Latrobe P.O. -- For a railway official named Latrobe.  See also McCallsburg.  P.O. 23 February 1882 to 23 February 1883 (changed to McCallsburg).  Warren Tp.  [Allen1:177, Mills, Ramsey]

McCallsburg -- For T. C. McCall, of Nevada.  When the Story County Branch Railway was surveyed in 1881, H. E. J. Boardman, of Marshalltown, and McCall arranged to lay out a plat.  The construction company called the station Boardman.  The proprietors, however, decided that one should pay the other $50.00 and name it. Boardman suggested his mother's maiden name, Gookin, and McCall chose Sinclair for the same reason. Sinclair was selected as more euphonious.  Meanwhile, the railway company secured a p.o. named Latrobe [q.v.].  Sinclair was unacceptable to the Post Office Department, so McCall used his own name, thus McCallsburg.  P.O. 23 February to present (formerly Latrobe).  Warren Tp. [Goodspeed:222. IPHS]

Maxwell -- For Joseph Warren Maxwell, who, with F. M. Baldwin, secured the land for the railroad in 1881, and who was later the town's first mayor.  Cf.  Warren Tp. P.O. 14 February 1882 to present.  Indian Creek Tp. [Goodspeed:221-221, IPHS, Mawell:2-3]

Midvale -- Uncertain.  Located approximately midway between Hope and Newton or Fraser and Des Moines On Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern Railway.  "Vale" is poetic word for valley.  Railroad station and hamlet on Route 69, in § 11, at Des Moines Junction [q.v.].  Cf. Cushman.  Palestine Tp.  [CERA:100, Kenyon:29]

Nelson -- For Oley Nelson.  Name proposed for Slater [q.v.].  Nelson encouraged the move from Sheldahl to the railroad at Slater.  Palestine Tp.  [Madrid]

Nevada -- For Sierra Nevada mountains.  See Nevada Tp.  P.O. 14 January 1854 to present.  Nevada Tp. [IPHS, Stennett:106]

New Albany -- Uncertain. P ossibly for Albany, New York, which was named for James, Duke of York and Albany (1633-1701), later James II of England.  Laid out in 1855, in W half of SE quarter of § 18.  New Albany Tp. [Harder:6, Mott5]

New Philadelphia -- Uncertain.  Possibly for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which was named by William Penn from Greek word philadelphia, meaning "brotherly love"; which in turn was probably suggested by the ancient city of Philadelphia, in Lydia, in W part of Asia Minor (now Turkey), founded ca. 150 B.C. by Attalus II (Philadelphus) of Pergamum, and mentioned in Bible (Revelation 1-3).  Name actually meant "the city of Philadelphus."  Laid out in 1856, in W half of SW quarter of NW quarter of § 5 and E half of SE quarter of NE quarter of § 6 and N half of NE quarter of SE quarter of § 6.  Merged with Ontario [q.v.] on advent of railroad.  P.O. 17 June 1858 to 16 December 1868 (changed to Ontario).  Washington Tp.  [Goodspeed:206, Harder:423, IPHS, Mott5, Ramsey, WNGD:22]

Onondaga -- For Onondaga Co., New York.  Name suggested for Ames [q.v.] by Cynthia O. Duff, in memory of her original home.  County named for Onondaga tribe of Indians, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois.  Name means "hill people."  Washington Tp.  [ACH:39, Harder:395]

Ontario -- Named by Hiram Scott, first postmaster and owner of the townsite, for Ontario, Richland Co., Ohio, where he once lived.  Name stems from Lake Ontario, and has two principal interpretations: (1) derived from Huron yontare, or ontare, "lake" (Iroquois oniatare), with this termination (-io, "great"); or (2) derived from Iroquois, Mohawk, or Wyandat for "beautiful" or "beautiful lake,"  Laid out in 1869 in SE half of § 31.  Town annexed to Ames circa 1962.  P.O. 16 December 1868 to 6 July 1951 (formerly New Philadelphia).  Franklin Tp. [Goodspeed:206, Ramsey, Stennett, Vogel]

P.L.P.O. -- Unverified p.o.  Located in SW quarter of § 4, near College Farm.   Washington Tp.  [Andreas]

Palestine -- For Palestine Congregation of Norwegians, "undoubtedly significant as an expression of their expectations" of a promised land.   A remembrance of ancient Palestine, a region on Mediterranean Sea, because of its Biblical association.  Palestine Norwegian Lutheran Church organized in 1856. Town laid out in 1857, in SE quarter of SW quarter of § 14.  P.O. called Point Palestine [q.v.], because there was another p.o. ca11ed Pa1estine in Johnson Co. (1855-1873).  Palestine Tp.  [Allen1:250, Flom:271, Goodspeed:263, IPHS, Mott5, Nelson]

