County Organization

The county was organized by an act of the Territorial Legislature, approved February 12, 1857,

and the county seat located by the same act at a town called St. James, by the River Petit Arc.

 

The first election was held in the fall of 1857 and the following officers choosen:

Commissioner

John Patterson

A. S. Chase

D. F. Ames

Probate Judge

M. Jones

Clerk

Geo. L. Roberts

 

In the 1858 election the following officers were chosen:

 

Commissioner

Abraham Haling

John Patterson

D. F. Ames

Probate Judge

Geo. L. Robert

Clerk

Nelson Collamer

Treasurer

Geo. A. Hall

Cedar County, was represented in the Territorial Legislature by Geo. A. Hall elected in

1865, re-elected in 1866, and in the State Legislature, by Lewis E. Jones, elected in 1868,

L. M. Howard elected in 1872; Geo. A. Hall elected in 1876 and J. A. Zeigler in 1878.

John Aten was elected to the State Legislature in 1876.

 

The first children born in the county were twins, a son and a daughter to Mr. and Mrs.
Geo. A. Hall.

 

There were three saw mills in the county, one in connection with the Bow Valley Mills

below St. James, one on the St. Helena Island just below St. Helena, built in 1878

by A. J. Lee and one in the St. Helena timber above St. Helena built in 1870 by

J. J. Felber

 

The first saw mill in the county  was brought in by the company which settled at St.

James in 1857.

 

The second was brought in 1858 by Lewis E. Jones located near St. Helena.  In the

spring of 1860, it was destroyed and rebuilt the following summer.

 

Officers elected in the election of 1880 are as follows:

 

Commissioner

Dennis O'Flaharty

Amos L. Parker

Joseph Hochstein

Probate Judge

Guy R. Wilbur

Clerk

Baptiste Joesten

Treasurer

Thomas Ebinger

Surveyor

Andrew McNeal

Superintendent of Schools

R. T. O'Gara