Garden Grove is a small town in Decatur County, Iowa, United States.

[3] On April 24, 1846,[4] emigrants affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under the direction of Brigham Young established a way station halfway into their trek across Iowa.

[6] They founded the village to assist those who did not have sufficient means to continue their journey, as well as to support and supply future companies of pioneers.

[10] Only one man from the Garden Grove settlement, Edward Bunker, enlisted and served in the Mormon Battalion.

[11] In the fall of 1846, when the last of the Mormons were driven out of Nauvoo, Illinois, the exiles camped on the west shore of the Mississippi River.

Two rescue parties were sent from Winter Quarters and Council Bluffs,[12] and an additional group was requested from Garden Grove.

Luman Shurtliff led the third rescue party and brought the poorest of the exiles to the settlement at Garden Grove.

[14] By 1852, the Mormon settlers had moved on to Utah, selling the property and improvements to other American frontiersmen.

A marker just west of the city, overlooking a wooded ravine, marks the site of the former Mormon Cemetery.

Garden Grove was a shipping point on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad.

[15] A strong EF2 tornado struck the town on March 5, 2022, causing major damage to several structures.

[16] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.69 square miles (1.79 km2), all land.