USA > Iowa > Louisa County > History of Louisa County, Iowa, from its earliest settlement to 1912, Volume I > Part 1
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HISTORY
OF
LOUISA COUNTY
IOWA
From Its Earliest Settlement to 1912
By ARTHUR SPRINGER
ILLUSTRATED
VOLUME I
CHICAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1912
$
THE NEW YO !! PUBLIC LIBRARY 99262B
ASTOR, LF' TILDER F. B 1941
THE PIONEERS
The sturdy stuff of all their sires Was molded in the race of them Who builded first their wayside fires Along the primal forests' hem. Who dared the wilderness and fought With wild men single-handed there : Who cleared the underbrush and wrought Out destiny with patient care!
In their small clearings, here and there, By creek and river, as they fared, The settler's cabin braved despair And challenged death and dared The awful loneliness that hushed The hope that still survives- The mad'ning silences that crushed The brightness out of lives !
They were the heroes of the race Who conquered by the might Of manhood ; who stood face to face With God and knew the right. And did it with a fearless trust That brooked no shriv'ling doubt : Who did the things that ever must Be done-as bravely did without !
It was the sons of hardy sires- And not one whit less hardy these- Who kindled first their wayside fires On the wide prairies without trees, Where the dread desolation swept Across their spirits, day and night : Strong men struggled and women wept For loneliness beyond requite !
Such were the men and such their wives Who laid the corner-stones of State : Who gave, in sacrifice, their lives That we might here become the great
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THE PIONEERS
Rich Commonwealth, which now we hold As our fair heritage to-day -- Far-spread splendors of grain and gold. With wealth which cannot pass away !
But they have passed-are passing now- The remnants of the pioneers : With the deep furrows on their brow. Yet with checks unblanched by fears ; While heads are bent and steps are slow, Their spirits are unconquered yet ! They go the way all heroes go- But we will not forget !
DES MOINES, IOWA., July 13. 1911.
CHARLES BLANCHARD.
PREFACE
Louisa, though the smallest county in the state, and containing one hundred and fifteen thousand acres less than the average, has a history, which, in some respects, is fully as important, and, in most respects, is as well worth preserving as that of any of Iowa's ninety-nine counties. It is a matter of keen regret that the importance of preserving our local history, has not only never been properly recognized, but has often been entirely lost sight of. For many years after the settlement, and even long after the organization of the county, we had no news- paper here, and because of neglect on the one hand, and destructive fires on the other, we now have only fragmentary files of such newspapers as were published. The early settlers were too busy making history to give much time, or take much thought, toward recording or preserving it, and so it happens that, while the affairs of the county from the very beginning were transacted in a fairly busi- nesslike manner. and while we have much important and interesting matter con- cerning the official doings of those early days, it is still a lamentable fact that many papers and documents which must have at one time been among the county archives are missing, nor are they to be found in print. Beginning with the entry of the late John Hale, and soon after of W. S. Kremer, into the service of the county, much greater care was taken toward recording official transac- tions, and preserving official papers. The writer has heard Mr. Hale describe the almost indescribable confusion in which he found the papers in the clerk's office when he entered it-all kinds of documents in the same pigeon hole without any order or system, papers of all kinds and dates piled upon the tables and scat- tered upon chairs or on the floor, or thrown in the corners of the room-and most of the old files which we still have show us, by the labels in his own hand- writing, that it was John Hale who sorted and saved them, and they still remind us how greatly we are indebted to his thoughtfulness and care. It is hoped that those who peruse this history will. if they should find it "full of omissions," charge at least a part of them to circumstances which cannot now be remedied.
Other omissions there will be. due to. various causes. Some of these omis- sions will be due to the failure of those who have important documents in their possession to make the fact known, and other omissions may be charged to the fact that this work is done amid the interruptions of business, and because of the anxiety of the publishers to complete, and of many of the subscribers to receive the promised history. One could easily spend years in making a detailed investi- gation of any one of the several subjects presented by the history of a county created three quarters of a century ago, and within whose borders is the historic spot where. more than a century and a half before the county existed was held the first council between the white man and the red man in the valley of the
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PREFACE
mighty Mississippi. Nevertheless, it is hoped that this work will pass for an attempt at a County History, and even this could not be claimed for any previous publication concerning Louisa county. The work done by O. I. Jamison, pub- lished in the Columbus Junction Gazette in 1906 and 1907 is of very great value, and would have been far more so if his health and life had been spared to complete it as he had planned. Most of the writings which have heretofore passed for county histories are so inaccurate that they often hinder more than they help, although considerable valuable material has been taken, after making some cor- rections, from the County Album published in 1880 by the Acme Publishing Company. A sample of quite a number of mistakes in that work is its statement that John Bevins was the first postmaster of Wapello, when in fact he was never postmaster here at all.
