USA > Iowa > An illustrated history of the state of Iowa, being a complete civil, political, and military history of the state, from its first exploration down to 1875; > Part 30
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The early history of Adams county carries us back no further than 1853, when the first separate organization is recorded with Samuel Baker as county judge. The first settler, Elijah Wat- ters, lived in the district four years earlier, but when game grew scarce he
wandered to " fresh woods and pas- tures new " beyond our range of obser- vation. There was a considerable in- crease of population from without uu- til the year 1858, but after that time for a period of eight years there was hard- ly any change in numbers, but since 1866 the increase has been steady and great.
The Icarian community deserves special mention as well from the prom- inence of that body in Adams county as from the peculiarity of the organiza- tiou. The community of interest which Robert Owen preached many years ago and tried to reduce to practice in New Harmony is actually realized by this peculiar people led by M. Cabet. The French novelist procured for his followers the name "Icarian," by writing a work which bore that title in part, in which he preached social- ism as the cure for every ill which afflicts the nation and society. That book was published in 1842, and soon after that date an attempt was made to establish a colony upon the communis- tic basis in Texas, under M. Cabet's prestige. The colony sailed from Havre for Red River in 1848, but when in the next year the would be founder followed, it was his misfortune to dis- cover that the community had been decimated and scattered by sickness and misfortune. After much effort the colony was moved to Nauvoo, from whence the Mormons had been ex- pelled, and subsequently a location was secured in Adams county. M. Cabet returning to France was im- prisoned in that kingdom and detained for a long time from the personal over- sight of his important venture. The prosperity of the scheme, as a whole, did not bring happiness to the propaga- tor of the enterprise, who eventually withdrew from the work in conse- quence of some misunderstanding, and died in St. Louis while trying to form a new community. Every male adult among the Icarians is required to vote in all matters affecting the commun- ity, and women's rights are so far recognized that the lady members are allowed to discuss such questions as concern their interests. The manage- ment of the business of the commun- ity is delegated to a president and four directors who are chosen annually. Equality and fraternity are the ruling ideas of Icaria. New members may
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be admitted after six months proba- tion, upon their handing over all their property to the directorate, for the benefit of the mass, after which all parties share alike in the labors and profits of every venture, but no money is given in return for labor. There is no provision for public worship among these peculiar people, but music, dancing and recreations of var- ions kinds are cared for with special favor by them, particularly on Sun- days.
Adams county is not yet fully sup- plied with railroads, but the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad traverses the county from east to west, and with little difficulty all portions of its area can procure facilities for transporta- tion to the best markets on this conti- nent. Schools have been cared for by the settlers, with exemplary foresight. The common school is within easy reach of every considerable assemblage of residents, and teachers of the best kind are generally secured for the school houses, which are scattered broadcast over the land, to fit the youth for the onerous functions of free government. As might naturally be anticipated, the community which is wise enough to prepare so well for the children, has exhibited an equally commendable spirit in its war record.
CORNING is the county seat, and the town attracts favorable notice from all travelers in Iowa. Its railroad ad- vantages are first-class, its situation beautiful, and the enterprising spirit of its citizens is beyond praise. Ele- gant sites for villa residences, within easy reach of the town, have already tempted its business men to build cot- tages for their families away from the hustle of commerce; and, as their wealth continues to develop, more will be done in the like direction to in- crease the beauty and effectiveness of the surrounding country. Parks, al- ready worthy of the name, have been secured as the lungs of the future city.
QUINCY was the county seat before Corning arrived at that distinction, and it is still a place of very consid- erable importance, with many church- es and sufficient educational facilities for its population.
BROOKS is beautifully situated, about six miles south of Quincy, on the north of East Nodaway river.
QUEEN CITY promises to be some
[ day worthy of its name, being well placed in the center of an excellent farming country, with all the advan- tages of good building material in abundance near at hand.
Nevinsville has already been de- scribed, being partly in Adair county, and it is unnecessary to repeat such detail.
Mt. Etna, Nodaway, Icaria, Car- bon, Cave and Prescot are villages which will eventually enrich their founders.
