Waukee, originally called Shirley, was started by General Lewis A. Grant, as one of seven stops on the Des Moines Valley Railroad, which ran from Des Moines to Grand Junction in Greene County. The town of Shirley was laid out in Section 2, 79, 27 about 6½ miles from Adel, Dallas County. By the end of that year, the depot, lumber yard, grocery store, livery stable, a pioneer store, and several houses had all been built. The new town even had mail and telegraph services.

The first church in town was Presbyterian and was built in 1870. This church served as the school building until a school was built in 1874 or 1875. Waukee schools consolidated in 1917, a new school building was opened in 1918, which still exists today as the two-story structure at Waukee Elementary.

Waukee was incorporated in 1878.

“From the Dallas Center Globe we found that in June, 1878, Judge Callvert appointed M. Sines, B. T. Halstead, C.C. Tyler, C.F.M. Clarke and G.S. Wharton as commissioners to hold an election for incorporation. They designated July 2nd as the big day. The election was a success with 35 votes for and 15 against. The first election of officers for the incorporated town of Waukee was held the 24th of July. The following were elected to office: Mayor, T.F. Howe: recorder, W.E. Humphrey; trustees, (or town council) A.T. Blackman, C.C. Tyler, Pat Hogan C.F.M. Clarke, W.H. Wood, Taylor Bates; assessor, John A. Houston. The council held their first meeting after qualifying and passed their first ordinance by unanimous vote. “Ordinance No. 1” – the sale of spirituous or vinous liquors is prohibited within two miles of the corporate limits of Waukee.

We cannot follow with the next mayors or councils because the old records are lost. There is reference however to E.B. Sines as a former mayor in 1880.”* In 1967, Remo Nizzi, was hired as the first full-time town clerk.

In the same year of incorporation, a library association or reading club was formed. “They purchased about $30.00 of good books.” In July, 1885 Mr. H. Parmlee of the Parmlee Library Company of Des Moines with the support of a group of Waukee citizens opened a library with I.G. Wallace as the librarian. This library must have faded out of existence. At the March 1926 meeting of the Waukee Consolidated School PTA, a motion was made urging the establishment of a town library. It was not until January 1929 that a public library was started by the agitation of a few people. A room was rented, cleaned and furnished, and 500 books were provided by the Traveling Library of the State of Iowa, with Mrs. Lyle serving as the first librarian. Also the library contained 190 permanent books. In 1941, when the Leonard building burned, all the books in the library were lost. Mrs. Sadie Wilder was then the librarian. In April 1942, according to news items, there were 150 new books in the Waukee Library. The existing Library building opened in March of 2003, after the community passed a bond issue to build and furnish the new library. The library today, has over 23,000 cataloged books and tapes.

Originally Waukee Parks were grassy shaded areas where families, churches and schools could hold picnics and where celebrations such as the Fourth of July could take place. The first such location was timberland known as Fagan’s Grove, south of town two miles. A second location was south of the old Christian Church along 6th Street. A third location was east of Fourth Street across from the old Catholic Church.

The Ed Davis Memorial Park was created at the corner of Seventh and Walnut in May 30, 1939 in honor of George Edward Davis who served as the Waukee mayor for thirty years.

The concept for Centennial Park began in 1969 as a result of renewed interest for park space during and after the 100 year celebration of the community. Today, this park is used for many City functions including the Easter Egg Hunt, 4th of July festivities, and Wauktoberfest, to name a few.

The Waukee Volunteer Fire Department (W.V.F.D.) was organized in 1938. A constitution and by-laws were drawn creating the positions of Chief, First Assistant Chief, Second Assistant Chief, Secretary and Treasurer, Chief of Police with two assistants and Chief Pumper with four assistants. Meetings were to be held every month and officers were and are elected every March.

In 1920, the first coal mine, Harris Mines, opened northeast of Waukee. In 1921, Shuler Company started their mine, one mile east of Harris. Shuler Mine was the last major shaft mine in Iowa, with a shaft of 387 feet. It was also the heaviest producer of any mine in the state. During their 28 years of operation, they took out over seven million tons of coal. . Mining was an important part of the community until the last mine closed in 1949. The mining, Italian families will long be remembered, as a part of Waukee’s rich sociological heritage, and remembered for their elaborate weddings, with a carload of grapes being shipped in from California for the celebrations.    .

Waukee experienced explosive growth in the 1990’s, doubling in size, and continues to be one of the fastest growing communities in Iowa today, with an estimated population, as of September 2004, of approximately 8,132.