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vtffE^4EAI_OGY COLLECTION
, ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
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HISTORY
Mitchell and Worth Counties,
IOWA,
rOGETHEK WITH SKETCHES OF THEIR TOWNS, VILLAGES AND TOWNSHIPS, EDUCATIONAL, CIVIL, MILITARY AND POLITICAL HISTORY; PORTRAITS OF PROM- INENT PERSONS, AND BIOGRAPHIES OF REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.
HISTORY OF IOWA,
EMBRACING ACCOUNTS OF THE PRE-HISTORIC RACES, AND A BRIEF REVIEW OF ITS CIVIL AND MILITARY HISTORY.
ILLUSTRATED
SPRINOriEIiD, ttL. UNION PUBLISHING COMPANY.
188-t.
■ V3
r
TO THE PIONEERS
OF
^ITCHELL M\D Vy^OF^TH j]oUNTIE^.
THIS VOLUME IS
RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED,
WITH THE HOPE THAT TOUR VIETFES MAY BE EMULATED
AND TOUK TOILS AND SACRIFICES DULY APPRECIATED
BY COMING GENERATIONS.
I g ■ l9
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1142873
PREF ACE
The importance of local history is appreciated to-day more than ever before. A general desire is being manifested by the people to preserve the records made by the pioneers. Old Settlers' Associations and Historical Societies are being organized in almost every city and county throughout the land. The interest in local history is not confined, as some suppose, to men of second and third rate ability, but men like Hon. John Wentworth, Hon. E. B. Washburn, Hon. Isaac N. Arnold, and others of that class, show as much interest in pioneer reminiscenses and the various little incidents that go to make up the record of a new country, asj could be shown by any who think the world is comprised in that scope of territory in their own immediate neighborhood. Hon. Daniel Durkee, Librarian Wisconsin State Historical Society, has delivered a lec- ture which has been printed and scattered broadcast throughout the land, urging the people to perpetuate their local history, and every county history that is published is purchased by him for that institution, of which he is Librarian. In that vast library of the Historical Society of Wisconsin, no historical works are more referred to than the local histories of the various counties of the States of the Union.
Believing that the counties of Mitchell and Worth afforded material for a good history, the Union Publishing Company of Springfield, Illinois, sent a corps of ex- perienced historians into the field with instructions to spare no pains in compiling a complete and reliable work. As preliminary to the work, and in order to insure cor- rectness and a work in which every citizen of the county might feel a just pride, committees were appointed to read and revise the general history of each county, and a like committee in each township to examine and correct the history of their respec-
:k.
PREFACE
tive townships. With but one or two exceptions, every man thus appointed served to the best of his ability, and the wisdom of the choice of the committees is shown in the work performed. We feel confident that we here present to our patrons a history that is as correct as possible for human beings to make it. Special care has been taken in its compilations, hundreds of men and women being interviewed, and every source of information canvassed that facts alone should be incorporated in it. The manuscript was then read to the committees, and time given to make such corrections as they deemed necessary, and each member was urged to exercise care, and not be backward in making such corrections or such suggestions as might be deemed necessary to insure correctness and add to the value of the work. Our thanks are certainly due to these men, a number of whom spent much time, with no thought of reward other than that received in the consciousness of a duty well performed. Every county officer, and every deputy employed in the various offices showed a per- fect willingness and an earnest desire to aid us in obtaining information.
The press of the county is also entitled to our special gratitude. Without an ex- ception, we have received the kindest treatment from each newspaper, their files being placed at our disposal, and from which we obtained much of the information contained in this volume.
In conclusion, we will say that our work is done; the History of Mitchell and Worth Counties is placed in your hands. We trust that you will be pleased with it.
Tours Truly,
Union PuBLisHrNG Company.
^
^1
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
HISTORY OF IOWA.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
INTHODtrCTORT 17
Original Inhabitants 17
Mound Builders 18
The Red Men 18
Discovery of the Mississippi 19
Marquette 19
LaSalle 20
Purchase of Louisiana 20
CHAPTER II.
INDIANS AND INDIAN WARS. 21
The minis, Sacs and Foxes 21
Thelowas 22
War between Sacs and Foxes and lowas 22
TheSioux 24
Blaol£ Hawk Wai- 31
Battle of Bad-Axe 33
CHAPTER m.
INDIAN TREATIES 36
Black Hawk Treaty 36
Sacs and Fox Treaty 38
Treaty with the Sioux.... 39
Treaty with the Sacs 39
Treaty with the Foxes 39
Treaty with the lowas 40
Treaty with the Sacs of Rock River 40
Treaty of 1824 40
Treaty of 1830 40
Treaty with Sacs, Foves and other Tribes 41
Treaty with the Winnebagoes 41
Treaty of 1836, with the Sacs and Foxes 42
Treatyofl83" 42
Treaty of Relinquishment 42
Treaty of 1813 42
CHAPTER IV.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS 43
The Dubufiue Settlement.. 43
The Giard Settlement 43
The Montrose Settlement 43
The Burlington Settlement 43
The Keokuk Settlement 43
Rules for the Goverument of Dubuque 45
PAOI.
Military Interference with Settlements 45
Extinguishment of Indian Titles. 46
The Fort Madison Settlement 47
Flint HiUs 47
The Davenport Settlement 48
Clayton County Settlement 48
Council Bluffs 48
DesMoines 49
CHAPTER V.
TERRITORIAL AND STATE ORGANIZATIONS. 50
Territory of Wisconsin 50
Territorial Council 50
Organization of Counties 61
Territory of Iowa 61
First Territorial Officers 51
First Iowa Tervitorial Legislature 52
First Session of the Leuislature 52
A Stormy Session 52
Selection of the Capital 52
lowaCity 53
Loan for the Completion of the State House ... 53
Woman's Eights 54
The Missouri War 55
Attempt at State Organization 56
Constitutional Convention 56
Second Constitutional Convention 57
Election of State Officers 57
Salai ies of State Officers 68
CHAPTER VI.
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OFTHE STATE. 58
State School Superintendent 58
Public Buildings 59
Location of State University 59
Appointment of Supreme Judges 60
Railroad Buildings 62
Organization of the Republican Party 63
Constitutional Convention 64
Des Moines Chosen the State Capital 64
Census by Counties 67
CHAPTER VII.
GEOLOGY— TOPOGRAPHY— WATER COURSES 69
Azoic System 70
Lower Silurian System 70
Upper Silvuian System 71
R*
PAGE
Devonian System 71
Carboniferous System 71
Cretacious System .• 75
Peat.
76
Gypsum 76
Minor Deposits Sulphate of Lime 78
Sulptiate of Stronita 78
Sulphate of Barj-ta 78
Sulphate of Magnesia 78
Climate 79
Topography 79
Lakes and Streams 80
CHAPTER Vm.
IOWA AND THE REBELLION 89
Response to the Nation's Call 90
First Infantry 96
Second Infantry 97
Third Infantry 97
Fourth Infantry 98
Fifth Infantry 98
Sixth Infantry 98
Seventh Infantry 98
Eighth Infantry 99
Ninth Infantry 99
Tenth Infantry 99
Eleventh Infantry 100
Twelfth Infantry 100
Thirteenth Infantry 101
Fourteenth Infantry 101
Fifteenth Infantry 101
Sixteenth Infantry 102
Seventeenth Infantry 103
Eighteenth Infantry 103
Nineteenth Infantry 103
Twentieth Infantry 103
Twcnty-flrst Infantry 103
Twenty-second Infantry 104
Twenty-third Infantry 104
Twenty-fourth Infantry 105
Twenty-fifth Infantry 105
Twenty-sixth Infantry 105
Twenty-seventh Infantry 105
Twenty-eighth Infantry 108
Twenty-ninth Infantry , 106
Thirtieth Infantry 106
Thirty-first Infantry 107
Thirty-second Infantry 107
Thirty-third Infantry 107
Thirty-fourth Infantry 107
Thlrty-flfth Infantry 108
PAGE
Thirty-sixth Infantry 108
Thirty-seventh Infantry 108
Thirty-eighth Infantry 109
Thirty-ninth Infantry 109
Fortieth Infantry 110
Forty-first Infantry 110
Forty-fou th Infantry 110
Forty-fifth Infantry Ill
Forty-sixth Infantry Ill
Forty-seventh Infantry Ill
Forty-eighth Infantry Ill
First Cavalry Ill
Second Cavalry 112
Third Cavalry 112
Fourth Cavalry 113
FifthCavalry 113
Sixth Cavalry 113
Seventh Cavalry 113
Eighth Cavalry 114
Ninth Cavalry 114
First Battery 114
Second Battery 114
Third Battery 115
Fourth Battery 115
Iowa Regiment of Colored Troops 115
Northern Border Brigade 115
Southern Border Brigade 115
Promotions 115
CHAPTER rX.
EDUCATIONAL— STATE INSTITUTIONS 117
The First School House 117
Act for the Establishment of Common Schools. 118
The State University 131
State Normal School 123
State Agricultural College 124
Other Colleges and Universities 124
Deaf and Dumb Institute 126
CoUegefor the BUnd 126
Iowa Hospital for the Insane 127
Hospital for the Insane at Independence 128
Soldiers* Orphans' Home 128
Asylum for Feeble Minded Children 129
Penal Institutions 129
Anamosa Penitentiary 130
Boys' Reform School 130
State Historical Society 131
State Agricultural Society 131
Fish-Hatching House 131
'-7U
HISTORY OF MITCHELL COUNTY.
CHAPTER I.
CHAPTER n.
LOCATION, TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGT.. 135
Geology 135
Railway Facilities 136
CHAPTER m.
EARLY SETTLEMENT 137
By Dr. S.B.Chase 137
CHAPTER rV.
CREATION-ORGANIZATION-COUNTY SEAT
AFFAIRS 145
Organization 145
The County Seat 146
First Events 147
CHAPTER V.
COUNTY GOVERNMENT AND OFFICIAL
MATTERS 148
Acts of County Court 148
Board of Supervisors 153
Population 157
Matrimonial 157
County Poor Farm 160
County Buildings 161
Eirst Instruments Recorded 161
CHAPTER VI.
PIONEER LIFE 162
Early Manners and Customs 162
Character of the Pioneers 166
Clothing 166
Wolf Hunting 170
Bee Hunting 171
Snakes 171
Religion 171
Agriculture 172
The Claim System 173
CHAPTER VII.
EDUCATIONAL 173
School Fund Commissioner 173
County Superintendent of Schools 174
Educational Development 176
Normal Institutes 178
CHAPTER Vni.
THE COU RTS OF MITCHELL COUNTY 178
District Court 179
Circuit Court 181
County Court 181
CHAPTER IX.
THE BAR OF MITCHELL COUNTY 183
The Bar of the Past 183
TheBarinl883 188
CHAPTER X.
PAGE
AGRICULTURE AND AGRICULTURAL SOCI- ETIES 192
Mitchell County Agricultural Society 194
CHAPTER XI.
THE NEWSPAPER PRESS 195
The Osage Democrat 196
The North lowan 198
St. Ansgar Journal 197
North Iowa Standard 197
Osage Tribune 197
Mitchell County Press 197
Mitchell County News 199
OsageNews 200
The Enterprise 200
CHAPTER XII.
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION 201
Osage Physicians 202
Mitchell Physicians 208
St. A nsgar Physicians 210
Mona Physicians 210
Ricpville Physicians 210
Otranto Physicians 212
Carpenter Physicians.. 212
Mitchell County Medical Association 212
Staeyville Physicians 213
CHAPTER Xin.
POLITICAL 213
Election Returns 214
CHAPTER XIV.
NATIONAL, STATE AND COUNTY REPRE- SENTATION 230
Congressional 231
Lieutenant Governor 233
Government Appointments 234
Auditor of State 234
State Appointments 234
General Assembly 238
County Judges 241
County Auditors •. 243
Treasurer and Recorders 244
County Treasurers 245
County Recorders 248
Clerksof the Court 247
Sheriffs 249
County Surveyors 250
Prosecuting Attorneys 251
County Assessors 251
Drainage Commissioners 262
Coroners 255
CHAPTER XV.
THE WAR FOR THE UNION 255
Resrimental Rosters 260
Honored Dead 268
CHAPTER XVI.
COUNTY mSTlTDTIONS
Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company. Historical and Pioneer Association
CHAPTER XVn.
BURB OAK TOWNSHIP 374
Early Settlement 275
First Things 277
Organic. . . 278
Schools 278
Religious 279
Village of Brownville 280
VillageofLeo 281
Biographical 281
CHAPTER XVin.
CEDAR TOWNSHIP 288
Settlement 288
First Events 293
Organic 293
Educational 294
Religious 295
Cemeteries 29B
Mills 296
Meroa Postoffloe 296
Biographical 296
CPAPTER XIX.
DOUGLAS TOWNSHIP 309
Settlement 310
First Events 311
Organic oil
Religious 31 1
Schools 313
Village OF New Haven 313
CHAPTER XX.
JENKINS TOWNSHIP 319
Settlement .. 320
Early Events 325
Organic 325
Schools 326
Ueligious 326
Village OF RicEviLLE 337
FirstLawSuit 328
Prairie Fires 329
Hardships of the Pioneers 329
CHAPTER XXI.
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP 337
Settlement 337
First Events 343
Organic 343
Schools 344
The Mill 344
CHAPTER XXII.
LINCOLN TOWNSHIP 344
Settlement 345
FirstEvents 358
Organic 358
Postofflce 358
Educational 359
Religious 36J
The Pioneer Mill 360
Cedar Valley Creamery 360
Village of Orchard 360
CHAPTER XXIII.
MITCHELL TOWNSHIP.
Settlement
FirstEvents
Schools
Organic
PAGE
Creameries 368
Oak Grove Cemetery 368
Town of Mitchell 369
Incorporation 373
Churches 372
West Mitchell 373
Incorporation 374
Manufactories 374
CHAPTER XXIV.
NEWBURG TOWNSHIP 380
Settlement. . 380
FirstEvents 383
Organic 384
Cemeteries 384
Schools 384
Village ofNewburq 384
Village OF Carpenter 384
CHAPTER XXV.
TOWNSHIP OF OSAGE 385
Settlement .... 388
MiUs 391
Organic 392
CHAPTER XXVI.
CITY OF OSAGE 392
The Beginning 385
Business Development 400
Banks , 416
Hotels 417
Industrial Enterprises 418
Osage Postofflce 43i
Osage Fire Department 423
Horse Protective Association 433
Organic 424
Library 435
Educational 435
Religious 436
Societies 431
Cedar Valley Seminary 437
CHAPTER XXVII.
OTRANTO TOWNSHIP 448
Early Settlement 448
Educational 453
Organic 453
FirstThings 453
Religious 453
Mills .' 454
Old Otranto 454
Otranto Station 456
Town of Mona 455
Biographical 457
CHAPTER XXVIII.
ROCK TOWNSHIP 458
Settlement 458
Early Events 461
Organic 461
Schools 463
Religious 463
Postofflce 463
Cemeteries 463
Biographical 463
CHAPTER XXIX.
ST. ANSGAR TOWNSHIP 478
Settlement 481
Events of Interest 483
Educational 484
Religious 484
Mills *84
Organic 485
^1
^—^\^
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE
Town ofSt. Ansgab 485
Incorporation 488
Biographical 488
CHAPTER XXX.
STACrVILLE TOWSSHIP 503
Settlement 503
EarlyEvents 503
Organic 503
Educational 503
Village OF Stactfille 503
Biographical 505
CHAPTER XXXI.
UNION TOWNSHIP 516
Settlement 516
PAGE
First Events 516
Organic 517
Religious 517
Schools 517
Cemeteries 517
Biographical 618
CHAPTER XXXII.
WAYNE TOWNSHIP 526
Settlement 526
First Events 533
Organic 534
Postoffices B34
Religious Societies 534
Schools 535
More Douglas Township Sketches 535
BIOGRAPHICAL
PAGE
Abbott, John 369
Addington, F. E 512
Agen, James H 409
Allen, J. B 2T7
Ailing, H. T 188
Allison, William B 231
Amundsen, Peter 488
Anderson, Halvor 451
Angell, George 28:^
Annis, J. W 406
Armstrong, Howard... 336
Asperheim. P. 0 495
Assorsen, Knudt 488
Atherton, Thomas M. 422
Bailey, John — 527
Barbuur, Sylvester l&j
Barker, William 286
Bartle, John 374
Bartleson, Peter 476
Beebe, James H 518
Beebe, James P 518
BeldiQg. W. I Benson, P. H,
Beugtson, Hakan 356
Bennett, J. M
Bevier, Abram D Bevier, Albert...
Bishop, J. E
Bishop, J. C
Blake, Philip 508
Blake, Mathias 518
Blakeslee, Jason L 304
blakeslee, J. L
Blakstad, G. O
Blackman, William W
Bless, Louis
Blonegen, Sebastian..
Borsheira, M. P
Boyd, HalseyC 521
Bradley, A. B 335
Braiuard, James 523
Brewer, F
Brown, George M
Brown, Jacob 515
Browne, Milton M
PAGEl PAGE PAGE
Bush, Alva 175|Doyle, Stephen T 390!George, Jeliial A 313
Bushnell, Martin 473 Drake, Everett E 475 Gerbig, Johan Michael. 525
Butters, Lewis 363 1 Dudley, J. N 249 Gerhart. John .
Button, Osmond. . Butterfleld, D. W. . Buttholph, Eugene
Cady, Abner T... .
Cady, J. N
Carpenter, Chauncey
286! Duncan, Frank 207 Gibeant, C.
354|Dunton, L. B 1334 Gilles, F. D 512
475 Durand, H. A 407 1 Gilchrist, Daniel F 283
oroIDu Shane, John M. .. 477 Glassel, JohnJ 474
gSSDyer, W. H 508 Goodhue. O. E 203
SSi Gould, Colin 457
**- 1
Carter Inthonv-'' SS Eagle, Daniel H 319 Gray, John H 386
?,?"?-' T„°„„ °^ SolEastman, AmosC. T... 335!Gray, George G 354
rl™i' Peter St? Eaton, W. L TOiGray. Harlow 3S6
rise Phfneas tifilEaton, A. K IStlGraham, James R.
n?!fj=ii Vit,^n SoiEbert, C. A 188:Granger, Charles T
hS!„,Ki'..= T?o„„ iS?iEekford, James 366 Gransee, Edward 52i
Chambers, Jason 36o, „,,„„, i^nh,-o •_ - .
Chambers, John D 362
Chase, Sumner B 204
Cheney, George B 357
Clark, James H 353
Clausen, C. L.... 143
Cleland, John B Cleveland, Charles H... 436
Clyde, Arthur W 343
Clyde, Samuel A 242
Cobb, Stephen M 302
Cobb, William B 202
Colbjornson, Narve 491
Cole, Chester C 415
Cole, Lewis R 371
Cook, John P 231
Coonradt, Henry 357
Cotton, D. B.... Counsell, Harry Cravath, S. A
Edgar, Archie 471 Gratias, Frederic
Eggert, Charles 526Green. C. R 212
Elliott, John A 244 Green, John C 285
English, Samuel 284|Griffin. P. J 536
English, John F 3771Griflin, P. J 317
Evans, W. L 406 Grinn^ 11, H. > 391
Everson,P.K 456l Grove, Tollef O .... 448
Faville. Amos S 239|«™"t; ^^^'^y- ^
Pnviiie H M lui Groner, Henry 383
Po ,, f • n;„i; ■ S; Gulbrandson, Gulbrand 307
rlnows, Harris-. . . . . ! ! ! ?n Gulbrandson, J Fes-.^nmeyer. Herman
Fey, John
Fletcher, Amos 304
Fisler, Louis 304
i'ods, Ole J 466
Foreman, Cyrus 188
Fonda, E. S 408
Fonda, Edward S
Crocker, James K 3SfU|Forbes, Charles H 518
Cummings, Amos 247, Foster, James —
Cummings, George J.. 362| Foster, Robert.
Cummings, Josiah 362! Fountain, Levi H
Cummings, M. W 314 Fox, Adam
Cutler, Charles 203
Cutler, James B.
Cutler, L. S
Daiiey, J. F
Dalrymple, Isaiah — Davenport, William.
246
336
firusb, Francis A 416i Decker, Jacob
lirush. Jacob H 416lDecker, John SMS
Buck, RobertH 404 Decker, Mrs. Susan.... 522
Brunson, George T 332 Deering, N. C .. .. 332
Buckner, Fred 308 1 De Ford, John 314
An, Thomas G.
pns, E. M 202'Gardner, Henry
Fox, Peter T 3;
Frazer, William G... . 2'
French, Seth B 3i
French, 8. C 2:
Frisbie, D. G 2(
Frit, Knud J 4;
Furse, George 4'
Gable, W. H. H 21
Gallup, Edgar E 355
Gammons, John 240
Gammons, John., Gardner, William
34U
Hall. William 1 531
Hall, Stanton 414
Hallock, Joseph 287
Halsted, Magee 304
Hai\'orson, Andrew. . 380 Halverson, O. H .381
Hambrecht, Frederick. 521
Hammond, B. S 340
Harrolson, Ole 297
Hart, L. S 345
flartwig, Fred 301
Hartwig, Reinhart 309
Harwood, O. P 183
Hastings, S. W 401
Haun.J.M 343
Hausen, Stangrim 451
Hendra, Alfred 515
Helfritz. R 498
Helm, William G. . . 306
Hitchcock, Arad 241
Hjorth, P. A 497
HoikenmlUer, Hubert 515
Hoemer. Nicholas 508
Holbrook, N 315
Holvelson, John 471
Horton, William.
