Tama/Toledo (station, cities, location)

[paiste13]

Not a big post but was wondering why Tama and Toledo are so close get together geographically? Tama has the railroad so I was wondering why was Toledo ever created? Their history website didn't have any info on this.

[duster1979]

Back in the mid-19th century when these cities were founded it wasn't unusual for separate towns to exist within a few miles of each other. The difference is that in most cases one of the towns will eventually either fade away or be absorbed by the other.

I think the reason that didn't happen in this case is that each town has enough importance in its own way to prevent it from fading away, yet neither has grown enough to absorb the other.

Toledo was founded first as the county seat. The site was more than likely chosen for it's location near the center of the county.

A few years later when the railroad came through the station at what is now Tama was called Toledo although it was a few miles south of that city. Later some enterprising individual laid out a new town along the railroad, first called Iuka, then Tama City, now Tama.

Hope that helps.