Earlham, Iowa
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1952 and the latest in 1993. It stands in Madison Township. It lies in ZIP code area 50072. The Survey maps it on the Earlham East quadrangle. 1,410 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,102 feet above sea level.
On record in Earlham
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 9 records
Earlham Public Schoollisted 1982
Seerley, William and Mary (Messersmith) Barn and Milkhouse-Smokehouselisted 2009- James Allen Stone Barnlisted 1987
- Bricker-Price Blocklisted 2017
- John and Elizabeth McMurn Early Houselisted 1993
- W. T. Ford Houselisted 1987
- Daniel and Nancy Swaford Henderson Houselisted 1987
- Peter and Isabelle McCulloch McQuie Milkhouselisted 1987
- Seth and Elizabeth Wilson Houselisted 1987
Population over time
2 figuresEarlham fell from 1,450 to 1,410 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,450 | |
| 2020 | 1,410 | -40 (-3%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 11 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1952 USGS Winterset quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1954 USGS Omaha quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Omaha quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Omaha quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1983 USGS Earlham East quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Creston quadrangle1:100000
- 1993 USGS Creston quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
6 since 2009Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 6 fires within 5 miles of Earlham between 2009 and 2014, burning about 34 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 21 March 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 21 March 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 21 March 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 20 March 2014 | Debris and open burning | 1.5 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 20 March 2014 | Debris and open burning | 25 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
9 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 9 workings within 5 miles of Earlham: 7 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Clay, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earlham Quarry | Clay, Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Bear Creek Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Bear Creek Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Earlham Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| I-80 Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 68 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Earlham in 68 storm reports between 1995 and 2023: 34 hail, 19 thunderstorm wind, 9 heavy rain, 2 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Earlham | $100,000 | A trailer park west to southwest of Earlham with 6 to 8 units was damaged. One unit had a missing roof. Multiple trees were down throughout town. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Earlham | $70,000 | Roof blown off of a house. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Earlham | $30,000 | Trees and power lines were down west of Earham. Two to three poles were snapped. A shed was blown over with about 30 small pieces of wood spread across the field. |
| April 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Earlham | $30,000 | no account filed |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Earlham | $25,000 | Thunderstorms propagated south across Iowa during the early morning hours. Though in general they were below severe levels, one storm produced high winds in Earlham. The Winds took the roof off of a barn and caused damage to a few out buildings on one farmstead. |
| July 1999 | Hail | Earlham | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Earlham | $20,000 | Law enforcement reported 2 foot trees down on power lines in SW Earlham and a pole leaning over on SW 3rd St south of Elm St. This is a delayed report and time estimated from radar. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Earlham | $20,000 | State Official reported power lines down. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Earlham | $20,000 | Golf ball to baseball size hail was reported, along with 30 to 40 MPH winds. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Earlham | $15,000 | Semi blown over by high winds. |
| May 2004 | Hail | Earlham | $15,000 | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Earlham | $15,000 | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Hail | Earlham | $15,000 | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Earlham | $10,000 | Trained spotter reported tree trunks snapped. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Earlham | $10,000 | One to two foot diameter branches blown down. A few whole trees as well. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Earlham | $10,000 | Trees, some up to 18 inches in diameter, were uprooted 4 miles south of Dexter. |
| June 2011 | Hail | Earlham | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Hail | Earlham | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Hail | Earlham | $10,000 | no account filed |
| April 2019 | Hail | Earlham | $5,000 | Trained spotter estimated hail between quarter and ping pong ball in size, including lots of smaller hail. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Earlham | $5,000 | Fire department reported trees down and power outages. Time was estimated from radar. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Earlham | $5,000 | Power lines were down with large tree limbs broken. |
| March 2007 | Hail | Earlham | $5,000 | no account filed |
| March 2007 | Hail | Earlham | $5,000 | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Hail | Earlham | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Earlham | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Hail | Earlham | $4,000 | no account filed |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Earlham | $3,000 | A trained spotter reported 1 foot diameter limbs down on the south side of Earlham. |
| March 2011 | Hail | Earlham | $3,000 | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Earlham | $3,000 | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Earlham | $3,000 | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Earlham | $2,000 | Reported by the Earlham police department. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Earlham | $2,000 | Quarter size hail reported at 130th and Pitzer. |
| May 2005 | Hail | Earlham | $2,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Earlham | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Earlham | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Earlham | $1,000 | no account filed |
| March 2022 | Hail | Earlham | - | Report from mping. |
| August 2022 | Heavy Rain | Earlham | - | A 24 hour rainfall total of 4.09 inches. |
| July 2021 | Heavy Rain | Earlham | - | A 24 hour rainfall report of 2.04 inches. |
| April 2019 | Hail | Earlham | - | Trained spotter reported quarter sized hail south of Dexter. |
| March 2019 | Flood | Earlham | - | County reported multiple secondary roads in Madison County closed due to flooding. |
| May 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Earlham | - | Local fired department reported 60 mph wind gusts. |
| May 2019 | Heavy Rain | Earlham | - | CoCoRaHS observer recorded heavy rainfall of 3.11 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| September 2019 | Heavy Rain | Earlham | - | CoCoRaHS observer recorded heavy rainfall of 2.12 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| May 2018 | Heavy Rain | Earlham | - | CoCoRaHS observer recorded 1.55 inches of heavy rainfall over the last 24 hours. |
| May 2018 | Funnel Cloud | Earlham | - | Trained spotter reported a brief funnel cloud. |
| August 2018 | Heavy Rain | Earlham | - | CoCoRaHS observer recorded heavy rainfall of 2.05 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| June 2018 | Heavy Rain | Earlham | - | CoCoRaHS observer recorded heavy rainfall of 2.00 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| June 2017 | Hail | Earlham | - | Public reported lots of hail from pea to half dollar in size. |
| September 2014 | Heavy Rain | Earlham | - | Rainfall of 3.34 inches from two rounds of storms this afternoon and evening. |
| August 2014 | Heavy Rain | Earlham | - | Rainfall in the past 24 hours was 3.06 inches. |
| June 2011 | Hail | Earlham | - | Heavy rain and 40 MPH winds as well. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Earlham | - | Tornado touched down briefly in farm fields south of Earlham. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Earlham | - | Brief touchdown in open field. |
| April 2023 | Hail | Earlham | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Funnel Cloud | Earlham | - | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Hail | Earlham | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Flood | Earlham | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Earlham | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Earlham | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q769216 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 456104. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
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.






