USA > Iowa > Marion County > History of Marion County, Iowa, and its people, Volume I > Part 1
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IVO IARIO CO.
WRIGHT
1
Marion IVO
NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX TILDEN FOL+ D IONS
-
Jours respectfully, John W Wright
HISTORY OF
MARION COUNTY
IOWA
AND ITS PEOPLE
JOHN W. WRIGHT SUPERVISING EDITOR
W.A. YOUNG ASSOCIATE
ILLUSTRATED
VOLUME I
CHICAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1915 chr
THE NETT YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY 20015; ASTO, L ' OX AND BILDEN FOUNDATIONS R 1915 L
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
PHYSICAL FEATURES, GEOLOGY, ETC.
LOCATION AND BOUNDARIES-SURFACE-THE DES MOINES RIVER- ORIGIN OF ITS NAME-THE SKUNK RIVER-OTHER WATER-COURSES -TIMBER-GEOLOGY-THE GLACIAL EPOCH-CHARACTER OF THE GLACIAL DRIFT-GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS-ECONOMIC GEOLOGY-COAL -BUILDING STONE-CLAYS-MISCELLANEOUS MINERALS-WATER I SUPPLY
CHAPTER II ABORIGINAL INHABITANTS
THE MOUND BUILDERS -- CHARACTER AND PROBABLE PURPOSE OF THE MOUNDS-DISTRICTS IN THE UNITED STATES-PECULIARITIES OF EACH-THEORIES REGARDING THE MOUND BUILDERS-MOUNDS IN MARION COUNTY-THE INDIANS-GENERAL DISTRIBUTION AT THE CLOSE OF THIE FIFTEENTII CENTURY-THE SACS AND FOXES-THE IOWAS-CHARACTER SKETCHES OF THEIR PRINCIPAL CHIEFS-THE POTTAWATOMI- THE WINNEBAGO 19
CHAPTER III
THE PERIOD OF PREPARATION
EARLY EXPLORATIONS IN AMERICA-CONFLICTING CLAIMS OF ENG- LAND, FRANCE AND SPAIN-FIRST SETTLEMENTS IN THE NEW WORLD-JESUIT MISSIONARIES-MARQUETTE AND JOLIET-I.A SALLE-PROVINCE OF LOUISIANA-FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR- FUR COMPANIES-CLARK'S CONQUEST OF THE NORTHWEST-THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE-IOWA UNDER VARIOUS JURISDICTIONS-
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CONTENTS
ACQUISITION OF INDIAN LANDS-POLICIES IN DEALING WITH THE INDIANS-THE BLACK HAWK WAR-TREATY OF 1832-TREATY OF 1842-ITS PRINCIPAL PROVISIONS-REMOVAL OF THE INDIANS FROM IOWA 37
CHAPTER IV
SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION
PROGRESS OF SETTLEMENT IN IOWA-INDIAN TREATY OF 1842-EARLY TRADING POSTS IN MARION COUNTY-FIRST SETTLERS-WEST OF THE RED ROCK LINE-CLAIMS AND CLAIM ASSOCIATIONS-PIONEER LIFE AND CUSTOMS-AMUSEMENTS-ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY-THE "CORNSTALK CONVENTION"-THE ORGANIC ACT- LOCATING THE COUNTY SEAT-FIRST ELECTION-ELECTION PRE- CINCTS-ROAD DISTRICTS-SECOND ELECTION-VOTE ON THE STATE CONSTITUTION- EVOLUTION OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT 55
CHAPTER V
PUBLIC BUILDINGS, ETC.
