LOCATION:
Hancock, Iowa is located in Valley Township,
Pottawattamie county, 40 miles east of Omaha-Council
Bluffs on state Highway #59 and seven miles south of
I-80 exit 40. Hancock is located on the West
Nishnabotna River.(Nishnabotna is an Otoe Indian name
meaning "Creek where they make boats")
TELEPHONE COMPANY & SERVICES:
Farmers Mutual Cooperative Telephone
Company provides Internet access, paging, voice mail, calling cards, cellular service,
along with state of the art 100% digitally switched calling since
1988. Local service is provided to 580 square miles of Shelby,
Pottawattamie, Crawford, and Audubon counties. Cable TV is
provided to Earling, the Fifty-niner Motel and expansion plans include
Westphalia, Kirkman and other FMCTC service areas. FMCTC offers
free custom calling features such as: call forwarding, call waiting,
speed dialing, and three-way calling. FMCTC customers enjoy equal
access for all long distance calling.
SCHOOLS:
Hancock is part of a reorganized school system
known as AHST, which includes the towns of Hancock,
Avoca, Shelby, and Tennant. All high school students
attend school in Avoca, the middle school is in Shelby.
Avoca and Shelby each maintain an elementary school.
Present enrollment is 800.
WELCOME MESSAGE:
Hancock is a friendly little rural town with a population of all ages.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS & RECREATION:
Hancock is proud to
boast a well known tourist attraction. A city park is
located just west of town on county road G-30. There
are picnic shelters, a ball diamond, playground
equipment, and a horseshoe pit. Adjacent to the park is
the Pottawattamie County Park--Botna Bend. The camp-
ground now has spaces with electricity for 60 campers.
Anyone wishing to camp without electricity will find
109 acres of camping space available. There is a
dumping station and water hydrants. Camp sites can be
reserved in advance. Sites are $8.00 per night with or
without electricity. The park is open all year. Gates
open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 10:30 p.m. A modern
shower house is within the camping area with hot
showers. A concrete boat ramp was completed in 1990 in
the southwest corner of the park. Canoes can be rented
for four or eight hours. An enclosed shelter house is
available for rent. There are elk and buffalo in the
park.
AGRICULTURE:
Corn and Soy Beans are the main
agricultural interests with several hog and cattle
feeding operations.
BUSINESS and INDUSTRY:
As small as Hancock is
population wise, it can boast of many businesses
serving the surrounding communities:
Rick's Country Body Shop--Auto repair and painting.
Steve Emken Trucking--48 state common and contract carrier specializing in flat bed hauling.
Gress Locker--Custom slaughtering.
Guyer Machine Shop, Inc.--Steel, bolts, bearings, welding, and machine works of all types.
Hancock Elevator, Inc.--Grain merchandising, drying and storing. Feed and bulk feed ingredients.
Larry E. Jacobsen Construction--Caterpillar, backhoe, skid loader and trucking.
Jacobsen Oil Co.--Mini Mart, vehicle service and tire repair.
Koch Agri-Service--Furnish and application of fertilizer and herbicides over a wide section of
western Iowa. They furnish dry and Ammonia fertilizers with crop protection chemicals.
There are two beauty shops open daily.
LODGING & RESTAURANTS:
There is one restaurant in Hancock. Harold's Place is
open daily and can accommodate up to fifty people.
LOCAL LEGENDS & HISTORY:
Frederick H. Hancock and his
wife Mary E. platted the town of Hancock from land
purchased in 1881. They divided the land into town
lots, blocks, streets, alleys, railroad and depot
ground right away. The land was deeded to the public in
January of 1882.
FESTIVALS & CELEBRATIONS:
The Old Settlers Picnic is
the major attraction each year. The celebration is held
the weekend closest to August 5th. The festivities open
with children's games, ball games and Bar-B-Que.
Various organizations provide food stands and booths.
The parade is held on Sunday. A Bill Riley talent show
is held in the evenings of this two day celebration.
The winners advance to the State Fair Bill Riley Talent
Show.
CHURCHES:
The United Methodist Church is the only
church. It was established in 1872 and used as a rural
schoolhouse for many years. When the town was
established, the church moved into town. The present
church was built in 1917. The present membership is
192. The United Methodist Women have a membership of
53. There is an active youth group for children from
middle school through high school. At present the
church is being served by it's first woman minister.
BRAGGING RIGHTS:
The town has a mayor and five
councilmen. Hancock residents think highly of their all
Volunteer Fire Department. There are clubs and
activities for people of all ages to enjoy:
The Old Settlers organization sponsors the annual
picnic and other community activities.
Scheffler-Hildebrand Legion Post #720 is names for
two local servicemen lost in WWII. There is a
Legion Auxiliary.
The Senior Citizens Club meets once each month.
Hancock Federated Club was organized in 1952.
The Hancock Alumni Association holds an annual alumni banquet of the former Hancock High School.
Pleasant Record Busters is a 4-H club with a
membership of 12 boys.
Pleasant Peppy Pals is a 4-H club with a membership
of 20 girls.
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