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 34
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The first white settler in Buchanan county is supposed to have built his rude cabin in Quasquiton, or rather to be more precise, on the site which now bears that name, in 1842. His dwelling was on the east side of the Wapsipini- con, and very soon afterwards other white men followed in his steps. Some of those who came early to Iowa were of poor character, but in the na- ture of things, men of that stamp were speedily erased.
The first school taught in the county was held in a little log house in Inde- pendence, by a doctor of medicine, in 1848, while the French, under the subtle spell of Lamartine's eloquence, were dreaming of an impossible per- fection in government, among a people untaught and untrained for the realiza- tion of the highest good. Dr. Bennett began more wisely than the French poet, and we trust that his good works still follow him.
[ the personal will of a tyrant, who rules without the concurrence of his sub- jects. Courts still more irregular, without the intervention of lawyer or witness, without plaintiff or defendant being heard, are said to have preceded the session of 1849; but the records are barren, and it is not easy to procure reliable evidence on the subject.
INDEPENDENCE, as already mentioned, is the county seat, and the principal town in Buchanan county. The Iowa division of the Illinois Central rail- road, forms its junction here with the Milwaukee division of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Minnesota railroad. The town stands on both banks of the Wapsipinicon river, occupying a site of much natural beauty. The ground upon which the county seat is placed, slopes upwards sufficiently to afford some very conspicuous building sites; and, of course, that conformation of the ground suffices to secure full and efficient natural drainage for the area. Where the town stands was a grove of oaks, some of them very fine indeed, and many stand, untouched to this hour, to attest how striking must have been the scene which suggested the name, Independence. The streets are broad and well graded, with numerous shade trees to render their special charm to business premises and the choice residences, where Lares and Penates are defended. In every direc- tion, far as the eye can reach, are roll- ing prairies, with here and there a glancing stream, making sunlight ex- quisite, and following the margins of each river and creek, a line or belt of consecutive groves of timber, to which have since been added farm houses, villa residences, and blooming orchards rich in promise, with all other insig- nia of agricultural excellence. Inde- pendence is conceded to be one of the best built towns in northern Iowa; and the streets being laid out at right an- gles, all that is most charming in style and substantial work, can be seen to perfection from every " coigne of 'van- tage."
Buchanan county appears to have been named and to have had its bounds defined by the first territorial legis- lature, which was convened in Iowa in 1837-8. The name was, no doubt, bestowed as a compliment to president James Buchanan. The location of a county seat was proceeded with in 1847, when Independence, the present site, was fixed upon, and that name of happy augury selected. The first elec- tion took place in August, 1848, after which the county was dissevercd from Delaware county, which, until then, had exercised some of the functions of government. The first regular term As before stated, the site of Inde- pendence was selected in 1847, and a portion of the town was surveyed and laid off in lots that same year. Hunt- ing and trapping was the pursuit which drew to this region the man to whom common rumor and tradition allots of court commenced in April, 1849, and was a remarkably unpretentious affair, in a log cabin ; but the simplest effort at self government among a free and enlightened people has more na- tive dignity than the operations of the most enligntened jurists, directed by . the founding of the county seat. After
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many excursions in Iowa and the | used are, in themselves, excellent; but neighboring states, he had the good the organization, arrangement, and efficiency of the staff of teachers, most heartily deserve commendation. The graded school was established in 1857, and has been growing in value ever since, winning reputation wherever its pupils have had an opportunity to show what Alma mater has done for them. taste to prefer the site upon which the town is situated, to any other that he might have chosen. Lacking the means to avail himself of the oppor- tunity which thus lay before him, he returned to Janesville, Wis., and there enlisted some capitalists in his design. That movement proved a success, both for the projector and his friends, and The public buildings of the county consist of a court house, an asylum for the poor, and a jail; all these are good of their kind, the first and last named occupying the center of the original plat in the original ground plan of Independence. They are so placed as that the visitor can see therefrom an extensive panorama