Bush, A. M 404|Doyle, William 38i'iGardner, Charles F 420lHowe, James M.
302
TV
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TABLE OF CONTENTS. |
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PAGE |
PAGE PAGE |
PAGE 1 |
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Hovelson, Hover |
H(I8 |
Morgan, J. E. B |
.. tl'lRieker, Enos |
. ;a5 |
Thornigton, James . . . |
231 |
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Hoyt, Jacob M |
;«,T |
Moss, Edward N |
.. 331! Richardson, John |
434 |
Thornburg, Aaron S.. |
. 350 |
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Hume, Thoma3 H |
4H3 |
Moss, Nathaniel W. . . |
.. 330 Rierson, Forsten |
46H |
Thornburg, Edward M 354 1 |
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Hunt, M |
HMi |
Moss, Thomas D |
. 332,Riordan, Robert |
3ia |
Tiltus, B. M |
365 |
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Hatchins, Stillson Hylden, David |
1!IB |
Moss, William C Moss, Nathaniel J |
.. 346;Roberts, William T... .. ai.lRobeast, John B |
340 465 |
. 534 497 |
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Tollefsen, A. M |
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Isaac, Anton |
514 |
Mosher, John A |
.. 3!8;Robert8on, William C. |
3K3 |
Tollefsen. A. T |
491 |
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Mosher, Edgar T . . . . |
. . SlSjRobinson, M. J |
. 436 |
Tollefsen, ToUef M.... |
488 |
|||||
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Jacobs, Joseph |
m |
Mowry, CD |
.. 203lRodaer8, Hill |
. .534 |
Toman, William |
343 |
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James, J. R |
4;-«i |
Muffley, William |
. . 4ii7 Rogers, Oliver |
20 |
Torslefl, John |
367 |
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Jenks, Levi W |
4fi« |
Munson, L. G |
.. i,28 |
Rood, Nelson L |
188 |
Torney, Richard |
475 |
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Jones, Edward H Johnson, Nels |
477 298 |
Murray, John Murray, Charles |
.. 316 |
Rolfe, B. F Rood, L |
213 . .347 |
301 300 |
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Tucker, Nathaniel... |
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Johnson, Ole H |
297 |
Murray, W. D |
.. 348 |
Rose, Edward H |
283 |
Tupper, William |
3,54 |
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Johnson, Lewis |
2(t7 |
Murphy, James |
. 316 |
Rossiter, E |
493 |
Turner, H. W |
201 |
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Johnson, Halge |
2H7 |
Myrick,S. D |
.. 344 |
Rowland, H. W |
. 493 |
Tyler, B. P |
513 |
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Johnson, George S |
.5(18 |
Myrick, William M... |
.. 343 |
Roziene, Theodore |
. 345 |
Tyrrell, George |
333 |
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Johnson, L. A |
474 |
Ruddick, George W. . . |
180 |
Tyrrell, Samuel G |
336 |
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Judd. K. F |
418 |
Needham, G. S |
. 246 |
Rushlow, Romeo L... |
378 |
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Julen, M |
308 |
Nelson, ErickT Nelson, H. P |
. 472 . 184 |
Kyce, L. M |
191 |
Upham, Z. H |
358 |
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Keefe, M. L |
;^,^l |
Nelson, Iver |
. 494 |
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Keefe, William H |
318 |
Nelson, Lars |
. 29J |
St. John, R. T |
250 |
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Nelson, Peter Nelson, Thorkel |
.. 464 .. 471 |
Samson, WilUam H... Saunders, James T — |
410 .%36 |
Van Camp, J. C Van Wie, John |
455 390 |
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Kimball, David W. . |
2.53 |
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Kittelson, John |
493 |
Newell, D. G |
. 366 |
Saunders, James T |
312 |
Vandever, William... |
331 |
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Klemesrud, Knud Her |
Nichols, M. V |
.. 435 |
Scheu, Charles |
511 |
Vanderpoel, C. C |
377 |
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mandson |
3(1K |
Nichols, Horace... |
.. 208 |
Schoonmaker, Daniel. |
3;« |
Vanderpoel, F. A |
192 |
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Kleinwort, Emil |
382 |
Nichols, J. B |
.. 203 |
Schillinger, Benhardt. |
.524 |
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Kline, J. G |
vr. |
Nicol, David M |
522 |
Schulte, ^ uton |
4V4 |
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Kleinwort, Adolph |
3K« |
Nicol, WilUamW |
. 285 |
Schultheis, J. G |
31V |
Walk, William |
383 |
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Knight, J. P |
250 |
Nixon, Frank M |
. 389 |
Scott, Joseph Scott, Simeon Brown. |
32U . 30 |
Wall, George Walker, George W |
614 304 |
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Lambert, Foster P |
,532 |
Olsen, Johan |
. 198 |
Scofleld, F. A |
403 |
Walling, WiUiamH... |
349 |
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Landnrebe, George... |
.535 |
Olsen, J. H |
. . 501 |
Scriven, Warren |
28.5 |
Wamstad, Ole |
307 |
||
|
471 |
Olsen, L. 1 |
.. 308 |
381 |
Wardall,T |
492 |
||||
|
Larson, Ole |
4.53 |
Oleson, Amos E... . |
. . 492 |
Sheldon, Fred |
191 |
Warren, Charles |
473 |
||
|
Larson, Christen |
383 |
Orchard, Moses |
. 346 |
Sheehan, Daniel |
364 |
Weeks, Benjamin 0... |
473 |
||
|
Leseh, Harmon |
398 |
Orcutt, Mrs. M. T.... |
.. 513 |
Shipherd, E. P |
245 |
Weinrebe, Gotthard M |
299 |
||
|
Lewis, John |
347 |
Owen, Charles M |
.. 391 |
Sliipman. John B |
184 |
Wells, J. S |
. 311 |
||
|
Lewis, John B |
384 |
Owen, Theodore W.. |
248 |
Shoger, Hans F |
3115 |
Wentworth, J. A |
346 |
||
|
475 |
Owen, W. E |
. 348 |
Shulze, Eli |
2HI |
2.53 |
||||
|
Lewis, Edgar |
.5:« |
Simpson, William |
474 |
West, David |
455 |
||||
|
417 .365 |
Page, W. H |
.. H55 |
Skiff, Mason J Skinner, William ... |
212 465 |
Westfall, Franklin W. Wheeler, Thomas J... |
352 531 |
|||
|
Lindley, .John W |
|||||||||
|
Lindslev, Zenas C |
191) |
Palmer, J.H |
.. .524 |
Skinner, John |
;^46 |
Wheeler, Cyrus |
468 |
||
|
Lindelien, LeviOIsen. |
39K |
Parks, C. B |
.. 210 |
Skutle, Ole 0 |
. 478 |
White, MathewL |
330 |
||
|
Lohn, Knute |
46(i |
Patterson, Isaac |
,. 241 |
Smalley, Harrison ... |
303 |
White, Austin H |
334 |
||
|
301 |
Patterson, Nathan... |
.. 492 |
Smith, Charles |
512 |
White, J. H |
413 |
|||
|
Lohr, Peter |
409 |
Pederson, M |
.. 45, |
Smith, Charles B |
. 514 |
White, M. H |
248 |
||
|
Lomlwrd, Daniel |
3I« |
Penney, Alfred |
.. 511 |
Smith, Nickelas |
512 |
White, Asa W |
344 |
||
|
Loomis, Marion .. |
418 |
Penney, Arthur |
.. 339 |
Smith, John |
:39 |
White, David |
284 |
||
|
Lovejoy, Thomas H.. |
4R5 |
Penney, Charles |
.. 338 |
-^mith, David D |
303 |
Whitaker, Daniel |
282 |
||
|
Lovejoy, George B . . . |
4«4 |
Penney, Frank |
.. 3'8 |
Smith, Sidney S |
30V |
Whitaker, Benjamin C 344 | |
|||
|
Lubiens, E, C |
38'^ |
Penney, William |
.. 338 |
Snow, H. K |
I9H |
Whitaker, John |
387 |
||
|
Lubiens, George |
.381 |
Peshak, J. F |
.. 494 |
Snyder, A |
;S81 |
Whitcomb, Joel |
356 |
||
|
Lubiens, Henry |
49S |
Peterson, Charles R. |
. 514 |
Sprung, Carl |
335 |
Whitley, JohnL |
206 |
||
|
Peterson, Oscar |
.. 303 |
Squires, Linus |
209 |
Whittemore, Joseph.. |
205 |
||||
|
McCarthy, D. F McGhan, G. R |
457 |
ni |
Whittemore, William I |
. 311 |
|||||
|
494 |
Pilcher, John |
.. 313 |
Stacy, M. S |
403 |
Wiegner, E |
501 |
|||
|
McKinley, S.J |
3fi7 |
Pillsbury, WiliiamC. |
. . .532 |
Stacy, Edwin P |
369 |
Wilder, Frank R |
454 |
||
|
McKinley, S. S |
34il |
Piper, L. D |
. . 249 |
Stacv, Homer I |
.505 |
Wilk, Albert |
|||
|
Mc^fab, H. W |
40:' |
Pitzen, Nicholas .. . |
.. 514 |
Stark, Frederick |
315 |
Willard, Levi H |
365 |
||
|
McSmith, John |
244 |
Poindexter, D. W... |
. . 183 |
Stillman, G. W |
37(1 |
Williams, Frank J |
498 |
||
|
3;7 317 |
Poindexter, Reuben. Pomeroy, J. C |
.. 309 .. 203 |
Stokes, Edward I Stokes, George |
366 . 366 |
Williams, John E Winerebe, Mattis |
473 397 |
|||
|
Marley, David |
|||||||||
|
Maxham, Caleb |
314 |
Pratt, Henry O |
., 332 |
Stock, C |
. 370 |
Wilson, Theodore... |
388 |
||
|
Meier, Paul E |
241) |
Prime, C. S 248-S71 |
Stoughton, George M. |
. 3.5(1 |
Woods, William |
401 |
|||
|
?49 |
Prime, John R |
.. 344 |
Sweet, Samuel |
. 496 |
Woodward, Charles A. |
497 |
|||
|
Meyer, M . H ... |
38? |
Pritchard, Richard... |
. . 635 |
Sweney, Charles |
345 |
Wooldridge, Charles H |
. 282 |
||
|
Meyerhofer, Andrew. |
515 |
Proctor, Azariah... . |
.. .528 |
Sweney, J. H |
191 |
Woodward, Edmund . . |
357 |
||
|
Miller, Henry F |
18f |
Proctor, J. G |
.. .532 |
Svverud, Nels K |
4va |
Worseldine, John B.. |
|||
|
•-.47 |
Wright, GustavusA.. |
351 |
|||||||
|
Moe, Lars |
494 |
Wright, John A |
353 |
||||||
|
496 301 |
Ramsdell, William... Rands, Edward M |
.. 247 .. 300 |
Tallman, A. W Tallman, A. W |
. 337 404 |
Wynn, Thomas |
276 |
|||
|
. 303 |
Reding, Peter |
.. 535 |
Tarson, Andrew |
. 452 |
Young, Thomas J |
set |
|||
|
Montgomery, L. H |
39f |
Reid, William |
. 437 |
Taylor, Stephen |
. 532 |
Youngman, N. C |
210 |
||
|
Moody, A |
. .5:!4 |
Reiniger, Robert G.. |
.. 181 |
Temple, James |
. 298 |
||||
|
Moore, F. M |
207 |
Rennebohm, August. |
.. .501 |
Thomas, Sanf ord |
Zeilinger, John L |
||||
|
Moore. Alexander H. |
. 204 |
Rhyndes. John B — |
.. 283 |
Thompson, Michael... |
. 494 |
Zilk, Charles |
33:1 |
||
|
1 |
Morrow, Joseph |
533lRice, E. G |
.. 174IThomp3on, Thore |
. 252Zilk, William |
333 |
^ |
|||
|
"rl |
J |
-• 5 |
>v |
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PORTRAITS
|
PAGE |
PAGE |
PAGE |
PAOi |
||||
|
Atherton, T. M.... |
... 393 |
Fletcher, A |
.... 289 |
Lohr, Peter |
... 411 |
.... 629 |
|
|
Foreman, Cyrus — |
.... 185 |
Lovejoy, G. B.... |
459 |
||||
|
Cleland, John B... |
235 |
Smith, Nickelas... |
.... 469 |
||||
|
Hambrecht, Fred.. |
.... 479 |
McKinley, S. J... |
.... 253 |
Stacy, H. I |
.... 509 |
||
|
Eaton, A. K |
167 |
Hitchcock, Arad... |
.... 149 |
||||
|
Howe, J. M |
.... 449 |
Nichols, M. V |
439 |
Vanderpoel. C. C |
... 271 |
||
|
Fey, John |
376 |
||||||
|
Fellows, H |
341 |
Kimball, D. W |
. , . . 489 |
Owen, C. M |
429 |
Zilk, Wm |
.... 323 |
HISTORY OF WORTH COUNTY.
CHAPTER I.
CHAPTER II.
CHAPTER in.
PIONEER LIFE 550
Early Manners and Customs 550
Character of the Pioneers ... 5.53
Clothins 552
The Wedding- 554
Snakes 555
Agricultural 5.55
Religion 556
CHAPTER IV.
CODNTY GOVERNMENT 557
CHAPTER V.
OFFICIAL MATTERS 572
Population. 573
County Charity 573
Civil Townships 573
Town Platts 573
Marriage Record 574
Financial 575
First Treasurer's Report 577
Other Items of Interest .577
Registry of Deeds .578
CHAPTER VI.
CHAPTER VII.
THE COURTS OF WORTH COUNTY 583
District <;ourt 585
ClrcuitCourt 586
County Court 687
CHAPTER VIII.
THE BA.R OF WORTH COUNTY 587
CHAPTER IX.
PAGE
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION OF WORTH COUNTY 694
CHAPTER X.
POLITICAL 598
Official Vote 610
CHAPTER XI.
NATIONAL, STATE AND COUNTY REPRE- SENTATION 624
Congressional 624
General A ssembly 626
Bank Examiner , 627
County Officials 628
County Judges 628
County Auditors 629
Treasurers and Recorders 630
County Treasurers 631
County Recorders '. 633
Clerks of the Court 633
Sheriff 634
Prosecuting Attorneys 635
Surveyors 635
Coroners 636
Drainage Commissioners 639
CHAPTER XII.
THE PRESS 640
Northwood Pioneer 641
The Sentinel 643
Worth County Eagle 643
KensettMail 645
Worth County Index 645
CHAPTER XIII.
THE WAR FOR THE UNION 649
Roster of the Regiments 664
Roll of Honor 688
CHAPTER XIV.
EDUCATIONAL 666
School Fund Commissioner 669
Couniy Superintendents 670
Present Condition 675
Normal Institutes 676
Teachers' A ssociation 677
- »
r
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
^a
CHAPTER XV.
PAGE
GEOGRAPHY, TOPOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE 6T8
CHAPTER XVI .
COUNTY SOCIETIES 681
The Old Settler's Society «82
Agricultural Society ; 693
Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company 697
County Musical Association 697
CHAPTER XVn.
RAILROADS.
CHAPTER XVHI.
BARTON TOWNSHIP 703
Early Settlement 703
Historical Items 703
Educational Matters JOi
Organic 704
Biographical 704
CHAPTER XIX.
BRISTOL TOWNSHIP 707
Early Settlement 70'?
Org-anic 70S
First Things 'jll
Educational 711
PostoUices 711
Religious 712
VILLAGE OF BRISTOL 712
CemeteriHS 712
County Seat 713
Biographical 713
CHAPTER XX.
BROOKFIELD TOWNSHIP • 731
Early Settlement 721
Organic 732
First Things 72i
Educational 732
PostolHce '723
Religious '723
VILLAGE OF OLENMARY 723
Biographical 724
CHAPTER XXI.
DEER CREEK TOWNSHIP 731
Early Settlement 731
First Items 732
Burned Alive 732
Biographical 7,i2
CHAPTER XXII.
DANVILLE TOWNSHIP 734
Early Settlement 735
Earlj' Keminiscence 735
Organization ', 735
First Items ', ' 738
Educational 736
Religious 736
Fostoffice 737
Biographica I 737
CHAPTER XXIII.
FERTILE TOWNSHIP 744
Lakes 744
Early Settlement , ' 747
Organic 748
First Items 749
Educational 749
Religious
Cemeteries
Postofflces
Railway Matters
VILLAGE OFrEBTILE.
CHAPTER XXIV.
HARTLAND TOWNSHIP.
Early Settlement
Organic
First Items
Postolfice
Cemeteries
Educational
Religious
Biographical
CHAPTER XXV,
KENSETT TOWNSHIP..
Eai ly Set tlement
Historical Crumbs ...
Organic
Educational
VILLAGE OF KENSETT.
Postoflice
Biographical
CHAPTER XXVI,
LINCOLN TOWNSHIP.
Early Settlement
Organic
Historical Crumbs
Educational
VILLAGE OF MANLY...
Hotels
Mercantile
Creamery
Mechanical
Postoflice
Biographical
( HAPTER XXVII
NORTH WOOD TOWNSHIP..
Early Settlement
Organic
Historical Events
Town of Northwood
Recorded Plats
Early Days
Organic
Postoflice
Hotels
Religious
Sunday Schools
Educational
Societies
Fire Department
Cornet Band
Militia
Litf rary A ssociation
Music Hall
Worth County Bank
Northwood Mills
Mercantile Interest
Elevators
Photograph Galleries
Cemetery
Northwood Mutual Union.
