USA > Iowa > Marion County > Pioneers of Marion county, consisting of a general history of the county from its early settlement to the present date. Also, the geography and history of each township, including brief biographical sketches of some of the more prominent early settlers > Part 1
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PIONEERS
OF
MARION COUNTY,
CONSISTING OF A
General History of the County
FROM ITS EARLY SETTLEMENT TO THE PRESENT DATE. ALSO, THE GEO- GRAPHY AND HISTORY OF EACH TOWNSHIP, INCLUDING BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF SOME OF THE MORE PROMINENT EARLY SETTLERS IN EACH, TOGETHER WITH NUMEROUS INCIDENTS ILLUSTRATIVE OF PIONEER LIFE MORE THAN TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO.
By WM. M. CONNEL.
DES MOINES, IOWA : REPUBLICAN STEAM PRINTING HOUSE. 1872.
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY 5 : +3/ A ter, Lenny and Tilden
For 1Jums.
-
DEDICATION.
To the following persons, who have kindly furnished me the means for its publication, this, his first effort as a historian, is respectfully dedicated by their humble servant, the Author.
JOHN C. DONNEL, THOS. FORSYTHE,
JAS. M. CATHCART, B. G. BÖWEN,
A. G. YOUNG, D. T. DURHAM, A. B. MILLER.
PREFACE.
-
In presenting this work to the public, it appears to me that an apology is indispensable, and I make it in the form of a preface.
It is now upwards of four years since I first entered upon the laborious but pleasant task of collecting the materials that compose this book. It was then my design to compile brief biographical sketches of the earliest settlers, together with complete accounts of their pioneer experience ; but as I pro- ceeded with the work, materials of a more general historical character, fraught with interests that demanded attention, ac- cumulated upon my hands, swelling the volume far beyond the limits I had first marked out for it. So, beyond giving a his- tory of the pioneers of Marion county, I have given a history of the county itself, and retain the title originally intended for it.
If in some instances I have erred in date or statement, or have omitted any circumstances worthy of mention, the reader will please to bear in mind that in sifting and selecting from a large mass of matter collected from various sources, the lia- bility to err is unquestionable. Notwithstanding the great difficulty of avoiding mistakes, I have carefully endeavored to do so, and it is to be hoped that few or none of importance have found their way into these pages.
I have also carefully endeavored to avoid making any state- ment prejudicial to any person, or offensive to any political partizan, deeming such matter not only undesirable, but un- called for in an impartial history. This work has nothing to do
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Preface.
with the partizan politics of the country, and may be safely relied upon as a source of useful information and entertainment to all parties. In short, I have tried to make a book well worth being made a keepsake in every family in Marion county.
In conclusion, I return my sincere thanks to the many good friends who so kindly welcomed me to their homes, and aided me with such historical facts as they had in their possession. I hope to merit their continued kindness and good will.
WM. M. DONNEL.
INTRODUCTION.
Marion county originally belonged to a large tract of country ceded to the United States by the Sac and Fox Indians, at a treaty held at Agency, in the autumn of 1842. At that treaty the entire tribe was assembled, and Keokuk was their spokes- man. Among other stipulations it was agreed that the new purchase should be vacated by the Indians as far west as the red rocks on the Des Moines river, on the first day of May, 1843, and the remainder by the tenth of October, 1845. The line to distinguish the United States from Indian Territory, that crossed the river a short distance above the present site of Red Rock village, was run by Geo. W. Harrison, U. S. sur- veyor, in the autumn of '43. In running this line, the distance from the Missouri state line to the monument he erected over the red sand-stone bluffs, north of the river, was found to be just 69 miles.
Marion is in the third tier of counties from the south line of the State, the fifth from the east line, the seventh from the north line, and the sixth from the west line. Its center is about 52 miles north of the south line of the State, 108 west of the Mississippi river, 150 from the north line of the State, and about the same distance east of the Missouri river, calcu- lating these distances in a straight direction. It is in the 41st degree of north latitude, and 16 degrees west of Washington. It is nearly on the same latitude with Sandusky City, Ohio, Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut, Providence and Newport, Rhode Island, Madrid, in Spain, [Rome and Naples,
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Introduction.
in Italy, Constantinople, in Turkey, and Salt Lake City, in Utah.
