The history of Corson County is written by W.L. Chapin, the first resident of McIntosh.

September 1,1907 when I landed in McIntosh, the end of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway was at Watauga.
The first building in McIntosh was shipped here on a flat car and was afterwards used for a number of purposes, one of which was a printing office on the site now used by the Corson County News.
Corson county was organized June 13, 1909 in a large tent which was set up on the site now occupied by the P.R. & H. Lumber company, and the first election for temporary County Seat was held the fall of 1909. Corson county was attached to Campbell county at that time for Judicial purposes and Campbell county sent an inspector to McIntosh to take charge of the election. The election for permanent County Seat was held in the fall of 1910.
The first County Commissioners were McGowan, Duncan and DeRockbraine; the first auditor, Doc Burns; first sheriff George Perry; first States Attorney, N.B. Bartlett.
The main part of the present Court House was built by the town of McIntosh and given to Corson County. The first building used for Court House purposes was the Bartlett house which at that time was used by N.B. Bartlett, the first States Attorney for a law office.
In the spring of 1910, that part of the Standing Rock Reservation lying in Corson county was opened for settlement and a large number of settlers took advantage of the Homestead Law to file on the land. 1910, 1911 and 1912 proved to be very dry years and a large number of the new settlers moved out of the country.
Jack McLaughlin started the first store at McLaughlin; W.L. Chapin, McIntosh; Bert and Jack Bigham, Watauga; Mr. Richards, first store in Morristown and Floyd Bolton first store in Thunder Hawk.
George Perry the first sheriff was also the first Bootlegger in Corson County and was sent to Leavenworth for a year and a day for selling liquor to Indians in Corson County.
The Columbia elevator at McIntosh was the first elevator in Corson county and was built in 1908. A Mr. Shea of Red Rock, Minnesota was the first grain buyer in Corson County.
During the summer of 1909 there was a large amount of rainfall and the farmers raised a large crop of wheat throughout the country. they hauled wheat to McIntosh with horses, mules and oxen and one farmer came in with three cows hitched to the wagon. I saw teams standing as close as possible in a line that reached from the Columbia elevator all the way up main street and one half mile out on the prairie, waiting to get unloaded.
In 1908, the Standing Rock Reservation was leased to three cow outfits and divided into three pastures, the C-7 at Morristown, D-Z at McIntosh and the Dye Ranch at Cottonwood Creek on the site of what now is Garner Dunlap's sheep ranch.
The winter of 1910 and 1911 was very cold with lots of snow and there was a very heavy loss of stock on the range, one outfit loosing over 2,000 head of cattle.
The first school in Corson county was held in the fall of 1908 in a small sack built by C.G. Allen on the rear of the lot on which I now live and was taught by Mrs. Allen. There were seven pupils. The next winter, school was held in the Baptist church. In 1910 the Public school was built.
The first doctor in Corson county was Dr. Hill who came here from Evarts, South Dakota in 1908. He was also the man who built the first church in this county on the site where the Presbyterian church now stands.
The first bank in Corson county was started by J.W. Harris of Evarts, South Dakota in 1908, in the building now occupied by the McIntosh Bowling Alley. The first bank cashier was Charles Conyne.
The first Post Office in Corson County was established March 1908 by W.L. Chapin and was first operated in the building near the present site of the Barber shop.
The first newspaper, The McIntosh Globe-Chief was printed by C.S. Clemenson. The first lumber yard in Corson County was the Fullerton Lumber company, C.A. Wells, manager.
The first meeting of the City Council was held on January 3, 1910.
Taken from Corson County News January 22, 1931.