Leading Events in Johnson County, Iowa, History, Part 1

Author: Aurner, Clarence Ray, 1861-
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Cedar Rapids, Ia. : Western historical Press
Number of Pages: 745


USA > Iowa > Johnson County > Leading Events in Johnson County, Iowa, History > Part 1


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58


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History Johnson County Iowa


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THE NEW YORK PUBLICLIBRARY


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Gilbert. R.Irish


WESTERN HISTORICAL PRESS PUBLISHERS HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY IOWA


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LEADING EVENTS IN JOHNSON COUNTY IOWA HISTORY


By CHARLES RAY AURNER Clarence


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CEDAR RAPIDS IOWA WESTERN HISTORICAL PRESS NINETEEN TWELVE


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THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY 731639 ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS R 1916 L


COPYRIGHT, 1912 BY WESTERN HISTORICAL PRESS


THE TORCH PRESS CEDAR RAPIDS IOWA


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TO THE PIONEER, WHOSE DARING AND FAITHFULNESS MADE THIS COUNTY A POSSIBLE HOME, AND TO THE VETERAN WHO BORE THE BRUNT OF BATTLE TO HONOR THAT HOME, THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED


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PUBLISHERS' PREFACE


This volume, containing an account of the leading events in the history of Johnson county, Iowa, is sent out with the hope that it will, in a measure, fill a long felt want. Heretofore the citizens of this fair county have had no permanent and adequate record of the struggles and trials of the early set- tlers. Nor has there been published heretofore in intelligent and condensed form a comprehensive history of the county. The publishers feel under obligation to the author, Professor Aurner, for the splendid work he has done in the writing and the compilation of this publication. In his work he had the hearty assistance and cooperation of many of those who came here in the early days. To all who have aided in this work our thanks are given. Especial mention must be made of the late Hon. Gilbert R. Irish, whose advice and counsel were of ma- terial assistance, and without whose contributions of early historical matter it would not have been possible to present this work in so complete a form. We beg leave to express the hope that the work will be found of interest and of value to all those at present in the county as well as to those who may make this place their home in the future.


We also desire to express our appreciation to those who by their subscriptions to the volumes have made this publication possible.


THE PUBLISHERS


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AUTHOR'S PREFACE


It was in the year of the one hundredth anniversary of American independence that the attention of the members of the congress of the United States was turned for a brief inter- val to the interests of local history. In March, 1876, a joint reso- lution was passed which suggested the propriety of the citizens of the different communities - the township, the county, or the village - assembling on the following Fourth of July to hear the reading of their local history from the first settlement. The governor of Iowa, then the Honorable Samuel J. Kirkwood, seconded the efforts of the national authority and issued his proclamation in accordance therewith.


It has been said, and not without reason, that "the Ameri- can people have rarely found time to study or make provision for their own local records." However, there were a number of citizens in this county who were so much a part of the com- munity that they left upon the printed page many facts which would otherwise have been entirely unavailable. It is from these few that the very earliest records are obtained, those personal accounts written to satisfy their own desires, or at the request of an interested compiler. When official records began, an element of permanency entered into the local history that previous to that time was not possible. It was then that the names of those who formed the first organization for the local government became a repetition of the names of the lead- ing citizens who afterwards left a summary of their exper- iences.


Frequent references are made to contributors of data of that time, and where they have been quoted, due credit is given in the proper place. Aside from reminiscences, which cannot be otherwise than personal, the material incorporated in this volume has been gathered from the public records of the coun- ty, city, school, church, and other institutions. The thousands of pages in newspaper files, have furnished many local items,


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AUTHOR'S PREFACE


and the manuscripts of individuals have been a source of inter- esting data.


There are limits to the details that may be incorporated, in the consulting of records, and all may not agree upon the selec- tion, but in every instance these have been consulted person- ally, if within reach. If there appears to be a repetition in certain portions of paragraphs it. is for the purpose of indi- cating the connections, since to group subject matter under the proper headings and avoid any confusion is somewhat difficult, when it has been collected from so many sources. It may be mentioned that in some instances the desired informa- tion has been unobtainable because of deficient records or fail- ure to secure any reply to correspondence. The time is fast approaching when the records of even the smallest institution will be considered of value for as the founders pass away those who follow will have no definite information, as to how it began. This may be well illustrated in the average country church, where in many instances there is a history of fifty years without an item on record.


The question of proper names is one of serious interest. The various forms in which these are found upon the books make it difficult to determine the correct one. Where the fam- ily name is still written an attempt has been made to follow the form now used unless the name is in a quoted article. In the latter instance it will be used as found.