of natural beauty, improved now by industry and taste. since that date the county seat has prospered beyond the most sanguine dreams of the ex-trapper. A sawmill, driven by water power, came soon into requisition, to supply lumber better adapted to the wants of comfort loving men, than half squared logs. Circum- stances, for a time, made against the town, as there were malarious diseases consequent on the river being dammed, The Buchanan County Agricultural Society was organized in 1870, and has succeeded admirably as a joint-stock company, having extensive grounds and a very valuable property. In every way the association has been a public benefaction, and it is likely to become more useful every year. and stagnant water having to be used in daily diet; but as soon as the dis- turbing causes had been ascertained, there were means found to render their continuance unnecessary, and now there are no signs of malarious disorders at Independence. Many families left the township after the In November, 1873, fire visited In- dependence disastrously; and, in the spring of the following year, a similar visitation, yet more destructive to prop- erty, swept over the city, but the reeu- perative powers of the rising city speedily effaced the marks of ruin. first year, believing that good health could never be realized there, and very wisely preferring sound constitutions in good working order, to any possible increase of material wealth without these concomitants. Those who re- mained upon the ground reaped the The asylum for the insane for Iowa, built in 1869, is situated on rising ground, about two miles from Inde- pendence. Where the building was erected, is an eminence nearly one hundred feet above the surrounding country ; consequently drainage is se- cured, and there are numberless springs of good water. The building was planned and drafted by a citizen of Madison, Wisconsin, and is a hand- some edifice, constructed of the beau- tiful limestone of the state, which re- sembles marble in the fineness of its general aspect. reward of their faith. The first school ever taught in the county was held here; and as the prospects of the coun- ty brightened, scholastic opportunities kept pace with the growing import- ance of the community. A better school being erected, the building was used in turn as church, school, court house, and place of assembly for every public use. The greatest difficulty with which the people of Independ- ence had for some time to contend, was irregularity in the dispatch and receipt of mails, the service being a secondary matter in the hands of the Quasquiton is an Indian name, sig- nifying "Rapid Waters." The town is situated near an old Indian ford, and upon its site, crossed by innumer- able trails of the red man, the first set- tlement in Buchanan connty was planted in 1842. Litigation super- vened almost immediately after the town was platted, and for want of sat- isfactory titles there were few improve- ments for nearly six years. After that postmaster of Quasquiton, who wished to discourage the new town; but eventually that trouble came to an end. The city of Independence was incorporated in 1864; the first election being held in December of that year. Public schools in that city have, from the first, heen matters of emulation, and may now be considered a jnstifi- cation for some pride. The buildings
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time, changes for the better came rap- nearly all cereals and root crops flour idly, and large hopes swelled the hearts of the people, but for want of railway communications, since that time the town has retrograded very considerably, and the water power which solicits use is but partly im- proved.
JESUP is a village on the prairie, near the western borders of the coun- ty, but having been built where the in- terests of agriculturists can be fur- thered by transit of their produce on the Illinois Central Railroad, the town grows. The population of Jesup is rapidly nearing one thousand souls, and a lively newspaper is published there.
Winthrop is eight miles east of In- dependence, and the village contains about eight hundred inhabitants. It is pleasantly situated, and will rise in- to importance.
Fairbanks is situated in the north- west of Buchanan county, and a good county trade is done there, but there does not seem to be any prospect of very rapid growth.
Buchanan county is but half way on the road toward a good commence- ment, but already the name and wealth of Iowa have owed many good marks to the enterprise of this county, and there are signs which cannot be mis- taken, that, ere another quarter of a century shall have passed away, this section of country will have aggre- gated to itself and produced enormous wealth.
Buena Vista County is a compact section of country containing twenty- four square miles, or 368,640 acres, in the northwest of Iowa. The Little Sioux river meanders through the north of this county, furnishing, incidentally, a large body of timber for the settlers. The tributaries of this river, and sev- eral other streams not very considerable in themselves, give abundance of water for stock, and the drainage of the sur- face is almost perfect.
