To those pioneers who first came to this area in search of a new life, a fertile soil and a promising future; to those who followed to furnish the necessities for that new life, to contribute toward the growth and prosperity of a new community and to provide a market for the products of the rich soil; to those who are perpetuating the ideals and goals of our predecessors by added investments for the improvement of our town and surrounding farms, we dedicate this book.

The citizens of Manning and its surrounding farmers enjoy a community cohesiveness that always exhibited the desire to improve and to progress. This characteristic became evident from the first when the pioneers came and wrestled out their living from the earth, determined to build a community based upon ideals that have endured for 100 years.

This inborn desire to progress manifests itself in the farming area through the establishment of the modern cattle and hog operations -- the latest methods of farm to market operations, and the best of modern machinery. Their desire for improvement created the REA resulting in electricity for the farm. Most recently the cooperative planning for a guaranteed water supply caused the establishment of the West Central Iowa Rural Water Association, based in Manning. Farmers in conjunction with the Manning Fire Department have established a rural fire protection program and financially assisted the department in the purchase of a farm fire truck.

Community pride, coupled with the assistance of the farm population, has helped Manning establish a modern school, churches, hospital, nursing home, two homes for the elderly, and two buses for their convenience. Also a development corporation. Civic pride promoted the brick paving of Manning's Main street back in 1918 and in 1924 all the streets in town were concrete paved.

Such foresightedness must have been inherited from Manning's founder, O.H. Manning. To illustrate we have taken the following excerpts from a letter as printed in the Carroll County history book, written in 1907 by O.H. Manning from New York, to his friend Hon. Judge Geo. W. Paine of Carroll: "I do not think there are any better lands or richer soils on earth than in the region around the town of Manning in Carroll County and, in fact, all of that part of Carroll county which has the so-called "Bluff Deposit" or loess soils. Bluff deposit or loess is identical in its characteristics and mode of origin with the soils in the valleys of the Rhine in Germany, the Nile in Egypt, and the great rivers of China."

In this letter of 1907 he reveals his concern over soil erosion and states that, "The soil of our American farms east of the Mississippi is being constantly washed out and denuded by erosion."

Perhaps his most astonishing perception is evident in the last paragraph of his letter when he states in part: "The time will come when it will be safe for the Iowa farmer to turn his corn into alcohol without the fear that he will drink the product and start a riot. He will find a better use for it. He will light and heat his house with it, and putting it into a motor, will turn it into force and power that will propel all his farm machinery, do his plowing and cultivating, haul his produce to market and propel his carriage when he takes his family and goes to town."

Such was the vision of a pioneer in 1907. May such faith in the land, concern for its productivity and the broad visions for the future be an example for those who will carry on for the next 100 years!