NO PUBLIC BUILDINGS WHEN MARION COUNTY WAS ORGANIZED- THE FIRST COURTHOUSE-ITS COST AND LOCATION-THE SECOND COURTHOUSE-CONDEMNED AS
UNSAFE IN 1895-PRESENT COURTHOUSE-BONDS VOTED TO BUILD IT-COMPLETED IN 1896 -THE JAIL-THE COUNTY FARM-HOME FOR THE AGED-THE INEBRIATE HOSPITAL 8
CHAPTER VI TOWNSHIP HISTORY
INTRODUCTION OF THE TOWNSHIP SYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATES ACT OF THE LEGISLATURE AUTHORIZING CIVIL TOWNSHIPS IN IOWA -MARION COUNTY DIVIDED INTO TEN TOWNSHIPS IN JANUARY, 1847-LIST OF TOWNSHIPS IN 1914-CLAY-DALLAS-FRANKLIN -INDIANA-KNOXVILLE- LAKE PRAIRIE - LIBERTY - LOCATION AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH-EARLY SETTLERS AND INCIDENTS - PRESENT-DAY CONDITIONS - SCHOOLS-RAILROADS, ETC. 97
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER VII
TOWNSHIP HISTORY, CONTINUED
PERRY TOWNSHIP-PLEASANT GROVE-POLK-RED ROCK-AN INDIAN VOTER-SUMMIT-SWAN-AN EXAMPLE OF FRONTIER JUSTICE- UNION-WASHINGTON-HISTORICAL SKETCH OF EACH TOWNSHIP -PIONEERS AND THEIR EXPERIENCES-EARLY SCHOOLS AND ELEC- TIONS-RAILROADS-POPULATION AND WEALTH. .117
CHAPTER VIII
THE CITY OF KNOXVILLE
BEGINNING OF THE CITY'S HISTORY-SURVEYING THE SITE-AGENTS TO SELL LOTS-FIRST SETTLERS-CHANGING THE NAME-INCOR- PORATION OF THE TOWN-GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT-PUBLIC LIGHTING - TELEPHONES -WATERWORKS -CITY HALL-SEWER SYSTEM -PUBLIC PARKS-MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY-COMMER- CIAL CLUB-LIST OF MAYORS-POPULATION AND WEALTH . . . . 137
CHAPTER IX PELLA AND ITS ENVIRONS
LOCATION-ORIGINAL SURVEY OF THE TOWN-ADDITIONS -- FIRST SET- TLERS-THE HOLLAND COLONY-HENDRICK P. SCHOLTE-RELIG- IOUS PERSECUTION IN HOLLAND-SOD HOUSES-PELLA INCOR- PORATED-LIST OF MAYORS-THE SEMI-CENTENNIAL- GROWTHI AND DEVELOPMENT - FIRE DEPARTMENT - ELECTRIC LIGHT - WATERWORKS-EDUCATION-BUSINESS INTERESTS-POPULATION AND WEALTH 147
CHAPTER X TOWNS AND VILLAGES
SPECULATION IN TOWNSITES IN EARLY DAYS-LIST OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES IN MARION COUNTY-IHISTORICAL SKETCH AND IN- TERESTING INCIDENTS OF EACH-POSTOFFICES AND RURAL ROUTES IN 1914 157
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER XI
MARION COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR
INTRODUCTION OF SLAVERY INTO THE UNITED STATES-ITS PROMI- NENCE AS A POLITICAL ISSUE-THE MISSOURI COMPROMISE-THE OMNIBUS BILL-POLITICAL CAMPAIGN OF 1860-SECESSION OF THE SOUTHERN STATES-ORGANIZATION OF THE SOUTHERN CON- FEDERACY-STAR OF THE WEST INCIDENT-FORT SUMTER-CALL, FOR VOLUNTEERS-IOWA'S RESPONSE-BRIEF HISTORIES OF THE REGIMENTS IN WHICH MARION COUNTY WAS REPRESENTED- ROSTERS OF MARION COUNTY COMPANIES-MISCELLANEOUS EN- LISTMENTS-GENERAL SUMMARY-THE WORK AT HOME .. . .183
CHAPTER XII
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR, ETC.