Storm lake, in the southern part of Buena Vista, is a fine body of clear water, with steep banks rising to the level of the beautiful prairie which stretches around in all directions to a great distance. Many such lakes, of smaller dimensions, dot the county, ad- ding to its charms as well as to its fer- tility. The soil is very good, and
ish. The supply of timber is not so great as in some other counties named and quarries of building stone are few and small, but the granite boulders, distributed with a liberal hand over the surface of the country, supply all needs. There is a plentiful supply of clay in what is known as the " Bluff deposit," and from that source build- ing materials can be obtained to al- most any extent. The streams and lakes are populous with excellent fish, some of which are, or seem to be, pe- culiar to this section of country.
Government surveys preceded settle- ment in Buena Vista county, as it was not until 1856 that the first stakes were driven for the residence of a white family, and the surveyors had gone over the ground in 1855. The bloody massacre of Spirit Lake eventuated in 1857, and that incident had the effeet of considerably dampening the ardor of settlement. The Indians, for that time, carried all before them, destroy- ing property, driving off cattle, mak- ing prisoners of men and women, re- serving for the climax the terrible deeds which have given Spirit Lake a fearful memory. Some of the very early settlers had ideas which were not compatible with civilized admin- istration of justice, but their own vio- lence provoking reprisals, eventuated in the county being rid of them at length.
SIOUX RAPIDS was the first town platted in Buena Vista county, and is located on the south bank of the Little Sioux river. This is the county seat, and much business is done in the town. The raid of the Indians through this county had a bad influence on the growth of this city; but, since 1859, snch alarms have been unknown, and the industrial enterprises of many thriving capitalists keep the best in- terests of Sioux Rapids in a flourish- ing condition.
STORM LAKE is the name of a town built on the north bank of the beautiful lake, from which it is named. It is about eighteen miles from Sioux Rap- ids. The lake is about two miles across, and is altogether about five miles long, if the smaller lake adjoin- ing is taken into account. The origin of the lake cannot be easily traced, unless it is a small part of the great I lake system which once stretched from
CROSSCUP & WEST-SC. PHILA
A. S. EVANS, ESQ.
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the Wahsatch mountains, in the Salt Lake country, to beyond Lake Erie. Map makers, drawing from their in- formation from traditions rather than from actual observations, deseribe the body of water as immensely larger than at present. Sometimes there are severe storms upon the lake, but usu- ally it is a favorite resort for sports- men and pleasure seekers, who like the peaceful pursuits of Izaak Walton, and do not agree with the satirist in de- seribing piseatorial delights as, "an operation with a stiek and a string, having a worm at one end, and a fool at the other." There is an iron steamer on the lake, and a large assortment of shore boats, for which there is a con- siderable demand.
The town has numerous fine build- ungs and established industries, and the railroad company has a large de- pot and station, the best between Fort Dodge and Sioux City, which was com- pleted in 1870. The Buena Vista County Agricultural Society has fine grounds and substantial buildings at this point, having been organized in 1873, and the operations of that associ- ation promise to be of great value to the county and to the state.
NEWELL is a thriving town, situated on the railroad line, in the eastern part of the county, in the midst of a very rapidly improving agricultural region, for the convenience of which its value as a shipping point, gives it import- anee. The first house was built in 1869, and it has now a paper, as well as a mill, many business houses, and a church.
ALTA is seven miles distant from Storm Lake, to the west, and although the town was only platted in 1872, it has already commenced a very pros- perous career. The railroad reaches its greatest height at this point be- tween the Mississippi and the Missouri, henee the name ; and substantial build- ings erected by the Iowa Falls and Sioux City Railroad Land Company, attest the expectation and resolve of those immediately interested, that Alta shall have a very prosperous future. The lands surrounding Alta are well adapted for farming, and improvements are being pushed ahead with much vigor.