Allamakee County is in the extreme northeast of Iowa, with Minnesota and the Mississippi river as its boundaries. The scenery of Allamakee is varied and beautiful, and whenever the land becomes densely peopled, its facilities for drainage will be appreciated. Bluffs rise from the rivers, precipitously, to great heights, in some cases as much as four hundred feet; and the center of the county is nearly seven hundred feet above the level of the river. But, al- though this is the general topographi- cal feature of the county, there are several marked exceptions, which are known as sloughs, extending here and there into lakes, such as Marshy and Big lakes. Lansing is almost reached by a series of sloughs, extending from the northern boundary of Allamakee. Harper's Channel is an important slough in the lower series, which ex- tends from La Fayette to Johnsonsport. The lands adjoining Harper's Channel are very rich and productive. The soil is varied, but generally good throughout the county, consisting of a deep black loam, practically inex- haustible. Burr oak openings, prairie lands, hazel thickets and river bot- tom, varied by occasional hickory and white oak openings, give all that could be wished in variety. Farmers, who are wise enough to use fertilizing compounds and to utilize their com- post heaps, can draw almost without limit from such lands, and usually the agriculturist is ready enough to em- ploy all his advantages.
Meteorologically, this county has few superiors. Its air is almost en- tirely devoid of miasma, and its in- vigorating influences visibly affect the death rate of the locality. It is claimed that the atmosphere of Allamakee county is specific in the earlier stages of consumption, but, on that point, it
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is only fair to say that doctors dis- [ in 1835; certainly, it was an old build- agree.
The agricultural products of the dis- trict are various and prolific, the sea- sons being extended and the soils rich. Corn, wheat, potatoes, onions and ev- ery kind of fruit (not tropical) can be raised with ease and profit, and it would be easy to show, from statistics, that the growth of the county in wealth and importance is as great as it is con- tinuous. Fruit will by and by com- mand a much more extended employ. ment of capital and labor; but already the number of hands profitably en- gaged in that avocation shows that in- telligent farmers are not slow to dis- cover their best opportunity.
Manufacturers have not been slow to discover the advantages which are of- fered by the streams and water courses in this county. The upper Iowa, the Yellow river, Paint creek, Village creek, French creek, Silver creek, Waterloo creek, Harper's ferry and several other localities which need not be particularized, have been made the sites of important establishments which bid fair to increase, within a few years, to proportions all but gi- gantic, with corresponding advantage to the state. Many excellent sites are still unoccupied, but careful observers are calculating their way along toward the full employment of all these natu- ral wealth producers.
The county seat of Allamakee has been changed no less than three times, having been at first located at Columbus in 1851; then removed to Waukon, in 1853, and then, in 1861, transferred to Lansing by the vote of the people, and, in 1867, returned to its permanent rest- ing place at Waukon. Lansing pro- cured the change in its favor by donat- ing valuable properties to the county, which still continue to be held by the county officials on behalf of the peo- ple, who have gone back from their bargain.
Johnsonsport is supposed to have been the site of the first settlement in this county, and "Old Mission " the next. An Indian trading station and boat landing, probably attracted set- tlers with some ideas of permanency. The name is assumed to have been derived from one Henry Johnson, who gave his very common appellation to the post. The " Old Mission House," as it is called, is said to have been built
ing in 1848, when the surveyors used the chimney of that erection to take their bearings from. Thos. Liston was the first permanent settler, the older identities having been lost in the fog. Makee township was selected as a residence by Patrick Keenan, who was cotemporary with Liston, in 1848. That settler, following his strayed oxen, came by accident upon what seemed a special revelation of beauty in the fine land which he wisely made his home, and has had no difficul- ty in causing to " blossom as the rose." The sun may be said to have shone upon him ever since. The later ar- rivals need not be specially named. It is enough to say that they were for- tunate in finding material advantages, which more than seconded all their endeavors, so much so, that the farmer must needs flourish upon a soil which required only "to be tickled with a hoe, and it laughed with a harvest."
Education prospers in Allamakee county, the people being earnestly re- solved upon the proper training of their youth, and the teachers well qualified for their task. The cost of' tuition per pupil is estimated at only seventy-five cents per month, but the results attained by concentrated cffort and beneficent emulation among those engaged in the work have surpassed the most enthusiastic hope.