CONDITIONS BEFORE THE WAR- CUBA UNDER SPANISH RULE-INSUR- RECTIONS AND REVOLUTIONS-THE TEN YEARS' WAR-DEBT AND TYRANNY-UPRISING OF 1893-GENERAAL WEYLER-SENTIMENT IN THE UNITED STATES-DESTRUCTION OF THE BATTLESHIP MAINE-ACTION OF CONGRESS-CUBAN PORTS BLOCKADED-WAR DECLARED-THE FIFTY-FIRST IOWA INFANTRY-SERVICE IN THE PHILIPPINES-IOWA NATIONAL GUARD-SOLDIERS' MONUMENT AT PELLA 215
CHAPTER XIII
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS
CONDITIONS IN 1843-DEVELOPMENT OF SEVENTY-TWO YEARS-RIVER TRANSPORTATION-DES MOINES RIVER LAND GRANT-STEAMBOATS ON THE DES MOINES-PUBLIC HIGHWAYS-OLD INDIAN TRAILS- CORDUROY-FIRST ROADS ESTABLISHED BY THE COUNTY-FERRIES AND BRIDGES-THE RAILROAD ERA-EARLY OPPOSITION TO RAIL- ROADS-RAILROAD MEETING AT KNOXVILLE IN 1853-THE VARIOUS LINES OF RAILWAY IN MARION COUNTY-MILEAGE AND VAL- UATION 225
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER XIV
FINANCE AND INDUSTRY
PUBLIC FINANCES-BONDED INDEBTEDNESS-VALUE OF TAXABLE PROP- ERTY-AGRICULTURE-STATISTICS RELATING TO CROPS AND LIVE STOCK-FARMERS' INSTITUTES-THEIR INFLUENCE-COAL MIN- ING-BRIEF SKETCHES OF THE LEADING MINING COMPANIES MANUFACTURING . 243
CHAPTER XV EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
EARLY SCHOOLHOUSES-THEIR FURNITURE-COURSE OF STUDY- SPELLING SCHOOLS-FIRST SCHOOLS IN MARION COUNTY-PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM-PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND-SCHOOL REVENUES OF THE COUNTY IN 1914-MODERN BUILDINGS-CENTRAL COLLEGE AT PELLA-THE PRESS-SHORT HISTORIES OF THE COUNTY PAPERS -PUBLIC LIBRARIES
259
CHAPTER XVI
CHURCH HISTORY
DIFFICULTIES ATTENDING THE WRITING OF CHURCH HISTORY-METH- ODISTS FIRST IN MARION COUNTY-METHODIST CHURCHES-BAP- TISTS - CHRISTIANS OR DISCIPLES - PRESBYTERIANS - UNITED BRETHREN-LUTHERANS-CONGREGATIONALISTS-THE REFORMED CHURCH - CATHOLICS - MISCELLANEOUS CHURCHES - RURAL CHURCHES 277
CHAPTER XVII THE BENCH AND BAR
PURPOSE OF THE COURTS -- THE LAWYER AS A CITIZEN-FIRST COURTS IN IOWA-FIRST DISTRICT COURT IN MARION COUNTY-JUDGE WILLIAMS-JUDGE MCFARLAND-JUDGE STONE-CHANGES IN JUDICIAL DISTRICTS-JUDGE AYRES-THE CIRCUIT COURT-THE BAR-BRIEF SKETCHES OF EARLY LAWYERS-PRESENT-DAY ATTOR- NEYS 291
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CONTENTS CHAPTER XVIII
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
THE DOCTOR'S WELCOME IN A NEW SETTLEMENT-HOME REMEDIES OF PIONEER DAYS-CHARACTER OF THE OLDEN TIME PHYSICIAN-HIS STOCK OF DRUGS AND METHOD OF TREATMENT-HIS SOCIAL STAND- ING-SKETCHES OF EARLY MARION COUNTY PHYSICIANS-MEDICAL SOCIETIES 303
CHAPTER XIX
SOCIETIES AND FRATERNITIES
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES-OLD SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION-MASONIC FRATERNITY-INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS-KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS-IMPROVED ORDER OF RED MEN-GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC-MISCELLANEOUS SOCIETIES. 313
CHAPTER XX
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY
THE ROSE ANN MCGREGOR CASE-THE MAJORS WAR-EARLY DAY LAW- LESSNESS-TREASURY ROBBERIES-JIM LANE'S TRAIL. 327
CHAPTER XXI
STATISTICAL REVIEW
POPULATION-OFFICIAL CENSUS REPORTS-GENERAL INDUSTRIAL CON- DITIONS-CHRONOLOGY-A SUMMARY OF PRINCIPAL EVENTS CON- NECTED WITH MARION COUNTY HISTORY-POSTSCRIPT 345
HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
CHAPTER I
PHYSICAL FEATURES, GEOLOGY, ETC.
LOCATION AND BOUNDARIES-SURFACE-THE DES MOINES RIVER- ORIGIN OF ITS NAME-THE SKUNK RIVER-OTHER WATER-COURSES -TIMBER-GEOLOGY-THE GLACIAL EPOCH-CHARACTER OF THE GLACIAL DRIFT-GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS-ECONOMIC GEOLOGY-COAL -BUILDING STONE-CLAYS-MISCELLANEOUS MINERALS-WATER SUPPLY.
