A couple months back I cruised around Louisa County harvesting their town signs. It was a good trip.
Here are some facts about Louisa County:
+ Population is 10,749. Making it the 67th most populous county in Iowa. Below Cherokee County and above Hancock County.
+ Largest town and county seat is Wapello.
+ Formed on December 7, 1836 as part of the Wisconsin Territory. Became part of the Iowa Territory on July 4, 1838.
+ Either named after Louisa Massey or named after Louisa County, Virginia. I like to think it was named after Louisa Massey cause that would make it one of only a couple of counties named after a woman and because Louisa Massey’s fame came from avenging the murder of her brother by shooting the person that murdered him.
+ Boyhood home of Jorge Rios.
+ Home of the Columbus Junction Swinging Bridge.
+ Major highways are: US-61, UIA-70, IA-78, and IA-92.
+ Adjacent counties are: Johnson, Muscatine, Des Moines, Henry, and Washington.
+ Population peaked in 1900 at 13,516.
Louisa County has a boring looking courthouse. Looks like an elementary school I went to:
![Louisa County Courthouse](https://photos.smugmug.com/Art/Courthouses-and-Freedom-Rocks/i-DPvbnzc/0/78d45a89/X2/LOUISA_COUNTY_COURTHOUSE-X2.jpg)
The Louisa County Courthouse located in Wapello, Iowa.
The Louisa County Freedom Rock is located in Grandview, Iowa:
![Louisa County Freedom Rock](https://photos.smugmug.com/Art/Courthouses-and-Freedom-Rocks/i-68mQ64s/0/ae121458/X2/LOUISA_COUNTY_FREEDOM_ROCK_1-X2.jpg)
With Louisa County conquered, here is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:
![Town Sign Project - 95 Counties](https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Website-Stuff/i-zrjZBHn/0/4026bdeb/X2/95_counties_louisa-X2.png)
PURPLE=COMPLETED
95 counties completed. 96% of the Cyclone State conquered!
Here are the town signs of Louisa County:
![Wapello, Iowa](https://photos.smugmug.com/Photo-Projects/Town-Sign-Project/i-PdR722K/0/2874af28/X2/WAPELLO-X2.jpg)
Wapello, Iowa
WAPELLO
Est. 1856
Population: 2,084 (+17)
Columbus Junction, Iowa
Welcome to Columbus Junction
Population: 1,830 (-69)
Morning Sun, Iowa
MORNING SUN
Population: 752 (-84)
Grandview, Iowa
City Of Grandview
WELCOMES YOU
Population: 437 (-119)
Columbus City, Iowa
Welcome TO COLUMBUS CITY
EST. 1841
Population: 392 (-1)
Letts, Iowa
Welcome to LETTS
POP. 374
Population: 363 (-21)
Welcome to FREDONIA
Est 1836
Home of the Convict Road
Population: 222 (-22)
Oakville, Iowa
A Peaceful Place BETWEEN TWO RIVERS
OAKVILLE
Population: 200 (+27)
Cotter, Iowa
COTTER TOWN HALL
Population: 39 (-9)
Cario, Iowa – Unincorporated
Welcome Historic CAIRO
1835
THE SPIRIT OF CAIRO LIVES ON IN OUR HEARTS
Louisa County has a solid but not spectacular collection of signs. Last place is pretty obvious, it belongs to Columbus Junction that doesn’t even have a real town sign. Just some banners hanging from their light poles.
I’m a fan of the Fredonia sign. The Cairo sign. The Letts sign. The Grandview sign. But the purple ribbon has to go to Morning Sun!
![Morning Sun, Iowa](https://photos.smugmug.com/Photo-Projects/Town-Sign-Project/i-qL9nQNQ/0/9d849dca/X2/MORNING_SUN_2-X2.jpg)
Morning Sun – Best in Show – Louisa County
There was only one alternate town sign in Louisa County:
![Morning Sun, Iowa](https://photos.smugmug.com/Photo-Projects/Town-Sign-Project/i-KbGGrNT/0/c196c80b/X2/MORNING_SUN_1-X2.jpg)
Morning Sun – Alternate
Here is the current list of Best in Shows:
![Fontanelle, Iowa](https://photos.smugmug.com/Photo-Projects/Town-Sign-Project/i-WKm9t3S/0/092b5b4b/X2/FONTANELLE-X2.jpg)
Best in Show – Adair County
Best in Show – Allamakee County
Best in Show – Appanoose County
Best in Show – Black Hawk County
Best in Show – Buchanan County
Best in Show – Buena Vista County
Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County
Best in Show – Cherokee County
Best in Show – Chickasaw County
Best in Show – Crawford County
Best in Show – Delaware County
Terril – Best in Show – Dickinson County
Best in Show – Dickinson County
Best in Show – Franklin County
Best in Show – Hamilton County
Best in Show – Humboldt County
Best in Show – Jefferson County
Best in Show – Marshall County
Best in Show – Mitchell County
Best in Show – Montgomery County
Best in Show – Muscatine County
Best in Show – Palo Alto County
Best in Show – Plymouth County
Best in Show – Pocahontas County
Best in Show – Pottawattamie County
Best in Show – Poweshiek County
Best in Show – Ringgold County
Best in Show – Van Buren County
Best in Show – Washington County
Best in Show – Winnebago County
Best in Show – Winneshiek County
The next time we hit the open road for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will hit the open roads of Des Moines County.
Morning Sun was winner by a mile!
Yeah, it is a pretty clear winner.