Butler County is in the third tier from the Minnesota boundary, from
which it is distant forty miles. The area of the county comprises five hun- dred and seventy-six square miles, con- sisting of sixteen congressional towu- ships. The county is a perfeet square, and consists of 367,070 acres, mainly of rolling prairie, very little of the sur- face being level, yet none precipitous.
The main river, now known as the Shellrock, used to be known as English river. The course of this stream has been already notieed. The flow. of this stream is rapid, and it passes over a bed of sand and limestone, with a fall so rapid that its value for water powers must prove immense. The banks of the river are high, and well timbered, and much fish is found in the stream. The Cedar river has its west fork in this county, and the junc- tion of the two streams is effected in Black Hawk county. The stream is sluggish, and its bed muddy, with many marshes and morasses on its banks. Wild grass flourishes in the rank soil of these regions, but when cultivation is wisely pushed along the borders of this stream, good drainage will mueh improve the land. The Cedar has numerous sınall tributaries, which empty into the west fork of that river, in this county. Beaver river flows through the southern tier of townships, in Butler county, distant about two miles, on an average, from the boundaries of Grundy county. The stream is small and slow, generally, but in some localities it can be made availa- ble for milling purposes. The country is liable to occasional inundations along its course, and its borders are often marshy. Numerous beavers were settled in this stream from time imme- morial, but, for sufficient reasons, they have changed their camping grounds, of late years, and are not expected to return.
Coldwater ereek is a branch or feed- er of Shellrock river, running through the extreme northwest of the county. Marshes are not common in the coun- try drained by this ereek, and much valuable land is improved along its banks. Hood ereek is an eastern trib- utary of the same river, and there are other creeks and tributaries, such as Otter ereek, which flow into the west fork of the Cedar river and the Beaver. The country is, as a whole, well drained, and well water, of the best kind, can be found at the average
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depth of a little over twenty feet. Tim- ber can be found on almost all the streams, and many of the early settlers have improved their properties by planting groves of considerable size. The timber is generally valuable for building purposes, but we have no room for detailing descriptions.
Wheat and oats do not come to great perfection on the light soil common in Butler county, but corn gives a fair crop generally. Away from the streams there is a rich black loam, which pro- duces cereals in almost any quantity. The subsoil is of yellow clay, in some parts, and gravel in others. Building materials are plentiful, and limestone quarries can be opened almost any- where. Boulders. from the glacial pe- riod, crop up through the soil in all directions. Clay and sand are abund- ant, and bricks of good quality can be made to meet and supply the local de- mand. Less than half the country is under tillage, but there will be a much larger proportion within a few years.
Germans, Irish, English, Scotch, Norwegians and Swedes, with a few other admixtures, help to make up the population of 13,000 in Butler county, but the native American is a very con- siderable item in the aggregate, the main proportion coming from the New England states, and from New York. The affairs of the county are adminis- tered with economy, and the commun- ity is clear of public debt although the taxes collected are small. The Iowa division of the Illinois Central Rail- road, the Burlington Cedar Rapids and Minnesota, the Iowa Pacific Railroads and the Cedar Valley branch of the Iowa division of the Illinois Central, are competitors for the service of the county with all that is required to keep this community abreast of civilization elsewhere, and it will be admitted that there is no present or prospective likeli- hood of a dearth of transit, however much the productions of the county may increase. Some of the roads men- tioued have been assisted by local taxes and subscriptions which make a sum total of $116,568.
Shellrock valley attracted the atten- tion of trappers and hunters from an early day, and as a consequence, the first settlements in the county were made in that delectable region. The first cabin is said to have been built there in 1850 on the site of Shellrock
village. Many of the earliest settlers came with their families from Milton, Wisconsin, and that fact alone may be taken as evidence that they were an in- dustrious, patient, law abiding people.
