IOWA GHOST TOWNS
COUNTY OF MITCHELL

BUCKNAM a.k.a. BUCKTOWN a.k.a. BUCKNAM STATION
1894
Mitchell County – Burr Oak Twp, IA


        A station known as Bucknam or “Bucktown” was established on the Great Western railway by C.E. Bucknam, shortly after the railroad was built in 1894. The location was in the SE ¼ of the NE ¼ of Section 6 and just south of the school house. A railway siding was installed and a grain elevator built. The primary purpose of the station was to provide a country elevator market for grain produced in the area. In later years it was discontinued.

        Reproduced with the approval of the: Mitchell County Historical Society From “The Story of Mitchell County 1851 - 1973”

BUCKTOWN
by Zola Mullenbach

        Located in Burr Oak Township, northeast of Osage on the Southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 6, was the little station of Bucktown, or Bucknam.
        C.E. “Charlie” Bucknam and his brother, John, raised Shorthorn cattle and Duroc hogs. Charlie lived just north of this location, and John lived one mile south of Little Cedar.
        According to family legend, driving the cattle by foot was the only way to transport them to market. McGregor was the closest stockyards and a distance of ninety miles. An agreement was made with the Chicago Great Western Railroad to stop at this location. A small stockyard was built by the railroad track. The largest shipment of cattle and hogs was sent to Chicago in 1912 or 13. More livestock was loaded at Little Cedar and McIntire, making a total of thirteen carloads.
        Later a grain elevator was built nearby. It operated as a cooperative and was owned by the area farmers.
        Just south of the town, on the Roy Funk farm, several acres of potatoes were grown each year. In 1923, a carload of potatoes was sacked and sent by rail. They were sent to Waterloo for distribution to grocery stores.
        A grocery store was added to the town later. The first storekeeper was a man named Jacoby, who sold it to Harm Oultman. The last owner was Emmert and he closed the store in 1927 or 28. Henry Knectges moved the building to Osage and remodeled it for a house.
        A one-room schoolhouse held classes for years and when it was no longer open was moved to the Lloyd Swann farm.
        The first teacher was Winnefred Sullivan in 1910. School records were lost or destroyed when the rural schools were closed.
        Between the schoolhouse and the store was a house. At one time it was occupied by a Mrs. Jacobs, then was moved to a nearby farm.
        The first farm south of Bucktown was the boyhood home of the author Hamlin Garland. His books were written on life in the Midwest.
        Little remains to remind us of the little town of Bucktown today. But it remains alive in the minds of many of the older citizens of Mitchell County.
        (Mabel Funk and Dean Jacobs, former residents of the Bucktown area, shared some of their memories for this story.)

Published in: MITCHELL COUNTY HISTORY By: Leona Montag in 1989

LOCATION: Approximately 395th St and Noble Ave (“T” intersection). Bucktown was located in the northwest portion of that intersection. Please respect landowners property, ask before you enter.

Chicago Great Western RR - Bucknam Crossing
By Jim L. Rueber 5/27/04

        All I could find on Bucknam Crossing was that it is shown in my 1946 track chart and it was located about 3 1/2 miles west or south of Little Cedar.  Joe Piersens list of AFE's (Authorization For Expenditure) shows that there was a 9’ X 34’ box car body depot at Bucknam and that it was retired in 1941. I have no info that there ever was an agent established there.  This box car body depot was probably just a shelter instead of a depot.  It was probably a flag stop and the RR put this shelter there for the people waiting for the train to get in out of the weather.  There might have also been a wooden platform there for the area farmers to place milk or cream cans on for the passenger train to pick up and take to a creamery someplace.  There were quite a few of those places located on the Great Western and they were usually given a crossing name for billing purposes I suppose.

Jim L. Rueber, Boone, Iowa 50036-4448

Transcribed by: Neal Du Shane
040105

BUCKNAM MCHS MASTER 052704.doc

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