43°25′N 94°15′W / 43.42°N 94.25°W
| Bancroft County | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County of Iowa | |||||||||
| 1851–1857 | |||||||||
 Location within the U.S. state of Iowa | |||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 1851 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1857 | ||||||||
| Contained within | |||||||||
| • Country |  United States | ||||||||
| • State |  Iowa | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | United States | ||||||||
Bancroft County, Iowa was a county located in what today is the northern portion of Kossuth County. The county was established in 1851 by the Iowa General Assembly, but then abolished six years later in 1857 and the area joined to Kossuth County, leading to it being roughly twice the size of adjacent counties.[1] The reason why it became a part of Kossuth County was because the area was wetland, consequently making it unsuitable for farming. Only a small amount of the wetlands remain, mostly at the Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge. The remainder of the land is arable by modern farming standards.[2]
The county was named for historian and statesman George Bancroft (1800–1891).[1]
There never was a county seat established or the organization of a county government.[1]