The wife of one of the earliest set- tlers was an expert with a rifle, and could " talk Injun " with the skill of an interpreter. Organization was effected in 1853 when the county seat was located at Clarksville, but in spite of the election of officers, the persons nominated refusing to qualify, it was not found possible to organize perma- nently until October, 1854. The early days of the settlement were marked by considerable privations, some of the men having to do the work of pack mules in conveying provisions from distant points to their families. Coon Grove, now known as Clarksville, was the location of the first post office in the county, and the same spot was . chosen at first as the county seat, but that honor now belongs to Butler Center. The first attempt at removal was made without avail in 1858, and a second effort was put forth in the fol- lowing year, when the vote gave the preference to the present location, but certain irregularities determined the courts to hold over the decision until the following year, after which upon a third vote, the removal was effected. The first court house was built in 1857 in the center of Clarksville, but when its glory had departed with the remov- al of the records, the building became the property of the school district at a small price, little more than one eighth of the first expenditure, and it has be- youd doubt done more service to the county in its second term of usefulness than was possible during its first. The court house now in use in Butler Cen- ter is a very unpretentious affair, but enough for present demands. In tlie year 1874, there were two hundred and twenty-nine schools in Butler county, with fifty-five male teachers and one hundred and seventy-two female teach- ers, attending to the wants of more than three thousand six hundred pu- pils, of whom a little more than one-half attend on the average. There are three graded schools in the county, in Clarksville, Parkersburg and New Hartford. Butler county inade a good record during the great rebellion ; the whole population of the county at the commencement of that
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terrible event being 3,724, and there | Railroad, five miles from Parkersburg were nearly three hundred volunteers to the west, and boasts of about two hundred inhabitants. enrolled, of whom many reenlisted, the rush to the front being considerably in GREENE was laid out in 1871 on both sides of Shellrock river, and is served by the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Minnesota Railroad, but the pop- ulation is only about 350. excess of the quota. The families of those who went on service were liber- ally cared for during their absence by the county, and those who fell in the struggle were not forgotten nor their little ones neglected.
CLARKSVILLE has a population of about eight hundred souls. The loca- tion of the town is very pleasant, and it has a good future in the near per- spective. The town is situated on the east side of Shellrock river, where the first settlements in this county were made, but this point is a long way from the geographical center of the county. The town was laid out in 1853. The Iowa Pacific and the Bur- lington, Cedar Rapids and Minnesota railroads intersect each other at this point, and there is no other railroad crossing at present in the county. The position of the town, its prosperous ag. ricultural surroundings, the facilities offered for shipment, and the enterprise of its people will long continue to up- hold the precedence won by Clarks- ville.
SHELLROCK village is eight miles south of Clarksville, and both sides of the river are occupied by the village in question. The village was founded and stands in a beautiful grove. The Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Minne- sota Railroad has a station in the vil- lage, and the Iowa Pacific passes the town at a short distance east. The vil- lage has several mills and some other permanent industries besides its chief reliance, the surrounding agricultural land. Population six hundred.
PARKERSBURG is in the southern part of the county and is situated on the Iowa division of the Illinois Central Railroad, having a population equal to to that of Shellrock village. The Du- buque and Sioux City Railroad Com- pany first platted the village in 1865, and its facilities for shipments make it the depot for a very wide range of country.
NEW HARTFORD is situated nine miles east of Parkersburg on the Iowa division of the Illinois Central Rail- road. The original platting took place in 1855, but the population is only about three hundred.
APLINGTON is on the Illinois Central
WEST POINT is a pleasant village in the west part of the county toward the center, with a population of about 200.
BUTLER CENTER is the county seat and is situated near the geographical center, but its population hardly ex- ceeds one hundred and fifty persons, and it has no commercial, manufactur- ing, or other features which would ren- der it of any moment but for the digni- ty of the seat of administration being there located. The town was laid out in 1856, but it has not progressed and probably will never go ahead very ra- pidly. There are two other towns in the county, Dumont and Allison, but they are only towns on paper to_this date.
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