Carson, Carson Township

Carson is located in Carson Township in southeast Pottawattamie County, twenty-three miles east of Council Bluffs. The town is five miles south of Oakland and four miles north of the present town of Macedonia.

The old Loshe Mill which figured in the early history of the community was located two miles south of Carson. With the coming of the C.R.I. & P. Railroad, the town thrived as a business center for many years. It was incorporated in 1881. During the year of 1889, the entire north side of the business block was destroyed by fire. It was soon rebuilt with improved shops. Again in 1894, the entire business block was razed by flames. Old frame structures were then replaced with brick buildings.

Due to it's proximity to larger towns, the growth of Carson has declined since 1900, although it remains an enterprising trading center with excellent stores for a town of it's size. At Carson there are exceptionally fine residences, a public school and five churches, the Christian, Methodist, Presbyterian, Latter-Day Saints and Catholic. One half mile east of the village is a beautifully landscaped cemetery.

Early Historical Description

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This enterprising town is only aged a few months, having started in trade in 1880. Beautifully located on a prominence lying up from the valley of the Nishnabotna, Carson is in plain view from many directions for long distances.

Her merchants are all new men in Macedonia Township, and they merchandise and reside in hew houses. A stranger in the town can but be charmed with the tidy looks and bustling actions of the citizens of Carson.

The C. R. I. & P. and C. B. & Q. railroads join hands at this point. The latter coming up from Hastings and the former down from Avoca. This fact alone will cause Carson to be an important distributing point for freight and passengers.

Losh's Mill, an institution as old as Pottawattamie County, is located near the town, and an elevator at the depot serves as a great convenience for grain sellers. Another elevator is seriously talked of here.

That indispensable article of common demand, a newspaper is published by Julian & McManima, and called the Carson Fairdealer. It is a fine specimen of weekly newspaper as one will see anywhere. In fact, the future of Carson is bright, and its natural advantages and pluck of her citizens will carry her up to more than local prominence at no distant day.

[1880-81 City Directory, Submitted by Darlene Vergamini]