Fire
Court House
Temperance
Biographical
CHAPTER XXVIII,
r
|
^9 |
1 — «- |
• |
> |
||||||
|
■hr^ |
|||||||||
|
1 |
TABLE OF CONTENTS. |
xni |
|||||||
|
PAGE |
PAGE |
||||||||
|
Early Settlement.. |
. 856 . 857 .. 857 8S8 |
872 . 873 . 872 . 873 |
|||||||
|
Postofflce |
TOWN OF ORArrON Thirty Hours in a |
||||||||
|
Religious |
Snow Storm |
||||||||
|
865 |
Biographical |
. 876 |
|||||||
|
Organic |
.. -865 |
||||||||
|
Biographical |
.. 865 |
CHAPTER X-yX |
|||||||
|
CHAPTER XXIX, |
A RETROSPECT— WORTH COUNTY OF TO-DAT 883 |
||||||||
|
CHAPTER XXXI. |
|||||||||
|
.. 869 .. 870 |
TERRITORIAL AND STATE OFFICERS |
.887 |
|||||||
|
Early Settlers |
|||||||||
|
BIOGRAPHICAL. |
|||||||||
|
PAGE |
PAGE |
PAGE |
PAGE 1 |
||||||
|
Aasenhus, A |
75» |
Cleophas, Knudt;_ |
... 631 |
Gabriel, Tennis |
844 |
Jensen, NealC |
882 i |
||
|
Abbey, Villroy |
im |
Cole, Edwin |
...786 |
Gardner, Darius 688-875 |
Jewett, C.F |
796 1 |
|||
|
Albrecht, Joseph |
7HH |
Cole, Avery |
.. 796 |
Gaskill, Thomas R.... |
7.55 |
Johnson, E. L |
860 1 |
||
|
Allinson, Lars |
704 |
Colbertson, Trules. |
... 729 |
Gile, CariL |
7411 |
Johnson, John D |
772 1 |
||
|
Anderson, Gustaf |
v:« |
Cooper, Jesse M |
.. 725 |
Gile. William F |
74(1 |
Johnson, Martin E. . |
848 |
||
|
Anderson, Knudt |
7« |
CoUln, Edwin |
... 592 |
Glassel, Michael |
878 |
Johnson, Robertson.. |
764 |
||
|
Anderson, L. 0.-.-< ... |
7(14 |
Copes, Polly |
... 68S |
Golburg, OleP |
7(15 |
Johnson, Siver |
866 |
||
|
Armstrong, Jacob |
KVK |
Cornick. H. B |
... 791 |
Gor.lon, Ole 0 |
7SS |
Jones, JohnR 597-766 |
|||
|
Ainesen, Nils |
726 |
Couse, Augustus... |
... 74C |
Gordon, Thore |
793 |
Jones, Josephus P |
846 |
||
|
Asbjormson, Asbjorm |
vast |
Crandell, T. Strr. .. |
. . 824 |
Grefthen, Jens N |
8.5(1 |
Jorde, Erick Nelson . . . |
725 1 |
||
|
Arudts, C. C |
787 |
Cuchar, John |
... 74c |
Greeley, Otis |
714 |
||||
|
CuUen, John |
... 71c |
Grove, Andrew |
758 |
Kaasa, IngrebretOIeen 717 ! |
>J |
||||
|
Balkan, Peter |
72H |
GuUickson, Gilbert..^ |
847 |
Kean, N. L |
696 1 |
||||
|
Barker, Mrs. 0 |
7IS) |
Dahl, A.G |
... 73S |
GuUickson, Stephen/: |
846 |
Keeler, H. N |
792 |
||
|
Barnard, H. E |
SK(I |
Dahl, Gilbert G |
.. 868 |
Gullson. G |
86i |
Keeler, James |
594 1 |
||
|
Bearer. Frederick |
•m |
Dahl, Philip Jrr.... Dahlseide, Knudt J |
... 867 |
Kelley, Michael |
763 |
||||
|
Beckett, B. H.^^.. |
841 |
771 |
Hagan, Lars EUef sen. |
717 |
Kirk, William W |
767 |
|||
|
Becket, G. H.rr. |
KHd |
Daley, G. K |
... 7.56 |
Hagen, A. H |
8.5(1 |
Kivel, Stener Gun- |
|||
|
Belstad, E. W |
71f |
Doble, August |
.. 797 |
Hagen, Lars Ellef son . |
775 |
derson |
716 |
||
|
Belstad, Lars W |
'ii>'.l |
Doebel, Henry |
. . . 795 |
Hall. Frank C |
84.- |
Kjerland, Neils T |
779 |
||
|
, Belstad, Ole W |
7.W |
Dwelle, Lemucl.r^. |
... 852 |
7-^9 |
Klove, L.D |
844 |
|||
|
Belstad, Peter 0 |
71!) |
DweUe, A. J^. |
... 843 |
Halverson, John |
716 |
Knudtson, Ben. E |
706 |
||
|
Belstad, Wraal L |
7.W |
Dwelle, H . V^. |
... 631 |
Hauge, Andrew N |
76(1 |
Knudtson, Elling>>... |
868 |
||
|
Berge, A.J |
IK |
Hangestuek, Chris- |
Knudtson, J. E |
798 |
|||||
|
Benjegerdes, J. D |
7H7 |
tian N |
772 |
Knudtson, N. E |
794 |
||||
|
Bentley, Amos r: |
ii8H |
Eckert, 0. V<. |
... 8« |
Hanson, John H |
743 |
Knudtson, Ole |
868 |
||
|
Benson, Ole |
74a |
Edwardson, Ole... |
... 78C |
Hanson, Martin |
732 |
Knudtson, T |
7.58 |
||
|
Beyer, Abraham |
7H!I |
Egbert, SamueK.. |
... 83<: |
Hanson, Ule 0... Haroldson, 01e<. . . 78C |
7;« |
Kocttengen, Knute N |
774 |
||
|
Blgelow, Roswell |
M-4 |
Egge, Nels Nelson. |
... 767 |
-8,5(1 |
Krusemark, AugustD |
705 |
|||
|
Blackmore, A C |
li-if |
ElUngson, Bear |
... 701 |
Harmon, Andrew O. . . |
725 |
Krusemark, Charles.. |
705 |
||
|
Blackmore, M . 0 |
7H7 |
Ellingson, Elling-'. |
... 795 |
Hartley, Walter T.... |
592 |
Kuchar, John |
743 |
||
|
74a 839 |
EUingson, Erick... Ellingson, E. 0 |
... 866 .. 716 |
Heniyson, AndrewTt. Helny, Frank |
879 |
Landsrud, Anders Langseth, Hans N Lane, Chauncey S |
869 742 630 |
|||
|
Bolton, Isaac N.-^". ... |
|||||||||
|
Booth, B. 3^. Boughton, W. T Boynton, George |
67a mi |
EUingson, Ole |
... 867 |
Heiny, John , |
876 731 |
||||
|
8,51 |
Ellingson, Svend 0 |
... 716 |
Hengesteg, Carrie C. . Holshad, Ole Bendick |
774 |
765 |
||||
|
Bratten, Thor Hanson |
77o |
Elliott, A |
... 592 |
||||||
|
Bray, Thomas |
'm |
Eno, Oliver IX.... |
647-847 |
son |
Vi3 |
Lee:ile, Robert Leslie, C. J^ Letzring, Ernest Leverson, Amos Leverson, Mary Loberg, Lars Larson.. Locke, Charles Loftsgarden, Edwin H Loop, Dr.. |
733 591 705 724 720 866 784 1 760 595 |
||
|
Brooks, George R. . . |
881 |
Erickson, Helges... |
... 776 |
Holstad, Sever B |
|||||
|
Brunswold, Erlck 0.. |
7,W |
Eschrich, Henry L. |
... 7I>5 |
Holstenson, Severt, . . . |
VH |
||||
|
Brunswold. Nels 0.... |
7,W |
Evanson, Ole |
... 726 |
Hooper. A. A |
|||||
|
Brunswold, Ole 0 |
im |
Evenson, Even |
... 815 |
Hopperstad, Ole E.... |
851 |
||||
|
Brunsvold, Ole N .... Burdick, Alfred |
743 71. 5 |
Fass, Ole E |
... 731 |
Borland, H. 0 Horwei, Andrew J |
762 868 |
||||
|
Butler, D. M Butler, L. STT |
591 589 |
Fass, A. E Fass, J. B |
.. 731 ... 74b |
Housey, Louis A Hove, H. OC. |
868 |
||||
|
778] Hove, John K; |
775 |
||||||||
|
Butler, Stephen R. ... Cady, Almon |
nsn |
FJeld, Ole Nilson . |
7.57!Hildreth, William B... |
793 |
Lund * Lewis B Linderman, William.. Littlefleld, C.F |
||||
|
794 |
Fjeld, Nils Olson... Fjeld, Ole Nilson... |
... 7.5T Hill, Andrew ... 76^ Hill, Wesley E |
726 792 |
798 861 |
|||||
|
Calhoun, J. C |
7.57 |
Folmuth, John |
. . . 797 Hitchcock, John C |
||||||
|
Carter, L. L |
R;^:^ |
Ford, Herbert |
... 882 Hitchcock, S. L |
741 |
Mastrud, Hans |
795 |
|||
|
Christian, David W... |
879 |
Ford, John A . . . .j, Foster, Sidney AT. , Franklin, D. D^... |
.. 762 Hunchis, Joseph |
878 |
Maxwell, C.H |
597 |
|||
|
Christians, Charles. . . . |
879 |
... 644iHundeby, T Ifr^ |
84(1 |
McEnelly, George A.. |
754 |
||||
|
Christiansen, Thomas. |
774 |
... .59o|Hungertord, James .. |
79K |
McEnelly, John |
7.53 |
||||
|
i |
Clark, William J |
7118 |
Freeman, A . R |
.. 784jHunt, E, D |
795 |
McKercher, Duncan.. |
631 |
||
|
Clark, William P |
r,w] |
Frink, J. Gilbert... |
... 880!Hnnt, T. J |
59.5 |
McLeod, Lawrence... |
883 |
f |
||
|
Clausen, C. W.^r |
m |
Frostem, Knud H . |
... 7UjHunt, William J |
792 |
McNenamy. Drrrr-. |
596 |
|||
|
Cleophas Brothers. . . . |
783 |
Fryer, C. H |
... 7C6l Hunter, William |
838 |
MeUem, Gulbrand 0 . . . |
540 1 |
!^ |
||
|
4 |
|||||||||
|
s -- |
-•^ a |
\ |
-y*
TABLE 'OF CONTENTS.
Mellem, EUing &^
Merrill, C. F
Jlichener.J. C
Midlang, Nels K
Miller, A. K.
: PAGE
[Perkins, W. H 634
i Perry, J. U 589:
; Peterson, C. J 84T;
I Peterson, Henr)t« 844
645|Peterson, 01e-»v 724;
Miller, I. H 718 Peterson, S. O.
Molsberry, W. P*^ 879' Petznich, William
Molsberry, J. Mt^ 875!Platts, George
Moore, D. S 596] Pickering-, William R,^.
706i
Mostrom, Halsten Murphy, J. H Myli, H. H.... Myli,01eH...
i^Ramse, TellefT 761
o'Kandall, John 791
""Reniore, H. H«^ 593
-iRendall, James D - ... 842
Nelson, N.E 597-73ii 5'<=®' Samuel K
Nelson N.J 784 5°^"'^ °' ^""^n ,qx
ao-jKoot, Bansom H 734
?S?!Rowe, O. C 720
iSiRustad, Simour^ 838
i„e,su„, reter 867!S"f «"■ ^""«'" « ••
Noben, P.O 592 ^^S, Ole A
Nehus, Ole Hanson .
Nye, A Nichols, Madison.. Nielson, James P.. . Nielson, Peter
Olmsted, Silas L
Olsen, Jokum
Orwerson, H
Gosen, Peterson Chris- ten
Overholt, Fred W
Overholt, G. A
Overholt, Jacob
Overholt, William H...
Pan';burn.H< nry
Parker. Ftanklin
Paulson, K
Pederson, Edwardr^. Perkins, O. F
761
Sagen, K. K
Savre, Brick E.'** 635
Savre, K
Savre, K. E
Scammon, Frank>* Schaub, Valentine... .
*^eater, John
Sether, Christian
Sherman, James R. ...
Sime, Lewis T
Simmonds, Dow
Sinda, Ole Knudson
Siverson, Knudt
Slosson, John M»»
PAGE
ISmith, A. I
Smith, Enos 629
;Smith, E. W
Smith, Henry C... .
Smith, S. V. R
Sonve, Nels A
Spickerman, Justus Spilda, Mikkel P....
npudling, Floyd T 845
Stehn, Herman 705
Steile, Thrond Olson... 70B
Stein, Ole Johnson 7""
Stenerson. John 7:
Stensrud, Andrew 795
Stevens, Edwin
Storre, NelsN 742
Storre, S. N 741
Stott, Walter 671
Strand, Rev. H. J... Sunderman, John.. Svensrud, Elling B^»i. 772 Swessinger, Charles. Syverson, Ole
Telle, Peter Larson.
Tenold, A. O
Tenold, Ole 0 726
Thoea, Elling Nelson Thompson, Albert .. Thompson, Julius C.
Thorson, Ole
Thosteuson, Simon..
Todd, William 715
Torgerson, Rev. T. At- 862
Torstenson, Ole 714
Tosdal, Rev. Lrr. 865
Tostenson, Aslagrr-.... 843 Towne, Albert L.— .. 634-773
PAGE
Towne, J.B 773
Towne, PMloC 876
Trebilcock. John 737
Trebilcock, Samuel.... 738
Trostem, Knud H 714
Trustram, Eric G 759
Turner, George E 881
Wadsworth, William. . . 794
Wagner, Frank J 787
Walker, Andrew C^ . . 627 Walker, Benjaminv^
639-855
Walsvik, OleO 850
Wardall, Charlesi*. .. 634-840
Watson, John Du^ 591
Wattson, G.Pw. 845
Weieneth, John........ 784
Weka, Trules Colbert- son 729
Wentmore, John A 742
Westcott, George W... 754
Weston, John U., 852
White, Isaae^ 754
Wilcox, F. A 786
Willing, JohaH-~ 825
Williams, Da\'ld 744
Wikko, Nels Olsen 876
Wikko, NielsO 775
Winger, A. E 785
Wiser, H Orr 741
Wright, Chester 838
Wright, David 629
Wright, T. E 717
Wyborny, Braddick 880
Wyborny, Frank 880
Wyborny, John 880
Zum, E. D 786
PORTRAITS
|
Beyer, A.. Blackmore |
, A."c'.'. |
PAGE Burdick, A .... 673 .... 583lEschrich, Henry L. |
page] ... 547[Gardner,Darius... . . 691;Rhodes, Wm |
PAGE .... 565 601 |
Rhodes. Hannah.. |
PAGE .... 603 |
Certificates ot Mitchell County Committee?.
' ' We the undersigned, members of the general committee, appointed for the revision and correction of the general chapters of the history of Mitchell county, hereby certify that said manuscript was submitted to us, and we have made all the changes, corrections and additions that we in our judgment and to the best of our recollection deemed necessary, and as corrected and changed we approve of the same."
TOLLEF M. TOLLEFSEN, 1
A. S. Faville, I
[Signed] A.H.Moore, f^ Committee.
John Lewis, |
Harlow Gray, j
The following is the certificate of the committees for the respective townships :
' ' We, the uncjersigned members of the committee appointed to correct and revise the history of our respective townphips for the History of Mitchell county, hereby certify that the manuscript has been submit- ted to us, and that to the best of our recollection, the same is correct, with the additions and alterations we have suggested.
J. D. Jenkins, J. B. Allen, Harry Counsell,
—Burr Oak Towjtship.
Fred Hartwig, Levi Olson,
—Cedar Township.
M. W. Cummings, Jehial George, Milford Hunt,
—Douglas Township.
Asa Marsh, E. M. Moss,
— JeiiWrw Township.
Charles Penney, Aithur Penney,
—Liberty Township.
Moses Orchard, G. A. Wright,
—Lincoln Township.
S. B. Chase, W. L. Evans, W. S. Johnston, John Goodbrand, A. H. Moore,
—Osage Township.
C. S, Prime, J. D. Chambers, John F. English,
—Mitchell Township .
David Hylden, Andrew Halvorson,
—Newburg Township.
Abijah Mack, A. J. Wilder, A. C. Wilder, David West,
—Otranto Township.
. H. Love joy, . Nelson, . L. Zeilinger,
—Rock Township.
S. Sweet, Knud Tollefson, M. F. Tucker, T. M. ToUetsen,
—St. Ansgar Township
Fitch B. Stacy, Nicholas Holman, H. I. Stacy,
—StacyvUle Township.
Jacob Decker, Halsey C. Boyd, J. H. Beebe,
—Union Township.
D. W. Kimboll, George W. Barker,
—Wayne Toumship.
Certificates of Worth County.
We, the committee appointed by the early settlers and old residents of the county, to correct and revise the History of Worth county, written and compiled by the Union Publishing Company, of Springfleld, niinois, do hereby certify that the manuscript of the same was submitted to us, and that we did, to the best of our ability, examine the same and made all the changes and additions that we, in our judgment, deemed necessary, and as thus corrected, approve the same.
Samuel Egbert, 1
S. RnSTAD, (
B. H. Beckett, (-Committee.
H. V. DWZLLE, I
G. F. Wattson, J
We, the committee appointed by the old residents and prominent business men of the county, to correct and revise the history of our respective townships, for the History ot Worth county, compiled and written by the Union Publishing Company, of Springfield, Illinois, do hereby certif.v that said manuscript was sub- mitted to us, and that we made all the changes and additions, that we, in our judgement, deemed necessary and proper. As thus corrected, we are satisfied and approve of the same.
James Keeler, Otis Greeley,
—Bristol Township.
BlUng E. Svensnid, A. L. Towne,
— Harttond Township .
P. M. Bolton, Wm. Dixon, A. J, Dwelle,
— iVorthicood Township.
W. H. Kussell, S. P. Cravath,
—Lincoln Township.
L. O. Anderson, —Barton and Deer Creek Township.
Andrew Henryson,
—Brookfteld Township.
3. M. Slossen,
—Kensett Township.
William Rhodes, T. R. Gaskill, George A. McEnelly,
—Fertile Towmship.
A. C. Blackmore, Samuel Trebileock, Abraham Beyer,
—Danville Township .
Mrs. Lucretia Gardner, Franklin Parker. J. M. Molsberry,
—Union Tovmship.
Lars Larson, Ole T. Groe,
—Silver Lake Township.
iPv
^1
HISTORY OF IOWA.
CHAPTER I.
THE traveler, in wending bis way across the fair State of Iowa, with its evidences of civilization upon every hand; its magnificent churches with spires pointing heavenward; its school-houses almost upon every hill; palatial residences evincing wealth and refinement, cannot realize that, less than a half century ago, this "beautiful land" was the home only of the red man, who roamed at will over the fair and fertile prairies, hunting in the woods and fishing in its streams. The change would seem too great for him to realize. But it is indeed true. These churches, these school-houses, these pala- tial residences, these railroads, these tele- graph and telephone wires, all have been erected or placed here within the space of a half century.
Before the advent of the Red Men, who were found in possession by the Europeans, who inhabited this country, is a subject yet unsolved, and is shrouded in mystery. That there were human beings of a distinct race from the red men of later days, is gen-
erally conceded, but scientists fail as yet to agree as to their nature and origin. That this continent is co-existent with the world of the ancients cannot be questioned. Every investigation instituted under the auspices of modern civilization confirms this fact. It is thought by many that the first inhabitants came from Asia, by way of Behriiig's Strait, and in large numbers. Magnificent cities and monuments were raised at the bidding of tribal leaders, and populous settlements centered with thriv- ing villages sprang up everywhere in man- ifestation of the progress of the people. For the last four hundred years the colo- nizing Caucasian has trodden on the ruins of a civilization whose greatness he could only surmise. Among these ruins are pyramids similar to those which have ren- dered Egypt famous. The pyramid of Chalula is square, each side of its base being 1,335 feet, and its height 172 feet. Another pyramid north of Vera Cruz is formed of large blocks of highly polished porphyry, and bears upon its front hiero-
HISTORY OF IOWA.
glyphic inscriptions and curious sculpture. It is o2 feet square, and a tli};litof 57 steps Conducts to its summit, which is 65 feet high. The ruins of Palenque are said to extend 20 miles along the ridge of a moun- tain, and the remains of an Aztec city, near tlie banks of the Gila, are spread over more than a square league. The principal feature of the Aztec civilization which has come down to us was its religion, which we are told was of a dark and gloomy character'. Each new god created by their priesthood, instead of arousing new life in the people, brought death to thousands; and their grotesque idols exposed to drown the senses of the beholders in fear, wrought wretcheduess rather than spiritual happi- ness. In fact, fear was the great animating principal, the motive power which sustained this terrible religion. Their altars were sprinkled with blood drawn from their own bodies in large quantities, and on them thousands of human victims were sacri- ficed in honor of tbe demons whom they worshipped. The head and heart of every captive taken in war were offered up as a sacrifice to the god of battles, while the victorious legions feasted on the remaining portions of the bodies. It is said that during the ceremonies attendant on the consecration of two of their tem- ples, the number of prisoners offered up in sacrifice was 12,210, while they them- selves contributed large numbers of volun- tary victims to the terrible belief.
The race known as the Mound-Builders next att! acts the attention of the ethnolo- gists. Throughout the Mississippi Valley, including many portions of Iowa, are found mounds and wal's of earth or stone, which
can only have a human origin. These mounds vary in size from a few feet to hundreds of feet in diameter. In them are often found stone axes, pestles, arrow- heads, spear-points, pieces of liint, and other articles. Pottery of various do- signs is very common in them, and from the material of which they are made geol- ogists have attempted to assign their age.
Some have thought that the Mcund- Builders were a race quite distinct from the modern Indians, and tbat they were in an advanced state of civilization. The best authorities now agree that while the comparatively civilized people called the Aztecs built the cities whose ruins are occasionally found, the Mound-Builders were the immediate ancestors of the In- dians De Soto first saw, and little different from the Indians of to-day.
The origin of the Red Men, or Ameri- can Indians, is a subject which interests as well as instructs. It is a favorite topic with the ethnologist, even as it is one of deep concern to the ordinary reader. A review of two works lately published on the origin of the Indians, treats the matter in a peculiarly reasonable light. It says :
"Recently a German writer has put for- ward one theory on the subject, and an English writer has put forward another and directly opposite theory. The differ- ence in opinion concerning our aboriginals among authors who have made a profound study of races, is at once curious and in- teresting. Blumenbach treats them in his classifications as a distinct variety of the human family; but, in the three-fold divi- sion of Dr. Latham, they are ranked among the Mongolidae. Other writers on races
HISTORY OF IOWA.
1{
regard them as a branch of the great Mon- golian family, which at a distant period found its way from Asia to this continent, and remained here for centuries separate from the rest of mankind, passing, mean- while, through divers phases of barbarism and civilization. Morton, our eminent ethnologist, and his followers, Nott and Gliddon, claim for our native Red Men an origin as distinct as the flora and fauna of this continent. Prichard, whose views are apt to differ from Morton's, finds reason to believe, on comparing the American tribes together, that they must have formed a separate department of nations from the earliest period of the world. The era of their existence as a distinct and isolated people must probably be dated back to the time which separated into nations the in- habitants of the Old World, and gave to each its individuality and primitive lan- guage. Dr. Robert Brown, the latest aut- ority, attributes, in his 'Races of Man- kind,' an Asiatic origin to our aboriginals. He says that the Western Indians not only personally resemble their nearest neighbors — the Northeastern Asiatics — but they re- semble them in language and tradition. The Esquimaux on the American and the Tchuktcis on the Asiatic side understand one another perfectly. Modern anthro- pologists, indeed, are disposed to think that Japan, the Kuriles, and neighboring regions, may be regarded as the original home of the greater part of the native American race. It is also admitted by them that between the tribes scattered from the Arctic sea to Cape Horn there is more uniformity of physical feature than is seen in any other quarter of the globe. The weight of evidence and au-
thority is altogether in favor of the opin- ion that our so-called Indians are a branch of the Mongolian family, and all additional researches strengthen the opinion. The tribes of both North and South America are unquestionably homogeneous, and, in all likelihood, had their origin in Asia, though they have been altered and modi- fied by thousands of years of total separa- tion from the present stock."
If the conclusions arrived at by the reviewer is correct, how can one account for the vast difference in manner and form between the Red Man as he is now known, or even as he appeared to Columbus and his successors in the field of discovery, and the comparatively civilized inhabitants of Mexico, as seen in 1521 by Cortez, and of Peru, as witnessed by Pizarro in 1532 ? The subject is worthy of investigation.
