Leota

History

The town of Leota was named after Leota Township in which it is located. The story has it that Leota was the name of a young Indian woman who figured in a romantic story familiar to W. G. Barnard, one of the township's first residents. However existence of such a story cannot be verified. If true, Leota Township (and the town of Leota) are the only place names in all of Nobles County that memorialize specific Native Americans. The town of Leota is situated on sections 5 and 8 of the township. Leota was established in 1891 as a settlement of Dutch Farmers who migrated northward from another Dutch Settlement in Orange City, Iowa. The first building erected in Leota was the Dutch Reformed Church. Later in 1891, John DeBoer, Nick DeBoer, and James TenCate erected a second building that became Leota's first general store. A post office was established in 1893, and the Christian Reformed Church was built in 1898. The town was surveyed by M. S. Smith for James TenCate, and the plat was dedicated on January 1, 1902. Leota was never incorporated, though it remains a thriving community. The U. S. Census Bureau classifies Leota as a census-designated place (CDP). CDPs are populated areas that lack separate municipal government, but which otherwise physically resemble incorporated places.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all land. Leota is situated on the western side of the Buffalo Ridge, the drainage divide between the Mississippi River and Missouri River systems. Main highways include: * Nobles County Road 19 * Nobles County Road 20

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  830
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  704
• Killdeer

  Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  674
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  670
• Barn Swallow

  Hirundo rustica Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  615
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  556
• Western Meadowlark

  Sturnella neglecta Audubon, 1844 · Aves
  551
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  543

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2023-10-19
  3 km E of Humboldt, South Dakota