Marion County is located south and east of the geographical center of the state, in the third tier of counties from the southern boundary, the fifth tier from the eastern, the sixth from the western and the seventh from the northern. It is bounded on the north by the County of Jasper; on the cast by Mahaska; on the south by Monroe and Lucas, and on the west by Warren and Polk, the latter county forming the boundary north of the Des Moines River-a distance of about one mile. The county is in an exact square, twenty- four miles on each side, with an area of 576 square miles, or 368,640 acres.
Generally speaking, the surface is an undulating or rolling prairie. Along the larger streams are lines of bluffs or hills, between which are bottom lands of great fertility. Summit Township takes its name from the fact that the highest point of land in the county was formerly supposed to be near the Town of Otley, on the water- shed between the Skunk and Des Moines rivers. Official surveys have shown this to be erroneous. The highest point in the county is near Pleasantville, where the altitude is 925 feet above sea level. Near the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad station in Knox- ville the altitude is 910 feet, while that of Otley is only 893. The City of Pella has an altitude of 878 feet and the lowest known point in the county is where the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad crosses Cedar Creek, north of Bussey, which is 673 feet above sea level.
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
The Des Moines River-Iowa's principal stream-enters the county near the northwest corner, flows in a southeasterly direction and crosses the eastern boundary about ten miles north of the south- east corner. In its meanderings through the county it forms the boundary between Perry and Swan townships; Red Rock and Union townships; flows through the Township of Polk, and in the eastern tier separates the Township of Lake Prairie on the north from Clay on the south. Its principal tributaries from the north are the Walnut, Prairie and Brush creeks, and those from the south are the Wild Cat, White Breast, English and Cedar creeks. About three miles above the Town of Red Rock the river once made a long bend to the southwest. In 1847 the upper end of this bend became blocked with ice and the river cut a new channel, shortening its course by some three miles. This new channel from that time on has constituted the main bed of the river and is known as "the cut-off."
There has been a great deal of speculation as to the origin of the name "Des Moines." For some time it was thought to be an Indian word, but investigators have reached the conclusion that the name was given to the stream by the French. Nicollet says the name Des Moines is a corruption of an Indian word which means "at the road." According to his account "the inhabitants associated this name (Riviere des Moins ) with that of the Trappist Monks (Moines de la Trappe), who dwelt on the Indian mounds of the American bottom. It was then concluded that the true reading of the Riviere des Moins was Riviere Des Moines, or River of the Monks, by which name it is designated on all the maps."
Nicollet is in error when he says the stream is so designated on all the maps. The first reference to the river was made by Joliet, who published a map of the interior in 1674, the year following his voyage down the Mississippi with Father Marquette. Upon this map the name of the Des Moines River is given as "Ouacuiatanas." Some fourteen years later Franquelin's map, or "Carte de la Louis- iane," was published and upon this map the river appears as the "Moingona." Upon De Lisle's map of 1707 it is given as the "Riviere les Moingona," and the early French explorers and traders called the Indians living along the river the "Les Moins." In time the river came to be generally known as "La Riviere des Moines," which is unquestionably French.
About 1870 Judge Charles Negus, of Fairfield, Iowa, wrote quite a treatise on the Des Moines River, which was published in the Annals of Iowa, and in which he advances the theory that the name means "River of the Mounds." In his closing paragraph he says :
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
"From the fact that there were a great many mounds in the valley of the River of Des Moines and above the lower rapids of the Mis- sissippi, it is reasonable to suppose that the Indian name of Moingona was abandoned and that the river was designated by the French as the River Des Moines, which means the river of the mounds."
Judge Negus does not tell his readers how he reached such a translation, but as all the leading authorities who have written upon the subject agree that "La Riviere des Moines" means "The River of the Monks," it would be interesting to know. how he reached his conclusion.
There is still another theory as to origin of the name. Lieut. Zebulon M. Pike, in his journal of the expedition to the headwaters of the Mississippi in 1805-06, calls particular attention to this trib- utary of the great Father of Waters, which he calls the "River de Moyen" and expresses the belief that the name as thus spelled is a corruption of La Riviere des Moines or River of the Monks. Charles Rollin Keyes, who served for some time as assistant state geologist, and who made a rather careful study of lowa's physical features, her resources and nomenclature, says the name as given the river by Pike means "the middle." He explains both the etymology and its significance by saying that when the French voyageurs visited St. Louis and were asked from what part of the country they came they replied "de moyen," meaning the middle of the interior, or the region lying between the Mississippi and Mis- souri rivers. Mr. Keyes is inclined to the opinion that this is the real origin of the name, and that the change from "De Moyen" to "Des Moines," while a comparatively easy transition, was really a corruption of the true name.
