In 1857, at the age of 28, Alexander Conley Bondurant (AC) decided to leave the family farm in Illinois to join pioneers traveling to Iowa. He came via stage coach to Iowa City, then horseback on to the area currently known as Bondurant where he made claim to 320 acres of land. Before his death in 1899, he owned an estimated 2,000 – 3,000 acres. He showed his generosity by giving the railroad access through his land, donating land and proceeds from his crops for expenses to a church, and offered town lots free to residents who would build a commercial structure.
On January 14, 1884, Chicago Great Western Railroad surveyed the land and the town of Bondurant was laid out. The plat was filed for record on April 24, 1884. A petition of incorporation was ultimately filed on January 27, 1897. On December 23, 1897 Bondurant was incorporated.
The town was actually established in 1882 when the railroad came through AC Bondurant’s homestead. The railroad built a station there and a small community of 300 people formed around it. The first commercial building housed the general store and post office on the main level and a church, social center and funeral home on the second level. It is also believed that the town’s first school was on the second level for 35 students. (This building was located on the NE corner of First and Main Streets.) The town continued to prosper as other businesses were started.