Marion county is bounded on the north by Jasper county, on the east by Mahaska, on the south by Monroe and Lucas, and on the west by Warren. It is in an exact square of 24 miles, and therefore embraces an area of 576 square miles or sections, equal to 368,690 acres, at least seven eights of which is rich, tillable land. And this area is occupied by a population that averages a little more than 42 persons to the square mile.
The principle streams that run through the county are the Des Moines and Skunk rivers, much the larger of which is the Des Moines. This stream rises in the southern part of Min- nesota, runs nearly south till it reaches the capital of Iowa, where it takes a direct southeast course, till it empties into the Mississippi at Keokuk. It enters Marion county at section 7, township 77, and range 21, being near the northwest corner, and leaves it in section 13, township 75, range 18. In the sec- tion of this stream that forms the boundary line between Red Rock and Union townships, it once made a large curve to the southwest, forming a long peninsula with a narrow neck. In 1847 this curve was so dammed with ice and drift-wood that the water was forced to cut a new channel across the neck, leaving the old one a mere bayou. This place is known as "The Cut-off." The Des Moines is navigable for small steamboats as far as the capital, during freshets.
Skunk river crosses the northeast corner of the county, en- tering it in section 5, township 77, range 18, and leaves it in section 24, same township and range. The Indian name for it was Chicauqua by which it was also known by the old set- tlers of the lower counties through which it runs. The term Chicauqua is said to signify anything of a strong odor, and is supposed to have been applied to this stream on account of the great quantity of wild onions that grew about its head waters. In accordance with this supposition, (which is probably true,)
9
Introduction.
and also in order to give the little stream a more practical name than Skunk, a bill was introduced during the session of the State legislature of 1869 and 1870 enacting that it should be called Chicauqua, which however failed to pass. It is an exceedingly crooked stream, with a deep, narrow channel and abrupt banks, which give it a treacherous look during high water.
White Breast, the third stream of any importance, enters the county in section 18, township 79, range 21, runs in a northeasterly direction, and empties into the Des Moines in section 10, township 76, range 19. The Indian name for this stream was Waupo-ca-ca, the name of an Indian chief, some account of whom is given in the history of Polk township.
There are numerous smaller streams that I shall take occa- sion to notice in my township histories.
All streams of any considerable size, are widely margined by timber mostly of an excellent quality. Walnut, cotton- wood, soft and hard maple, hackberry, elm and ash, are abund- ant on the bottom lands. Oak is the prevailing timber on the up-lands. Between these strips of timber are the high undu- lating prairies, on which innumerable small streams or feeders take their rise, flowing each way into the larger creeks, and they to the rivers. On the most elevated portions of these prairies, lasting water of an excellent quality may be found from fifteen to twenty-five feet below the surface. The soil is a black mould of vegetable formation, from eighteen inches to three feet deep. There are also many small prairies along the streams, the black soil of which is four or five feet deep.
The only railroad completed through the county is the Des Moines Valley. Its line is through the northeast corner, making Pella and Otley points in this county, and Monroe just within the limits of Jasper. Either of these points does a large amount of shipping.
Three other roads are in prospect, one of which, the Albia,
10
Introduction.
Knoxville and Des Moines, is partly graded east of Knoxville, and will undoubtedly be completed within a reasonable time. The Muscatine Western will make Pella a point, and is now graded to Monroe, Jasper county-will probably make the village of Red Rock a point; all of which will secure to Marion county abundant commercial intercourse with all parts of the United States, as its agriculture and resources demand.
PART I.
GENERAL HISTORY OF THE COUNTY.
CHAPTER I.
Dragoons-Trading Houses-Indian Payments, and How Made-Incidents-Character of the Traders.
