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West Bend, IA
West Bend is a village in Kossuth and Palo Alto counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 791 at the time of the 2020 census. West Bend got its start in the early 1880s, following the construction of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway through that territory. It was originally called Ives after the president of the railroad, but the townspeople had it changed to West Bend from the bend in the river. West Bend (aka Ives) was the first town in Palo Alto County. The village straddles the county line, in the southwest part of Kossuth County and the southeast part of Palo Alto County, in northwestern Iowa. But, it was first in Palo Alto County.
West Bend is the site of the Grotto of the Redemption, a series of nine contiguous grottos occupying a full city block, constructed of minerals, petrifications, and semiprecious gems. Palo Alto County’s first one-room school was restored in 1976 and moved to West Bend. The West Bend Historical Museum was completed and opened to the public in the summer of 2006.