Across the northeastern part of the county flows the Skunk River. It enters the county about five miles west of the northeast corner and flows a general southeasterly course until it crosses the eastern boundary in section 24, township 77, range 18. Concerning this stream, a history of Marion County published in 1881 says: "The current in the main is very sluggish, though in some places the fall is sufficient to afford good water-power. The slope of that part of the channel which lies in Marion County averages between three and four feet per mile. At some points the land slopes gradually away from the stream, thus permitting large portions of the bottom lands to be overflowed during the rainy season and making travel difficult or impossible where there are no good roads and bridges. At other places there are rocky bluffs which preclude the possibility .of an overflow at any season of the year. The stream has an abund-
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
ance of good timber along its banks and contiguous thereto. It is properly noted for the abundance of fish which it contains, though since the building of numerous dams further down, the fish are not so numerous or of such good quality as formerly."
Frank Labiseur, who was the United States interpreter for the Sac and Fox Indians in early days, says: "The Indian name of this river was Chicaque, which, in their language, is anything of a strong or obnoxious odor- such as skunk, onion, etc. From the fact that the headwaters of the stream abound in wild onions, the interpretation should be 'Onion.'"
The name Onion, as suggested by Mr. Labiseur, would no doubt be an improvement over that of Skunk, which carries an unpleas- ant impression, but the old Indian name of Chicaque, or Chicauqua, is more euphonious than either. It is said that the first white set- tlers along the stream used the Indian name until its English equiva- lent was learned, and Donnel, in his "Pioneers of Marion County," says: "A bill was introduced during the session of the State Legis- lature of 1869 and 1870 enacting that it should be called Chicauqua, which, however, failed to pass."
Next to the Des Moines and Skunk rivers, the most important stream of the county is the White Breast Creek, which crosses the western boundary about three and a half miles north of the south- west corner and flows in a northeasterly direction until it empties into the Des Moines River near the center of Polk Township. The Indian name of this creek was Wau-po-ca-ca ( White Breast) and is said to have been bestowed upon it from the fact that a bear with a white spot upon its breast was once killed near the stream. There was also an Indian chief called White Breast who lived in what is now Polk Township. The largest tributary of the White Breast is Butcher Creek, which rises near the town of Pleasantville and flows toward the southeast until it empties into the White Breast near the railroad station of Donley.
English Creek, called by the Indians "Sauk-e-lash," has its source in the western part of Washington Township, where it is formed by the junction of several small streams, the principal of which are Long Branch and Wild Cat Creek. From that point it flows toward the northeast through Knoxville and Clay townships and empties into the Des Moines River not far from Harvey.
Cedar Creek enters the county from the south, near the southwest corner of Liberty Township, and flows in a northeasterly direction until it crosses the eastern boundary about a mile south of the Town
5
HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
of Tracy. Its principal tributaries are the North Cedar and Walnut creeks.
The above mentioned water-courses, with their numerous minor tributaries, afford good natural drainage for practically all parts of the county. An early report of the commissioner of the United States Land Office gives the number of acres of swamp land in Marion as 6,400, but by the introduction of tile drains nearly all of this has disappeared or been reclaimed, so that there is very little waste land in the county.
When the first white men came to what is now Marion County they found an abundance of timber, especially along the streanis, and this fact no doubt wielded considerable influence in bringing about the early settlement of the county. Most of the pioneers were from the older states east of the Mississippi River, particularly Ohio and Indiana, where timber was plentiful, and the early settler se- lected his claim where he could secure logs for his cabin, fencing material for his fields and fuel for his home. Along the Des Moines River the average width of the timber belt was about four miles. Belts somewhat narrower bordered the other streams and contained fine specimens of black walnut, white oak, red and black oak, maple, elm and ash, with some wild cherry and cottonwood. Here and there, upon the high, undulating prairies on the watersheds between the streams, were groves of timber in the early days that influenced some pioneer to locate his claim in the immediate neighborhood. As a rule the prairies of Marion County were not so large as those in some other parts of the state, but they were well drained, easily cultivated and with a highly productive soil.
