The story of Lewis, Iowa is one of struggle and community. The struggle was to solve its location - Iranistan and Indian Town were areas west of the Nishnabotna River that were being plotted -- but an area in Cass County would economically be a better site. Finally the town site was chosen because it was in Cass County and the sale of lots would be good for the Treasury. The Cass County Commissioners located the County Seat in March of 1853 which was named after a Michigan Senator, Lewis Cass and the settlement of the town of Lewis began. Its location is in southwest Iowa -- 48 miles east of Council Bluffs. The first public sale of lots occurred in October 1855. Lewis grew to an incredibly successful town and saw to the needs of its settlers. In its infancy it was known for its livestock and grain so a grist mill was built in 1856. The Nishnabotna River was the water power source. A ferry boat house operated by Samuel Tefft was built for crossing the river, then very wide and ferry-worthy. It was surrounded by agricultural fields. The building of the town center was begun around Pioneer Park in the eastern part of Lewis. Iranistan and Indianola slowly disintegrated and many of the buildings were moved to Lewis. A brick kiln began operation because of its need early on. The Court House was built in 1856 also. Doctors began to settle in the area starting in 1853 -- both allopathic and homeopathic types. Attorneys began location in Lewis. The Henderson House was the first hotel to be built.

Lewis was a strong religious center beginning with Church revivals followed by the building of various church denominational buildings. Schools were provided from the founding of the town for its children. Various locations were used until finally a new 2-story brick building was completed. Two daily stage lines centered and connected in Lewis. The Pony Express delivered the mail. The first newspaper in the county was the Cass County Gazette started in January 1861 by J. C. Brown.

Many businesses were started by the people moving into the area and answered the needs of the residents. Dry goods, groceries, glass and queensware, medicines, books & stationery, sewing machines, shoes, caps, boots, agricultural implements, furniture, undertaking services, watch makers, jewelry, millinery, harness makers, saddlers, blacksmithing, wagon and carriage making, carpenters, builders, flouring mills, livery and feed stables, tin smithing, masonry, painters, well borers, hotels, and barber shops were the beginning shops built around a square in Pioneer Park.

The town was principally a stock trading center. The big problem was a lack of shipping facilities. Cattle and hogs were driven to Iowa City and from there were shipped by rail to the Chicago market. In 1868 the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was built through Cass County and as the travel began to slow on the trails, a vote moved the county seat to Atlantic in 1869. In 1879 a branch railroad was built to Lewis from Atlantic connecting with the Rock Island mainline. The first train ran on January 1.1880. This had the effect of drawing the business district to the present main street to be near the depot.

The social scene for the next few decades brought many great memories and much serenity to the area. Aside from the workdays of the week, Sunday afternoons were entertainment into our homes.

Lewis as a place to live today? This is where the word "community" from the beginning statement comes in. This town has roots that produce even now, year after year, the spirit of old. To provide for its peoples whatever is necessary for pleasant living through good work ethic and the care of the environment is its mission. Remembering the historical unforgettable tales of "The Mormon Trail" which crossed through Lewis in 1846 and was used by Brigham Young and followers to travel from Illinois to Utah and was used until after the Civil War. Another unforgettable, still-existing attraction, in Lewis is the Hitchcock House built by the Reverend George B. Hitchcock on the west side of the river that housed a secret room that was used as part of the Underground Railroad. It is now on the National Register of Historic Places and tours are available. Cold Springs Park is now a County Park and the Wallace Foundation Research Farm reaches with its efforts into the future. We boast a fabulous library where more in-depth reading about this area is available. Inventors such as William Brown was a major engineer in the development of the microwave and Edwin Perkins was the developer of Kool Aid. There is spent at Crystal Lake with swimming, skating at the rink or having a soda with friends at the pavilion. Entertainers and lecturers brought their magic to the Park. Saturday and Wednesday nights were kept for silent movies with the right piano music. Stories of the new autos were told.

"In 1914 (relates Pauline Franklin in her "Historical Lewis" account) -- in an unheard of country of Europe, a seemingly minor incident triggered a war, and in two years the United States was drawn into World War I. Our town sent her share of boys to fight. At the glorious conclusion on November 11, 1918, we celebrated with much noise and gusto as the big towns. That same winter came the Spanish influenza which took a number of our people. We were never to be quite the same again. The Depression closed the last bank. The railroad abandoned its branch line in 1943 and we went off to another war in 1940. Since then we lost half of Main Street by fire, only to build better. We celebrated the first Centennial in the county and we lost our school by fire". Lewis celebrated it's Sesquicentennial (150 years) in 2004. The automobile carried us further and further to buy. TV, movies, and radio brought a great deal to look forward to in this ever-growing countryside.