Iowa does not always come to mind when thinking of the Old West, but this badge is from Woodbury County, Sioux City area, about as West as you can go in the state. Further west than Kansas City, and almost in the Dakota Territory at this time period.
And it is EARLY!
The badge is a Large Nickel Circle Star at 2-5/16" in diameter, hand cut out and VERY Hand Stamped.
On back, nicely scratched in, in cursive, by the original wearer is: C P Ross Floyd Twp
Charles Perry Ross
Birth: Jul 1854 Pennsylvania, USA
Marriage: Clara Elizabeth Critchett 1879 Floyd, Woodbury, Iowa, USA
Attached is Ross' obituary. I'm sure they got the Township incorrect, Banner & Floyd both being Townships in Woodbury County, and I believe, right next to each other. But the reference to him being a constable at 21 years of age, in 1875, nails the date of this great old badge. And the obituary also states that Ross spent his entire life in Law Enforcement after that first appointment.
More information on the early days of Floyd Township are below.
From: HISTORY OF WOODBURY AND PLYMOUTH COUNTIES
Floyd Township was created April 5, 1871, by supervisors' order,
as follows: "That the west half of township eighty-eight, of range
forty-five, and all of township eighty-eight, of range forty-six be and
the same is hereby detached from the townships to which the same now
belong, and formed into a new township, to be called Floyd township."
Originally, as seen by the above, it consisted of one and a half con-
gressional townships, but one-third was afterward taken from Floyd,
which left it as it now is, one complete congressional township, with
bounds as follows: On the north by Concord and Banner, on the south
by Grange, on the east by Moville and on the west by Woodbury
townships.
Floyd is one of the best sections of Woodbury, it having a diversi-
fied surface. It has much of the rich bottom land and considerable of
the bluff or upland formation. The soil is inconceivably rich, and it is
well watered. Elliott's creek, the Big Whiskey and minor branches
382 HISTORY OF WOODBURY AND PLYMOUTH COUNTIES
traverse the township at all points. It is a strictly agricultural sec-
tion, there being only one extremely small store on section four, at
what is known as Crawford's post-office on the stage route from Sioux
City to Moville. There is no church, no tavern, no mill, no physician,
but splendid farms and ranches.
The first settlers of Floyd were Alexander Elliott, "William Elliott,
John Law, Jacob Amick, George Anderson, Jerome Jones, William
Lee, and one or two others. Alexander Elliott, built the first house,
which was the only one between Sioux City and the settlement in Little
Sioux township, Southland. The road between the two points named,
runs through Floyd township, and the old stage line is still kept up,
making three round trips per week. The principal products here, as
generally in Woodbury, are corn, cattle, hogs, with the exception in
Floyd, that sheep is added to the list. Alexander Elliott has a ranch
upon which he raises a great number of sheep, keeping usually from
1,500 to 2,000 head. He sells from $3,000 to $5,000 worth of wool.
He also deals largely in cattle and horses, and raises some fine stock.
His ranch comprises a tract of land about 2,000 acres, highly improved
and with all modern appliances for the proper operating of his large
business.
The Chicago & Northwestern's proposed extension of their branch
line which now terminates at Moville, runs to Floyd, but the railroad,
through a policy that is difficult to understand, unless it be to create
a longer haul to Chicago than a shorter one to the Sioux City markets,
and thereby get the benefit of the same, has delayed the construction
of the gap, which is only about twenty miles.
