ADRIAN, a city on the border of Olney and West Side Townships, the main street being the boundary of the two townships, platted in May 1876, and incorporated November 17, 1881, was named in honor of Adrian Iselin, who was the mother of Adrian C. Iselin, one of the directors of the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad. In the vicinity of Adrian a Catholic colony of immigrant farmers was founded by Archbishop John Ireland in 1879. The city developed when the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad came in 1876 and was aided by the Catholic colonization project. The post office began as Hibbards in 1872 in section 20 of West Side Township, with William F. Hibbard as postmaster, changing to Adrian in 1876 and located at that time in George H. Carr's general store, the first merchant in the community; the city had a station of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railroad.