line in Iowa City to the Salt Lake Valley in Utah. The route was later referred to locally as the "State Road" and today is officially designated by the county as "A Diagonal". Later, until about 1863, Mormon pioneers passed through Victor in covered wagons. In April 1854, George W. Wilson, a native of Ohio, purchased from the federal government the land on which Victor now occupies. In October 1861, Wilson permanently moved from Ohio to Iowa and soon began negotiations with Thomas C. Durant of New York City, a railroad officer. The resulting agreement involved granting a right of way through Wilson's land, providing space for a switch yard and station, and building a depot. Construction of the depot started on November 15, 1861, and was completed by December 24. Materials were sourced partly from Wilson's timber land near Victor, with additional supplies purchased from Davenport and Iowa City. Samuel Howard, the foreman, led the construction with assistance from several workers who prepared and transported the timbers. The depot was the first building in what would become the town of Victor, laying the foundation for its growth. May 5, 1863, Joseph…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  337
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  199
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  189
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  175
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  165
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  158
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  145
• Common Grackle

  Quiscalus quiscula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  140

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