BlockFrom the record
2 National Register listings published here.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Mills County, Iowa
42 topographic sheets cover 20 settlements here, and 2 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Research this county
What the record shows
- 216 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
- 2 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 1 structure and 1 site.
- 1 of the 2 listings was added during the 1970s.
- The Geographic Names Information System records 20 populated places in this county; 20 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.
Places on the National Register
2Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nishnabotna River Bridge | structure | 1998 | 98000496 | |
 | Pony Creek Park | site | 1971 | 71000299 |
Wildfire, 2005 to 2020
55 firesEvery wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 55 of them, burning about 1,239 acres. None started naturally and 2 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 27 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 16 |
| Smoking | 6 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 March 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 March 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 200 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 October 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 200 acres | Iowa State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 13 March 2018 | Debris and open burning | 50 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 19 October 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 43 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 2 December 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 20279 INGRAHAM AVE, PACIFIC JUNCTION, IOWA |
| 28 April 2018 | Debris and open burning | 20 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 10 December 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | YOUNG. 51248 221ST ST., GLENWOOD, IOWA |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
Storms, 1950 to 2026
60 of 329 shownThe NOAA Storm Events Database holds 329 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 8 injuries and about $8,804,530 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 145 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 128 |
| Tornado | 24 |
| Flood | 20 |
| Flash Flood | 6 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 |
| Lightning | 1 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2011 | Hail | Mineola | 5 hurt | Hail, some as large as around softball-size, was accompanied by thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 mph or stronger. The hail and strong winds caused considerable home and vehicle damage in the Mineola area, especially on the east side of the structures. It was reported that almost every home in town lost at least one window. Bicyclists on a weekly jaunt on a local trail were hit by the wind and hail with several sustaining minor injuries due to the wind driven hail. |
| May 1983 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | 3 hurt, $2,500 | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Flood | Pacific City | $5,000,000 | Flooding along the Missouri River, which had gradually worsened over Mills county during June and July, persisted into August. However, conditions began improving by the end of the month as record releases from Gavins Point Dam were gradually reduced during August, especially by the end of the month. At Plattsmouth the river reached a crest of a little over 36 feet by the end of June, flood stage is 26 feet. The river level near Plattsmouth fell a little in July and a bit more in early to mid August. By the end of August the river had fallen to around 30 feet. The flooding affected farmland along the river along with roads and recreational areas. The water treatment plant and wellheads near Glenwood were sandbagged to prevent flood waters from reaching it. By the middle of June about 125 of the 500 residences along the river had left their dwellings. Although river levels were falling by the end of August, minor flooding persisted into September. The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation estimated that the flood event caused total crop and economic losses of $22.2 million in Mills county. |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Glenwood | $2,500,000 | Rainfall of 3 to 4 inches fell across the Glenwood area which caused Keg Creek to flash flood across parts of town. The flooding prompted emergency management crews to go door-to-door to alert residents about the impending flood, although no mandatory evacuations were required. Flooding along Keg Creek, other small creeks across the county and the West Nishnabotna River caused over 2 million dollars worth of damage to roads and bridges and for debris removal. |
| July 2009 | Lightning | Pacific Jct | $250,000 | Lightning apparently started a chain-reaction fire which eventually totally destroyed or significantly damaged 15 semi trucks at a fleet maintenance store near Interstate 29 near Pacific Junction. |
| September 1989 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| August 1988 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| August 2025 | Flash Flood | Tabor | $97,000 | Heavy thunderstorms generated flash flooding across Mills County, Iowa, particularly in the western portion, on the morning of August 10, 2025. Rainfall totals were measured between 3.1 and 3.96 inches, though radar estimates indicated up to 3 to 5 inches across the area. The deluge was extremely rapid, with rainfall rates peaking at a dangerous 2 to 3.5 inches per hour. The resultant flash flood caused severe ground instability, with Emergency Management reporting multiple road washouts and mudslides in the environmentally sensitive Loess Hills region. |
