Cantril was laid out in 1871. Cantril emerged as a railroad depot but has remained a small city with a population under 500. The city has become a regional hub for a sizable Amish and Mennonite community. In 1985, Claire and Virginia Zimmerman had established the Dutchman’s Store, beginning as a small market that evolved into a large old fashioned dry goods, fabric, and grocery store.
Passages that mention Cantril, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Van Buren County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c, a biographical directory of citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics ... history of the Northwest, history1878 · page 501Read the page →
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Cantril was incorporated April 16, 1874, and the first election was held May 20, of the same year. For the years since the incorporation the official roster has run as follows : 1874— Mayor, E. E. Cantril ; Recorder, Dr. C. L. Crooks ; Marshal, F.
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The history of Van Buren County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c, a biographical directory of citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics ... history of the Northwest, history1878 · page 587Read the page →
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Cantril, E. E., prop, saw-mill, Cantril. CAKTRIL, L. W., attorney and collecting agent, Cantril; owns 116 acres of land adjoining the town, beside most of the vacant lots ; came with his parents to Van Buren Co., Iowa, in September, 1839, and located near Lebanon, in this township ; his early
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
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, 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.
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