WEST 200 ACRES- John Graham (jan 2, 1840 – jan 1, 1870)
Description:
John Graham arrived in Washington County in 1839 and bought land during the first year of land sales, 1940. He bought what is now the West 200 acres, as well as some of the surrounding land, and continued to own part of this property until he was killed by a train in the 1890’s. He was one of the most prominent people in the area during his lifetime, becoming the very first millionaire ever in Washington County. He was a director and co-founder of one of the first colleges in the area, which ran until 1910, and built the Graham Opera house, which burned down six years later. He also donated a lot of money to a second opera house which has gone on to become the one of—if not the—oldest continuously running cinemas in the United States. It was originally named after him, but is now called the State Theater. Graham was also very involved in a local church, and enlisted in the Iowa Fifth Infantry during the Civil War. He had grown up farming with his father and stepmother in Western Pennsylvania, on what was at that time the frontier of the United States. As an adult he became a successful wool-grower there. When he came to Iowa he bought a steam mill a few miles down the creek from his property here to process wool, although it is unclear whether or not he raised his own sheep here or not.
Where Graham really achieved his fortune was land speculation. Using money he borrowed from business associates back in Pennsylvania, Graham bought promising land from the government and other settlers in and around Washington County, and then sold it off once the value had gone up. He owned up to 15,000 acres in the area at one point. Graham traveled a lot, and had a home in Van Buren County for some years, but moved permanently to Washington County and got married in the 1870’s. It is unclear whether his house was on this property, or how much time he spent here. However, it is worth noting that his wool business was near here, and while most of his land was bought and sold quickly as part of his business in speculation, he and his family owned part of his property here for over 50 years, until several years after his death. Perhaps they needed it for grazing sheep, perhaps they couldn’t sell it because it was too hilly, or perhaps they just liked the creek and woods here.
Added to timeline:
Crooked Creek: A History of the Land and the People
Crooked Creek Christian Camp
Washington, Iowa
2017
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