Soon after the purchase of 1842, or about that time, a garrison of United States dragoons was quartered at Ft. Des Moines, between and at the junction of the Des Moines and Coon rivers, for the purpose of guarding the Sac and Fox Indians, the late proprietors of the lands, against the warlike encroachment of the Sioux, who had long been known as their most implacable foes; and also to prevent the settlement of those lands by the whites previous to the first day of May, 1843, and the eleventh day of October, 1845, agreeable to the stipulations of the treaty made at Agency, in the autumn of 1842. There was also a garrison at Agency, whose duty was to guard the agency and prevent im- migrants from crossing the line before the first of May, as above stated.
But it is evident that no extraordinary vigilance was exercised by the garrison to enforce this restriction. Many crossed the line, either with or without their knowledge ; but with the understand- ing on the part of the immigrants themselves, that they would be subject to arrest and seizure of their property by the dragoons, small squads of whom were scouting here and there over the
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11
12
Pioneers of Marion County.
country. Those who thus found their way into the forbidden territory, could do nothing toward making a permanent settle- ment, except to fix upon some locality that suited their fancy, and be ready to establish a claim upon it at the proper time. They dared not erect a house; and in some cases, it was found advisable to secrete their wagons and such other property as was likely to betray their intentions to become settlers.
Little was known of the country previous to its actual occu- pation in 1843. Some hunters and trappers had passed through it, from whom reports were received of its beautiful prairies, luxuriant vegetation and rich soil. A few trading houses had been established at different times and places, mostly along the Des Moines river, on a trail most frequently traversed by the Indians, between Des Moines and Hard Fish, an Indian town located where Eddyville now is, and Agency.
The remains of one of these houses is still visible, near the eastern border of the county, in what is now Lake Prairie Township. It was, perhaps, the first house occupied by white people within the bounds of the county. Another, known as the "Phelps' Trading House," stood some where near the same locality. The proprietor, William Phelps, previously kept the same kind of an establishment at Farmington, Van Buren county, and moved up when his Indian customers receded be- fore the advance of civilization. At a somewhat later date others were established at and in the neighborhood of the pres- ent site of Red Rock. One of these, by a person named Shaw, stood on the opposite side of the river from the village, and another a short distance above it, was kept by John Jor- dan. At the last named place was once the scene of a dread- ful Indian tragedy, the details of which will be given in another part of this work. About a mile and a half above Red Rock, was another trading house kept by Turner, and north of town about the same distance was yet another, known as the firm of Gaddis & Nye. Some others, who still live in the county,
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General History of the County.
traded much with both the Indians and whites after the settle- ments commenced, among whom are G. D. Bedell, of the vil- lage, and G. H. Miksell, of the the town of Red Rock. Indeed, so far as we can learn, only the three first mentioned establish- ments existed previously to the date of settlement.
The houses were generally mere shanties designed for tem- porary occupation. That of Gaddis and Nye was but a shelter made of poles, and roofed with bark or brush. The chief business of the proprietors, especially of those of the earliest date, was with the Indians, exchanging whisky, tobacco, pipes, guns, powder and lead, blankets and a few. cheap dry goods, for furs, deer skins and such other products of the hunting grounds as were of any commercial value. After their cus- tomers began to receive their yearly payments, old Mexican dollars came into circulation, and many of them very aptly found their way into the pockets of the traders. About eighty- four thousand dollars constituted a payment, and one custom was to distribute this sum among the numerous families of the tribes, each head receiving an amount proportioned to the number of his family. But the Indians sometimes adopted a different mode of payment, called "Chief payments," making their chief the recipient and treasurer. This made him a sort of financial agent for his tribe, and, therefore, to some extent, responsible for individual debts frequently contracted with the traders in anticipation of the payments. In most cases such debts were promptly paid, the savages manifesting an honesty in such transactions that seemed in strange contrast with their usually treacherous characters.
On occasion of one of these payments a contest arose between the Indians as to how it should be made. Keokuk, chief of the Sacs, was in favor of an individual payment, con- trary to the wishes of other chiefs and their followers. As pay day approached the contest grew so hot that an appeal to arms seemed probable; and when it came, the hostile parties mus-
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Pioneers of Marion County.
tered their forces and even rode up in line of battle. But just then, through some agency or other, seen or unseen, the fight was postponed indefinitely. A compromise was effected, and a chief payment decided upon.
