Biohazard Cleanup Near Odebolt Historic District Odebolt, IA

Odebolt is a city in Sac County in northwestern Iowa, surrounded by rolling corn and soybean fields.

Odebolt was platted in 1877 when the Chicago & North Western Railway was extended to the site, and it was incorporated as a city on May 13, 1878.

Odebolt takes its name from Odebolt Creek, whose own name origin is disputed — stories credit either a French fur trapper named Odebeau or a bolt that fell into the creek.

Odebolt was once known as the 'Popcorn Center of the World,' and it also goes by the nickname 'The Volunteer City.'

The 2020 census counted 994 people in Odebolt living in 424 households, down from a peak of 1,445 residents in 1920.

Odebolt is part of the Odebolt-Arthur-Battle Creek-Ida Grove (OABCIG) school district, formed by a merger on July 1, 2018 — the elementary and middle schools are in Odebolt and the high school is in Ida Grove.

NFL cornerback Cooper DeJean, a star at the University of Iowa, grew up in Odebolt.

Odebolt preserves its pioneer past at the Peterson Pioneer Home, the first house built in town, and at the Odebolt Museum, while the Odebolt State Bank building of 1915 remains in nearly original condition.

The town celebrates its heritage each year at Odebolt Creek Days, and marked its 125th anniversary in June 2002.

H. T. Martin, one of Odebolt's first settlers, organized a Sunday school in December 1877, became the depot's first station agent, and his daughter Emma became the town's first telegraph operator.