Other institutions in the county have striven with some effect to keep pace with the schools, and there is a county agricultural society as well as a district association for similar purposes, hold- ing first-class fairs. The county farm- ers have also a trading association, and the county poor house and farm has less than a score of occupants, al- though the same establishment serves as a refuge for the insane. This record is admirable.
WAUKON, already named as the + county seat, is located near the center of the county, on rolling prairie land. Apart from the smaller benefits which accrue from the administration of jus- tice, and the location of county offices in the town, Waukon would flourish by virtue of its surroundings of pros- perous agricultural country. The town is well laid out, adorned by shade trees, and the buildings are substantial tokens of the wealth of the people. The public offices, school building
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and churches are very fine, being, in | ity is commensurate with appearances. the main, excellent specimens of archi- The town was incorporated in 1864, and three years afterwards a city char- ter was adopted. There are now three weekly papers well sustained by the city and its surrounding population. One of the papers is German. The graded school in Lansing is a fine, substantial building, well adapted to its purpose, and wisely administered. tecture. The supply of spring water, for which Waukon is noted, is said to have attracted its first settler, G. C. Shattuck, who came from Indiana, and is now believed to be in Kansas. That gentleman occupied the site of the present town, and he gave forty acres of land to the county on condi- tion that the county seat should be lo- cated on the ground which he has since left. The population is not large, be- ing estimated at one thousand only ; but it contains within itself the possi bilities of growth, in the manifold oc- cupations and enterprise of its traders and manufacturers.
LANSING can well afford to dispense with the minor advantages of being the county seat, as it is undoubtedly the best commercial center in Allama- kee county, being situated on the Mis- sissippi, where the river has a bold shore, well adapted to the wants of the largest steamers, and sufficiently dis- tant from other landing places to make the site desirable. The town has rail- road accommodation all through the year, as well as the facilities of the river during the navigable season, and a large amount of business is trans- acted. The town is built on land which rises gradually from the river banks to the bluffs back of the busi- ness portion, hence the Mississippi is a never failing receptacle for its drainage. The first buildings were mostly of wood, but, since the fire of 1862, the best part of Main street, where mer- chants most do congregate, has been reconstructed of stone and brick. The town site was originally the property of H. H. Houghton, who located bis claim in 1848, and laid out the town three years later. The day of small things soon passed away, and the av- erage of business now transacted in Lansing is very considerable. There are eleven churches in the town, mostly creditable buildings, and well organ- ized for Christian worship. There are. several manufactories in full operation here, producing turbine water wheels, saw mills, mill gearing and steam en- gines, with other such works inciden- tal thereto. Such employments, ad- ded to the continuons movement of large masses of goods in the way of merchandise, give Lansing a very busy aspect, and the general prosper-
POSTVILLE is a small but flourish- ing town in the southeast corner of the county on the line of the Milwau- kee and St. Paul railroad at the jnnc- tion of three counties, Clayton, Win- neshiek and Fayette, with Allamakee. The town takes its name from its first settler, Mr. J. Post, who dates his loca- tion from 1841. Until that date a few soldiers from Fort Crawford were the only white men that visited the ground, and the noble red man had almost un- disputed possession. The first post office was established there in 1848, and from that time to the present the town has progressed. The Cedar Rapids and Minnesota railroad con- nected the great world with Postville in 1871, since which time its growth has been more marked as it has be- come the depot for the traffic of an ex- tensive and fertile district. It was not until 1873 that the town was incorpo- rated, but since that date, municipal improvements have been pushed ahead, and many valuable buildings have been erected.
The public school is a two storied building of brick and the manner in which the grounds have been laid out does credit to the taste of the man- agers. The school is graded, having a primary, an intermediate, and a grammar department, each of these being under competent instructors, and the attendance is such as to war- rant all the care expended in the pro- vision of the essentials for first class training. The town of Postville is on the high road to great prosperity.
