Armstrong got its start in 1892, after the construction of the railroad through that territory. It was named after Thomas Armstrong, who first arrived in the area near the West Fork Des Moines River to trap. He spent only one winter, as it was too harsh for him. In 1892 the first locomotive arrived in Armstrong and a year later the town of Armstrong was incorporated.
In February 2021, Armstrong's mayor, Gregory Wayne Buum; police chief, Craig Juan Merrill; city clerk, Tracie Lang; and former city clerk Connie Marie Thackery were charged with 21 felony and misdemeanor counts, including fraud, misappropriation of funds, and assault with a dangerous weapon.
Passages that mention Armstrong, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa1917Read the page →
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ARMSTRONG The incorporated town of Armstrong is situated in the eastern part of Armstrong Grove Township, on the Albert Lea & Estherville division of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad system, nineteen miles due east of Estherville. When the railroad was built in 1892 it was known as the Chicago & Iowa Western. The town was laid out by the Northern Iowa Land and Town Lot Company, of which F. E. Allen was president and S. L. Dows was secretary. On July 7, 1892, the plat was
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History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa1917 · page 113Read the page →
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Prior to September 3, 1883, Denmark was a part of Armstrong Grove Township, but the minutes of the board of supervisors for that date contain the following entry: "The petition of H. Jensen and eleven others, resident electors of Township 98, Range 31, said territory being now a part of the civil township of Armstrong Grove, asking that said township No. 98 of Range No. 31 be set off as a civil township by itself to be known as Denmark Township, was taken up and on motion the prayer of said petition was granted."
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Official book of the Fort Armstrong centennial celebration1916Read the page →
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Davenport. He was of Frencli and Indian blood (Pottawattamie). He was educated in languages at the expense of the government to serve as official Indian interpreter, in which capacity he was employed at bort Armstrong. His home was in Davenport, which he laid out and named for his friend the Indian trader. A part of the city of Davenport is laid out on a section of land which was reserved by the Indians from the tract conveyed by the treaty of 1832. This section of land the
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Armstrong, 1883 to 1936
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2021
2004