Balfour, Iowa | |
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Coordinates: 41°02′56″N95°40′04″W / 41.04889°N 95.66778°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Iowa |
County | Mills County |
Elevation | 1,155 ft (352 m) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
GNIS feature ID | 464455 [1] |
Balfour is an unincorporated community in Mills County, in the U.S. state of Iowa.
Balfour is 4 miles (6.4 km) from the county seat of Glenwood. [2]
Balfour was founded in 1902 when the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad bypassed Hillsdale. The new rail line opened in August 1904; Balfour soon had a stockyard, rail station, and general store/post office. [3]
Balfour and Hebard were declared as "new towns" on the railroad by the Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil, replacing Hillsdale and Hawthorne, towns now without rail access and saving the C.B.& Q. Railway 6.5 miles (10.5 km) of track, and more importantly to the railway, making the grade less steep. [4]
The grange hall at Hillsdale was moved to Balfour and was dedicated on December 12, 1912. [3]
Balfour's population was 25 in 1920. [5]
By the 1930s, Balfour was being abandoned. The stockyards were used until 1939. [3]
The population was 30 in 1940. [2] The rail station was removed in the 1940s. Today, all that remains in Balfour are a few houses. [3]