It is proper to offer in this connection the sincere apprecia- tion of the favors that have come from all who have furnished assistance or favored in any way the efforts of the writer in gathering information for this volume. Had sources not been placed at his disposal, and had many not been willing to render aid the results would have been less satisfactory, and the labor largely increased.


CLARENCE RAY AURNER


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CONTENTS


CHAPTER I. PIONEER CONDITIONS . ·


1


CHAPTER


II. TYPICAL PIONEERS AND PIONEER EXPERI- ENCES .


18


CHAPTER


III. THE OLD SETTLERS-THEIR ORGANIZATION


42


CHAPTER IV. THE INDIAN AND HIS CLAIMS 55


CHAPTER V. COUNTY ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNMENT 62


CHAPTER VI. THE ESTABLISHMENT AND ORGANIZATION . OF TOWNSHIPS 81


CHAPTER VII. EARLY EVENTS IN THE NEW CAPITAL OF THE TERRITORY . 117


CHAPTER


VIII. THE INCORPORATED CITY


139


CHAPTER IX. TOWNS AND TOWNSHIPS 157 -


CHAPTER X. THE FIRST ROADS


·


170


CHAPTER XI. FERRIES AND BRIDGES


186


CHAPTER XII. STAGE ROUTES AND RAILROADS . 205


CHAPTER XIII. THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 236


CHAPTER XIV. COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY BEGINNINGS 271


CHAPTER XV. METHODIST CHURCHES 295


CHAPTER XVI. PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES . 311


CHAPTER XVII.


THE CATHOLIC CHURCHES 341


CHAPTER XVIII. THE LUTHERAN AND UNITARIAN CHURCHES 349


CHAPTER XIX. THE BAPTIST, CHRISTIAN, AND EPISCOPAL CHURCHES 360


CHAPTER XX. THE CONGREGATIONAL AND UNITED BRETH- REN CHURCHES 372


CHAPTER XXI. OTHER RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS 383


CHAPTER XXII. THE AMISH PEOPLE IN JOHNSON COUNTY 387


CHAPTER XXIII. EARLY REVENUES AND REAL ESTATE 393


CHAPTER XXIV. MILLS AND LIVE STOCK 413


CHAPTER XXV. EARLY INDUSTRIES AND THE COUNTY FAIR 427


CHAPTER


XXVI. THE ENLARGED COMMERCIAL OUTLOOK


.


437


CHAPTER XXVII. THE BANKS OF THE COUNTY 445


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CONTENTS


CHAPTER XXVIII. RAILROAD BONDS - PUBLIC UTILITIES - COMPARING OF INDUSTRIES 458


CHAPTER


XXIX. THE EARLY COURTS - EARLY MAR-


RIAGES


.


477


CHAPTER XXX. THE COUNTY AGENT, THE COUNTY BUILDINGS, AND SOME DISTURBANCES IN WHICH MANY WERE CONCERNED 492


CHAPTER XXXI. JOHNSON COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR 505


CHAPTER XXXII. AT HOME AND IN THE FIELD 525


CHAPTER XXXIII.


THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR AND THE G. A. R. REUNION


540


CHAPTER XXXIV. THE NEWSPAPERS .


556


CHAPTER XXXV. ENTERTAINMENTS LECTURES - LI-


BRARIES ·


569


CHAPTER XXXVI. SOCIETIES AND CLUBS FOR SPECIAL


STUDY


580


CHAPTER XXXVIII.


THE COUNTY IN THE NATION AND STATE


617


CHAPTER XXXIX. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS - THE POOR AND DEPENDENT - JOHN BROWN - MIGRATIONS - AND THE STORM THAT KILLED JESSE BERRY . .


632


REFERENCES AND NOTES 649 .


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CHAPTER XXXVII. FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS .


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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS


FRONTISPIECE


GILBERT R. IRISH


PHILIP CLARK


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ELY MYERS


GILBERT'S TRADING HOUSE


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OLD SETTLERS MEETING, 1910


13


HOME OF A PIONEER


15


FIRST COURT HOUSE .


