Back at the end of January I went to Jackson County to harvest the balance of their town signs. This was a big one to cross off the list for me, because my strategy (if you can call it that) for this project has been all over the place. However, for a few months now, my strategy has been to finish what I call the cross of Iowa. All the counties north, south, east, and west of Boone County. From there, I will knock out the corners of Iowa. First the southwest, then the northwest, then the northeast, and then finally the southeast. Obviously, not everything has went exactly to that plan, as I finished the southwest corner before I finished the cross, but finishing Jackson County meant that the cross is finished and now I can devote myself to knocking out the northwest corner.

Here are some facts about Jackson County:

+ Population is 19,485. Making it the 36th most populous county in Iowa. Below Fayette County and above Poweshiek County.
+ The largest town and county seat is Maquoketa.
+ Formed on December 21, 1837.
+ Named after one of the worst humans to ever be President of the United States and undoubtedly the worst person to have an Iowa county named after them… vile piece of human refuse Andrew Jackson.
+ Home of one of the best state parks in Iowa Maquoketa Caves State Park. Also home to Bellevue State Park.
+ Home of the only Iowa town that is an island.
+ Major highways are: US-52, US-61, US-67, IA-62, and IA-64.
+ Adjacent counties are: Clinton, Dubuque, and Jones.
+ Population peaked in 1880 at 23,771.

For a modern looking courthouse, I don’t hate the Jackson County Courthouse:

The Jackson County Courthouse in Maquoketa, Iowa.

The Jackson County Freedom Rock is located in Bellevue, Iowa:

With Jackson County conquered, here is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

63 counties completed. 63.6% of the Cyclone State conquered!

Here are the town signs of Jackson County:

Maquoketa, Iowa
MAQUOKETA
Population: 6,128 (-13)

Bellevue, Iowa
BELLEVUE
Population: 2,363 (+172)

Preston, Iowa
WELCOME TO PRESTON
Population: 949 (-63)

Sabula, Iowa
Welcome to SABULA
Iowa’s Island City
Population: 506 (-70)

Miles, Iowa
WELCOME TO MILES
Population: 408 (-37)

Andrew, Iowa
Welcome to the Heart of Jackson County
ANDREW
Population: 380 (-54)

La Motte, Iowa
WELCOME TO LA MOTTE
Population: 237 (-23)

Monmouth, Iowa
Monmouth Co-Ed 4-H Welcomes You
Population: 129 (-24)

Springbrook, Iowa
EST. 1906
Springbrook
Population: 143 (-1)

St. Donatus, Iowa
ST. DONATUS
Population: 120 (-15)

Baldwin, Iowa
WELCOME TO BALDWIN
Population: 99 (-10)

Spragueville, Iowa
THE SPRAGUEVILLE COMMUNITY WELCOMES YOU
FOUNDED 1841
Lauren Sprague
“DOWN BY THE OLD MILL STREAM”
Population: 92 (+11)

It should be noted that Zwingle is also partially in Jackson County, but it is mostly in Dubuque County, so I will share that sign when we get to Dubuque County.

Jackson County is not a great collection of town signs. Mostly a lot of tombstone looking signs. It is very disappointing, considering that Jackson County is a very beautiful County. I love Bellevue and Saint Donatus and Maquoketa as towns, but they all have terrible signs. But I would have to give the worst sign to Monmouth, which is more a 4-H sign than a town sign.

There are a few town signs in Jackson County I do like though. Andrew is solid. As is Spragueville, but I’m giving the purple ribbon to La Motte.

La Motte – Best in Show – Jackson County

Preston is the only town sign with an alternate town sign.

Preston – Alternate

Here is the current list of Best in Shows:

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Adams County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Bremer County

Best in Show – Buena Vista County

Best in Show – Butler County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Cass County

Best in Show – Cedar County

Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Clinton County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Decatur County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Fremont County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hancock County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Sow – Harrison County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Iowa County

Best in Show – Jackson County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Jones County

Best in Show – Kossuth County

Best in Show – Linn County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Mahaska County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Mills County

Best in Show – Monona County

Best in Show – Monroe County

Best in Show – Montgomery County

Best in Show – Page County

Best in Show – Palo Alto County

Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Pottawattamie County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Ringgold County

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Shelby County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Taylor County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Warren County

Best in Show – Wayne County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Winnebago County

Best in Show – Worth County

Best in Show – Wright County

The next time we hit the open road for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT we will end up in Cherokee County.