In the year 1541, Ferdinand DeSoto, a Spaniarl, discovered the Mississippi river, at the mouth of the Washita. He, how- ever, penetrated no further north than the 35lh parallel of latitu le, his death ter- minating the expedition. It was thus left for a later discoverer to first view the "beautiful land."
In a grand council of Indians on the shores of Lake Superior, they told the Frenchmen glowing stories of the "great river" and the countries near it. Mar- quette, a Jesuit father, became inspired with the idea of discovering this noble river. He was delayed in this great un- dertaking, however, and spent the interval in studying the language and habits of the Illinois Indians, among whom he expected to travel. In 1673 he completed his pre- parations for the journey, in which he was to be accompanied by Joliet, an agent of
:^
HISTORY OF IOWA.
the French Government. The Indians, who had gathered in large numbers to wit- ness his departure, tried to dissuade him from the undertaking, representing that the Indians of the Mississippi Valley were cruel and bloodthirsty, and would resent the intrusion of strangers upon their do- main. The great river itself, they said, was the abode of terrible monsters, who could swallow both canoes and men. But Marquette was not diverted from his pur- pose by these reports, and set out on his adventurous trip May 13; he reached, first, an Indian village where once had been a mission, and where he was treated hospit- ably; thence, with the aid of two Miami guides, he proceeded to the Wisconsin, down which he sailed to the great Missis- sippi, which had so long been anxiously looked for; floating down its unknown wa'ters, the explorer discovered, on the 25ih of June, traces of Indians on the west bank of the river, and landed a little above the river now known as the Des Moines. For the first time Europeans trod the soil of Iowa. Marquette remained here a short time, becoming acquainted with the In- dians, and then proceeded on his explora- tions. He descended the Mississippi to the Illinois, by which and Lake Michigan he returned to French settlements.
Nine years later, in 1682, La Salle de- scended the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, and, in the name of the king of France, took formal posession of all the immense region watered by the great river and its tributaries from its source to its mouth, and named It Louisiana, in honor of his master, Louis XIV. The river he called " Colbert," in honor of the French Minister, and at its mouth erected a column
and a cross bearing the' inscription, in French:
' 'LOUIS THE GREAT, KIXQ OF FKAXCB ASD NAVABKB, EEIGKING APRIL 9, 1683."
France then claimed by right of dis- covery and occupancy the whole valley of the Mississippi and its tributaries, includ- ing Texas. Spain at the same time laid claim to all the region about the Gulf of Mexico, and thus these two great nations were brought into collision. But the country was actually held and occupied by the native Indians, especially the great Miami Confederacy, the Miamis proper (anciently the Twightwees) being the east- ern and most powerful tribe.
Spain having failed to make any settle- ment in the newly-discovered country, it was left for France to occupy the land, and that government, soon after the dis- covery of the mouth of the Mississippi by La Salle, in 1682, began to encourage the policy of establishing a line of trading posts and missionary stations, extending through the west from Canada to Louis- iana.
In 1762, France, in a time of extreme weakness, ceded all the territory west of the Mississippi, including what is now Iowa, to Spain, which power retained pos- session until October 1, 1800, when it retroceded it to France. This latter power ceded it to the United States in 1803, for the sum of $15,000,000.
On assuming control, the United States organized all that region west of the Mis- sissippi and north of the Territory of Orleans as the District of Louisiana. In 1805 the District of Louisiana was organ- ized into the Territory of Louisiana.
T
HISTORY OF IOWA.
1 his Territory was subsequently divided, and now forms seven great States — Louis-
iana, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas and Nebraska.
CHAPTER II,
INDIANS AND INDIAN WARS.
For more than one hundred years after Marquette and Joliet trod the virgin soil of Iowa, and admired its fertile plains, not a single settlement had been made or attempted, nor even a trading post estab- lithed. The whole country remained in the undisputed posEession of the native tribes, who often poured out their life blood in obstinate contest for supremacy. That this Stale, so aptly styled "The Beautiful Land," had been the theatre of numerous fierce and bloody struggles be- tween the rival nations for possession of the favored region long before its settle- ment by civilized man, there is no room for doubt. In these savage wars the weaker party, whether aggressive or de- fensive, was either exterminated or driven from its ancient hunting grounds.
When Marquette visited this country in 16'?3, the lUini were a very powerful people, occupying a large portion of the State ; Lut when the country was again visited by the whites, not a remnant of that once powerful tribe remained on the west side of the Mississippi, and Iowa was principally in the possession of the
Sacs and Foxes, a warlike tribe which, originally two distinct nations, residing in New York and on the waters of the St. Lawrence, had gradually fought their way westward, and united, probably after the Foxes had been driven out of the Fox River country in 1846, and crossed the Mississippi. The deaih of Pontiac, a famous Sac chieftain, was made the pre- text for war against the lUini, and a fierce and bloody struggle ensued, which con- tinued until the Illiui were nearly de- stroyed, and their hunting grounds pos- sessed by their victorious foes. The lowas also occupied a portion of the State, for a time, in common with the Sacs, but they, too, were nearly destroyed by the Sacs and Foxes, and in " The Beautiful Land " these natives met their equally warlike foes, the northern Sioux, with whom they maintained a constant warfare for the pos- session of the country for many years.
In 1803, when Louisiana was purchased by the United States, the Sacs, Foxes and lowas possessed the entire State of Iowa, and the two former tribes, also, occupied most of Illinois.
HISTORY OF IOWA.
The Sacs had four principal villages, where most of them resided. Their largest and most important town — if an Indian yillage may be called such — and from which emanated most of the ob- stacles encountered by the Government in the extinguishment of Indian titles to land in this region, was on Eock river, near Rock Island ; another was on the east bank of the Mississippi, near the mouth of Henderson river ; the third was at the head of the Des Moines Rap- ids, near the present site of Montrose ; and the fourth was near the mouth of the upper Iowa.
The Foxes had three principal villages. One was on the west side of the Missis- sippi, six miles above the rapids of Rock river; another was about twelve miles from the river, in the rear of the Dubuque lead mines ; and the third was on Turkey river.
The lowas, at one time identified with the Sacs of Rock river, had withdrawn from them and become a separate tribe. Their principal village was on the Des Moines river, in Van Buren county, on the site where lowaville now stands. Here the last great battle between the Sacs and Foxes and the lowas was fought, in which Black Hawk, then a young man, com- manded one division of the attacking f "rces. The following account of the bat- tle has been given:
"Contrary to long established custom of Indian attack, this battle was commenced in the day-time, the attending circum- stances Justifying this departure from the well-settled usages of Indian warfare. The battle-field was a level river bottom, about four miles in length, and two miles wide
near the middle, narrowing to a point at either end. The main area of this bottom rises perhaps twenty feet above the river, leaving a narrow strip of low bottom along the shore, covered with trees that belted the prairie on the river side with a thick forest, and the immediate bank of the river was fringed with a dense growth of wil- low. Near the lower end of this prairie, near the river bank, was situated the Iowa village. About two miles above it and near the middle of the prairie is a mound, covered at the time with a tuft of small trees and underlirush growing on its sum- mit. In the rear ot this little elevation or mound lay a belt of wet prairie, covered, at that time, with a dense growth of rank, coarse grass. Bordering this wet prairie on the north, the country rises abruptly into elevated broken river bluffs, covered with a heavy forest for many miles in ex- tent, and in places thickly clustered with undergrowth, affording convenient shelter for the stealthy approach of the foe.
"Through this forest the Sacand Fox war party made their way in the night, and secreted themselves in the tall grass spoken of above, intending to remain in ambush during the day and make such observa- tions as this near proximity to their in- tended victims might afford, to aid them in their contemplated attack on the town during the following night. From this situation their spies could take a full sur- vey of the village, and watch every move- ment of the inhabitants, by which means they were soon convinced that the lowas had no suspicion of their presence.
"At the foot of the mound above men- tioned the lowas had their race course, where they diverted themselves with the
4^
HISTORY OF IOWA.
excitement of horse-racing, and schooled their young warriors in cavalry evolutions. In these exercises mock battles were fought, and the Indian tactics of attack and defense carefully inculcated, by which means a skill in horsemanship was acquired that is rarely excelled. Unfortunately for them this day was selected for their equestrian sports, and, wholly unconscious of the proximity of their foes, the warriors re- paired to the race-ground, leaving most of their arms in the village, and their old men, women and children unprotected.
"Pash-a-po-po, who was chief in com- mand of the Sacs and Foxes, perceived at once the advantage this state of things afforded for a ccmplete surprise of his now doomed victims, and ordered Black Hawk to file off with his young warriors through the tall grass and gain the cover of the timber along the river bank, and with the utmost speed reach the village and com- mence tbe battle, while he remained with his division in the ambush to make a sim- ultaneous assault on the unarmed men whose attention was engrossed with the excitement of the races. The plan was skillfully laid and most dexterously exe- cuted. Black Hawk with his forces reached the village undiscovered, and made a furious onslaught upon the de- fenseless inhabitants by firing one general volley into their midst, and completing the slaughter with the tomahawk and scalping- knife, aided by the devouring flames with which they enveloped the village as soon as the fire-brand could be spread from lodge to lodge.
"On the instant of the report of fire-arms at the village, the forces under Pash-a-po-po leaped from their couchant position in the
grass, and sprang, tiger-like, upon the un- armed lowas in the midst of their racing sports. The first impulse of the latter natur- ally led them to make the utmost speed to- ward their arms in the village, and protect, if possible, their wives and children from the attack of their merciless assailants. The distance from the place of attack on the prairie was two miles, and a great number fell in their flight by the bullets and tomahawks of their enemies, who pressed them closely with a running fiie the whole way, and the survivors only reached their town in time to witness the horrors of its destruction. Their whole village was in flames, and the dearest objects of their lives lay in slaughtered heaps amidst the devouring element, and the agonizing groans of the dying, mingled with the exulting shouts of the victorious foe, filled their hearts with maddening despair. Their wives and children who had been spared the general massacre were prisoners, and together with their arms in the hands of their victors; and all that could now be done was to draw off their shattered and defenseless forces, and save as many lives as possible by a retreat across the Des Moines river, which they effected in the best possible manner, and took a p.'sition among the Soap Creek hills."
Previous to the settlement of their vil- lage on Rock river, the Sacs and Foxes had a fierce conflict with the Winnebagos, subdued them and took possession of their lands. At one time this village contained upward of 60 lodges, and was among the largest Indian villages on the continent. The number of Sacs and Foxes in 1825 was estimated by the Secretary of War to
^!
HISTORY OF IOWA.
The Sacs had four principal villages, where most of them resided. Their largest and most important town — if an Indian village may be called such — and from which emanated most of the ob- stacles encountered by the Government in the extinguishment of Indian titles to land in this region, was on Eock river, near Rock Island ; another was on the east bank of the Mississippi, near the mouth of Henderson river ; the third was at the head of the Des Moines Rap- ids, near the present site of Montrose ; and the fourth was near the mouth of the upper Iowa.
The Foxes had three principal villages. One was on the west side of the Missis- sippi, six miles above the rapids of Rock river; another was about twelve miles from the river, in the rear of the Dubuque lead mines ; and the third was on Turkey river.
The lowas, at one time identified with the Sacs of Rock river, had withdrawn from them and become a separate tribe. Their principal village was on the Des Moines river, in Van Buren county, on the site where lowavillenow stands. Here the last great battle between the Sacs and Foxes and the lowas was fought, in which Black Hawk, then a young man, com- manded one division of the attacking f rces. The following account of the bat- tle has been given:
"Contrary to long established custom of Indian attack, this battle was commenced in the day-time, the attending circum- stances justifying this departure from the well-settled usages of Indian warfare. The battle-field was a level river bottom, about four miles in length, and two miles wide
near the middle, narrowing to a point at either end. The main area of this bottom rises perhaps twenty feet above the river, leaving a narrow strip of low bottom along the shore, covered with trees that belted the prairie on the river side with a thick forest, and the immediate bank of the river was fringed with a dense growth of wil- low. Near the lower end of this prairie, near the river bank, was situated the Iowa village. About two miles above it and near the middle of the prairie is a mound, covered at the time with a tuft of small trees and undertirush growing on its sum- mit. In the rear of this little elevation or mound lay a belt of wet prairie, covered, at that time, with a dense growth of rank, coarse grass. Bordering this wet prairie on the north, the country rises abruptly into elevated broken river bluffs, covered with a heavy forest for many miles in ex- tent, and in places thickly clustered with undergrowth, affording convenient shelter for the stealthy approach of the foe.
"Through this forest the Sac and Fox war party made their way in the night, and secreted themselves in the tall grass spoken of above, intending to remain in ambush during the ^ay and make such observa- tions as this near proximity to their in- tended victims might afford, to aid them in their contemplated attack on the town during the following night. From this situation their spies could take a full sur- vey of the village, and watch every move- ment of the inhabitants, by which means they were soon convinced that the lowas had no suspicion of their presence.
"At the foot of the mound above men- tioned the lowas had their race course, where they diverted themselves with the
» —
HISTORY OF IOWA.
excitement of horse-racing, and schooled their young warriors in cavalry evolutions. In these exercises mock battles were fought, and the Indian tactics of attack and defense carefully inculcated, by which means a skill in horsemanship was acquired that is rarely excelled. Unfortunately for them this day was selected for their equestrian sports, and, wholly unconscious of the proximity of their foes, the warriors re- paired to the race-ground, leaving most of their arms in the village, and their old men, women and children unprotected.
"Pash-a-po-po, who was chief in com- mand of the Sacs and Foxes, perceived at once the advantage this state of things afforded for a complete surprise of his now doomed victims, and ordered Black Hawk to file off with his young warriors through the tall grass and gain the cover of the timber along the river bank, and with the utmost speed reach the village and com- mence tlje battle, while he remained with his division in the ambush to make a sim- ultaneous assault on the unarmed men whose attention was engrossed with the excitement of the races. The plan was skillfully laid and most dexterously exe- cuted. Black Hawk with his forces reached the village undiscovered, and made a furious onslaught upon the de- fenseless inhabitants by firing one general volley into their midst, and completing the slaughter with the tomahawk and scalping- knife, aided by the devouring flames with which they enveloped the village as soon as the fire-brand could be spread from lodge to lodge.
"On the instant of the report of fire-arms at the village, the forces under Pash-a-po-po leaped from their couchant position in the
grass, and sprang, tiger-like, upon the un- armed lowas in the midst of their racing sports. The first impulse of the latter natur- ally led them to make the utmost speed to- ward their arms in the village, and protect, if possible, their wives and children from the attack of their merciless assailants. The distance from the place of attack on the prairie was two miles, and a great number fell in their flight by the bullets and tomahawks of their enemies, who pressed them closely with a running fiie the whole way, and the survivors only reached their town in time to witness the horrors of its destruction. Their whole village was in flames, and the dearest objects of their lives lay in slaughtered heaps amidst the devouring element, and the agonizing groans of the dying, mingled with the exulting shouts of the victorious foe, filled their hearts with maddening despair. Their wives and children who had been spared the general massacre were prisuners, and together with their arms in the hands of their victors; and all that could now be done was to draw off their shattered and defenseless forces, and save as many lives as possible by a retreat across the Des Moines river, which they effected in the best possible manner, and took a p.'sition among the Soap Creek hills."
Previous to the settlement of their vil- lage on Rock river, the Sacs and Foxes had a fierce conflict with the Winnebagos, subdued them and took possession of their lands. At one time this village contained upward of 60 lodges, and was among the largest Indian villages on the continent. The number of Sacs and Foxes in 1825 was estimated by the Secretary of War to
^-rl. 1
•■c s r*
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24
HISTORY OF IOWA.
be 4,600. Their village was situated in the immediate vicinity of the upper rapids of the Mississippi, where the flourishing towns of Eock Island and Davenport are now situated. The extensive prairies dotted over with groves, the beautiful scenery, the picturesque bluffs along the river banks, the rich and fertile soil pro- ducing large crops of corn, squash and other vegetables with little labor, the abundance of wild fruit, game, fish, and almost every- thing calculated to make it a delightful spot for an Indian village, which was found there, had made this place a favorite home of the Sacs, and secured for it the strong attachment and veneration of the whole nation.
The Sioux located their hunting grounds north of the Sacs and Foxes. They were a fierce and warlike nation, who often dis- puted possessions with their rivals in savage and bloody warfare. The possessions of these tribes were mostly located in Minne- sota, but extended over a portion of Northern and Western Iowa to the Mis- souri river. Their descent from the north upon the hunting grounds of Iowa fre- quently brought them into collision with the Sacs and Foxes, a^d after many a con- flict and bloody struggle, a boundary line was established between them by the Government of the United States, in a treaty held at Prairie du Chien in 1825. Instead of settling the difiiculties, this caused them to quarrel all the more, in consequence of alleged trespasses upon each other's side of the line. So bitter and unrelenting became these contests, that, in 1830, the Government purchased of the respective tribes of the Sacs and Foxes, and the Sioux, a strip of land twenty miles
wide on both sides of the line, thus throw- ing them forty miles apart by creating a "neutral ground," and commanded them to cease their hostilities. They were, however, allowed to fish and hunt on the ground unmolested, provided they did not interfere with each other on United States territory.
Soon after the acquisition of Louisiana, the United States Government adopted measures for the exploration of the new Territory, having in view the conciliation of the numerous tribes of Indians by whom it was possessed, and a'.so the se- lection of proper sites for the establish- ment of military posts and trading sta- tions. The Army of the West, Gen. Wil- kinson commanding, had its headquarters at St. Louis. From this post Captains Lewis and Clarke, with a sufficient force, were detailed to explore the unknown sources of the Missouri, and Lieut. Zebu- Ion M. Pike to ascend to the head waters of the Mississippi. Lieut. Pike, with one sergeant, two corporals and seven- teen privates, left the military camp, near St. Louis, in a keel boat, with four months' rations, August 9ih, 1805. On the 20ih of the same month the expedition arrived within the present limits of Iowa, at the foot of the Des Moines Rapids, where Pike met. William Ewing, who had just been appointed Indian Agent at this point, a French interpreter, four chiefs, fifteen Sacs and Fox warriors. At the head of the rapids, where Montrose is now situated, Pike held a council with the Indians, in which he addressed them sub- stantially as follows:
" Your great father, the President of the United States, wishes to be more intimately
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
25
acquainted with the situation and wants of the different nations of Red people in our newly acquired Territory of Louis- iana, and has ordered the General to send a number of his warriors in different directions to take them by the hand and make such inquiries as might afford the satisfaction required."
At the close of the council he presented the Red Men with some knives, tobacco and whisky. On the 23d of August he arrived at what is supposed, from his de- scription, to be the site of the present city of Burlington, which he selected as the location of a military post. He describes the place as " being on a hill, about forty miles above the River de Moyne Rapids, on the west side of the river, in latitude about 40 deg. 21 min. north. The channel ef the river runs on that shore. The hill in front is about 60 feet perpendicular, and nearly level at the top. About 400 yards in the rear is a small prairie, fit for gardening, and immediately under the hill is a limestone spring, sufficient for the consumption of a whole regiment." In addition to this description, which corres- ponds to Burlington, the spot is laid down on his map at a bend in the river a short distance below the mouth of the Hender- son, which pours its waters into the Mis- sissippi from Illinois. The fort was built at F'ort Madison, but from the distance, latitude, description and map furnished by Pike, it could not have been the place se- lected by him, while all the circumstances corroborate the opinion that the place he selected was the spot where Burlington is now located, called by the early voyagers on the Mississippi " Flint Hills." In c.m- pany with one of his men. Pike went on
shore on a hunting expedition, and follow- ing a stream which they supposed to be a part of the Mississippi, they were led away from their course. Owing to the intense heat and tall grass, his two favorite dogs, which he had taken with him, became ex- hausted, and he left them on the prairie, supposing that they would follow him as soon as they should get rested, and went on to overtake his boat. After reaching the river he waited some time for his canine friends, but they did not come, and as he deemed it inexpedient to detain the boat longer, two of his men volunteered to go in pursuit of them, and he continued on his way up the river, expecting that the two men would soon overtake him They lost their way, however, and for six da} s were without food, except a few morsels gathered from the stream, and might have perished had they not accidentally met a trader from St. Louis, who induced two Indians to take them up the river, and they overtook the boat at Dubuque. At ihe latter place Pike was cordially received by Julien Dubuque, a Frenchman, who held a mining claim under a grant from Spain. He had an old field piece, and fired a salute in honor of the advent of the first Amer- ican who had visited that part of the Ter- ritory. He was not, however, disposed to publish the wealth of his mines, and the young and evidently inquisitive ofiicer obtained but little information from him.
Upon leaving this place, Pike pursued his way up the river, but as he passed beyond the limits of the present State of Iowa, a detailed history of his explora- tions does not propirly belong to this vol- ume. It is sufficient to say that, on the site of Fort Suelling, MiunesoLa, he held a
26
HISTOEY OF IOWA.
council with the Sioux, Sept. 23, and ob- tained from them a grant of 100,000 acres of land. Jan. 8, 1806, he arrived at a trad- ing post belonging to the Northwest Com- pany, on Lake De Sable, in latitude 47 * . This company at that time carried on their immense operations from Hudson's Bay to the St. Lawrence ; up that river, on both sides along the great lakes, to the head of Lake Superior, thence to the sources of the Red Eiver of the North, and west to the Rocky Mountains, embracing within the scope of their operations what was subse- quently the State of Iowa. After suc- cessfully accomplishing his mission and performing a valuable service to the whole Northwest, Pike returned to St. Louis, ar- riving there April 30, 1806.