| June 2010 | Flood | Folsom | $50,000 | Heavy rain over much of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa during most of June caused a prolonged period of flooding along the Missouri River, especially downstream of Omaha through Rulo. The flood damage was increased near the confluence of the Platte River where flood waters from the Platte added to the flow. In Plattsmouth the Missouri River crested a little over 33 feet in the late afternoon of June 22nd, flood stage is 26 feet. The river climbed above flood stage in the afternoon of June 11 and remained above flood stage into July. Several mobile home and camping communities along the river were flooded, including some trailers and mobile homes. Roads and farmland along the river were also flooded. |
| April 2001 | Tornado (F1) | Mineola | $50,000 | From the mini-supercell which produced wind damage in Glenwood, this storm produced a tornado that did damage to 2 farms near Mineola. A barn and home sustained roof damage, hog sheds were destroyed and trees and power lines were downed. |
| April 1994 | Hail | Glenwood | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Hail | Glenwood | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Hail | Glenwood | $50,000 | no account filed |
| October 2000 | Tornado (F1) | Glenwood | $40,000 | A tornado touched down around 3 miles south southeast of Glenwood Iowa and tracked to just east of town before lifting. The tornado badly damaged a trailer home 1 mile east of Glenwood, and also blew some power poles onto a railroad track which were then run over by a train knocking power out to residents near Glenwood. A large Vinyl Fence was also destroyed, and part of a roof of another house was damaged. |
| July 2011 | Flood | Folsom | $25,000 | Flooding along the Missouri River gradually worsened over the area during June into July as record releases from Gavins Point Dam brought widespread flooding along the River. At Plattsmouth the river started June around 30 feet, flood stage is 26 feet, and eventually reached a little over 36 feet by the end of the month before falling a little in July. However, at least moderate flooding persisted well into August. The flooding affected farmland along the river along with roads and recreational areas. The water treatment plant and wellheads near Glenwood were sandbagged to prevent flood waters from reaching it. By the middle of June about 125 of the 500 residences along the river had left their dwellings, some due to mandatory evacuations west of I-29 since rising ground water caused impassable county roads blocking possible evacuation routes. |
| June 1992 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Flood | Henderson | $20,000 | Heavy rainfall over the weekend of May 4th through the 6th, caused the West Nishnabotna River and its tributaries to flood several county roads in Mills county prompting their closure. See Pottawattamie county for specifics of the West Nishnabotna River at Hancock. |
| April 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Emerson | $20,000 | A small line of mini-supercell thunderstorms moved across extreme eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa this day. Some of these cells produced short-lived and relatively small tornadoes that would briefly touch down, lift and then produce another tornado within a half hour or so. This tornado produced damage to 2 farmsteads, damaging a pole shed, trailers, a machine shed as well as downing a few trees and power lines. This particular mini-supercell also produced the tornado that touched down northwest of Carson and then eventually northwest of Tennant, Iowa. |
| June 2011 | Flood | Folsom | $10,000 | Flooding along the Missouri River gradually worsened over the area during June as record releases from Gavins Point Dam brought widespread flooding along the River. At Plattsmouth the river started June around 30 feet, flood stage is 26 feet, and eventually reached a little over 36 feet by the end of the month. The flooding affected marshes and farmland along the river and a few roads and recreational areas were also flooded. The water treatment plant and wellheads near Glenwood were sandbagged to prevent flood waters from reaching them. By the middle of June about 125 of the 500 residences along the river had left their dwellings. The flooding persisted into July. |
| July 2010 | Flood | Folsom | $10,000 | This flooding carried over from June when heavy rain over much of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa during most of the month caused a prolonged period of flooding along the Missouri River downstream of Omaha through Rulo. The flood damage was increased near the confluence of the Platte River where flood waters from the Platte added to the flow. In Plattsmouth the Missouri River crested a little over 33 feet in the late afternoon of June 22nd, flood stage is 26 feet. During July the river crested close to 29.5 feet in the afternoon of July 1. The river climbed above flood stage in the afternoon of June 11 and remained close to or above flood stage most of July into August. Several mobile home and camping communities along the river were flooded, including some trailers and mobile homes. Roads near the river were also flooded. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Glenwood | $10,000 | Possible damage from a thunderstorm rear flank downdraft from a mini-supercell which eventually spawned tornado touchdowns near Mineola, Treynor and then Crescent, Iowa. This downburst damaged a roof and trees in Glenwood. |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hastings | $8,000 | Three thousand bushel grain bin rolled over and heavily damaged. |
| May 2011 | Flood | Folsom | $5,000 | This flooding carried over from April when several episodes of heavy rain combined with snow melt and heavy rain upstream caused a prolonged period of high flows along the Missouri River. At Plattsmouth the river fluctuated a little above and below its 26 foot flood stage until around May 21st then started steadily rising ending the month a little over 30 feet. Although the flooding mainly affected marshes and farmland along the river, a few roads and recreational areas were also flooded. |