Is stated in the prospectus. the chief energies of the writer of this work have been devoted to a study of the early days, of the things which happened, and the men who lived, forty or fifty years ago, or more. These events and the men who were concerned in them are not only of much greater interest and importance, historically, than those of a later date, but their history is much more difficult to secure : besides, the later events, even if important, can hardly be said to have passed into history, and the accounts of them are comparatively accessible.
This work contains a number of important tables or groups of facts, some of which will be found in the body of the work and some in the Appendix. AAtten- tion is called to the list of Charters, Laws, Treaties, etc., which bear upon our County history. If, as was said by one of Iowa's noted constitution makers "Law is history," then the table of laws and charters ought alone to justify this publication. The material for it has been taken from official publications, and from Dr. Thorp's "American Charters, Constitutions and Organic Laws" and Dr. Shambangh's "Documentary Material Relating to Iowa History," both of which are official to students of history.
Another list which will be found in Chapter X contains the names of the county officials from the organization of the county to the present time: also senators and representatives and other kindred information. This was a very difficult list to prepare and it is possible that some errors may be found in it. although great pains have been taken in its preparation.
In the chapter on the Military history of the county will be found an alpha- betical list of all the soldiers who enlisted from Louisa county during the war of the Rebellion, so far as could be learned.
For the most part. an effort has been made to merely state the facts of our county history in a plain and unvarnished way. In the preparation of this work. two serions difficulties have been encountered, one was to know what should be included and what should be left ont. AAnother was to know how to arrange and in what chapters to put the things that were included. It goes without saying. that many people would have excluded things which have been made use of, and would have included many of those that have been left out. This is a matter of judgment upon which the author is by no means infallible.
The liberality of the publishers has been such that nearly every known source of information concerning our early history has been sought ont.
The anthor is under obligations to Ilon. E. R. Harlan, Curator of the State Ilistorical Department, and to IIon. Johnson Brigham, State Librarian ; to John
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PREFACE
M. Helmick, Esq. of Davenport; to Rev. T. O. Douglas of Grinnell; and to present and former residents of Louisa county too numerous to mention, though it is proper to say that special thanks are due to Mrs. J. L. Kent, Mrs. Martha McDill. J. R. Smith, Ed. Hicklin, Col. J. W. Garner, Oscar Hale, W. S. Kremer and N. W. Mckay. Special thanks are also due to Hon. C. A. Kennedy for his persistent and successful efforts in getting information from the government records at Washington. But, to those who are familiar with recent develop- ments in Iowa Historical research, it will be readily believed that the greatest assistance has come from the publications of the Iowa State Historical Society at lowa City, and from the writings of Dr. B. F. Shambaugh, facile princeps among Iowa historians. The library of the Iowa State Historical Society is a wonderful mine of information, and Dr. Shambaugh and his assistants have explored it so thoroughly, and are so uniformly accommodating, that he who seeks information there needs but "ask and he shall receive."
Because of relationship to some, and an intimate acquaintance with many of those who reared our county structure, this work has been largely a labor of love, my chief regret being that I have not had more time and leisure to devote to it.
WAPELLO, IOWA, January -, 1912.
ARTHUR SPRINGER.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
THE GEOLOGICAL STORY.
IOWA ONCE A TROPICAL COUNTRY- GLACIAL PERIOD-PHYSICAL FEATURES-ROCKS -COAL-NATURAL GAS, ETC. . I
CHAPTER II.
THE MOUND BUILDERS
.. .. 9
CHAPTER III.
VOYAGE OF MARQUETTE AND JOLIET DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI.
THEY LAND IN LOUISA COUNTY-HISTORY OF MISSISSIPPI VALLEY BEGINS HERE- FIRST BANQUET ON IOWA SOIL. . 14
CHAPTER IV. SOME INDIAN HISTORY.
THE ILLINOIS- THE IOWAS-THE SACS AND FOXES- THE BLACK HAWK WAR- TREATY FOR BLACK HAWK PURCIIASE-BLACK IIAWK-KEOKUK-WAPELLA. . 2I
CHAPTER V. THE IOWA DISTRICT.
