St. Joseph, Iowa
| St. Joseph, Iowa | |
|---|---|
| Census-designated place | |
  St. Joseph Location in Iowa | |
| Coordinates: 42°54′47″N 94°13′37″W / 42.91306°N 94.22694°WCoordinates: 42°54′47″N 94°13′37″W / 42.91306°N 94.22694°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Iowa |
| County | Kossuth |
| Township | Riverdale |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 61 |
| Time zone | Central (CST) |
St. Joseph is a census-designated place[1] located in the southern portion of Riverdale Township in Kossuth County in the state of Iowa. As of the 2010 census the population was 61.[2] Its location is about 8 miles (13 km) west of the city of Lu Verne or 11 miles (18 km) directly south of the city of Algona along US 169 very close to the Humboldt County line.
One of the earliest histories states "the town was never laid out, as far as the records show, but grew by evolution." The settlement of St. Joseph was formerly known as Hale. St. Joe began its official existence in 1865 when Oscar Hale, the first landowner of the area, started an post office and hotel. The new community then became known as Hale's post office or Hale.
In 1870 George Hollenbeck came from Wisconsin, and started a general store. Casper Waldbillig moved from Dubuque in 1878, and opened a saloon. One of the early settlers was John Devine. John owned a large herd of cattle and was nicknamed, the "cattle baron." Many of the early family names are still found in the vicinity today: Redding - Thilges - Erpelding - Faber - and Furhmann.
In 1871, Gregory Hollenbeck and Margaret Schreiber Hollenbeck donated land on which to build a church in Hale. Father Lenihan was the circuit pastor at time, and the first church was build in 1872 at a cost of about $1,800.
Since the town of St. Joe is small and unincorporated, the community's life and activities revolves almost entirely around their church and school. In 1996, the parish numbered 141 families The parish school had 87 students K-12.
St. Joe Parish is famous for its Mulligan Stew. Each year on the third Wednesday of August, the Knights of Columbus hosts a parish dinner. The stew is cooked in large kettles on the west side of the school building. During the 1990's, the Mulligan Stew event drew over 2,100 people per year!