Appanoose County is in the sontlı tier of Iowa counties extending twen- ty-four miles east and west and is the fourth county west of the Mississippi. Its extension north and south is about twenty-two miles or rather less. Its area approximates to 516 square miles. Charlton river is the great riparian feature of the county, giving many val- nahle mill sites which have already
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attracted the attention of capitalists. of every kind of grain can be raised The affluents of this river, which are in the county, and farmers in the tim- bered country who unite stock raia- ing with their other avocations have before them a prosperous time. Win- ter wheat can be obtained with great advantage under favor of the surround- ing timber, and, as might be anticipat- ed the soil adjoining these fine lands is exceptionally adapted for grain crops, when well used. Wheat is not extensively cultivated in Appanoose county, corn and oats being prefer- red, as they are found to give much larger profits and grass lands are in great request. Timothy, clover and blue grass flourish abundantly and all tame grasses thrive. Fruits are now cultivated to some extent, but for some years it was supposed that orcharda would prove a failure. That idea is now entirely exploded, and the small fruits have been largely raised. It will be seen from the several items noted, that every branch of human in- dustry has some bearing on the future of the settlers of Appanoose, and it would be difficult to find a county more variously endowed. all tributary to the Missouri, give good water for stock purposes at all seasons of the year and the country is well drained. Good timber can be found in all sections of the county, the groves of white oak along Charlton river and Shoal creek being such as the state of Iowa can hardly excel any- where. Black and burr oak, hickory in its several varieties, white and black walnut, maple, hard and soft, cotton, elm, linn, buckeye and other varieties of wood supply all that the artist or the builder could desire for use or orna- ment in the future of this county. More than one-fifth of the county is covered with valuable woods, and the sight from the cupola of the Center- ville court house from whence nearly the whole arca can be seen on a clear day is very beautiful. The great Iowa coal field gives of all its wealth and promise to the county of Appanoose without the necessity for very expen- sive works, consequently the future of the several townships may be consid- ered as assured.
Geologists assert that a shaft put down in the Charlton valley near the county seat would pass through all the coal bearing strata within four hun- dred fcet, but up to the present time all the fuel that has been required has been obtained without very extensive workings, and the supply is said to be inexhaustible.
Building materials of all kinds are easily obtained within little distances of every center of population. Lime- stone is abundant and sandstone quar- ries are largely used, besides which sand and clay for bricks can be pro- cured in plenty for all purposes; of timber we have already spoken.
The soil of the county is very favor- able to agriculture; the prairies are extensive and the streams all that could be desired ; many excellent farms are in the hands of men who know how to make the best of nature's boun- ty. There was a time when it was feared that the bottom lands along the Charlton river would be found too wet for beneficial use, but with the ad- vancment of enterprise and the adop- tion of a few simple expedients for drainage, that anxiety has been dispel- led and the bottom lands are now sought with avidity. Luxuriant crops
Charlton river was the attraction to the first settler in this county, and Col. Wells made his location here in 1840, when he erected a mill in the aouth- eastern part of the county. William Cooksey was his first white neighbor. The early days of the settlement were marked by some irregularities, the ter- ritory being a kind of "no man's land " for a time, but eventually all the elements were brought to order, and what had been supposed to be Missouri, was found to be Iowa be- yond question. The names of the earliest settlers in every township lie before us, but to enter into such detail at present would be foreign to the pur- pose of our history, although a most instructive lesson might be drawn on every page, from the hair breath es- capes and momentous enterprises of of pioneers, wrestling with nature and the savage, to subdue new regions to the purposes of civilization.
It was not until 1844 that the first election was held in Appanoose coun- ty, and organization was not perfected until October 1, 1846. Until that date, Davis county had held jurisdiction over the early settlers. For some two years previous to that event, specula- tion had been rife as to the location of
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the county seat, terminating at length in the selection of the present site, which was named Chaldia, but was subsequently changed to Cen- terville by an enactment. The court house since erected is a very ad- mirable building of brick, with fire proof vaults, and spacious apartments for each department of the service. Art has been called into requisition, to ex- press the aspirations of the citizens of Appanoose county, and the inclosure of forest trees near the building chal- lenges the admiration of all observers.
