 In the mid 1850s the people arriving in the area were of different ethnic origins, immigrants from Ireland, German, Austria and also many from our eastern states.These immigrants came as strangers, they had much to learn and they were not always accepted and when they were accepted there still was the problem of customs, habits and language that caused errors and misunderstandings.In the depression year of 1857 the Clinton County Home or "Poor Farm", as it was then known was purchased, 200 acres at $20 per acre from O. W. Denham.