December 21, 1837 – Johnson County, Iowa is incorporated, and at the time, the population includes nearly 2,000 Meskwaki people and less than 50 settlers.

These early pioneers – arriving in 1837 – were settling in the uncharted prairie known as Des Moines County in the Iowa District of Wisconsin Territory, but when Johnson County is officially established, it is done so by the Legislature of Wisconsin Territory – meeting in Burlington, with the county being one of thirteen new counties established by that body in a comprehensive act.

By 1838, when Iowa became a U.S. Territory, there were 237 pioneers living here, but sadly, very few Native Iowans remained. By 1840, the population had grown to 1,504, ballooned to 4,472 in 1850, and by 1860, Johnson County had 17,573 inhabitants.

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