Fonda, Iowa

Marvin, however, was deemed too similar to Manson, Iowa and due to mail being mixed up, town officials changed the name to Fonda in 1874.

[3] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.05 square miles (2.72 km2), all land.

[4] The town is located at the western edge of the Des Moines Lobe, the most recently glaciated section of Iowa.

Wetlands, glacial erratics, concentric bands of ridges, and large flat areas characterize the land surrounding Fonda.

In its natural state, the land is poorly drained, although humans have added an extensive network of tiles to move water from the potholes to local tributaries.

The tiles surrounding Fonda empty into Big Cedar Creek, a tributary of the Raccoon River.

This waterway, which underwent channelization in the early 1900s, flows past the town on its west end.

Evidence of its winding original path still exists, particularly in the Fonda Golf Course and in the schoolyard behind Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church.

Four miles (6  km) northwest of town, Sunken Grove Wildlife Management Area (WMA) exists as a reminder of the past.

Together, the two areas comprise 1,148 acres (4.65 km2) of land, a total of slightly less than two square miles.

Vast corn and soybean fields are interspersed by acreages and hog confinements (also known as a concentrated animal feeding operation).

The vitality of the town and of the region have been influenced by the shift from a sustenance way of farming to an industrial model.

Fewer farmers, less diversity in agricultural products, more agrochemicals, and more tillage have upset the economic system of the town and surrounding countryside.

Many of the hog confinements around town are owned by corporations, such as New Fashion Pork, based in Jackson, Minnesota.

The average farm size has increased from 265 to 459 acres (107 to 186 hectares) in that same time period.

Des Moines, which lies 135 miles (217 km) south and east of Fonda, receives a large portion of its drinking water from the Raccoon River (and thus Big Cedar Creek).

Typical topography surrounding Fonda, 3 miles (5 km) south of town. Note the ridges on either side of a drained prairie pothole, a center of photo.
Muskrat houses and cattails are visible in Sunken Island Lake, part of Sunken Grove WMA, 4 miles (6 km) northwest of Fonda.
Big Cedar Creek, running behind OLGC Catholic Church on the west side of town.
The population of Fonda, Iowa from US census data
The population of Fonda, Iowa from US census data
East side of Main Street in Fonda including local businesses, the senior citizen's center, and the Fonda Museum. Unlike the opposite side of the street, this block has remained largely intact during Fonda's depopulation.
The former First National Bank, which now houses two businesses.
The old hardware store, partially restored and housing an antique store.
Foundation of Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church, cut from local glacial erratic fieldstones in the early 1900s.
Map of Iowa highlighting Pocahontas County