This event took place at Ft. Des Moines, but at precisely what date we are not advised, though it must have been in 1844 or 1845. We have the account from an individual who went there to collect money due him for produce and other articles he had sold the Indians on credit. But for some cause he failed to get any, and other traders also lost heavily.
In those days traders were required to obtain a license for their business, though the requirement was not compulsory. Those who chose to do so could sell to the Indians on credit, and when pay-day came, presented their claims to the agent and drew. But those who failed to fortify themselves with this legal authority had to run the risk of being swindled by abscond- ing debtors, or having their claims repudiated altogether.
Not unfrequently these unsophisticated savages, not having the shrewdness to detect a cheat, or to understand the proper value of an article in trade, were made the victims of gross impositions by unscrupulous traders. A little incident that occurred near Red Rock will illustrate this : An Indian traded his blanket for a melon, promising to bring the article within a given time. It was a good one, and apparently made the most of his scanty . wardrobe. But he had eaten the melon, and thought it was good enough to be worth the blanket that he did not feel so much the need of then, and true to his promise, paid it over at the time stipulated.
Another incident permit me to relate, illustrative of the reckless improvidence of a race of people that must conse- quently ere long, degenerate to a mere remnant, in contrast with the wicked shrewdness that seeks to victimize them for the sake of gain: On occasion of one of these chief payments -the last one perhaps-an individual living near Fort Des-
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General History of the County.
moines, who had had extensive intercourse with the Indians, knew their character and spoke their language, conceived a plan to get some of their money on terms that some might call a fair exchange.
On the day following the payment, he sent a polite invita- tion to the chief and his five braves to come and dine with him. He had made ample preparations for the feast, and among other articles acceptable to the Indian palate, was a good supply of whisky. At the proper time his guests ap- peared, and were most flatteringly received and entertained. After dinner, when the hearts of his victims had become soft- ened, to a consistency of great liberality, he invited them to an examination of his ponies. Thereupon half a dozen hand- somely equipped animals were brough tfrom the stable and paraded before the admiring guests. The next act in the performance was to invite the chief to accept the finest one of the number as a present, which the grateful sovereign readily did. It is said to be a custom among Indians on receiving a present, to return something of supposed propor- tionate value. Agreeable to this custom, and, perhaps, actu- ated by an overwhelming sense of gratitude, the chief im- mediately placed in the hands of his host a box containing one thousand dollars in gold, which he had just received from the Government, in behalf of his tribe, for their lands. Then another pony was presented to one of the braves, which was in like manner acknowledged. Then another, and another, till each of the five braves were supplied with a pony, and their white brethren-the traders-had six thousand dollars of their hard cash.
We are not informed whether the matter terminated thus, or whether the embezzlement was discovered to the tribe, and the unworthy chief tried and punished, as he should have been. If not, it was no fault of the tribe, who were usually not slow to bring judgment upon offenders.
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Pioneers of Marion County.
Most of the trading houses were abandoned soon after the Indians left the country, which was upwards of a year after settlement commenced. What became of all the traders can only be conjectured. Jordon went to California, but returned and is now supposed to be in Missouri. Shaw died at Red Rock, many years ago; Gaddis and Nye expressed their inten- tion of following the Indians, and the last known of them they were descending the Des Moines in a canoe, and it is possible that their success in trade induced a majority of those who left the country about that time to follow their old customers.
In speaking of the character of these traders, perhaps all that we ought to say might be said in palliation of the truth: Isolation from the surroundings and restraints of civilization was by no means calculated to improve their morals. If, in some respects they resembled the savages, the fact must be attributed to association. Yet in one particular they were as wholly distinct from the savages as other men; they had a specific object in life, a business upon which was founded an- ticipations of pecuniary advancement. Not scrupulous as to the means, so the end might be attained, they adopted a calling condemned by the better sentiment of all mankind, as degrading and tending to evil results. Away from the restraints of law and the benificent effects of reformatory agitations, they were free to indulge their cupidity in de- bauching the simple savages with adulterated whisky, and cheating them in trade. We might here particularize, but there is no need of it. We have made these statements as matters of history that, perhaps, some to whom they apply, might be willing to forget. The traders have had their day, and their victims are no more. *
* NOTE .- The statements made in the above paragraph are not intended to ap- ply to all persons who traded with the Indians, but to the majority of those whose only business was that of traders. There are some good citizens still living in the county, who dealt more or less with the natives, but not exclu- sively as traders.