OUR VARIOUS RULERS- DIFFERENT TERRITORIES-ZEBULON M. PIKE-REV. CUTTING MARSH- ALBERT M. LEA-REV. JAMES L. SCOTT-REV. ASA TURNER-COLONEL CROGAN-ESTABLISHMENT OF DEMOINE COUNTY. 35
CHAPTER VI.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS IN THE COUNTY-THE CENSUS OF DES MOINES COUNTY, WIS- CONSIN IN 1836-ESTABLISHMENT OF WISCONSIN TERRITORY-CLAIM LAWS- ESTABLISHMENT OF IOWA TERRITORY. . ... 45
CHAPTER VII.
THE KEOKUK RESERVE-TREATY CEDING IT TO THE UNITED STATES-DES MOINES COUNTY DIVIDED-LOUISA COUNTY ESTABLISHED-ORIGIN OF NAME-FIRST TERM OF COURT-FIRST SHERIFF-FIRST BOARD OF SUPERVISORS-CHANGE IN COUNTY BOUNDARIES 65
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER VIII. EARLY DISTRICTS, PRECINCTS AND TOWNSHIPS.
CHANGES IN TOWNSHIP BOUNDARIES-ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW TOWNSHIPS- EARLY SETTLERS IN THE SEVERAL TOWNSHIPS-EARLY LAND ENTRIES. . . . .... 83
CHAPTER IX. POLITICS AND ELECTIONS.
EARLY ELECTIONS-VOTE ON NEW CONSTITUTION-THE SOLDIERS TICKET-PRIMARY ELECTION ADOPTED-FIRST WIIG CONVENTION IN IOWA-REPUBLICAN PARTY ORGANIZED .108
CHAPTER N. LIST OF OFFICERS.
COUNTY OFFICERS-TERRITORIAL LEGISLATORS- STATE LEGISLATORS-MEMBERS OF CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS-OTHIER OFFICERS-GUBERNATORIAL APPOINT- MENTS-CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS AND CONGRESSMEN 123
CHAPTER XI. COUNTY FINANCES AND TAXES.
INCREASE IN TAXES-LOCAL GOVERNMENT-STATISTICS FROM TREASURER'S REPORTS AND TAX LISTS-SWAMP LANDS AND DRAINAGE. .... .140
CHAPTER NII. LOUISA COUNTY SOLDIERS.
TERRITORIAL MILITIAA-ALPHABETICAL LIST OF LOUISA COUNTY SOLDIERS IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION-SOLDIERS IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR. . . . . . 172
CHAPTER XIII. TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES.
THIE RIVERS-THE RAILROADS-THE AIR LINE RAILROAD-THE IOWA AND CEDAR RIVERS
... . 200
CHAPTER XIV. OUR COURTS AND LAWYERS.
FIRST COURT-JUDICIAL DISTRICTS-JUDGES-SOME EARLY LAWSUITS, ETC .- LOUIS.1 COUNTY LAWYERS 239
CHAPTER XV.
LOUISA COUNTY DOCTORS .257
CHAPTER XVI.
PERSONAL MENTION
.267
CHAPTER XVII. 289
VILLAGES AND TOWNS
History of Louisa County
CHAPTER I.
THE GEOLOGICAL STORY.
IOWA ONCE A TROPICAL COUNTRY-GLACIAL PERIOD-PHYSICAL FEATURES-ROCKS -COAL- NATURAL GAS, ETC.
First in order of time, though perhaps not first in interest, are the records to be found in the rocks. The geological history of Louisa county contains some facts of considerable interest. The latest division of geological time is called the Pleistocene ; it includes the present and "reaches back to that special series of events which have brought about the present relations of land and sea, the con- ditions of climate, peculiarities of soil," etc. Before the beginning of this period Iowa had for ages lain beneath the sea level, and we can read in the rocks which grew then the record of many of the living forms which once inhabited these waters. The rocks in the southern part of the county and in Des Moines county abound in fossil remains of crinoids, sometimes called "feather stars," and other related forms of sea life : while Buffington creek, in Elm Grove township, is noted as the locality from which came a remarkable collection of fish fossils, many of which are described in Vols. 6 and 7, of the Illinois Geological Survey. These fossil remains show that huge fish once inhabited this region. Eventually the land uprose from the sea and became a part of the dry land. This period is called by some the Ozarkian stage. Afterward, for a time. Iowa became, in the language of the late Professor Calvin, "a fair and sunny land, clad in forests of tropical species and revelling in all tropical luxuriance. Birds of gay plumage flitted back and forth in the open glades ; savage beasts related to the lion and the tiger sought the shady recesses ; herbivorous animals not very different from the elk, the camel. the rhinocerous and the horse found pasture in the grassy savan- nas, while troups of monkeys swung from branch to branch, and from treetop to treetop, and stirred the woodland with noisy exclamations."