Pascal -- Probably older spelling of Paschal, from St. Paul's designation of Christ as "Paschal Lamb" (I Corinthians 5:7), now relating to Easter or Passover.  Name proposed for Slater [q.v.].  Palestine Tp.  [Goodspeed:225, IDB3:662]

Peoria City -- Probably for Peoria, Illinois, which was named for Peoria Indians, a tribe of the Illinois confederacy. Meaning of "Peoria" not known, although there has been much disagreement on it, and numerous fallacious theories have been proffered.  Town often ca11ed Peoria (one of three Peorias which existed simultaneously in Iowa).  Located on county line in § 35, but platted in NE quarter of Washington Tp. (Polk Co.).  P.O. 8 May 1856 to 5 April 1883 (Polk Co.).  Indian Creek Tp.  [IPHS. Mott4, Pratt:16, Ramsey, Scheetz, Vogel]

Point Palestine P.O. -- For town of Palestine [q.v.].  P.O. 19 August 1861 to 13 October 1869.  Andreas shows this as "Palestine P.O." in § 14.  Located, on older maps, ear1y in § 21 and later in § 14.  Palestine Tp.  [Andreas, Chapman, Cram, IPHS, Johnson, Mott5, Ramsey]

Prairie City -- Descriptive name for rolling grassy land.  Laid out in 1854, in S half of NW quarter of § 31.  Allegedly never had but one house.  Milford Tp.  [Allen1:196, Mott5, SC]

Roland -- For Roland, legendary hero of many feats of arms, in oldest and most famous medieva1 French epic poem, "Chanson de Roland" ("Song of Ro1and").  Roland was an historical character, warden of the marches of Brittany under Charlemagne.  Suggested by John Evenson, an early settler, probably for a Scandinavian version of song.  Andreas locates P.O. in § 21.  P.O. 4 May 1870 to present.  Howard Tp.
[Andreas, Colton1, Goodspeed:223, IPHS, Harvey:626, SCH:4,70]

Sheffield -- Uncertain.  Possibly for Nathan N. Sheffield, who settled in 1854; or, less likely, for Sheffield, Yorkshire, England.  P.O. 18 December 1857 to 30 November 1858.  Howard Tp. [A11en1:182, Colton1, Goodspeed:126, Harder:506, IPHS, Mott5, Ramsey]

Sheldahl -- For (1) Osmund (Osmond) Sheldahl, as Story Co. plat shows Osmund and Anna Sheldahl among proprietors of land. Other theories include (2) for H. Sheldahl, owner of land; or (3) for and by the Rev. D. Kjaldahl, whose name was Anglicized for ease of pronunciation and euphony.  Laid out in 1874 in Story Co.  Now in three counties (Boone, Polk, and Story) and four townships, but the post office fluctuated between Story and Polk.  P.O. 10 November 1874 to 7 September 1885 (Story); 7 September 1885 to 30 December 1891 (Polk); 30 December 1891 to 16 April 1895 (Story); 16 April 1895 to present (Polk). Palestine Tp. [Goodspeed:216 (2), Huxonian:7, IPHS, Pratt:7 (3), Ramsey, SC, Stennett:124 (3)]

Sheldahl Crossing -- For proximity to Sheldahl [q.v.].  See Slater.  Palestine Tp. [Allen1:249, 251, 315, Goodspeed:216,225]

Shipley -- Uncertain.  Located in SW quarter of SE quarter of § 22.  Laid out in 1902 by Des Moines, Iowa Falls & Northern Land and Town Lot Company.  P.O. 4 September 1902 to 15 May 1934.  Grant Tp.  [IPHS, Ramsey, SC]

Sinclair -- See McCallsburg.  Warren Tp.

Slater -- Allegedly for Michael Slater, owner of townsite; else for a Slater who was a friend of Mr. Jenks, owner of townsite. Before there was a town, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway built a depot at railroad crossing, in accordance with state law, in summer of 1884.  Plat in SE corner of junction called Sheldahl Crossing [q.v.]; railroad wanted to call it Pascal [q.v.], probably to relate it to Palestine Tp.  Slater P.O. established in 1887 at junction. A second plat (or addition) was entered as Slater Junction; by then the exodus from Sheldahl [q.v.] to the railway was in full swing.  Name shortened to Slater that summer to encompass the entire area.  Proposed names included Jenks [q.v.] and Nelson [q.v.].  P.O. 25 March 1887 to present.  Palestine Tp.  [Allen1:251, Goodspeed:224-225, IPHS, Madrid, Stennett:125]

Slater Junction -- see Slater.  Palestine Tp.

Smayville -- For and by William Smay.  Pioneer hamlet in NE quarter of NE quarter of § 31.  P.O. "Smayville" 14 April 1886 to 28 July 1886.  Also as "Smaysville."  Sherman Tp.  [Allen1:204 (as "Smaysville"), Goodspeed:424, IPHS, Mott5, Ramsey]