GEOLOGY
Geology deals chiefly with rocks, but to the geologist anything is rock that consists of earthy or stony material, whether it forms a compact, consolidated mass or not. The hard or indurated rocks of Marion County, commonly called the bedrock, belong to the Carboniferous system, which has been divided into the Upper and Lower Carboniferous, or the Subcarboniferous and the Coal Measures. The upper part of the former, known as the St. Louis, and the lower part of the latter, known as the Des Moines, are the only known representatives of the system in the county. The only outcrops of the St. Louis limestone are seen along Thunder Creek and the Skunk River in the northeastern part of the county along the Des Moines River from about the
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
mouth of the White Breast Creek to the castern boundary, and along Walnut and Cedar creeks in the southeastern part of Clay Town- ship. These are the oldest surface rocks found within the county.
Over most of the county the Coal Measures are represented by thick beds of shale with the intercalcated coals. The limestones of the Coal Measures are limited in quantity and are generally of in- ferior quality. The Red Rock sandstone, of the Des Moines for- mation, outcrops along the Des Moines River a short distance above and below the town of Red Rock, where its greatest thickness is a little over one hundred feet. This is an interesting formation to geologists because of its great thickness and the limited area over which it is found. On either side, to the east and west, it ends abruptly and no further traces of it are found in either direction. Northward it has been traced by deep well records to connect with the sandstone quarries about four miles northeast of the town of Monroe, in Jasper County, and its most southern exposure so far noted by geologists is at Eagle Rock, a small hill extending east and west along the White Breast Creek, where the bluff on the north side of the creek presents a vertical face of more than fifty feet of massive sandstone, gray or buff in color and firmly consolidated throughout the greater part. In the exposed face of the cliff are several pockets, where the loose sand has been displaced by the action of the atmosphere, due to insufficient cementing material. In one of these pockets it is said that an eagle formerly built its nest for several seasons, thus giving the name to the rock.
Over the indurated rocks, which constitute the county's foun- dation, so to speak, lies a covering of unconsolidated materials called the non-indurated rocks. This is composed of fine sediment-clays, sands and gravelly loams-and belongs to the Pleistocene system.
THE GLACIAL EPOCH
Far back in the geologic past, about the close of the Paleozoic period, came the Pleistocene, or "Ice Age," during which the en- tire present State of Iowa was covered with a vast sheet of ice, called a glacier. The great central glacier extended from the region of the Great Lakes westward to the Rocky Mountains. It was formed in the northern part of North America by successive falls of snow. The weight added by each snowfall tended to compress the mass below into a solid body of ice. In time the entire glacier began to move slowly southward, carrying with it great bowlders, clay, soils, etc., to be deposited in districts far distant from those
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
from which they were taken. As the huge mass moved slowly along the bowlders and other hard substances at the bottom left scratches or markings, called striae by geologists, upon the bed rocks, and from these scorings the scientist has been able to trace with reason- able accuracy the course of the glacier. At various places along the west bank of the Mississippi River, from the mouth of the Iowa to the mouth of the Des Moines, these striae have been noted upon the rocks forming the bluffs and indicate that the general direction of the great glacier was toward the southeast. That this was the course of the glacier is borne out by the direction in which the prin- cipal rivers of Iowa flow, which is toward the southeast. As the ice melted the water gradually trickled to the bottom, where it washed away the softer materials deposited by the glacier, follow- ing the great mass until it disappeared in the warmer climate, when the stream thus formed became a permanent river.
With the melting of the ice, the materials carried by the glacier were deposited upon the bedrocks in the form of "drift," which constitutes the non-indurated rocks of the Pleistocene system, known as alluvium, geest, loess and till. At the close of the glacial epoch the surface was without either animal or plant life. Gradually the rain and winds leveled the surface, the heat of the sun warmed the earth, and life in the most primitive forms made its appearance.
A peculiar fact regarding the geology of Marion County is that there are no deposits representing the period of time intervening between the laying down of the lower Coal Measures and the be- ginning of the Pleistocene. The absence of later Coal Measures, Tertiary strata or Cretaceous rocks indicates either that the region has been dry land from the close of the Carboniferous to the pres- ent; or, if under water since, the deposits have been removed by erosion.
CHARACTER OF THE DRIFT
As stated above, the glacial drift is composed of alluvium, geest, loess and till. The alluvium is a fine sediment, sometimes mixed with sand or loam, laid down by the streams upon their bottom lands. Geest, or residual clay, is the result of the slow decay of limestones where they have been long exposed at the surface and is what is left after the remaining portions of the limestone have been carried away in solution. It sometimes contains fragments of flint or chert. The fine, pebbleless clay, ranging from yellow or buff. to ash-color, containing little balls of lime, and sometimes con-
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