Editing Eldridge, Iowa (section)

==History==
Jacob M. Eldridge, the city's namesake, arrived in central Scott County in 1846, having purchased land for $1.25 per acre. Immigrants from Germany soon followed, and northern Scott County slowly began to develop. Railroads were developed during the 1860s, bringing more settlers. Eldridge Junction, built on land donated by Jacob Eldridge, was incorporated on July 2, 1871. A post office and a [[Presbyterian]] church were soon built.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cityofeldridgeia.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=67&Itemid=1445 |title=The City of Eldridge, Iowa - History |access-date=February 12, 2011 |archive-date=July 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725173057/http://www.cityofeldridgeia.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=67&Itemid=1445 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Eldridge faced several challenges during its early years. The railroad faltered financially during the 1880s and was re-located to Oxford Junction, while a [[smallpox]] epidemic several years later was said to have totally isolated the city. A fire heavily damaged the city's business district in 1904, and in 1918 a tornado of unknown strength heavily damaged or destroyed several residences and the church, and killed three people. Each time, the city recovered, and the farming community maintained its status as a grain and livestock shipping center.

The city began growing in population during the 1950s, starting with the formation of the [[Scott County Library System]] (a countywide network of libraries serving smaller communities in the area) in 1950, and the [[North Scott Community School District]] in 1956. By the late 1960s, the population had grown to more than 1,000 residents, and with the creation of several industrial parks to encourage new business development, the city continued to grow.