Bradgate, Iowa

Bradgate is a city in Humboldt County, Iowa, United States, at the conjunction of Sections 5, 6, 7, and 8 of Avery Township, and rests near the banks of the West Fork of the Des Moines River.

The last battle between two American Indian tribes in Iowa was fought on this hill in 1854 between the Sioux and the Winnebagos.

The Pocahontas County Historical Society has marked the battle spot on the former Clarence Stearns farm with a flag pole and plaque memorial.

[4] A few area residents of Bradgate and surrounding community have acquired large collections of American Indian artifacts, including arrowheads, discovered during walks along the river and on Avery's Hill.

There were at least seven English families who left England and moved directly to the Bradgate, Iowa, area.

[2] In the summer of 1950, three people from Life Magazine spent a number of days in Bradgate taking numerous pictures and interviewing nearly everyone for a special profile on a small Iowa town.

When the article came to be published, residents were anxious to read the story which profiled their farm community.

[7] This has remained a sore spot in the years since and in 1976, the motto “The town that wouldn’t die” was chosen to commemorate the community's resolve to withstand the dire premonition and continue forward.

[9] The National Weather Service reported that a tornado struck near Rolfe at 6:10 p.m. and hit Bradgate at 6:23 p.m.

Though fifteen people sustained minor injuries from flying debris, residents were grateful there were no fatalities.

[8] The tornado that started near Rolfe continued on a 16-mile journey, damaging farm houses, trees, and power lines along the way.

MidAmerican Energy power lines and poles, from Rutland north to the Bradgate blacktop, were toppled over the roadway.

A storm damage survey team from the National Weather Service in Des Moines rated the tornado F2 in strength.

[10] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.35 square miles (0.91 km2), all land.

[citation needed] During the 1920s, an effort was unsuccessfully made to make Avery's Hill into a park.

In 1976, after private ownership of the land had changed hands, an effort was successfully made to prevent further tilling and destruction of the scenic area.

The last battle between two American Indian tribes in Iowa was fought on this hill in 1854 between the Sioux and the Winnebagos.

The Access is one of several fishing areas along the West Fork of the Des Moines River located on Bradgate's southern edge.

Methodist church destroyed in the 2004 tornado
The population of Bradgate, Iowa from US census data
The population of Bradgate, Iowa from US census data
Map of Iowa highlighting Humboldt County