The Chicago Rock Island and Paci- fic railroad traverses the county, hav- ing stations at Centerville, Unionville and Mima. The Burlington and South- western has stations at Moulton, Sedan, Caldwell and Cincinnati, and there are two other lines of road, which com- pete for the support which the farm- ing community and merchants engag. ed in traffic there, can advantageously afford. The advantages of so much and such diverse competition need hardly be enforced.
There are no less than one hundred and fifteen public schools sustained in the county, a fact which bears much significance.
CENTERVILLE was first laid out in 1846-7, and the first house was com- menced soon after by S. F. Wodling- ton in whose store the first religious services were afterwards celebrated. The town is very near the geographi- cal center of the county, and its situ- ation says much for the good taste of the early selecters, who may have been attracted by the fine grove which stands where Centerville now flour- ishes. Timber and other building materials are within easy reach, and coal is plentiful, while the country round being farmed by enterprising men, there are never ceasing improve- ments in which Centerville must par- ticipate. The railroad facilities offer- ed to the town by three competing companies. each having stations with- in its bounds, have been already men- tioned, and by the means just named, east and west can he readily reached. The banking accommodation enjoyed by Centerville is excellent. The town is beautifully laid out, and the build- ings which grace its streets are sub- stantial; the railroad depot deserves special mention, and is the more no- ticeable in consequence of the charm
which it borrows from the fair grounds of the county agricultural society adjacent to its track.
MOULTON is a considerable town two miles within the eastern boundary of Appanoose. The junction of the Burlington and Southwestern railroad with the St. Louis, Kansas City and Northern railway occurs here. The town is surrounded by well timbered agricultural land, largely occupied by farmers and stock raisers, who avail themselves of the advantages offered by Moulton as a post of shipment. Coal, wood and stone supply all the requirements for the manufacturing and general growth of this very spirit- ed community.
UNIONVILLE is a village twelve miles northeast of Centerville in, Udell township, much indebted for its im- portance to a rich body of Dunkards established in the vicinity, and having a church near the village. Its sur- roundings are very pleasant.
CINCINNATI is a village ten miles southwest of Centerville, beautifully lo- cated, and further improved by a station of the R. & S. W. R. R., to which, with coal and wood, its rapid development may be indebted. Jerome, Kirkwood, and Griffinsville are post offices in the county, around which villages are slowly aggregating. Albany, Hubbs- ville, Livingston, Sedan, Hilltown, Dean, Caldwell, Moravia, Iconium, Millidgeville, Walnut City, Bellair, Mima, and Orleans, are villages rap- idly increasing iu importance, con- cerning which the historian of the fu- ture will have much valuable matter to record.
Audubon County stands third east from the Missouri, and has a super- ficial area of about 446 square miles. The county contains twelve congress- sional townships, and it is in the fourth tier from the southern boundary of Iowa. The county is free from swampy or marsh land, but it enjoys the ad- vantage of a river, the East Nishna- botany flowing through its whole length. The valley through which that river takes its way is unsurpassed in fertility, and its gentle slopes from the banks of the river are charming locations for the future homes of wealthy manufacturers and merchants, but for the present they are made avail. able for farming and grazing with
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great gain. Other streams which me- ander through the county in various directions, partake in a less degree of the characteristics of the great valley. The soil, generally a dark loam mixed with sand, is very rich, and will grow almost all cereals. On the divides and prairies the soil is described by geologists as bluff deposit, and is found to be very productive. It is of a light chocolate color. Blue Grass, Giffords, Davids, and Troublesome are tributary creeks which swell the volume of East Nishnabotany river, and help to drain the country through which they flow. Hamlins, Frost and Crooked creeks are tributaries to the Troublesome, which in some seasons well deserves its name. South Raccoon river rises in the northeast of Audubon county, and there are many other creeks and streams which do not call for detailed mention. With such streams flowing almost everywhere, and the geological formation indicated, Audubon is the paradise of farmers, who give part of their attention to stock, and the soil is of a character which preserves the sur- face from accumulations of stagnant water. There are valuable springs in the county which may some day be- come famous, and the Nishnabotany is the site of several mills which avail themselves of its few but considerable powers.
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