20


FIRST COURT HOUSE IN IOWA CITY, 1842


21


MESDAMES LOUIS, WAGNER, SHINN, BAKER, SUEPPEL, BASCH- NAGEL, AND HOHENSCHUH 24


OLD CORD BEDSTEAD


31


PHILIP CLARK


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OLD GERMAN BEDSTEAD


37


OLD SETTLERS MEETING


48


MAP - JOHNSON COUNTY AS ESTABLISHED IN 1837


56


MAP - INDIAN VILLAGES, TRADING HOUSES, AND FIRST SUR- VEYED TOWNS 57


BUILDING WHERE FIRST LEGISLATURE IN IOWA MET


63


OLD COURT HOUSE . · 65


MONUMENT MARKING SEAT OF GOVERNMENT 70 ·


GENERAL STORE AT SHUEYVILLE 83


OLD BOWERSOCK HOMESTEAD . 87


MAP - JOHNSON COUNTY AS DEFINED IN 1839


95


MAP - JOHNSON COUNTY AS DEFINED IN 1845 96


MAP - ELECTION PRECINCTS IN 1840 97


MAP - ELECTION PRECINCTS IN 1841 98 MAP - ELECTION PRECINCTS IN 1843 99


MAP - BIG GROVE, THE FIRST CIVIL TOWNSHIP, 1845 100 ·


MAP - CIVIL TOWNSHIPS AS DEFINED IN 1845 AND 1846 101


MAP - CIVIL TOWNSHIPS AFTER CHANGES IN 1847


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MAP - CIVIL TOWNSHIPS AFTER CREATION OF UNION IN 1853 103


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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS


MAP - CIVIL TOWNSHIPS AFTER CHANGES IN 1854 . 104


MAP - CIVIL TOWNSHIPS AFTER CREATION OF OXFORD IN 1856 . 105


MAP - CIVIL TOWNSHIPS AFTER CREATION OF GRAHAM AND FREMONT IN 1857 . . .


. 106 . .


MAP - CIVIL TOWNSHIPS AFTER CREATION OF HARDIN AND SHARON IN 1858


107


MAP - CIVIL TOWNSHIPS AFTER CREATION OF MADISON IN 1860 108 MAP - CIVIL TOWNSHIPS IN 1873 109 MAP - CIVIL TOWNSHIPS IN 1911 110 · 120


OLD SETTLERS AT RIVER JUNCTION, 1908


EVOLUTION OF IOWA STATE CAPITOL 122


FIRST SLAB MARKING SEAT OF GOVERNMENT IN IOWA CITY · 125


AN EARLY VIEW OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY


· 133 141


CLINTON STREET, IOWA CITY


CLINTON STREET, IOWA CITY .


143 145 151


EARLY MAP OF IOWA CITY, 1854


155 156


JOHNSON COUNTY FAIR


VIEWS OF SOLON


BIRD'S EYE VIEW FROM WEST SIDE, IOWA CITY


174 222 235 238


SCENES AND BUILDINGS IN IOWA CITY


SCHOOL AT SHUEYVILLE


242 248 255


LONE TREE, IOWA


OLD SCHOOL BUILDING, NORTH LIBERTY


263


ST. MARY'S SCHOOL, IOWA CITY 264


GRAMMAR SCHOOL, IOWA CITY 267


IOWA CITY ACADEMY


269


FACSIMILE PROCEEDINGS OF MEETING OF COUNTY BOARD, MAY 15, 1858 .


271


CAMPUS, STATE UNIVERSITY, AT AN EARLY DATE


· 273


ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, STATE UNIVERSITY 275


ALONG THE IOWA RIVER 277


ADMINISTRATION BUILDING OF UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL


280


SVENDI HIALL


283


MEDICAL BUILDING BURNED IN 1901


286


GENERAL VIEW OF CAMPUS, S. U. I.


286


DENTAL BUILDING 288


COLLEGE PROCESSION


289


KAPPA SIGMA FRATERNITY BUILDING


292


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CLINTON STREET, IOWA CITY


OLD PALMER HOUSE


"MUSCATINE OPPOSITION"


OLD FASHIONED SORGHUM MILL


LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS


XV


OLD MECHANICS HALL AND FIRST MERCY HOSPITAL 293


FIRST M. E. CHURCH, IOWA CITY 303


SCHOOL HOUSE AND CHURCHES, LONE TREE


307


OLD STONE CHURCH, IOWA CITY


312


SWANK CHURCH AND CEMETERY, FREMONT TOWNSHIP


315


VIEWS IN OXFORD


331


OLD ST. MARY'S CHURCH


342


U. B. CHURCH, SHUEYVILLE


380


OLD CAPITOL BUILDING OF IOWA


401


OLD STONE BUILDING, CORALVILLE


407


CORAL MILLS


413


WIND MILL AT "BLOOMINGTON"