Before the Territory of Iowa could be open to settlement by the whites, it was necessary that the Indian title should be extinguished and the original owners re- moved. The Territory had been pur- chased by the United States', but was still occupied by the Indians, who claimed title to the soil by right of possession. In order to accomplish this purpose, large sums of money were expended, besides the frontier being disturbed by Indian wars, terminated repeatedly by treaty, only to be renewed by some act of oppression on the part of the whites, or some violation of treaty stipulation.
When the United States assumed con- trol of the Country, by virtue of the Louis- iana purchase, nearly the whole State was iu possession of the Sacs and Foxes, a powerful and warlike nation, who were not disposed to submit without a struggle to what they considered the encroachment of the pale faces. Among the most rioted
chiefs, and one whose restlessness and hatred of the Americans occasioned more trouble to the Government than any other of his tribe, was Black Hawk, who was born at the Sac Village, on Rock river, in 1767. He was simply the chief of his own band of Sac warriors; but by his energy and ambition he became the leading spirit of the united nation of Sacs and Foxes, and one of the prominent figures in the history of the country from 1804 till his death.
In early manhood he attained distinc- tion as a fighting chief, having led cam- paigns against the Oeages and other neigh- boring tribes. About the beginning of the present century he began to appear prominent in affairs on the Mississippi. His life was a marvel. He is said by some to have been the victim of a narrow prejudice and bitter ill-will against the Americans.
Upon the cession of Spain to France, in 1801, it did not give up possession of the country, but retained it, and by the au- thority of France transferred it to the United States in 1804. At that time Black Hawk and his band were in St. Louis, and were invited to be present and witness the transfer; but he refused the invitation, and it is but just to say that this refusal was caused probably more from regret that the Indians were to be transferred from the jurisdiction of the Spanish authorities than from any special hatred toward the Amtricans. In his life he says: "I found many sad and gloomy faces because the United States were about to take possession of the town and country. Soon after the Americans came I took my band and went to take leave of my Spanish
V
HISTORY OF IOWA.
father. The Americans came to see him also. Seeing them approach, we passed out of one door as they entered an- otLer, and immediately started in our canoes for our village on Rock river, not liking the change any better than our friends appeared to at St. Louis. On arriving at our village, we gave the news that strange people had arrived at St. Louis, and that we should never see our Spanish father again. The information made all our people sorry."
November 3, 1804, a treaty was con- cluded between William Henry Harrison, then Governor of Indiana Territory, on behalf of the United States, and five chiefs of the Sac and Fox nation, by which the latter, in consiileration of $2,234 worth of goods then delivered, and a yearly annuity of $1,000 to be paid in goods at just cost, ceded to the United States all that land on the east side of the Mississippi, extending from a point opposite the Jefferson, in Missouri, to the Wisconsin r.ver, embra- cing an area of over 51,000,000 of acres To this treaty Black Hawk always objected, and always refused to consider it binding upon his people. He asserted that the chiefs or braves who made it had no au- thority to relinquish the title of the nation to any of the lands they held or occu- pied, and, moreover, that they had been sent to St. Louis on quite a different errand, namely: to get one of their people released, who had been imprisoned at St. Louis for killing a white man.
In 1805 Lieutenant Pike came up the river for the purpose of holding friendly councils with the Indians and selecting sites for forts within the territory recently acquired from France by the United
States. Lieut. Pike seems to have been the first American whom Black Hawk ever met or had a personal inteiview with, and he seemed very much prepossessed in his favor. He gives the following account of his visit to Rock Island: "A boat came up the river with a young American chief and a small party of soldiers. We heard of them soon after we passed Salt river. Some of our young braves watched them every day to see what sort of people he had on board. The boat at length arrived at Rock river, and the young chief came on shore with his interpreter, made a speech and gave us some presents We in turn presented him with meat 3nd such other provisions as we had to spare. We were well pleased with the young chief; he gave us good advice, and said our American father would treat us well."
Fort Edwards was erected soon after Pike's expedition, at what is now Warsaw, Illinois, alsj Fort Madison, on the site of the present town of that name, the latter being the first fort erected in Iowa. These movements occasioned great uneasiness among the Indians. When work was commenced on Fort Edwards, a delegation from their nation, headed by some of their chiefs, went down to see what the Ameri- cans were doing, and had an interview with the commander, after which they returned home and were apparently satis- fied. In like manner, when Fort Madison was being erected, they sent down another delegation from a council of the nation held at Rock river. According to Black Hawk's account, the American chief told them that he was building a house for a trader, who was coming to sell them goods cheap, and that the soldiers were coming
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
to keep him company — a statement which Black Hawk says they distrusted at the time, believing that the fort was an en- croachment upon their rights, and designed to aid it getting their lands away from them. It is claimed, bj' good authority, that the building of Fort Madison was a violation of the treaty of 18u4. By the 11th article of that treaty, the United States had a right to build a fort near the mouth of the Wisconsin river, and by article 6 they had bound themselves "that if any citizen of the United States or any other white persons should form a settle- ment upon their lands, such intruders should forthwith be removed." Probably the authorities of the United Slates did not regard the establishment of military posts as coming properly within the meaning of the term "settlement" as used in the treaty. At all events, they erected Fort Madison within the territory reserved to the Indi- ans, who became very indignant.
Very soou after the fort was built, a party led by Black Hawk attempted its destruction. They sent spies to watch the movements of the garrison, who ascer- tained that the soldiers were in the habit of marching out of the fort every morning and evening for parade, and the plan of the party was to conceal themselves near the fort, and attack and surprise them when they were outside. On the morning of the proposed day of the att ck, five soldiers came out and were fired upon by ihe Indians, two of them being killed. The Indians were too hasty in their move- ment, for the parade had not commenced. However, they kept up the attack several days, attempting the old Fox strategy of setting fire to the fort with blazing arrows;
but finding their efforts unavailing, they soon gave up and rt turned to Rock river. In 181 2, when war was declared between this country and Great Britain, Black Hawk and his band allied themselves with the British, partly because he was dazzled by their specious promises, but more prob- ably because they were deceived by the Americans. Black Hawk himself declared that they were forced into war by being deceived. He narrates the circumstances as follows: "Several of the head men and chiefs of the Sacs and Foxes were called upon to go to Washington to see their Great Father. On their return they re- lated what had been said and done. Thfy said the Great Father wished them, in the event of a war taking place with England, not to interfere on either side, but to re- main neutral. He did not want our help, but wished us to hunt and suppoit our families, and live in peace. He said that British traders would not be permitted to come on the Mississippi to furnish us with goods, but that we should be supplied with an American trader. Our chiefs then told him that the British traders always gave them credit in the fall for guns, powder and goods, to enable us to huut and clothe our families. He repeated that the traders at Fort Madison would have plenty of goods; that we should go there in the fall and he would supply us on credit, as the British traders had done." Black Hawk seems to have accepted the proposition, and he and his people were very much pleased. Act- ing in g'jod faith, they fitted out for their winter's hunt, and went to Fort Madison in high spirits to receive from the trader their outfit of supplies; but after waiting some time, they were told by the trader
HISTORY OF IOWA.
that he would not trust them. In vain they pleailed the promise of their Great Father at Washington; the trader was inexorable. Disappointed and crest fallen, the Indians turned sadly to their own vil- lage. Says Black Hawk: "Few of us slept that night. All was gloom and discon- tent. In the morning a canoe was seen ascending the river; it soon arrived bear- ing an express, who brought intelligence that a British trader had landed at Rock Island wiih two boats filled with goods, and requested us to comu up immediately, be- cause he had good news for us, and a variety of presents. The express pi-esenled us with tobacco, pipes and wampum. The news ran through our camp like fire on a prairie. Our lodges were soon taken down and all started for Rock Island. Here ended all our hopes of remaining at peace, having been forced into the war by being deceived." He joined the British, who flattered him, and styled him "Gen. Black Hawk," decked him with medals, excited his jealousy against the Americans, and armed his band; but he met with defeat and disappointment, and soon abandoned the service and came home.
There was a portion of the Sacs and Foxes, whom Black Hawk, with all his skill and cunning, could not lead into hos- tilities to the United States. With Keokuk ("The Watchful Fox") at their head, they were disposed to abide by the treaty of 1804, and to cultivate friendly relations with the American people. So, when Black Hawk and his band joined ihe fortunes of Great Britain, the rest of the nation remained neutral, and, for protec- tion, organized with Keokuk for (heir chief. Thus, the nation was divided into
the "War and Peace party." Black Hawk says he was informed, after he had gone to the war, that the nation, which had been reduced to so small a body of" fighting men, were unable to defend themselves in case the Americans should attack them, and, having all the old men, women and children belonging to the warriors who had joined the British, on their hands to provide for, a council was held, and it was agreed that Quash-qua-me (The Lance) and other chiefs, together with the old men, women and children, and such others as chose to accompany them, should go to St. Louis and place themselves und' r the American Chief stationed there. Accord- ingly they went down, and were received as the "friendly band" of Sacs and Foxes, and were provided for and sent up the Missouri river.
On Black Hawk's return from the British army, he says Keokuk was intro- duced to him as the war chief of the braves then in the village. He inquired how he had become chief; and was in- formed that their spi^s had seen a large armed force going toward Peoria, and fears were entertained of an attack upon the village; whereupon a council was held, which concluded to leave the village, and cross over to the other side of the Mis- sissippi. Keokuk had been standing at the door of the lodge when the council was held, not being allowed to enter on account of never having killed an enemy, where he remained until Wa-co-me came out. Keokuk asked permission to speak to the council, whi h V\ a-co-me obtained for him. He then addressed the chiefs. He remonstrated against the desertion of their village, their own homes, and the
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
graves of their fathers, and offered to defend the village.
The council consented that he should be their war chief. He marshaled his braves, sent out spies, and advanced on the lead- ing trail to Peoria, but returned without seeing the enemy. The Americans did not disturb the villajje, and all were satis- fied with the appointment of Keokuk. Like Black Hawk, he was a descendant of the Sac branch of the nation, and was born on Rock river in 1780. He was of a pacific disposition, but possessed the elements of true courage, and could fi.;ht when occa- sion required with cool judgment and heroic energy. In his first ba'.ile he en- countered and killed a Sioux, which placed him in the rank of warriors, and he was honored with a public feast by his tribe in commemoration of thft event.
In person, Keokuk was tall and of portly bearing. In his public speeches he dis- played a commanding attitude and grace- ful gestures. He has bten described as an orator, entitled to rank with the most gifted of his race. He spi'ke rapidly, but his enunciation was clear, distinct and forcible; he culled his tij;u;es from the stores of nature, and based his arguments on skiU.'ul logic. Unfortunately for his reputation as an oratoramong white people, he was never able to obtain an interpreter who could claim even a slight acquaint- ance with philosophy. With one excep- tion only, his interpieters were unac- quainted with the elements of their mother tongue. Of this serious hindrance to his fame he was well aware, and re- tained Frank Labershure, who had re- ceived a rudimental education in the French and English languages, until the latter
broke down by dissipation and died. Keokuk was thus compelled to submit his speeches for translation to uneducated men, whose range of thought fell far below the flights of a gifted mind, and the fine imagery drawn from nature was be- yond their power of reproduction.
Keokuk had sufficient knowledge of the English language to make him sensible of this bad rendering of his thoughts, and often a feeling of mortification at the bungling efforts was depicted on his coun- tenance while speaking. The proper place to form a correct estimate of his ability as an orator was in the Indian council, where he addressed himself ex- clusively to those who understood his lan- guage, and witnessed the electrical effect of his eloquence upon his council. He seems to have p s>essed a more sober judgment, and to have had a more intelli- gent view of the great strength and re- sources of the United States, than his noted and restless cotemporary. Black Hawk. He knew from the first that the reckless war which Black Hawk and his band had determined to carry on could result in nothing but disaster and defeat, and he used every argument against it. The large number of warriors whom he had dissuaded from following Black Hawk became, however, greatly excited with the war spirit after Stillman's defeat, and but for the signal tact displayed by Keokuk on that occasion, would have forced him to submit to their wishes in joining the rest of the warriors in the field. A war dance was held, and Keokuk took part in it, seeming to be moved with the current of the rising storm. When the dance was over, he called the council together to pre-
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
31
pare for war. He made a speech, in which he admitted the justice of their complaints against the Americans. To seek redress was a noble aspiration of their nature. The blood of their brethren had been shed by the white man, and the spirits of their braves, slain in battle, called loudly for vengeance.
" I am your chief," said he, " and it is my duty to lead you to battle, if after fully considering the matteryou are determined to go; but before you decide to take this important step, it is wise to inquire into the chances of success."
He then portrayed to them the great power of the United States, against whom they would have to contend, and thought their chances of success was utterly hope- less. 'Bat," said he, "if you do deter- mine to go upon the warpath, I will agree to lead you on one condition — that before we go we kill our old men and our wives and children, to save them from a linger- ing death of starvation, and that every one of us determine to leave our homes on the other side of the Mississippi." This was a strong but truthful picture of the pros- pect before them, and was presented in such a forcible light as to cool their ardor and cause them to abandon their rash undertaking. From this time there was no serious troulle with the Indians until the Black Hawk war.
The treaty of 1804, between the United States and the chiefs of the Sac and Fox nations was never acknowledged by Black Hawk, and, in 1831, he establishtd him- self with a chosen band of warriors upon the disputed territory, ordering the whiles to leave the country at once. The settlers complaining, Governor Reynolds, of Illi-
nois, dispatched General Gaines with a company of regulars and 1,500 volunteers to the scene of action. Taking the Indians by surprise, the troops burnt their village, and forced them to conclude a treaty, by which they ceded all their lands east of the Mississippi, and agreed to remain on the west side of the river.
Necessity forced the proud spirit of Black Hawk into submission, which made him more than ever determined to be avenged upon his enemies. Having ral- lied around him the warlike braves of the Sac and Fox nations, he recrossed the Mis- sissippi in the spring of 1832. Upon hearing of the invasion. Governor Rey- nolds hastily collected a body of 1,800 volunteers, placing them under command of Brig.-Gen. Samuel Whiteside.
The army marched to the Mississippi, and, having reduced to ashes the Indian village known as " Prophet's Town," pro- ceeded several miles up Rock river, to Dixon, to join the regular forces under Gen. Atkinson. They formed, at Dixon, two companies of volunteers, who, sighing for glory, were dispatched to reconnoiter the enemy. They advanced, under com- mand of Major Stillman, to a creek after- wards called "Stillman's run," and, while encamping there, saw a party of mounted Indians at a di.- tance of a mile. Several of Stillrain's party mounted their horses and charged the Indians, killing three of them; but, attacked by the main body, under Black Hawk, they were routed, and, by their precipitate flight, spread ^uch a panic through the camp that tbe vhole company ran off to Dixon as fast as their legs could carry them. On their arrival it was found that there had been eleven killed. The
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
party came straggling into camp all night long, four or five at a time, each squad positive that all who were left behind were massacred .
It is said that a big, tall Kontuckian, with a loud voice, who was a Colonel of the militia, upon his arrival in camp gave to Gen. Whiteside and the wondering multi- tude the following glowing and bombastic account of the battle:
"Sirs," said he, "our detachment was encamped among some scattering timber on the north side of Old Man's creek, with the prairie from the north gently sloping down to our encampment. It was just after twilight, in the gloaming of the even- ing, when we discovered Black Hawk's army coming down upon us in solid column ; they displayed in the form of a crescent upon the brow of the prairie, and such accuracy and precision of military move- ments were never witnessed by man; they were equal to the best troops of Wellington in Spain. I have said that the Indians came down in solid columns, and displayed in the form of a crescent; and, what was most wonderful, there were large squares of cavalry renting upon the points of the curve, which bquares were supported again by other columns fifteen deep, extending back through the woods and over a swamp three-quarters of a mile, which again rested on the main body of Black Hawk's army, bivouacked upon the banks of the Kish- wakee. It was a terrible and a glorious sight to see the tawny warriors as they rode along our flanks attempting to out- flank us, with the glittering moonbeams glistening from their polished blades and burning spears. It was a sight well calcu- lated to strike consternation in the stoutest
and boldest heart; and, accordingly, our men soon began to break, in small squads, for tall timber.
"In a very little time the rout became general, the Indians were soon upon our flanks, and threatened the destruction of our entire detachment. About this time Maj. Stillman, Col. Stephenson, Maj. Per- kins, Capt. Adams, Mr. Hackelton and my- self, with some others, threw ourselves into the rear to rally the fugitives and protect the retreat. But in a short time all my companions fell bravely fighting hand-to- hand with the savage enemy, aud I alone was left upon the field of battle. About this time I discovered not far to ihe left a corps of horsemen, which seemed to be in tolerable order. I immediately deployed to the left, when, leaning down and placing my body in a recumbent posture upon the mane of my horse, so as to bring the heads of the horsemen between my eye and the horizon, I discovered, by the light of the moon, that they were gentlemen who did not wear hats, by which token I knew they were no friends of mine. I therefore made a retrograde movement, and recovered my position, where I remained some time, in thinking what further I could do for my country, when a random ball came whist- ling by my ear, and plainly whispered to me, 'Stranger, you have no further busi- ness here.' Upon hearing this, I followed the example of my companions-in-arms, and broke for tall timber, aud the way I ran was not a lijftle."
For a longtim'e afterward Maj. Stillman and his men were subjects of ridicule and merriment, which was as unde.serving as their expedition was disastrous. StiU- mau's defeat spread consternation through-
out the State and nation. The number of Indians was greatly exaggerated, and the name of Black Hawk carried with it asso- ciations of great military talent, savage cunning and cruelty.
A regiment sent to spy out the country between Galena and Rock Island, was sur- prised by a party of seventy Indians, and was on the point of being thrown into dis- order, when Gen. Whiteside, then serving as a private, shouted out that he would shoot the first man who turned his back on the enemy. Order being restored, the bat- tle began. At its very outset Gen. Wh'te- side shot the leader of the Indians, who tliereupon coniin'^nced a hasty retreat.
In June, 1832, Black Hawk, with a band of one huiidrtd and fifty warriors, attacked the Apple R ver Fort, near Galena, de- fended by twenty-five men. This fort, a mere pilisade of logs, was erected to afford protection to the miners. For fifteen con- secutive hours the garrison had to sustain the assault of the savage enemy; but, knowing very well that no quarter would be given them, they fought with such fury and desperation that the Indians, after losing many of their warriors, were com- pelled to retreat.
Another party of eleven Indians mur- dered two men near Fort Hamilton. They were afterward overtaken by a company of twenty men, and every one of them killed.
A new regime: t, nnder.the command of Gen. Atkinson, assemblec^on the banks of the Illinois, in the latter part of June. Major Dement, with a small party, was sent out to reconnoiter the movements of a large body of Indians, whose endeavors to surround him made it advisable for him
to retire. Upon hearing of this engage- ment. Gen Atkinson sent a detachment to intercept the Indians, while he with the main body of his army, moved north to meet the Indians under Black Hawk. They moved slowly and cautiously through the country, passed through Turtle Vil- lage, and marched up along Rock river. On their arrival news was brought of the discovery of the main trail of the Indians. Considerable search was made, but they were unable to discover any vestige of In- dians, save two, who had shot iwo soldiers the day previous.
Hearing that Black Hawk was encamped on Roi k River, at the Manitou village, they resolved at once to advance upon the enemy, but in the execution of their de- sign they met with opposition from their officers and men. The officers of Gen. Henry handed to him a written protest; but he, a man equal to any emergency, ordered the officers to be arrested and escorted to Gen Atkinson. Within a few minutes after the stern order was given, the officers all collected around the Gen- eral's quarters, many of them with tears in their eyes, pledging themselves that if for- given they would return to duty and never do the like again. The General rescinded the order, and they at once resumed duty.
THE BATTLE OP BAD-AXB.
Gen. Henry marched, on the 15th of July, in pursuit of the Indians, reaching Rock river after three days' j .u ney, where he learned Black Hawk was encamped further up the river. On July 19 the troops were ordered to commence their march. After having made 50 miles, they
HISTOEY OF IOWA.
were overtaken by a terrible thunder storm, which lasted all night. Nothing cooled, however, in their courage and zeal, they marched again 50 miles the next day, encamping near the place where the In- dians encamped the night before Hurrying along as fast as they could, the infantry keeping up an equal pace with the mounted force, the troops, on the morning of the 21st, crossed the river connecting two of the four lakes, by which the Indians had been endeavoring to escape. They found, on their way, the ground strewn with ket- tles and articles of baggage, which, in the haste of retreat, the Indians were obliged to throw away. The troops, inspired with new ardor, advanced so rapidly that at noon they fell in with the rear guard of the Indians. Those who closely pursued them were saluted by a sudden fire of musketry from a body of Indians who had concealed them elves in the high grass of the prairie. A most desperate charge was made upon the Indians, who, unable to resist, retreated obliquely in order to out- flank the vuluuteers on the right; but the latter charged tlie Indians in their ambush and expelled them from their thickets at the point of the bayonet, and dispersed them. Night set in and the battle ended, having cost the Indians sixty-eight of their bravest m^n, while the loss of the Illinois- ans amounted to but one killed and eight wounded.