Then came the great change which, with its centuries of unparalleled precipi- tation of snow, brought on the age of the glaciers, during which there descended from the north and northwest great ice fields, covering nearly the entire state
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IIISTORY OF LOUISA COUNTY
with an ice sheet, hundreds and perhaps thousands of feet in thickness. Prior to the coming of the glaciers and after the land had become elevated, the surface seems to have been carved into river valleys and streams, while channels were cut through rocks and shales to the depth of 200 to 600 feet.
In boring a deep well near Lone Tree there was discovered an old valley, or channel, doubtless of the lowa river, some 200 feet below the level of the present river. In the same way it has been found at Fort Madison that there is a channel of the Mississippi deeper than the present stream and walled in by rocks 250 feet high. This old channel was west of the present one, and future borings may show that it found its way through the central or western part of this county. Indeed, an observer of the United States geological survey claims to have located a river bed beginning just north of Columbus Junction and extending south and southeast through this county into Henry county : he traces it in part by a depres- sion in Elm Grove township which is some two miles wide, while in places it is forty feet below the elevation of the adjacent land. How long in the past it has been since the beginning of man's occupation no one can tell. much less the ages of preparation for man's existence. Hills and valleys, woods and prairies, are recent additions to the surface of the earth in comparison to the previous periods in geologic time. Where prairies now are found forests may have flourished once upon a time, and the leveling process of years may have worn the hills into plains.
That the people sought the favored spots as they had been taught to regard them. one needs only to suggest a search for the oldest homes and settlements in any county in this part of Iowa. Moving along the valleys the first settler selected his home site on account of two things, namely, wood and water, which for him would be available at all times. Therefore the oldest portions are not necessarily the most prosperous since they may have been planted upon the poorer sections of land, the settler not appreciating, until in after years, the waiting wealth in the prairie soil.
No one stops now, in his observation of the distribution of population. to inquire whether the first comers looked with wonder upon the scene and waited for men of science to determine the soil structure, or to set at ease the minds of the curious when they came upon peculiar or uncommon formations.
Could the world be seen in one's imagination before the streams, or trees, the hills or valleys were formed, when the rocks deep down in the earth began to take shape, and then believe that ages upon ages of time have passed while other layers of rock have been deposited, it might assist him in studying some common things found along the rocky ledges in many parts of the county.
The fossils found in our rock tell of a period long past when the living ani- mals were so numerous that their bony skeletons have formed whole systems of rocks. Then it must be remembered also, that the geologist does not count time by years, but by ages. He, like the astronomer, must deal with longer units of time in his measurements.
Therefore we need only think of the world as very, very old and to remem- ber that, with the scientist, as with the Psalmist, a thousand years are but as yesterday. Geologists tell us that twice this vicinity was covered with great sheets of ice and that marks were left upon the surface then exposed that are found and recognized today. These glaciers helped to produce very peculiar changes
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HISTORY OF LOUISA COUNTY
upon the surface of the earth but a detailed discussion of them would be foreign to the purpose of this work.
Each county has its own peculiar form and features and Louisa is no excep- tion. Indeed it may be said to possess more than ordinary interest since it borders upon the great Mississippi River, and the confluence of two of Iowa's most important rivers lies within its borders.
Probably the first scientist to cross any part of this county for the purpose of learning and describing something of its structure was a member of the party of which D. D. Owen was the head. In his report for 1852 on the Geology of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota,. Mr. Owen says that one B. C. Macy, follow- ing up the Iowa and Cedar Rivers, found himself in a land of swamps, through which he traveled for some distance, incidentally contracting a dangerous inter- mittent fever. But conditions in this respect have improved greatly since that time ; they began improving before the war, and most of the swamps and marshes had disappeared before the advent of the present "era of drainage," to which we will refer hereafter.