415


CORALVILLE DAM


418


OLD TERRELL MILL


420


TERRELL'S MILL


423


FACSIMILE EARLY MARRIAGE LICENSE


444


CHURCHES AT IOWA CITY


446


ELECTRIC POWER PLANT AT CORALVILLE


465


ZIMMERMAN STEEL PLANT


467 469


WM. C. F. ZIMMERMAN IN HIS OFFICE


471


INTERIOR VIEW ZIMMERMAN STEEL PLANT


473


VIEW OF ZIMMERMAN STEEL FOUNDRY


474


VIEW OF ZIMMERMAN MACHINE SHOP


475


VIEWS IN NORTH LIBERTY 484


22D IOWA INFANTRY AT REUNION, IOWA CITY, SEPT. 22-23, 1886


542


IOWA CITY LIBRARY . ·


574


THE ELKS BUILDING, IOWA CITY


606


AT THE HOME OF GOVERNOR KIRKWOOD, 1892


622


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ZIMMERMAN STEEL PLANT


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MRS. GILBERT R. IRISH


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CHAPTER I


Pioneer Conditions


C 'OULD the pioneers of the county be brought together from all the past and be heard at one time the topics of the con- versation would probably fall upon the days of their arrival in this unsettled portion of the country called, soon after, Johnson county, Wisconsin territory. All the arrivals had the same experiences, if these are considered as those of "emigrants seeking a new home." They would tell practically the same story of the trip from the home in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, and possibly Maine, with a few from Virginia and Kentucky. They spent weeks in making the trip. They brought stock, driving the cattle along with the train of wagons, and leisurely making the journey with the intention of remaining when they finally reached their desti- nation. It may have been that some of the "men folks" had come on in advance and made ready a log cabin, or it may have been, which is more likely, that some neighbor in the east had settled somewhere in this community and the family would take in one more until a cabin could be thrown together from the rough logs of the timber, which then was plentiful enough for such purposes.


The corn was shared, the shelter divided, and no one thought of pay for such small services. The mill, if one was at hand, was the common property of all, since they must frequently be their own millers and eat the product without any "fancy patent" tag attached. Faith, defined as "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," was upper- most in the minds of these people. This is one of the most impressive features of the westward movement, but the ad- venturer is not the individual that interests us at this time; the steady and determined, unwavering attitude of the pioneer is the attraction that appeals to us; that is what excites our


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HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA


admiration, and secures for him our profound respect, while we cannot attempt to solve some of his perplexing riddles of an economic nature, and his willingness to plant for those who now reap. The very opportunities placed before him must have been perplexing, if we have any sense of his environ- ment. All the world, as far as it then appeared, to select from and not a soul to hinder; all the natural resources of the un- broken land, the riches of fields yet untouched; the promises of riches unstinted, if he but used the resources at his dis- posal. How he did, what he did, and why can best be answered by himself, in what he has said, written, or done to make the record of his actions capable of interpretation.


To fix upon some line of attack in his new field of activity the pioneer spent much time in consideration of the problem confronting him, and laid his plans in advance. He came pre- pared to make immediate improvements on the soil that it might at the earliest minute produce something to feed his family. If he came in the fall of the year he must expect to buy, borrow, or secure by barter something to keep him until spring. It was often possible to find the native supply of game sufficient to furnish the meat for the winter, yet this was not a safe proposition for in many instances the winter was too severe to find this game, and some of those first settlers tell today that they had no means of securing the abundant supply that could be had otherwise.


Since that distant day the wonderful richness of the prairie land in its game products has become a word only. In the language of one of Iowa's gifted writers: "The creeping on of civilization during the last seventy years has wrought many marvelous changes. The man with the buckskin suit, the long rifle, the double barreled shotgun, with the sheath knife and the hand axe dangling at his belt, silent during the busy hours except when spoken to; yet garrulous enough when over an evening pipe lighted at the camp fire, has passed away from the Middle West. If he exists at all, it is in the land of the setting sun or on the borders of the frozen lakes of the almost limitless Northwest.


"Iowa was originally part of the territory which formed a grand hunting ground for the Red Man, with his primitive weapons and traps, and later for the pale face with the more


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PIONEER CONDITIONS


modern weapons with which to kill and to capture, without thought of the morrow, all food and fur-bearing animals com- ing within range of his deadly gun and the lure of the con- cealed steel trap.


"The fur and food bearing animals in that early day were described in a long list, as the turkey, pheasant, wild goose, brant, duck, squirrel, deer, otter, beaver, wolf, mink, muskrat, raccoon, and an occasional black bear.