Soon after thiS battle. Gens. Atkinson and Henry joined their forces and pursued the Indians. Gen. Henry struck the main trail, left his horses behind, formed an advance guard of eight men, and marched forward upon their trail. When these eight men came within sight of the river,
they were suddenly fired upon, and five of them killed, the remaining three maintain- ing their ground till Gen. Henry came up. Then the Indians, charged upon with the bayonet, fell back upon their main force; the battle now became general; the In- dians fought with desperate valor, but were furiously assailed by the volunteers with their bayonets, cutting many of the Indians to pieces and driving the rest into the river. Those who escaped from being drowned found refuge on an island. On hearing the frequent discharge of mus- ketry, indicating a general engagement, Gen. Atkinson abandoned the pursuit of the twenty Indians under Black Hawk himself, and hurried to the scene of action, where he arrived too late to take part in the battle. He immediately forded the river with his troops, the water reaching up to their necks, and landed on the island where the Indiana had secreted them- selves. The soldiers rushed upon the Indians, killed several of them, took the others prisoners, and chased the rest into the river, where they were either drowned or shot before reaching the opposite shore. Thus ended the battle, the Indians losing three hundred, besides fifty prisoners; the whites, but seventeen killed and twelve wounded.
Black Hawk, with his twenty braves, retreated up the Wisconsin river. The Winnebagos, desirous of securing the friendship of the whites, went in pursuit and captured and delivered them to Gen. Street, the United States Indian Agent. Among the prisoners were the son of Black Hawk and the prophet of the tribe. These, with Black Hawk, were taken to
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
Washington, D. C, and soon consigned as prisoners at Fortress Monroe.
At the interview Black Hawk had with the President, he closed his speech deliv- ered on the occasion in the following words: "We did not expect to conquer the whites. They have too many houses, too many men. I took up the hatchet, for my part, to revenge injuries which my people could no longer endure. Had I borne them longer without striking, my people would have said: 'Black Hawk is a woman; he is too old to be a chief; he is no Sac' These reflections caused me to raise the war-whoop. I say no more. It is known to you. Keokuk once was here; you took him by the hand, and when he wished to return to his home, you were w'illing. Black Hawk expects, like Keo kuk, he shall be permitted to return, too."
Hy order of the President, Black Hawk and his compa"ions, who were in contine- ment at Fortress Monroe, were set free on the 4th day of June, 1833.
After their release from prison they were condufted in charge of Major Gar- land, through some of the principal cities, that they might witness the power of the United States and learn their own inability to cope with them in war. Great multi- tudes flocked to see them wherever they were taken, and the attention paid them rendered their progress through the coun- try a triumphal procession, instead of the transportation of prisoners by an ofiicer. At Rock Island the prisoners were given their liberty amid great and impressive ceremony. In 1838 Black Hawk built him
a dwelling near Des Moines, this State, and furnished it after the manner of the whites, and engaged in agricultural pur- suits and hunting and fishing. Here, with his wife, to whom he was greatly attached, he passed the few remaining days of his life. To his credit, it may be said that Black Hawk remained true to his wife, and served her with a devotion uncommou among Indians, living with her upward of
forty years.
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At all times when Black Hawk visited the whites he was received with marked attention. He was an honored guest at the old settlers' reunion in Lee county, Illinois, at some of their meetings, and received marked tokens of esteem. In September, 1838, while on his way to Rock Island to receive his annuity from the Gwernment, he contracted a severe cold, which resulted in a severe attack of bilious fever, and terminated his life Oct 8. After his death he was dressed in the uniform presented to him by the President while in Washington. He was buried in a grave six feet in depth, situated upon a beautiful eminence. The body was placed in the middle of the grave, in a sitting position upon a seat constructed for the purpose. On his left side the cane given him by Henry Clay was placed upright, with his right hand resting upon it. His remains were afterwards stolen and car- ried away, but they were recovered by the Governor of Iowa, and placed in the museum of the Historical Society at Bur- lington, where they were finally destroyed by fire.
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
CHAPTER III.
IXDIAX TKEATIE3.
As has already been stated, all Iowa was in actual possession of the Indians when purchased by the United Slates Govern- ment, and for purposes of settlement by the whites, could only be obtained by forcible ejectment or re-purchase from those inhabiting the country. This was effected in a series of treaties and pur- chases, of which a synopsis is given:
The territory known as the "Black Hawk Purchase," although not the first portion of Iowa ceded to the United States by the Sacs and Foxes, was the first opened to actual settlement by the tide of emi- gration which flowed acros-s the Missis- sippi as soon as the Indian title was exlinguished. The treaty which pr^ivided for this cession was made at a council held on the west bank of the Mississippi, where now stands the thriving city of Davenport, on ground now occupied by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific R. R. Co , Sept. 21, 1832. This was just after the "Black Hawk War," and the defeated savages had retired from east of the Mississippi. At the council the Government was repre- sented by Gen. Winfield Scott and Guv. Reynolds, of Illinois. Keokuk, Pashapaho anil some thirty other chiefs and warriors Wtre present. By this treaty the Sacs and Foxes ceded to the United States a strip of land on the eastern border of Iowa, fifty miles wide, from the northern boundary of
Missouri to the mouth of the Upper Iowa river, containing about 6,000,000 acres. The western line of the purchase was parallel with the Mississippi. In consider- ation of this cession, the United States Government stipulated to pay annually to the confederated tribes, for thirty con- secutive years, $20,000 in specie, and to pay the debts of the Indians at Rock Island, which had been accumulating for stventeeu years, and amounted to $50,000, due to Davenport & Farnham, ludiaa traders. The Gjvernment also generously douated to the Sac and Fox womsn and children whose husbands and fathers had fallen in the Black Hawk War, .35 beef cattle, 12 bushels of salt, 30 barrels of pork, 50 barrels of flour, and 6,000 bushels of corn.
The treaty was ratified February I3, 1833, and took effect on the 1st of June following, when the Indians quietly re- moved from the ceded territory, and this fertile and beautiful region was opened to white settlers.
By terms of the treaty, out of the Black Hawk purchase was reserved for the Sacs and Foxes 400 square miles of land, sit- uated on the Iowa River, and including within its limits Keokuk village, on the right bvnk of that river. This tract was known as Keokuk's reserve, and was occu- pied by the Indians until 1836, when, by
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
37
a treaty made in September between them and Gov. Dodge, of Wifconsiii Territory, it was ceded to the Uiiitud States. The council was held on the banks of the Mis- sissippi, above Davenport^ and was the largest assemblage of the kind ever held by the Sacs and Foxes to treat for the sale of lands. About one thousand of their chiefs and braves were present, and Keokuk was the leading spirit of the occasion, and their principal speaker.
By the terms of this treaty, the Sacs and Foxes were removed to another reser- vation on the Des Moines river, where an agency was established at what is now the town of Agency City. The Government also gave out of the Black Hawk purchase to Antoine LeClare, interpreter, in fee simple, one section of land opposite Rock Island, and another at the head of the first rapids above the island on the Iowa side. This was the first land title granted by the United States to an individual in Iowa.
Gen. Joseph M. Street established an agency among the Sacs and Foxes very soon after the removal of the latter to their new reservation. He was transferred from the agency of the Winnebagos for this purpose. A tarra was selected, upon which the necessary buildings were erected, in- cluding a comfortable farm house for the agent and his family, at the expense of the Indian fund. A salaried agent was em- ployed to t-uperintend the farm and dispose of the crops. Two mills were erected — one on Soap creek, and the other on Sugar creek Tlie latter was soon swept away by a flood, but the former remained and did good service for many years.
Connected with the agency were Joseph Smart and John Goodell, interpreters. The
latter was interpreter for Hard Fishes' band. Three of the Indian chiefs — Keo- kuk, Wapello and Appanoose — had each a large field improved, the two former on the right bank of the Des Moines, back from the river, in what is now " Keokuk's Prairie," and the latter on the present site of the city of Ottumwa. Among the traders connected with their agency were the Me.'srs. Ewmg, from Ohio, and Phelps & Co , from Illinois, and also J. P. Eddy, who established his post at what is now the site of Eddy ville. The Indians at this agency became idle and listless in the ab- sence of their natural and wonted excite- ments, and many of them plunged into dissipation. Keokuk himself became dis- sipated in the latter years of bis life, and it has been reported that he died of de- lirium tremens after his removal with his tribe to Kansas. On May, 1S43, most of the Indians were removed up the Des Moines river, above the temporary line of Red Rock, having ceded the remnant of their lands in Iowa to the United States, Sept. 21, 1837, and Oct. 11, 1842. By the terms of the latter treaty, they held pos- session of the 'New Purchase" till the autumn of 1845, when most of them were removed to their reservation in Kansas, the balance being removed in 1846.
Before any permanent settlement was made in the Territory of Iowa, white ad- venturers, trappers and traders, many of whom were scattered along the Mississippi and it.s tributaries, as agents and employes of the American Fur Cuinpany, inteimar- ried with the females of the Sac and Fox Indians, producing a race of half-breeds, whose number was never definitely ascer- tained. There were some rtspectable and
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
excellent people among them, children of some refinement and education. For in- stance: Dr. Muir, a gentleman educated at Edinburg, Scotland, a Surgeon in the United States Army, stationed at a mili- tary post located on the present site of Warsaw, married an Indian woman, and reared his family of three daughters in the city of Keokuk. Other examples might be cited, but they are probably exceptions to the general rule, and the race is now nearly or quite extinct in Iowa.
August 4, 1824, a treaty was made be- tween the United States and the Sacs and Foxes, by which that portion cf Lee county was reserved to the half-breeds of those tribes, and which was afterward known as the " half-breed tract." This reservation is the triangular piece of land containing about 119,000 acres, lying between the Mississippi and the Des Moines rivers. It is bounded on the north by the prolonga- tion of the northern line of Missouri. This line was intended to be a straight one, run- ning due east, which would have caused it to strike the Mississippi river at or below Montrose; but the surveyor who run it took no notice of the change in the variation of the needle, as he proceeded eastward, and, in consequence, the line he run was bent, deviating more and more to the northward of a direct line as he approached the Mis- sissippi river, so that it struck that river at the lower edge of the town of Fort Madi- son. "This erroneous line," says Judge Mason, "has been acquiesced in as well in fixing the northern limit of the half-breed tract as in determining the northern boundary line of the State of Missouri." The line thus run included in the reserva- tion a portion of the lower part of the city
of Fort Madison, and all of the present townships of Van Buren, Charleston, Jef- ferson, Des Moines, Montrose and Jackson.
Under the treaty of 1824, the half-breeds had the right to occupy the soil, but could not convey it, the reversion being reserved to the United States. But January 30th, 1843, by act of Congress, this reversionary right was relinquished, and the half-breeds acquired the Ian Is in fee simple. This no sooner done than a horde of speculators rushed in to buy land of the half-breed owners, and, in many instances, a gun, blanket, a pony or a few quarts of whisky was sufficient for the purchase of large estates. There was a deal of sharp prac- tice on both sides. Indians would often claim ownership of land by virtue of being half-breeds, and had no difficulty in prov- ing their mixed blood by the Indians, and they would cheat the speculators by selling land to which they had no rightful title. On the other hand, speculators often claimed land in which they had no owner- ship. It was diamond cut diamond, until at last things became badly mixed. There werd no authorized surveys, and no boun dary lines to claim, and, as a natural result, numerous conflicts and quarrels ensued
January 16, 1838, Edward Johnstone, Thomas S. Wilson and David Brigham were appointed commissioners by the Wis- consin Legislature, clothed with power to settle their difficulties, and to decide upon the validity of claims, or sell them for the benefit of the real owners. The act pro- vided that these commissioners should be paid six dollars a day each. The commis- sion entered upon its duties, and continued until the next session of the Legislature,
HISTORY OF IOWA.
39
when the act creating it was repealed, in- validating all that had been done, and depriving the commissiunors of their pay. The repealing act, however, authorized the commissioners to commence action against the owners of the half-breed tract, to re- ceive pay for their services in the District of Lee county. Two judgements were obtained, and on execution the whole tract was sold to Hugh T. Reid,tbe sheriff exe- cuting the deed. Mr. Reid sold portions of it to various parties; but his own title was questioned, and he became involved in litigation. Decisions in favor of Reid and those holding under him were made by both District and Supreme Courts; but in December, 1850, these decisions were finally reversed by the Supreme Court of the United States, in the case of Joseph Web-iter, plaintiff in error, vs. Hugh T. Reid, and judgement titles failed.
About nine years before the judgement titles were finally abrogated as above, another class of titles were brought into competition with them, and, in the conflict between the two, the final decision was obtained. These were the titles based on the "decree of partition" issued by the United States District Court for the Ter- ritory of Iowa, May 8, 1841, and certified to by the clerk on the 2d day of June of the same year. Edward Johnstone and Hugh T. Reid, then law partners at Fort Madison, filtd the petition for the decree in behalf of the St. Louis claimants of half-breed lands. Francis S. Key, author of the Star-Spangled Banner, who was then attorney for the New York Land Company, which held heavy interests in these lands, took a leading part in the measure, and drew up the documents in
which it was presented to the court. Judge Charles Mason, of Burlington, pre- sided. The plan of partition divided the the tract into 101 shares, and arranged that each claimant should draw his proportion by lot, and should abide the result, what- ever it might be. The arrangement was entered into, the lots drawn, and the plat of the same filed in the Recorder's office, October 6, 1841. Upon this basis the titles to the land in the Half-Bieed Tract are now held.
We subjoin a synopsis of the different treaties male with the Indians of Iowa:
1. Treaty with the Sioux. — Made July 15, 1815; ratified December 16, 1815, This treaty was made at Portage des Sioux of Minnesota and Upper Iowa, and the United States, by William Clark and Niuian Ed- wards, Commissioners, and was merely a treatise of peace and friendship on the part of these Indians toward the United States at the close of the war of 1812.
2. Treaty with the Sacs. — A similar treaty of peace was made at Portage des Sioux, between the United States and the Sacs, by William Clark, Ninian Edwards and Augustt Choteau, on the 13th of Sep- tember, 1815, and ratified at the same date as the abjve. In this the treaty of 1804 was re-affirmed, and the Sac^ here repre- sented promised for themselves and their bands to keep entirely separate from the Sacs of Roc'c river, who, under Black Hawk, had joined the British in the war just then closed.
3. Treaty with the Fjjc.es — A separate treaty of peace was mide with the Fo.xes at Portage des Sioux, by the a ime commis- sioners, on the 14th of September, 1815, and ratified the same as the ab )Ve, wherein
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
the Foxes re-affirmed the treaty of St. Louis, of November 3d, 1804, and agreed to de- liver up all their prisoners to the officer in command at Fort Clark, now Peoria, Illi- nois.
4. Treaty lolth the lowas. — A treaty of peace and mutual good-will was made beLween the United States and the Iowa tribe of Indians, at Portage des Sioux, by the same commissioners as above, on the 16th of September, 1815, at the close of the war with Great Britain, and ratified at the same date as the others.
5. Treaty with the Sacs of Hock Itiver. — Made at St. Louis, on the 13th of May, 1816, between the United States and the Sacs of Rock river, by the Commis- sioners, Willia-n Clark, Ninian Edwards and Auguste Choteau, and ratified Dec. 30, 1816. In tbis treaty that of 1804 was re- established and enforced by the chiefs and head men of the Sacs of Rock river, and Black Hawk himself attached to it his sig- nature, or, as he said, "touched the goose- quill."
6. Treaty of 1824.— On the 4th of August, 1824, a treaty was made between the United States and the Sacs and Foxes, in the city of Wpshington, by William Clark, Commissioner, wherein the Sac and Fox nations relinquished their title to all lands in Missouri, and that portion of the south- east corner of Iowa known as the "half- breed tract" was set off and reserved for the use of the half breeds of the Sacs and Foxes, they holding title in the same man- ner as Indians. Ratified Jan. 18, 1825.
7. Treaty of August 19, 18J5. — At this date a treaty was made by William Clark and Lewis Cass, at Prairie du Chien, be-
tween the United States and the Chippe- was, Sacs and Foxes, Menominees, Winne- bagos, and a portion of the Otiawas and Pot awatomies. In this treaty, in order make peace between the contending tribes as to the limits ot their respective hunting grounds in Iowa, it was agreed that the United States Government should run a boundary line between the Sioux, on the north, and the Sacs and Foxes on the south, as follows:
Commencing at the mouth of the Upper Iowa river, on the west bank of the Mis- sissippi, and ascending said Iowa river to its west fork; thence up the fork to its source; thence crossing the fork of Red Cedar river in a direct line to the lower fork of the Calumet river, and down that fork to its j'lnction with the Missouri river.
8. Treaty of 1830.— On the lath of Ju"y, 1830, the confederate tribes of the Sacs and Foxes ceded to the United States a strip of country lying south of the above line, twenty miles in width, and extending along the line aforesaid from the Missis- sippi to the Des Mnines river. The Sioux also, whose possessions were north of the line, ceded to the Government, in the same treaty, a strip on the north side of the boundary. Thus the United States, at the ratification of this treaty, February 24, 1881, came into possession of a portion of Iowa forty miles wide, txtending along the Clarke and Cass line of 1825, from the Mississippi to the Des Moines river. This territory was then known as the "Neutral Ground," and the tribes on either side of the line were allowed to fish and hunt on it unmolested until it was made a Winne- bago reservation, and the Winnebagos were removed to it in 1841.
HISTORY OF IOWA.
9. Ticatj ■icith the Sacs and Foxes and other tribes. — At the same time of the above treaty respecting the "Neutral Ground" (July 15, 1830), the Sacs and Foxes, Western Sioux, Omahas, lowas and Missouris ceded to the United States a por- tion of the western slope of Iowa, the boundaries of which were defined as fol- lows: Beginning at the upper fork of the Des Moines river, and passing the sources "f the Little Sioux and Floyd rivers, to the bank of the first creek that falls into 'he Big Sioux, or Calumet, on the east ^ide; theuce down said creek and the Calumet river to the Missouri river; thence down said Missouri river to the Missouri State line above the Kansas; thence along said line to the northwest corner of said State; thence to the high lands between the waters falling into the Missouri and Des Moines, passing to said high lands along the dividing ridge between the forks of the Grand river; thence along said high lands or ridge separating the waters of the Missouri from those of the Des Moines, to a point opposite the source of the Boyer river, and thence in a direct line to the upper fork of the Des Moines, the place of beginning.
It was understood that the lands ceded and relinquished by this treaty were to be assigned and allotted, under the direction of the President of the United States, to the tribes then living thereon, or to such other tribes as the President might locale thereon for hunting and other purposes. In consideration of three tracts of land ceded in this treaty, the United States agreed to pay to the Sacs |3,000; to the Foxes, $3,000; to the Sioux, $l>,000; to the Yankton and Santee bauds of Sioux, $3,000;
to the Omahas, $1,500; and to the Ottoe-) and Missouris, $2,500 — to be paid annually for ten successive years. In addition to these annuities, the Government agreed to furnish some of the tribes with b ack- smiths and agricultural implements to the amount of $200, at the expense of the United States, and to set apart $3,000 an- nually for the education of the children of these tribes. It does not appear that any fort was erected in this territory prior to the erection of Fort Atkinson on the Neu- tral Ground in 184o-'41.
This treaty was made by William Clark, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and Col. Willoughby Morgan, of the United States First Infantry, and came into effect by proclamation, February 24, 1831.
10. Treaty with the Winnebagos. — Made at Fort Armstrong, Rock Island, September 15th, 1832, by General Winfield Scott and Hon. John R'r'ynolds, Governor of Illinois. In this treaty the Winne- bagos ceded to the United States all their land lying on the east side of the Missis- sippi, and in part consideration therefor the United States granted to the Winne- bagos, to be held as other Indian lands are held, that portion of Iowa known as the Neutral Grounds. The exchange of the two tracts of country was to take place on or before the 1st day of June, 1833. In addition to the Neutral Grounds, it was stipulated that the United States should give the Winnebagos, beginning in Sep- tember, 1833, and continuing for twenty- seven successive years, $10,000 in specie, and establish a school among them with a farm and garden, and provide other facili- ties for the education of their ohi idreu, not to exceed in cost $3,U00 a year, and to con-
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
tinue the same twenty-seven successive years. Six agriculturists, twelve yoke of oxen, and plows and other farming tools were to be supplied by the Government.
11. Treaty o/1832 with the Sacs and Foxes. — Already mentioned as the Black Hawk purchase.
12. Treaty of 1836 with the Sacs and Foxes. — Ceding Keokuk's reserve to the United States, for which the Government stipulated to pay $30,000, and an annuity of $10,000 for ten successive years, to- gether with other sums and debts of the Indians to various parties.