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General History of the County.
CHAPTER II.
The Indians-Language of the Sacs and Foxes-Brief Sketches of their History-Black Hawk Beheaded- Installation of Keokuk as Chief-Indian Tragedy near Red Rock.
Enough has been written upon the manners and customs of that somewhat mysterious race of people, the Indians, so that we shall not introduce the subject here, except as it occurs in the reminiscences related from time to time. Indian life is so uniform that what relates to one tribe is mainly applicable to the whole nation, for the similarity of complexion, language and habits of the numerous tribes lead us to believe they be- long to the same nationality as much as did the twelve tribes of Israel. It is true that there are some differences, but these are not materially distinct, and may be attributed to differ- ences of climate and country. Various causes may have divided the nation into so many tribes, but the most probable cause was the same that operates to divide civilized nations in- to clans and communities-conflicting interests and quarrels- since which they have maintained the separation under sepa- rate leaders. Most of the tribes are noted for their warlike propensity, and if their history could be written, it might show a succession of wars as full of romance and adventure as those of the ancient Greeks and Romans. From this cause some tribes, once powerful and much dreaded, were reduced to mere remnants or totally extinguished. We venture to say that if it had not been for these divisions into tribes, and the failure of some of their most noted chiefs to unite many of them against a common enemy, our success in subduing them would have been far more difficult. 2
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Pioneers of Marion County.
The Sacs and Foxes who occupied the country included in the purchase of 1842, were enough alike in all general re- spects to constitute but one tribe. We are told that they occu- pied the same districts, hunted upon the same hunting grounds, intermarried, and spoke the same language, with but slight difference, no more, probably, than what occurs between east- ern and western people in their use of English.
As a matter of some curiosity, as well as useful instruction, we here give the translation of a few words of Indian, as spoken by these tribes, as nearly as English letters can be made to convey the somewhat difficult articulation :
Horse, nack-a-tock-a-shaw; hog, cocasho; ox or cow, nan- noos; Desmoines river, koasauqua sepe; White Breast river, waupeka sepe; Skunk river, shecauqua sepe ;* e-noch-eno- qua, to-day I am going; Ku-che-pen-oach-ne-och-e-pe-i-ale, come a long distance; war, necanty; one, nacote; two, nish; three, ness; four, neaue; five, neollen; six, cautwassick; seven, nawhick; eight, swaussick; nine, sauk; ten, mataus or sweech; twenty, nishwaupetuck; thirty, nessswaupetuck; forty, neaueswaupetuck; fifty, shi-cau-e-collah; sixty, ness- swassick-ete-swaup-etuck; one hundred, naquetauk; one thou- sand, mataus-naquetauk.
The history of these tribes may be traced back to a period as early as 1767, the year in which Black Hawk was born. They then occupied the country now known as the state of Wiscon- sin. At an early age this celebrated warrior, Black Hawk, by his prowess and skill in war against the Osages, between whom and the Sacs and Foxes a long standing grudge had ex- isted, raised himself to some eminence as a leader and gave these tribes a notoriety in military history.
* This word, we are told by good authority, does not apply exclusively to skunk, but means anything that has a strong or offensive smell. The head waters of Skunk river were once noted for the vast quantities of wild onions that grew there. Hence Chicago is the same word a little differently spelled and pronouneed,
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General History of the County.
From the time that the government came into possession of the north-western territory, by purchase from the Spanish gov- ernment, these Indians did not seem favorable to the change, and conceived a dislike to the new proprietors. The treaty of 1804, was not calculated to remove this prejudice, inasmuch as it was made without the general authority of the Indians. Soon after this treaty, the whites began to erect forts and trading posts along the Mississippi in the disputed territory, which caused a war that continued, with occasional intermis- sions or truces, brought about by renewed treaties, till the cap- ture of Black Hawk, in 1833.
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