Editing Luzerne, Iowa (section)

==History==
Luzerne was founded following construction of the [[Chicago and North Western Transportation Company|Chicago and Northwestern Railway]] through the territory.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bentoncountyiowa.com/towns/luzerne.html | title=Luzerne | publisher=County of Benton, IA | accessdate=7 August 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421100130/http://www.bentoncountyiowa.com/towns/luzerne.html | archive-date=21 April 2008 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Luzerne was named and [[plat]]ted as a town on the railroad by Isaac B. Howe, the Superintendent of the Iowa Div. of the railway, in 1868.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/historyofbentonc01west | title=The History of Benton County, Iowa, Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, &c | publisher=Western Historical | year=1878 | page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofbentonc01west/page/328 328]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/ashcroftsrailway1866ashc/page/118/mode/2up | title=Ashcroft's railway directory for ... : Containing an official list of all the officers and directors of the rail-roads in the United States & Canadas, together with their financial condition and amount of rolling stock | date=1862 }}</ref>

In October 1867 it was determined to relocate a station at "Buckeye" to an empty place in the plains midway between Blairstown and Belle Plaine.  This move was a mere 2 miles to the east.   The new station was named [[Lucerne|Luzerne]], named by IB Howe for the Swiss town that he longed to visit.<ref name="Stennett1908">{{cite book|author=William H. Stennett|title=A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways...|url=https://archive.org/details/historyoforigino01sten|year=1908|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyoforigino01sten/page/97 97]|publisher=Chicago }}</ref> Buckeye no longer exists but would now be an empty place 2 miles to the west of Luzerne.

It might seem strange that there would be some advantage moving a station 2 miles; plus also a number of buildings that needed moving as well.  The Buckeye station was run by railroad magnate [[John Insley Blair|John I Blair]]’s railroad group who owned the [[Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad|Cedar Rapids & Missouri River]] railroad which had originally planned the road to Omaha.  The DR&MR was now under permanent lease to the Chicago & North Western, who wanted any excuse to squeeze out Blair if it could be to their benefit.  Taking full advantage of the Luzerne station, Howe purchased the land and platted a new town there on 17 April 1868.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://iagenweb.org/benton/history/town_histories/luzerne-10.htm | title=History of Luzerne, Benton County, Iowa }}</ref> 
This was shortly after the C&NW had connected with the [[First transcontinental railroad|Union Pacific's Transcontinental]] railroad in Council Bluffs, giving Luzerne a direct connection with the Pacific Coast the following year.