13. Treaty o/ 1837.— On the 2l8t of October, 1837, a treaty was made at the city of Washington, between Carey A. Harris, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, and the confederate tribes of Sacs and Foxes, ratified February 21, 1838, wherein another slice of the soil of Iowa was ob- tained, described in the treaty as follows:
"A tract of country containing 1,250,000 acres, lying west and adjoining the tract conveyed by them to the United States in the treaty of September 21, 1832. It is understood that the points of termination for the present cession shall be the north- ern and southern points of tract as fixed by the survey made under the authority of the United States, and that a line shall be drawn between them so as to intersect a line extended westwardly from the angle of said tract nearly opposite to Rock Island, as laid down in the above survey, so far as may be necessary to include the number of acres hereby ceded, which last mentioned
line, it is estimated, will be about twenty- five miles."
This piece of land was about twenty-five miles in the middle, and ran off to a point at both ends, lying directly back to the Black Hawk purchase, and of the same length.
14. Treaty of Relinquishment. — At the same date as the above treaty, in the city of Washington, Carey A, Harris, Commis- sioner, the Sacs and Foxes ceded to the United States all their right and interest in the country lying south of the boundary line between the Sacs, Foxes and Sioux, as described in the treaty of August 19, 1825, and between the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, the United Siates paying fur the same $160,000, The Indians also gave up all claims and interests under the treaties previously made with them, for the satis- faction of which no appropriations had been made.
15. Treaty of 1842.— The last tnaty was made with the Sacs and Foxes October 11, 1842; ratified March 23, 1843. It was made at the Sac and Fox agency (Agency City), by John Chambers, Commissioner on behalf of the United States. In this treaty the Sac and Fox Indians ceded to the United States all their lands west of the Mississippi to which they had any claim or title By the terms of this treaty they were to be removed from the country at the expiration of three years, and all who remained after that were to move at their own expense. Part of them were removed to Kansas in the fall of 1845, and the rest the spring following.
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
CHAPTER IV.
BAELT SETTLEMENTS.
The first permanent settlement made by whites within the limits of Iowa, was by Julien Dubuque, in 1788, when, with a small party of miners, he settled on the site of the city that now bears his name, where he lived until his death, in 1810. What was known as the Girard settlement, in Clayton county, was made by some parties prior to the commencement of the present century. It consisted of three cabins, in 1805. Louis Honori settled on the site of the present town of Montrose, probably in 1799, and resided thereuntil 1805, when his property passed into other hands Indian traders had established themselves at various points at an early date. Mr. Johnson, an agent of the American Fur Corrpany, had a trading post below Burlington, where he carried on traffic with the Indians some- time before the United States pnrchased Louisiana. In 1820, LeMoliese, a French trader, had a station at what is now San- dusky, six miles above Keokuk, in Lee county. The same year, a cabin was built where the city of Keokuk now stands, by Dr. Samuel C Muir, a surgeon in the United States Army. His marriage and subsequent life were very romantic. While stationed at a military post on the Upper Mississippi, the post was visited by a beau- tiful Indian maiden — whose native name, unfortunately, has not been preserved — who, in hej dreams, had seen a white brave
unmoor his canoe, paddle it across the river, and come directly to her lodge. She felt assured, according to the superstitious belief of her race, that in her dreams she had seen her future husband, and had come to the fort to find him. Meeting Dr. Muir, she instantly recognized him as the hero of her dream, which, with childlike innocence and simplicity, she related to him. Her dream was indeed prophetic. Charmed with Sophia's beauty, innocence and devo- tion, the doctor honorably married her; but after awhile the sneers and gibes of his brother officers — less honorable than he, perhaps — made him feel ashamed of his dark-skinned wife, and when his regiment was ordered down the river to Bellefon- taine, it is said he embraced the opportu- nity to rid himself of her, never expecting to see her again, and little dreaming that she would have the courage to follow him. But, with her infant child, this intrepid wife and mother started alone in lier canoe, and after many days of weary labor an 1 a lonely journey of 900 miles, she at last reached him. She afterward remarked, when speaking of this toilsome journey down the river in search of her husband: "When I got there I was all perished away — so thin !" The doctor, touched by such unexampled devotion, took her to his heart, and ever after, until his death, treat- ed her with marked respect. She always
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
presided at his table with gr.ice and dig- nity, but never abandoned her native style of dress. In 18I9-'20 he was stationed at Fort Edward, now Warsaw, but the sense- less ridicule of some of his brother ofBoers on account of his Indian wife induced him to resign his commission. He then built a c^bin, as above stated, where Keokuk is now situated, and made a claim to some land. This claim he leased to Otis Rey- nolds and John Culver, of St Louis, and went to La Pointe (afterward Galena), where he practiced his profession for ten years, when he returned to Keokuk. His Indian wife bore to him four children — Louise, James, Mary and Sophia. Dr. Muir died suddenly of cholera, in 1832, but left his property in such a condition that it was soon wasted in vexatious liti- gation, and his brave and faithful wife, left friendless and penniless, became discour- aged, and, with her two younger children, disappeared. It is said she returned to her people, on the Upper Missouri.
The gentleman who had leased Dr. Muir'g claim at Keokuk, subsequently em- ployed as their agent Moses Stillwel), who arrived with his family in 1828, and took possession. His brothers in-law, Amos and Valencourt Van Ansdal, came with him and settled near. Mr Still well's daughter Margaret (afterward Mrs. Ford), was born in 1831 at the foot of the rapids, called by the Indians Puckashetuck. She was prob- ably the first white American child born in Iowa.
In 1829 Dr. Isaac Gallaud made a set- tlement on the Lower Rapids, at what is now Nashville. The same year James S. Lang worthy, who had been engaged in lead raining at Galena since 1824, resolved
to visit the Dubuque mines The lead mines in the Dubuque region were an object of great interest to the miners about Galena, for they were known to be rich in lead ore. To explore these mines, and to obtain permission to work them was there- fore eminently desirable. Crossing the Mississippi at a point now known as Dun- leith, in a canoe, and swimming his horse by his side, he landed on the spot known as the Jones Street Levee. Before him was spread out a beautiful prairie, on which the city of Dubuque now stands. Two miles south, at the mouth of Catfish creek, was a village of Sacs and Foxes. Thither Mr. Langworlhy proceeded, and was well received by the natives. He endeavored to obtain permission from them to mine in their hills; but this they refused. He, however, succeeded in gain- ing the confidence of the chief to such an extent as to be allowed to travel in the interior for three weeks, and explore the country. He employed two young Indians as guides, and traversed in different direc- tions the whole region lying between the Maquoketa and Turkey rivers. He re- turned to the village, secured the good will of the Indians, and, returning to Galena, formed plans for future operations, to be executed as soon as the circumstances would permit. In the following year, with his brother, Lucius H., and others, having obtained the consent of the Indians, Mr. Langworthy crossed the Mississippi and commenced mining in the vicinity around Dubuque.
Although these lands had been pur- chased from France, they were not in the actual posession of the United States. The Indian titles had not been ex-
- 'S
HISTORY OF IOWA.
tiuguished, and these adventurous persans were beyond the limits of any State or Territorial government. The first settlers were therefore obliged to be their own law-makers, and to agree to such regula- tions as the exegencies of the case de- . manded. The first act resembling civil legislation in Iowa was done by the miners at this point, in June, 1830. They met on the bank of the river, by the side of an old Cottonwood drift log, at what is now the Jones Street Leevee, Dubuque, and elected a committee, consisting of J. C. Lang- worthy, II F. Lander, James McPhetres, Samuel Scales and E. M. Wren. This may be called the first Legislature in Iowa, the members of which gathered around that old Cottonwood log, and agreed to and re- ported the following, written by Mr. Lang- worthy, on a half sheet of coarse, unruled paper, the old log being the writing desk:
"We, a committee, having been chosen to draft certain rules and regulations (laws), by which we, as miners, will be governed, and, having duly considered the subject, do unanimously agree that we will be governed by the regulations on the east side of the Mississippi river, with the fol- lowing exceptions, to-wit:
Article I. That each and every man shall hold two hundred yards square of ground by working said ground one day in six."
"Article II. We further agree that there shall be chosen by the majority of the miners present, a person who shall hold this article, and who shall grant letters of arbitration on application having been made, and that said letters of arbitration shall be obligatory on the parties so apply- ing."
The report was accepted by the miners present, who elected Dr Jarote in accord- ance with article second. Here, then, we have, in 1830, a primitive Legi-slature elected by the people, the law drafted by it being submitted to the people for ap- proval,and under it Dr. Jarote was elected first Governor. And the laws thus enacted were as promptly obeyed as any have beeu since.
After this, the miners, who had thus erected an independent government of their own on the west side of the Missis- sippi river, continued to work succ-ssfully for a long time, and the new settlement attracted considerable attention. But the West side of the Mississippi belonged to the Sac and Fox Indians, and the Govern- ment, in order to preserve peace on the frontier, as well as to protect the Indians in their rights under the treaty, ordered the settlers not only to stop mining, but to remove from the Indian Territory. They were simply intruders. The execution of this order was intrusted to Col. Zachary Taylor, then in command of the military post at Prairie du Chien, who, early in July, sent an officer to the miners to forbid settlement, and to command the miners to remove, within ten days, to the east side of the Mississippi, or they would be driven off by armed force The miners, how- ever, were reluctant about leaving the rich "leads" they had already di.-!Covered and opened, and were not disposed to obey the order to remove with any considerable degree of alacrity.
In due time Colonel Taylor dispatched a detachment of troops to enforce his order. The miners, anticipating their arrival, had, excepting three, retrossed the
HISTORY OF IOWA.
river, and from the east bank saw the troops land on the western shore. The three who had lingered a little too long were, however, permitted to make their escape unmolested. From this time a mil- itary force was stationed at Dubuque lo prevent the settlers from returning, until June, 1832. The Indians returned, and were encouraged to operate the rich mines opened by the late white occupants.
In June, 1832, the troops were ordered to the east side of the Mississippi to assist in the annihilation of the very Indians whose rights they had been protecting on the west side. Immediately after the close of the Black Hawk war, and the negotia- tions of the treaty in September, 1832, by which the Sacs and Foxes ceded the tract known as the "Black Hawk Purchase," the settlers, supposing that now they had a right to re-enter the territory, returned and took possession of their claims, built cab- ins, erected furnaces and prepared large quantities of lead for market. But the prospects of the hardy and enterprising settlers and miners were again ruthlessly interferred with by the Government, on the ground that the treaty with the Indians would not go into force until June 1st, 1833, although they had withdrawn from the vicinity of the settlement.' Col. Taylor was again ordered by the War Department to remove the miners, and, in January, 1833, troops were again sent from Prairie du Chien to Dubuque, for that purpose. This was a serious and perhaps unneces- sary hardship imposed upon the miners. They were compelled to abandon their cabins and homes in mid-winter. This, too, was only out of respect for forms, for the purchase had been made, and the In-
dians had retired. After the lapse of fifty years, no very satisfactory reason for this rigorous action of the Government can be given. But the orders had been given, and there was no alternative but to obey. Many of the settlers re-crossed the river, and did not return; a few, however, re- moved to an island near the east bank of the river, built rude cabins of poles, in which to store their lead until spring, when they could float the fruits of their labors to St. Louis for sale, and where they could remain until the treaty went into force, when they could return. Among these were the Langworthy brothers, who had on hand about 300,000 pounds of lead.
No sooner had the miners left than Lieu- tenant Covington, who had been placed in command at Dubuque, by Colonel Taylor, ordered some of the cabins of the settlers to be torn down, and wagons and other property to be destroyed. This wanton and inexcusable action on the part of a subordinate, clothed with a little brief authority, was sternly rebuked by Col. Taylor, and Covington was superseded by Lieut. George Wilson, who pursued a just and friendly course with the pioneers, who were only waiting for the time when they could repossess their claims.
The treaty went formally into effect June, 1833; the troops were withdrawn, and the Langworthy brothers and a few others at once returned and resumed pos- session of their homes and claims. From this time must date the first permanent set- tlement of this portion of Iowa. Mr. John P. Sheldon was appointed superintendent of the mines, by the Government, and a system of permits to miners and licenses to smelters was adopted, similar to that
^1^
HISTORY OF IOWA
which had been in operation at Galena since 1825. under Lieut. Martin Thomas and Capt. Thomas C. Legate. Substan- tially the primitive law enacted by the miners assembled around that old cotton- wood drift log in 1830, was adopted and enforced by the United States Govern- ment, except that miners were required to sell their mineral to licensed smelters, and the smelter was required to give bonds for the payment of six per cent, of all lead manufactured, to the Government.
The rule in the United States mines, on Fever river, in Illinois, had been, until 1830, that the miners must pay a ten per cent. tax. This tax upon the miners created much dissatisfaction among the miners on the west side, as it had on the east side of the Mississippi. They thought they had suffered hardships and privations enough in opening the way for civilization, without being subjected to the imposition of an odious Government tax upon their means of subsistence, when the Federal Government could better afford to aid than to extort from them. The measure soon became very unpopular. It was difficult to collect the taxes, and the whole system was abolished in about ten years.
About five hundred people arrived in the mining district in 1833, after the In- dian title was fully extinguished, of whom one hundred and fifty were from Galena. In the same }-ear Mr Langworthy assisted in building the ti^st school-house in Iowa, and thus was formed the nucleus of the populous and thriving city of Dubuque. Mr. Langworthy lived to see the naked prairie on which he first settled become ihe site of a city of 15,000 iuhabiianls; the small school-house which he aided ii^ cn-
structing replaced by three substantial ed- ifices, wherein 2,000 children were being trained; churches erected in every part of the city, and railroads connecting the wil- derness, which he first explored, with all the eastern world. He died suddenly, on the 13th of M:irch, 1865, while on a trip over the Dubuque & Southern railroad, at Monticello, and the evening train brought the news of his death, and his remains.
Lucius H. T.angworthy, his brother, was one of the most worthy, gifted and influ- ential of the old settlers of this section of Iowa He died greatly lamented by many friends, in June, 1865.
The name "Dubuque" was given to the settlement by the miners, at a meeting held in 1834.
Soon after the close of the Black Hawk war, in 1832, Zachariah Hawkins, Benja- min Jennings, Aaron White, Augustine Horton, Samuel Gooch, Daniel Thompson and Peter Williams made claims at Fort Madison. In 1833, Gen. John H Knapp and Col. Nathaniel Knapp purchased these claims, and, in the summer of 1835, they laid out the town of "Fort Madison," and lots were exposed for sale early in 1836. The town was subsequently re-surveyed and platted by the United States Govern- ment. The population rapidly increased, and in less than two years the beautiful location was covered by a flourishing town containing nearly 600 inhabitants, with a large proportion of enterprising merchants, mechanics and manufacturers.
In the fall of 1832, Simpson S. White erected a cabin on the site of Burlington, 79 miles below Rock Island During the war, parties had looked longingly upon the "Flint Hills" from the opposite side of the
V
HISTORY OF IOWA.
river, and White was soon followed by others. David Tothers made a claim on the prairie, about three miles back from the river, at a place since known as the farm of Judge Morgan. The following winter the settlers were driven ofif by tVie military from Rock Island, as intruders upon the rights of the Indians. White's cabin was burned by the soldiers. He returned to Illinois, where he remained during the winter, and, in the following summer, as soon as the Indian title was extinguished, returned and re-built his cabin. White was joined by his brother- in-law, Doolittle, and they laid out the town of Burlington in 1834, on a beautiful area of sloping eminences and gentle de- clevities, enclosed within a natural amphi- theater formed by the surrounding hills, which were covered with luxuriant forests, and presented the most picturesque scenery. The same autumn witnessed the opening of the tirst dry goods stores, by Dr. W. R. Ross and Major Jeremiah Smith, each well supplied with Western merchandise. Such was the beginning cf Burlington, which, in less than four years, became the seat of government for the territory of Wisconsin, and, in three years more, contained a pop- ulation of 1,400 persons.
Immediately after the treaty with the Sacs and Foxes, in September, 1832, Col. George Davenport made the first claim on the site of the present thriving city of Davenport. As early as 1827, Col. Daven- port had established a flat-boat ferry, which ran between the island and the main shore of Iowa, by which he carried on a trade with the Indians west of the Mississippi.
In 1833 Capt. Benjamin W. Clark moved from Illinois, and laid the foundation of
the town of Buff.alo, in Scott county, which was the first actual settlement within the limits of that county.
The first settlers of Davenport were Antoine LeClaire, Col. George Davenport, Major Thomas Smith, Major Wra. Gordon, Philip Hambough, Alex. W. McGregor, Levi S. Colton, Captain James May, and others.
A settlement was made in Clayton county in the spring of 1832, on Turkey river, by Robert Hatfield and Wm. W. Wayman. No further settlement was made in this part of the State until 1836
The first settlers of Muscatine county were Benjamin Nye, John Vanater and G. W. Kasey, all of whom came in 1834. E. E. Fay, Wm. St. John, N. Fullington, H. Reece, Jona Pettibone, R. P. Lowe, Stephen Whicher, Abijah Whitney, J. E Fletcher, W. D. Abernethy and Alexis Smith were also early settlers of Muscatine.
As early as 1824 a French trader named Hart had established a trading post, and built a cabin on the bluffs above the large spring now known as "Mynster Spring," within the limits of the present city of Council Bluffs, and had probably been there some time, as the post was known to the employes of the American Fur Com- pany as "La Cote de Hart," or "Hart's Bluff."
In 1827 an agent of the American Fur Company, Francis Guitar, with others, en- camped in the timber at the foot of the bluffs, about on the present location of Broadway, and afterward settled there. In 1839 a block house was built on the bluff in the east part of the city. The Pottawatomie Indians occupied this part of the State until 1846 7, when they re-
IE.
HISTORY OF IOWA.
49
linqiusl)ed the territory and removed to Kansas. Billy Caldwell was then princi- pal chief. There were no white settlers in that part of the State except Indian traders, until the arrival of the Mormons under the lead of Brigham Young. These people, on their way westward, halted for the win- ter of 1846-7 on the west bank of the Mis- souri river, about five miles above Omaha, at a place now called Florence. Some of them had reached the eastern bank of the river the spring before, in season to plant a crop. In the spring of 1847 Young and a portion of the colony pursued their jour- ney to Salt Lake, but a large portion of them returned to the Iowa side and settled mainly within the present limits of Potta- watomie county. The principal settlement of this strange community was at, a place first called '-Miller's Hollow," on Indian creek, and aftur^ ard named Kanesville, in honor of Col. Kane, of Pennsylvania, who visited them soon afterward. The Mor- mon settlement extended over the county and into neighboring counties, wherever timber and water furnished desirable loca- tions. Orson Hyde, priest, lawyer and editor, was installed as President of the Quorum of Twelve, and all that part of the State lemained under Mormon control for several years. In 1847 they raised a bat- talion, numbering 500 men, for the Mexi- can war. In 1848 Hyde started a paper, called the Frontier Ghiardian, at ELanea- ville.
In 1849, after many of the faithful had left to join Brigham Young, at Salt Lake, the Mormons in this section of Iowa num- bered 6,552, and, in 1850, 7,828, but they were not all within the limits of Pottawat- omie county. This county was organized in 1848, all the first officials being Mor- mons. In 1852 the order was promulgated that all the true believers should gather together at Salt Lake. Gentiles flocked in, and in a few years nearly all the first settlers were gone.
May 9, 1843, Capt. James Allen, with a small detachment of troops, on board the steamer "lone," arrived at the present site of the capital of the State, DesMoines. This was the first steamer to ascend the DesMoines river to this point. 1 he troops and stores were landed at what is now the foot of Court Avenue, DesMoines, and Capt. Allen returned in the steamer to Fort Sanford, to arrange for bringing up more soldiers and supplies. In due time they, too, arrived, and a fort wrs built near the mouth of Raccoon Fork, at its confluence with the DesMoines, and named Fort DesMoines. Soon after the arrival of the troops, a trading post was established on the east side ot the river, by two noted Indian traders, named Ewing, from Ohio. Among the first settlers in this part of Iowa were Benjamin Bryant, J. B. Scott, James Drake (gunsmith), John Sturtevant, Robert Kinzie, Alexander Tamer, Peter Newcomer, and others.
IIISTOEY OF IOWA.
CHAPTER V.
TEERITOEIAL AND STATE ORGANIZATIONS.
The immigration to Iowa after the Black Hawk purchase was so rapid and steady that some provision for civil government became necessary. Accordingly, in 1834, all the territory comja-lsing the present States of Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota was made subject to the jurisdiction of Michigan Territory. Up to this time there had been no county or other organization in what is now the State of Iowa, although one or two justices of the peace had been appointed, and a postoffice was established at Dubuque in 1833. In September of 1834, therefore, the Territorial Legislature of Michigan created two counties on the west side of the Mississippi river — Du- buque and DeaMoines — separated by a line drawn westward from the foot of Rock Island. These counties were partially or- ganized. John King was appointed Chief Justice of Dubuque county, and Isaac Lef- fler (of Burlington) of DesMoines county. Two associate justices, in each county, were appointed by the Governor.
In October, 1835, Gen. George W. Jones, now a citizen of Dubuque, was elected a delegate to Congress. April 20, 1836, through the efforts of Gen. Jones, Con- gress passed a bill creating the Territory of Wisconsin, which went into operation July 4, of the same year. Iowa was then included in the Territory of Wisconsin, of which Gen. Henry Dodge was appointed
Governor; John S. Horner, Secretary; Charles Dunn, Chief Justice; David Irwin and William C. Frazer, Associate Justices.
