Ells, Iowa

Ells was an unincorporated community in Crawford County, in the U.S. state of Iowa. Today it is a ghost town.

Ells, Iowa
Ghost town
Ells, Iowa
Coordinates: 42°10′03″N 95°14′13″W
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Crawford
Elevation	1,221[1] ft (372 m)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code	712

History

Stockholm Township, Iowa 1920, showing the location of Boyer, Old Kiron, and Ells.

Ells was a village in Stockholm Township, Crawford County, Iowa, platted in either 1899^[2] or 1900.^[3] A post office was established in Ells on January 24, 1900 by Benjamin F. Ells.^[3] News of the new post office appeared in the Daily Iowa Capital in Des Moines on February 15, 1900.^[4]

Ells, located one mile south of Boyer, was on the Illinois Central Railroad and had a train depot and general store in 1911. Benjamin Ells served as the postmaster, appointed by President William McKinley.^[5]

The post office at Ells was discontinued April 15, 1914.^[3] In 1915, the population of Ells was 26.^[6] Today, Crawford County residents consider Ells a "lost" town.^[3]

Further reading

Lees, James H. The History of Boyer Valley (1919)