"Let a stream be reserved where the beaver can build a dam and cut food woods to his heart's content; where the buffalo may range, where the deer, the antelope, and the elk may herd and where every animal known in former generations may find a safe refuge from the murderous hand of man. To carry a war of extermination on the four-footed and winged inhabi- tants of the earth is a crime, the effects of which will be surely felt in all coming generations; for surely this blood wantonly shed will be required at the hands of the American people." 1


Some such experience as described by the writer above must have been the every day life of the pioneer as he came and went in the uncultivated and untamed prairies and woods of the newly acquired territory of the Black Hawk Purchase and neighboring lands. It is not possible to picture all the indi- vidual undertakings of the first settlers; a few will be typical of all the others. They would tell much the same story if called into council in the present days: a log house of one room, often filled to overflowing to accommodate the new arrivals; the plainest of garments, home-spun, home-made, and food of little variety. They traveled long distances to secure supplies, the ox team making the trip anything but swift. The first products of the soil had to be carried to a distant market by any conveyance available, and the receipt of pay was in goods only, no cash being offered. Certain kinds of goods only at times could be secured by barter, cash in trade being demanded by the merchant for some supplies which the settler must have or he must do without them until cash was in hand. He crossed the trackless prairies and forded the bridgeless streams, taking all risks of narrow escapes in order to keep his family from extreme want and to make a way for the development of the real property to which he hoped to gain a perfect title when the proper time should arrive. His


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HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA


citizenship was secure in the minds of all his righteous neigh- bors and he had only to demand his just rights to get them before a jury of his peers. There may have been times when he felt insecure in regard to his property because of the pe- riods of outlawry; there may have been events in which he took part to rid the county of lawless and reckless characters who would not fear the civil law because it could not be made effective in his case. If the full history of the individual


PHILIP CLARK Founder of the First Home in Johnson Co.


ELI MYERS Who came to Johnson County in 1836


could be told he would not in all cases feel that he was inno- cent of any transgression, although he acted at the time up to his knowledge of what he thought to be the best thing to do under the circumstances. The stories of this period are not all entertaining even if exciting, and they need to be told briefly enough to save the feelings of any survivor, and yet fully enough to tell the truth.


When the first settlers set out for the new lands in what is now the county of Johnson, then included in land recently purchased from the Indians by the United States government,?


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PIONEER CONDITIONS


they made for the crossing of the Mississippi at the point nearest to the desired destination. This then was either Rock Island, or Bloomington, or Rockingham lying approximately in the same relation to the point of locating.


Two men are mentioned as breaking the way into this county in the fall of 1836. They had left Indiana and made their way to Rock Island, expecting to settle somewhere in that vicinity, but owing to the chance meeting of a trader farther west they moved out from the river town across the country to the valley


Built 1837 on Corner Section 35, East Lucas Township


of the Iowa river and here began the settlement of the county of Johnson, then not organized by the territorial legislature of Wisconsin territory, of which Iowa was a part. Both these men, Eli Myers and Philip Clark, became leading citizens of the county, their names appearing in many different connec- tions as county officials and leaders in public affairs for many years after their arrival and settlement. If their names are frequently mentioned with a few others it is because a few men of the time did the actual work of the entire community in the necessary official duties of the occasion which while limited in the beginning served to keep the record straight to some ex- tent. It was about this time that the portion of land known as the Keokuk Reserve, lying along either side of the Iowa river from the mouth up to where the line of the Black Hawk


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HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA


Purchase crossed it became government property. (See Map A.) One John Gilbert kept a trading house in the Indian country lying beyond the limits of this territory on the Iowa river for the American Fur Company, as the name of the firm ran. He fell in with the two travelers who were seeking a new land for their future homes and piloted them into the valley where he kept the trading house among the Indians. They followed his suggestion and came from the Mississippi to the Iowa with him. Satisfied with the future outlook in the vicin- ity they made claim to a tract of land which lies now in Pleas- ant Valley township, near the village of Morfordsville. This was in the fall of 1836. They returned to their Indiana home for the purpose of making ready to remove here in the fol- lowing spring to take possession and to begin active improve- ments on these claims. It was customary to arrive here in time to plant enough land to produce provisions for the following year. This meant the sowing of crop on new break- ing, or of planting corn, which was probably the first crop to be grown, if the season was well advanced, which would be the case if they left the former home in the spring of 1837. They brought with them, of course, the utensils of agriculture and the needful seed. The plows were either ready to use or they were "stocked" here, which means that they brought the irons with them and then mounted the irons on the wood work themselves with tools in their possession or borrowed from a neighbor. The "old-timer" often uses terms to express him- self that are not now in use. One of the oldest men in this part of Iowa used this word "stocked," and it was necessary to have him explain himself. He said that he brought the plow irons from Davenport in 1837 and borrowed the tools to mount them from another pioneer who had preceded him only by a few weeks. While he was doing this the surveyors of 1837 came along with their full crew of assistants setting out the township survey for the government of the United States.3 In making claims the limit was indefinite since section lines were not yet run and the extent seemed to be so far as the claimant wished to go or until he found some other man join- ing him.“




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