| September 2011 | Flood | Folsom | $5,000 | Flooding along the Missouri River, which had gradually worsened over Mills county during June and July began improving during August into September as record releases from Gavins Point Dam were reduced during August. At Plattsmouth the river reached a crest of a little over 36 feet by the end of June, flood stage is 26 feet. The river level near Plattsmouth fell a little in July and a bit more in early to mid August and by the first of September the river had fallen to around 30 feet. The river near Plattsmouth finally fell below flood stage on Sept. 27th. The flooding affected farmland along the river along with roads and recreational areas. |
| May 1999 | Tornado (F0) | Pacific Jct | $5,000 | This tornado first touched down south of Plattsmouth Nebraska then crossed the Missouri River just southwest of Pacific Junction. It downed trees near I-29 and highway 34 and damaged a house before dissipating. |
| May 1994 | Hail | Glenwood | $5,000 | Thunderstorms erupted over western Iowa during the evening hours. The weak cold front that passed southeast across the state the previous day had stalled out just to the south of Iowa. Advection of warm unstable air over the frontal surface resulted in the development of thunderstorms. The storms were not severe in most instances. One of them did produce a brief period of hail three-quarter inch in diameter north of Glenwood in Mills County. For the most part, hail was only pea-size from most of the storms. |
| July 1994 | Hail | Pacific Junction | $5,000 | A thunderstorm complex drifted over northwest and north central Iowa during the previous night. This complex formed on the cold side of a decaying cold front that was moving southeast across the central U.S. The front became stationary east to west across Iowa, aligned with the outflow boundary from the complex. During the afternoon the airmass became very unstable. Surface based lifted indices reach -12 with convective available potential energy values in the 1000 to 2000 J-Kg-1 range. Thunderstorms erupted along the boundary. Though most of them remained below severe limits, a few did produce severe weather. High winds blew down trees and damaged a truck in Strawberry Point of Clayton County. As the storms moved through Dubuque County, high winds broke at least 2 windows in one home, and tore shingles off the roof of another. The line of storm developed southwest from those in northeast Iowa into the west central counties of the state. From there, the line moved east and south. Little in the way of severe weather was reported following the reports over northeast Iowa, though three quarter inch diameter hail did fall northwest of Guthrie Center, in Guthrie County. Later, one cell dropped hail nearly an inch in diameter in Mills County at Pacific Junction. The main event with these storms was the torrential rainfall. Many areas received 1 to 2 inches of rain in under an hour. Flash flooding became a problem in the Dallas and Madison County area. WSR-88D radar precipitation estimates showed 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches of rain in many area of southern Dallas County into Madison County. One spot indication from radar showed rainfall in excess of 3 1/2 inches. Ground truth revealed that 4 inches of rain had fallen in 90 minutes in the town of Earlham, in Madison County. Most of the rain that fell did so in less than 2 hours. There were several reports of water overtopping roads from Madison County and the southern part of Dallas County. The storms progressed east into Polk and Warren Counties. Heavy rainfall occurred, but only briefly. Reports of 1 to 1 1/2 inches of rain in under an hour were received. This did cause some minor street flooding in the Des Moines metropolitan area, but no other significant flooding was reported. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Malvern | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 2010 | Flood | Folsom | $3,000 | This flooding carried over from June and July when heavy rain over much of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa during those months caused a prolonged period of flooding along the Missouri River downstream of Omaha through Rulo. In Plattsmouth the Missouri River crested a little over 33 feet in the late afternoon of June 22nd, flood stage is 26 feet. During July the river crested close to 29.5 feet in the afternoon of July 1 and a crest of around 29 feet was observed during the first week of August. The river climbed above flood stage in the afternoon of June 11 and remained close to or above flood stage most of July into August. Several mobile home and camping communities along the river were flooded, including some trailers and mobile homes. Roads near the river were also flooded, although the more significant flooding was seen in June and July. |
| August 1979 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Flood | Pacific Jct | $1,000 | Minor flooding was observed along Keg Creek near Glenwood due to heavy rain. The creek reached nearly 31 feet during the morning of June 4, flood stage is 29 feet. The flooding mainly impacted farmland along the creek. |
| July 1992 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $250 | no account filed |
| May 1971 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250 | no account filed |
| May 1950 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $30 | no account filed |
| March 2026 | Hail | Emerson | - | Public mPING report of hail measured at 1.00 inch in diameter. |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Emerson | - | Personal weather station measured wind gust of 59 mph. |
| March 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver City | - | Mesonet measured wind gust of 60 mph. |