In general it may be said that Louisa County is geologically in four sections, rather distinctly marked having two uplands and two lower arcas. The latter lie along the Mississippi and Iowa chiefly, while the former are found between the two low areas and in the west and south. The townships of Eliot, Wapello. Oakland, and Port Louisa contain the great portions of the lowlands. Scien- tists would divide the lowlands into two parts, one called "Alluvium," which lies near the streams and is formed by the deposit of material from flowing water, and the other "terrace or low plain" which is slightly higher and further from the streams than the first named.
The Mississippi bottoms are fully five miles wide on both the northern and the southern boundaries of the county and probably are over two miles else- where. Two prominent features of this portion of the land are known as the Muscatine slough, extending along the western edge of the bottoms almost to the Iowa River, and the Great Sand mound in the northern corner of Port Louisa township, extending over the county line. Perhaps Lake Klum is also of importance enough to be included with these two mentioned, since it is approximately a mile and one half in length connecting with the Muscatine slough in section twenty-five, township seventy-four north of range three west.
Along the Iowa and Cedar Rivers the lowlands are from two to six miles in width and they extend diagonally through the county from northwest to southeast, the widest portion being in Oakland and Wapello townships, the lat- ter having long been known as Wapello prairie. Near the junction of the Cedar and the Iowa Rivers the bluffs of the uplands on either side approach each other, the western side being much nearer the river and for six miles they run nearly parallel, three miles apart until near Bard station. Where Long Creek enters the Iowa River they separate. The narrowest portion of this lowland is less than two miles in Jefferson and Eliot townships. In the former a low area includes a number of lagoons or sloughs indicating a former river channel. Here one finds Stone Lake, Myerholz Lake, Keever Slough, Spitznogle and Parson's Lakes, with minor bayous, not possessing recognized names.
The higher land previously mentioned between the two rivers is estimated to be not less than one hundred feet above the surrounding territory and about
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HISTORY OF LOUISA COUNTY
nine miles in width on the Muscatine County line. From here it tapers to a width of two miles east of Wapello, and then continues for perhaps eight miles ยท farther south stopping abruptly at the Iowa River. It is noticeable that this highland is marked off by a steep bluff line on the eastern side which causes the streams in this area to flow westward toward the Iowa River. although these sources are much nearer the Mississippi.
It is said that the highest point in the county, nearly nine hundred feet, is in the southeastern part of Morning Sun township. From this western eleva- tion there is a moderate slope toward the northeast the streams flowing in that direction until they reach the lowlands.
A feature which suggests the condition of the underlying strata is found in section eighteen of township seventy-three north, range three west, this being near the Concord schoolhouse and in the civil township of Morning Sun. Here a sink hole, as it is called, which is common in some sections of the state, is found. in dimensions five to eight rods across and twenty feet deep, indicating a subterranean cavern in the lower limestone.
As mentioned in the beginning. characteristic geologic changes are found in all sections of this county by means of which scientists determine what names to apply to the exposed strata. These names are not familiar to those un- acquainted with such terms, but in the observation of common bluffs or of the material drawn from deep wells any one may readily understand the great differences that are found in even nearby areas of land.
It is said that artesian wells might be obtained very readily in this county should they be desirable, and the lowlands are adapted to such undertakings where it is supposed a "copious flow may be found anywhere" at a depth of from twelve to fourteen hundred feet. On the uplands water is secured in ordinary wells at various depths ranging from thirty to three hundred feet. Shal- low wells are subject to a loss of the supply since they do not penetrate the per- manent source called "drift gravel" which the deeper wells reach. It appears further, that there are many sources of water in the form of springs along the ravines west of the Iowa River, which issue from between beds of shale known as the "Upper Burlington and Kinderhook shales."
Among the lowlands, especially where the soil is sandy, the driven well is very common, and abundant quantities of the best water are found at a depth of about twenty feet. The water supply about Wapello and in Oakland and Concord townships is obtained by driven wells and is practically inexhaustible. At the time the Baxter Brothers Company located their large canning factory at Wapello, they had some doubts as to whether the water supply obtained by driven wells would be sufficient for their purposes, but after testing the matter thoroughly with a steam pumping outfit. they became thoroughly convinced that it would.
Other economic products include the common building materials of stone and sand, as well as clay products, with traces of coal and natural gas. Build- ing stone is abundant in certain sections. exposures of this nature being found in the south and southwestern parts of the county. The kind of strata to which building stone belongs are found along the bluffs west of the Mississippi River and south of the Iowa in Eliot, Wapello, and Morning Sun townships. There are. however, other "ontcroppings" along the streams in Columbus City and
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