Sept. 9, 1836, Governor Dodge ordered a census of the new Territory to be taken. This census showed a population of 10,531, of which DesMoines county contained 6,257, and Dubuque 4,274. Under the apportionment, the two above named counties were entitled to six members of the Council and thirteen of the House of Representatives. The Governor issued his proclamation for an election to be held on the first Monday of October, 1836, on which day the following members of the first Territorial Legislature of Wisconsin were elected from the two counties in the Black Hawk purchase :
Dubuque — Council: John Tally, Thos. McKnight, Thos. McCraney. House: Lor- ing Wheeler, Haldin Whelan, Peter Hill Engle, Patrick Quigly, Hosea F. Camp.
DesMoines — Council: Jeremiah Smith, Jr., Joseph B. Teas, Arthur B. Ingram. House: Isaac Leffler, Thos. Blair, Warren L. Jenkins, John Box, George W. Teas, Eli Reynolds, David R Chance.
The Legislature assembled at Belmont, in the present State of Wisconsin, October 25th, 1836, and organized by electing Henry Baird President of the Council, and Peter Hill Engle (of Dubuque) Speaker of the House.
~5>PV
HISTORY OF IOWA.
ti\
At this session the county of DesMoines was divided into DesMoines, Lee, VanBu- ren, Henry, Muscatine and Cook. This last is now called Scott county. The first Legislature adjourned December 9th, 1836.
The second Legislature assembled at Burlington, November 9, 1837. It divided Dubuque into the counties of Dubuque, Clayton, Fayette, Delaware, Buchanan, Jackson, Jones, Linn, Benton, Clinton and Cedar, and adjourned January 20th, 1838.
A third session was held at Burlington, commencing June 1st, and ending June 12th, 1^38. Most of the new counties were not organized until several years afterward.
The question of the organization of the Territory of Iowa now began to be agi- tated, and the desires of the people found expression in a convention held Nov. 1st, which memoralized Congress to organize a Territory west of the Mississippi, and to settle the boundary line between Wiscon- sin Territory and Missouri. The Territorial Legislature of Wisconsin, then in session at Burlington, joined in the petition. Gen. George W. Jones, of Dubuque, then re- siding at Linsinawa Mound, in what is now Wisconsin, was delegate to Congress from Wisconsin Territory, and labored so earn- estly that the act was passed dividing the Territory of Wisconsin, and providing for the territorial government of Iowa. This was approved June 12, 1838, to take effect and be in force on and after July 8, 1838.
The new Territory embraced "all that part of the present Territory of Wisconsin west of the Mississippi river, and west of a line drawn due north from the head- waters or sources of the Mississippi to the Territorial line." The organic act pro-
vided for a Governor, whose term of office should be three years; and for a Secretary, Chief Justice, two Associate Justices, and Attorney and Marshal, who should serve four years, to be appointed by the Pr^ si- dent, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
The act also provided for the election, by the white male inhabitants, citizens of the United States, over 21 years of age, of a House of Representatives, consisting of 26 members, and a council, to consist of 13 members. It also appropriated $5,000 for a public library, and $20,000 for the erec- tion of public buildings.
In accordance with this act, President Van Buren appointed ex-Governor Robert Lucas, of Ohio, to be the first Governer of the new Territory. Wm. B. Conway, of Pittsburg, was appointed Secretary of the Territory; Charles Mason, of Burlington, Chief Justice, and Thomas S. Wilson, of Dubuque, and Joseph Williams, of Penn- sylvania, Associate Judges of the Supreme and District Courts; Mr. Van Allen, of New York, Attorney; Francis Gehon, of Dubuque, Marshal; Augustus C. Dodge, Register of the Land Office at Burlington, and Thos. McKnight, Receiver of the Land Ofiice at Dubuque. Mr. Van Allen, the District Attorney, died at Rockinghnm soon after his appointment, and Col. Chas. Weston was appointed to fill his vacancy. Mr. Conway, the Secretary, also died at Burlington during the second session of the Legislature, and James Clarke, editor of the Gazette,wa,s appointed to succeed him.
Governor Lucas, immediately after his arrival, issued a proclamation for the elec- tion of members of the first Territorial Legislature, to be held on the 10th of Sep-
s ^
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
teniber, dividing the Territory into election districts for that purpose, and appointing the l2th of November for the meeting of the Legislature to be elected at Burlington. The members were elected in accordance with this proclamation, and assembled at the appointed time and place. The fol- lowing are their names :
Council— Jeese B. Brown, J. Keith, E
A. M. Swazey, Arthur Ingram, Robert Ralston, George Hepner, Jesse J. Payne, D. B. Hughes, James M. Clark, Charles Whittlesey, Jonathan W. Parker, Warner Lewis, Stephen Hempstead.
House — Wm. Patterson, Hawkins Tay- lor, Calvin J. Price, James Brierly, Jaraes Hall, Gideon S. Bailey, Samuel Parker, James W. Grimes, George Temple, Van
B. Delashmutt, Thomas Blair, George H. Beeler, Wm. G. Coop, Wm. H. Wallace, Asbury B. Porter, John Frierson, Wm. L. Toole, Levi Thornton, S. C. Hastings, Robert G. Roberts, Laurel Summers, Ja- bez A Burchard,Jr, Chauncey Swan, An- drew Bankson, Thomas Cox and Hardin Nowlin.
Although a large majority of both branches of the Legislature were Demo- ocrats. Gen. Jesse B. Brown (Whig), of Lee county, was elected President of the Council,and Hon. Wm H.Wallace (Whig), of Henry county, Speaker of the House of Representatives — the former unanimously and the latter with but liitle opposition At that time national politics were little heeded by the people of the new Territory, but in 1840, during the Presidential cam- paign, party lines were strongly drawn.
At the same time with this Legislature, a Congressional delegate was also elected.
Out of four candidates, William W. Chap- man was elected.
The first session of the Iowa Territorial Legislature was a stormy and exciting one. By the organic law the Governor was clothed with almost unlimited veto power. Governor Lucus seemed disposed to make free use of it, and the independent Hawk- eyes could not quietly submit to arbitrary and absolute rule, and the result was an unpleasant controversy between the execu- tive and legislative departments; Congress, however, by act approved March 3d, 1839, amended the organic law by restricting the veto power of the Governor to the two- thirds rule, and took from him the power to appoint sheriffs and magistrates. Among the first important matters demanding at- tention was the location of the seat of government, and provision for the erection of public buildings, for which Congress had appropriated $20,000. Gov. Lucas, in his message, had recommended the ap- pointment of commissioners with a view to selecting a central location. The extent of the future State of Iowa was not known or thought of. Only a strip of land fifty miles wide, bordering on the Mississippi river, was the Indian title extinguished, and a central location meant some central point in the Black Hawk Purchase.
The friends of a central location sup- ported the Governor's suggestion. The Southern members were divided between Burlington and Mount Pleasant, but finally united on the latter as the proper location for the seat of government. The central and southern parties were very nearly equal, and, in consequence, much excitement pre- vailed. The central party at last tri- umphed, and, on January 21st, 1839, an act
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
was passed appointing Chauncey Swan, of Dubuque county, John Ronalds, of Louisa county, and Robert Ralston, of DesMoines county, Commissioners to select a site for a permanent seat of government within the limits of Johnson county.
The first settlement within the limits of Johnson county was made in 1837. The county was created by act of the Territorial Legislature of Wisconsin, approved Dec. 21, 1837, and organized by act pa sed at the special session at Burlington, in June, 1838, the organization to date from July 4, following. Napoleon, on the Iowa river, a few miles below the future Iowa City, was designated as the temporary county seat.
All things considered, the location of the capital in Johnson county was a wise act. The Territory was bounded on the north by the British possessions; east, by the Mississippi river to its source; thence by a line drawn due north to the northern boundary of the United States; south, by the State of Missouri, and west by the Missouri and White Earth rivers. But this immense territory was in undisputed possession of the Indians, except a strip on the Mississippi, known as the Black Hawk Purchase. Johnson county was, from north to south, in the geogiapbical center of this purchase, and as near the east and west geographical center of the future State of Iowa as could then be made, as the boundary line between the lauds of the United States and the Indians estab- lished by the treaty of Oct. 21, 1837, was immediately west of the county limits.
After selecting the site, the Commission- ers were directed to lay out 640 acres into a town, to be called Iowa City, and to pro-
ceed to sell lots and erect public buildings thereon, Congress having granted a section of land to be selected by the Teiritory for this purpose. The Commissioners met at Napoleon, Johnson county. May 1, 1839, selected for a site section 10, in township 79 north, of range 6 west of the fifth prin- cipal meridian, and immediately surveyed it and laid off the town. The first sale of lots took place Aug. 16, 1839. The site selected for the public buildings was a little west of the center of the section, where a square of 10 acres, on the elevated grounds overlooking the river, was reserved for the purpose. The capitol is located in the center of this square. The second Ter- ritorial Legislature, which assembled in November, 1839, passed an act requiring the Commissioners to adopt such plan for the building that the aggregate cost, when complete, should not exceed ISlj^OO, and if tiiey had already adopted a plan involv- ing a greater expenditure, they were direct- ed to abandon it. Plans for the building were designed and drawn by Mr. John F. Rague, of Sprinsifield, Ills., and July 4, 1840, the corner-stone of the edifice was laid with appropriate ceremonies. Samuel C. Trowbridge was marshal of the day, and Governor Lucas delivered the address on that occasion.
On July 13, 1840, Governor Lucas an- nounced to the Legislature then as- sembled in special session, that on the 4th of that month he had visited Iowa City, and found the basement of the cap- itol nearly completed. A bill authorizing a loan of $20,000 for the building was passed January 15, 1841, the unsold lots of Iowa City being the security offered, but only 15,500 was obtained under the act.
54
HISTORY OF IOWA.
Monday, December 6, 1841, the fourth Legislative Assembly met at the new cap- ital, Iowa City, but the capitol building could not be used, and the Legislature oc- cupied a temporary frame house, that had been erected for that purpose during the session of 1841-2. At this session, the Superintendent of Public Buildings (who, with the Territorial Agent, had superseded the Commissioners first appointed,) esti- mated the expense of completing the build- ing at $33,330, and of completing rooms for the use of the Legislature at $15,600.
During the following year the Superin- tendent commenced obtaining stone from a new quarry about ten miles northeast of the city. This is now known as the "Old Cap- itol Quarry," and is thought to contain an immense quantity of excellent building stone. Here all the stone for completing the building was obtained, and it was so far completed that, on the 5th day of De- cember, 1842, the Legislature assembled in the new Capitol. At this sesi^ion the Su- perintendent estimated that it would cost $39,143 to finish the building This was nearly $6,000 higher than the estimate of the previous year, notwithstanding a large sum had been expended in the meantime. This rather discouraging discrepancy was accounted for by the fact that the officers in charge of the work were constantly short of funds. Except the Congre.ssional appropriation of $20,000, aiid the loan of $5,500 obtained from the Miners' Bank of Dubuque, all the funds for the prosecution of the work were derived from the sale of the city lots (which did not sell very rap- idly), from certificates of indebtedness, and from scrip, based upon unsold lots, which was to be received in payment for
such lots when they were sold. At one time the Superintendent made a requisition for bills of iron and glass, which could not be obtained nearer than St. Louis. To meet this, the agent sold some lots for a draft payable at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, for which he was compelled to pay 25 per cent, exchange. This draft amounted to $507, which that officer reported to be more than one-half the cash actually handled by him during the entire'season, when the dis- bursements amounted to very nearly $24,- 000. With such uncertainty, it could not be expected that the estimate could be very accurate. With all these disadvan- tages, however, the work appears to have been prudently prosecuted, and as rapidly as circumstances would permit.
In 1841, John Chambers succeded Robert Lucas as Territorial Governor. The office was held by him until 1845, when it was filled by James Clarke.
The first Legislative Assembly laid the broad foundation of civil equality, on which has been constructed one of the most lib- eral governments in the Union. Its first act was to recognize the equality of woman with man, before the law, by providing that " no action commenced by a single woman, who marries during the pendency thereof, shall abate on account of such marriage." This principle has been adopted in all subsequent legislation in Iowa, and to-day woman has full and equal rights with man, excepting only the right of the ballot.
Religious toleration was also secured to all, personal liberty strictly guarded the rights and privileges of citizenship ex- tended to all white persons, and the purity of elections secured by heavy penalties
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
against bribery and corruption. The judiciary power was vested in a Supreme Court, District Court, Probate Court and justices of the peace. Real estate was made divisible by will, and intestate pro- perty divided equitably among heirs. Murder was made punishable by death, and proportionate penalties fixed for lesser crimes. A system of free schools, open for every class of white citizens, was estab- lished. Provision was made for a system of roads and highways. Thus, under the Territorial organization, the country began to emerge from a savage wilderness, aq^ take on the forms of civil government.
The Territorial Legislature held its eighth and last session at Iowa City, com- mencing December 1, 1845. James Clark was the same year appointed the successor of Governor Chambers, and was the third and last Territorial Governor. In 1843 the Territorial Legislature compiled and pub- lished a code of general statutes, making a volume of 800 pages, that continued in force until July, 1851.
THE MISSOURI WAH.
In defining the boundaries of the coun- ties bordering on Missouri, the Iowa authorities had fixed a line which has since been established as the boundary between Iowa and Missouri. The consti- tution of Missouri defined her northern boundary to be the parallel of latitude which passes through the rapids of Des Moines river. The lower rapids of the Mississippi immediately above the mouth of the Des Moines river had always been known as the Des Moines Rapids, or the "rapids of the Des Moines river." The Missourians (evidently not well versed in history or
geography), insisted on running the northern boundary line from the rapids in the Des Moines river, just lelow Keosau- qua, thus taking from Iowa a strip of ter- ritory eight or ten miles wide. Assuming this as her northern boundary line, Missouri attempted to exercise jurisdiction over the disputed territory by assessing taxes, and sending her sheriffs to collect them by distraining the personal property of the settlers. The lowans, however, werd*not disposed to submit, and the Missouri offi- cials were arrested by the sheriffs of Davis and Van Buren counties and confined in jail. Governor Boggs, of Missouri, called out his milita to enforce the claim and sustain the officers of Mis-souri. Governor Lucas called out the militia of Iowa. About 1,200 men were enlisted, and 500 were actually armed and encamped in Van Buren county, ready to defend the integrity of the Territory. Subsequently, Gen. A. C. Dodge, of Burlington, General Churchman, of Dubnque, and Dr. Clark, of Fort Madison, were sent to Missouri as envoys plenipotentiary, to effect, if possi- ble, a peaceable adjustment of the diffi- culty. Upon their arrival, they found that the county commissioners of Clark county, Missouri, had rescinded their order for the collection of taxes, and that Governor Boggs had dispatched messengers to the Governor of Iowa proposing to submit an agreed case to the Supreme Court of the United States for the settlement of the boundary question. This proposition was declined; but afterward, upon petition of Iowa and Missouri, Congress authorized a suit to settle the controversy. The suit was duly instituted, and resulted in the decision that Iowa had only asserted "the
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
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truth of history," and that she knew where the rapids of Des Moines river were located. Thus ended the Missouri war. " There was much good sense," says Hon. C. C. Nourse, " in the basis upon which peace was secured, to-wit: ' If Missourians did not know where the rapids of the river Des Moines were located, that was no suf- ficient reason for killing them off with powder and lead; and if we did know a littl?more of history and geography than they did, -ve ought not to be shot for our learning. We commend our mutual for- bearance to older and greater people.' " Under an order from the Supreme Court of the United States, William G. Miner, of Missouri, and Henry B. Hendershott, of Iowa, acted as commissioners, and surveyed and established the boundary. The ex- penses of the war on the part of Iowa were never paid, either by the United States or the Territorial Government. The patriots who furnished supplies to the troops had to bear the cost and charges of the struggle The population being sufficient to justify the formation of a State government, the Territorial Legislature of Iowa pas.?ed an act, which was approved February 12th, 1844, submitting to the people the ques- tion of the formation of a State constitu- tion and providing for the election of delegates to a convention to be convened for that purpose. The people voted upon this at their township elections in the fol- lowing April. The measiire was carried by a large majority, and the delegates elected assembled in convention at Iowa City October 7th, 1844. On the first day of November following, the convention completed its work, and adopted the first State constitution.
Hon Shepherd Ltffler, the president of this convention, was instructed to transmit a certified copy of this constitution to the delegate in Congress, to be by him sub- mitted to that body at the earliest practi- cable day. It also provided that it should be submitted, together with any conditions or changes that might be made by Con- gress, to the People of the Territory, f^r their approval or rejection, at the township election in April, 18)5.
The Constitution, as thus prepared, pro- vided the following boundaries for the S*ite: Beginning in the middle of the channel of the Mississippi river, opposite the mouth of the Des Moines river; thence up the said river Des Moines, in the mid- dle of the main channel thereof, to a point where it is intersected by the old Indian bonndaiy line, or line run by John C. Sul- livan in 1816; thence weslwardly along said line to the "old" northwest corner of Missouri; thence due west to the middle of the main channel of the Missouri river; thence up the middle of the main channel of the river last mentioned, to the mouth of the Sioux or Calumet river; thence in a direct line to the middle of the main chan- nel of the St. Peters river, where the Wa- tonwan river — according to NicoUett's map— enters the same; thence down the middle of the main channel of the said river to the middle of the main channel of the Mississippi river; thence down the middle of the main channel of said river to the place of beginning.
These boundaries were considerably more extended than other Western States, and Congress therefore amended the Con- stitution, by act approved March 3, 1845, as follows: Beginning at the mouth of
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
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the Des Moines river, at the middle of the Mississippi; thence by the middle of the channel of that river to a parallel of lati- tude, passing through the mouth of the Mankato or Blue Earth river; thence west, along said parallel of latitude, to a point where it is intersected by a meridian line 17® 30' west of the meridian of Wash- ington City; thence due south, to the northern boundary line of the State of Missouri; thence eastwardly, following that boundary to the point at which the same intersects the Des Moines river; thence by the middle of the channel of that river to the place of beginning.
Had these boundaries been accepted, they would have placed the northern boundary of the State about 30 miles north of its present location, and would have deprived it of the Missouri slope and the boundary of that river. The western boundary would have been near the west line of what is now Kossuth county. But it was not so to be. In consequence of this radical and unwelcome change in the boundaries, the people refused to accept the act of Congress, and rejected the Con- stitution, at the election held Aug. 4, 1845, by a vote of 7,656 to 7,235.
May 4, 1846, a second Convention met at Iowa City, and on the 18th of the same month another Constitution, prescribing the boundaries as they now are, was adopted. This was accepted by the people, August 3, by a vote of 9,492 to 9,036. The new Constitution was approved by Con- gress, and Iowa was admitted as a sov- ereign State in the American Union, Dec. 28, 1846.
The people of the State, anticipating favorable action by Congress, held an
election for State officers October 26, which resulted in Ansel Briggs being de- clared Governor; Elisha Cutler, Jr , Secre- tary of State; Joseph T. Fales, Auditor; Morgan Reno, Treasurer; and members of the Senate and House of Representatives.
The act of Congress which admitted Iowa gave her the 16th section of every township of land in the State, or its equivalent, for the support of schools; also, 72 sections of land for the purpose of a university; also, five sections of land for the completion of her public buildings; also, the salt springs within her limits, not exceeding 12 in number, with sections of land adjoining each; also, in consideration that her public lands should be exempt from taxation by the State, she gave the State five per cent, of the net proceeds of the sale of public lands within the State. Thus provided for as a bride with her marriage portion, Iowa commenced house- keeping on her own account.
A majority of the Constitutional Con- vention of 1846 were of the Democratic party; and the instrument contains some of the peculiar tenets of the party of that day. All banks of issue were prohibited within the State. The State was prohibited from becoming a stockholder in any cor- poration for pecuniary profit, and the Gen- eral Assembly could only provide for pri- vate corporations by general statutes. The constitution also limited the State's indebt- edness to $100,000. It required the Gen- eral Assembly to provide public schools throughout the State for at least three months in the year. Six months previous residence of any white male citizen of the United States constituted him an elector.
IIISTOEY OF IOWA.
The government was started on an economical basis. The members of the General Assembly received, each, two dol- lars per day for the first fifty days of the session, and one dollar per day thereafter. The sessions were to be biennial. The salaries of the State officers were limited the first ten years as follows: Governor, 11,000 per annum; Secretary of State, $500; Treasurer of State, $400; Auditor of State, $600; and Judges of the Supreme Court, $1,000 each. And it may be said here that
these prices did not discourage the best talent of the State from seeking these positions, and that during these ten years none of these officers were ever known to receive bribes, or to steal one dollar of the public money. At the time of organiza- tion as a State, Iowa had a population of 116,651, as appears by the census of 1847. There weie twenty-seven organized coun- ties in the State, and the settlements were being rapidly pushed toward the Missouri river.
CHAPTER VI.
GROWTn AND DEVELOPMENT OP THE STATE.
The first General Assembly was com- posed of nineteen Senators and forty Rep- resentatives. It assembled in Iowa City, November 30th, 1840, about one month be- fore Congress passed the act of admission. The most important business transacted was the passage of a bill authorizing a loan of $50,000 for means to run the State government and pay the expenses of the Constitutional Convention. The election of United States Senators was called up at this session, and was the occasion