| March 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pacific City | - | Mesonet measured wind gust of 58 mph. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clark | - | Trained spotter estimated wind gust of 60 mph. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tabor | - | Personal weather station measured gust of 62 mph. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pacific Jct | - | Personal weather station measured wind gust of 66 mph. The wind damage occurred on the north side of a small thunderstorm complex moving through the area, where evaporative cooling of anvil precipitation likely bolstered downdraft strength. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tabor | - | Personal weather station measured wind gust of 76 mph. The wind damage occurred on the north side of a small thunderstorm complex moving through the area, where evaporative cooling of anvil precipitation likely bolstered downdraft strength. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Strahan | - | Personal weather station measured wind gust of 62 mph. The wind damage occurred on the north side of a small thunderstorm complex moving through the area, where evaporative cooling of anvil precipitation likely bolstered downdraft strength. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tabor | - | Personal weather station measured wind gust of 74 mph. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Folsom | - | Personal weather station measured gust of 65 mph, likely due to the evaporating of anvil precipitation helping to mix down a strong low-level jet. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Pacific Jct | - | Public report of hail estimated up to 1 in diameter. Report received via mPING. |
| February 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver City | - | A 61 mph wind gust was measured by a personal weather station, associated with an 8 degree Fahrenheit heat burst. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Malvern | - | Trained spotter report of downed 4 inch in diameter tree branches. Wind gusts were estimated near 60-65 mph. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Balfour | - | Personal weather station measured wind gust of 61 mph. |
| October 2025 | Hail | Malvern | - | Trained spotter report of hail with most stones estimated at 0.5 inches in diameter, and a few stones up to 0.75 inches in diameter. |
| October 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tabor | - | Personal weather station measured wind gust of 58 mph. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hastings | - | A 58 miles per hour wind gust was measured by a personal weather station. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver City | - | A 59 miles per hour wind gust was measured on a personal weather station. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Henderson | - | Emergency Management relayed a report of down powerlines and limbs on cars in the town of Henderson. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Glenwood | - | Law enforcement estimated 60 miles per hour wind gusts in the city of Glenwood. |
| May 2024 | Tornado (EF1) | Balfour | - | A tornado developed and snapped trees at a home on Lucas Road, moving quickly to the northeast where it cut a 30 yard wide swath of snapped trees and branches. Additional sporadic tree damage was noted near Kane Avenue. A farm was badly damaged along Jagger Road, with one large shed completely destroyed and two large grain bins destroyed with debris deposited a half mile downstream. The tornado then crossed Highway 34 a quarter-mile west of 270th Street damaging a power pole. Damage continued northeast through open fields crossing the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line where large tree branches were snapped. The tornado continued northeast damaging two farmsteads along Hershey Avenue where several outbuildings sustained high-end EF1 damage. Many trees were snapped at both farmsteads. Peak estimated winds from this tornado were 100 miles per hour. This tornado achieved a maximum width of 250 yards, with an average width estimated at 150 yards. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Henderson | - | A 62 miles per hour wind gust was recorded on a personal weather station. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pacific Jct | - | Emergency Management reported an overturned semi at the southbound rest area on Interstate 29 in Mills County. |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver City | - | A trained spotter reported an old oak tree that had been snapped about 20 feet up the trunk. Several smaller branches were also noted as being blown down. |
| April 2024 | Hail | Glenwood | - | The office received a public report of golf ball sized hail. |
Mines and quarries
7 recordedThe Survey's mineral resources record lists 7 workings inside this county. 2 still produce and 5 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Stone, Crushed/Broken | 6 |
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Junction Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Bartlett Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Glenwood Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Malvern | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Old Bartlett Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Tabor Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Every populated place in the county
20Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
-
Folsom
Oak township · 51561 · Near Indian Hollow · Pacific Junction quadrangle
13 sheets, 1954 to 1993
-
Hastings
Indian Creek township · 51540 · On Indian Creek · Emerson quadrangle
9 sheets, 1954 to 1985
-
Hentons
St. Marys township · 51503 · Near Indian Hollow · Pacific Junction quadrangle
13 sheets, 1954 to 1993
No longer a settlement
-
Pacific City
Plattville township · 51561 · Near Boyer Hollow · Pacific Junction quadrangle
13 sheets, 1954 to 1993
The vanished settlements of Mills County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.
Provenance
- Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
- Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
- Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
- Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
- Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
- Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.