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 40
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Good building stone has been found and quarried on the west and south sides of Decatur county, and limestone for the manufacture of quicklime as well as for building is also abundant. Some coal has been found but the quantity is not alluring, and if good thicknesses should hereafter be discov- ered it will be necessary to win the fuel from great depths. Meantime there is so much wood in the county fit alike for fuel and for lumber that the coal prospects mentioned have not attracted much interest, nor suggested the outlay of much capital.
Decatur is essentially a grain pro- ducing county, one of the specialties being winter wheat. The success of farmers in this branch of their avoca- tion has led to a much larger area be- ing devoted to winter wheat and it is very probable that the movement already apparent will go on increasing year after year. The large proportion
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of timbered land does in perfection for this county what is aimed at by plant- ing groves and Osage orange hedges in less favored regions, giving protection during winter to such growths as must otherwise be exposed to almost Arctic rigors. Other cereals do well, and root crops and garden vegetables are quite prolific, thanks to the genial air which prevails at all seasons. Grass is a very profitable growth here, and many farmers devote much of their attention to that item. Wild grass is largely depended upon by some set- tlers, the quantity harvested in 1866 being much in excess of the tame grasses, hut since that date the propor- tion has been greatly reversed.
Fruits can be raised with much profit in Decatur county and the num- ber of orchards is increasing every year. Apples raised in this county are sent to the surrounding counties and supply a good demand. Grapes, cherries, and small fruits. also do well. Peaches have not succeeded, but whether the failure has been accident- al must be determined by further at- tempts, which will probably result in a triumph. Large valleys, deep streams and terraced banks near some of the rivers afford admirable facilitics for the cultivation of choice fruits, and beyond doubt the opportunities thus offered will be improved. Statistics amply demonstrate the rapid growth of this industry, but we are loth to de- scend from figures of speech to mere arithmetic.
Timber, as already mentioned, is one of the best boons nature has given to Decatur county, and the large propor- tion of other good things which comes to its population as a consequence of that excellence, should determine the settlers in all parts of Iowa to plant belts and groves of trees in every con- venient location whenever they can afford the necessary time.
The name Grand river is fully justi- fied by the character of the scenery amid and through which it flows, and generally the aspects of Decatur coun- ty are such as to please the eye of every observer. The cultivation of the land and the location of homes tend rather to increase the beauty of the surrounding country, and with ad- vancing prosperity the delightful possi- bilities of the country may be carried to the very highest pitch of excellence.
Early in the year 1838 there were white settlers in Decatur county who had an impression that they were lo- cated in Missouri, and continued in possession of slaves until the year 1852, when among the early records a memorandum was made manumitting a colored man named George, who had been held as a chattel in the territory. In 1840 several white settlers came, and ten years later the county was or- ganized, and in 1851 the county seat was located on the site of Decatur, the name chosen by the commissioners for the town, to be built.
LEON, the present county seat, its name having been changed from De- catur, is two miles northeast of the geographical center of the county. The town is a railroad terminus, being the last station on the Leon branch of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. The impulse given to trade by the terminus of that road in the town has been most marked. Ship- ments commenced immediately the road was opened, and have gone on increasing since; stores and ware- houses have multiplied in number and inereased in capacity. What was a quiet and contented village has be- come a busy town, full of ambitious projects. The traders have hecome merchants, and every branch of indus- try has put on new life since the ad- vent of the iron horse. The town has two newspapers, and the amount of patronage which they enjoy results in their being in every sense worthy the attention of subscribers. There is an excellent graded school in Leon, well organized and administered, occupy- ing a rather showy building, construc- ted of brick many years ago.
DECATUR CITY is very nearly in the center of the county, whose name it hears. The large and enterprising class of farmers located around and near the city, find it an admirable place in which to transact business not necessarily connected with shipments. The terminus of the railroad at Leon must, for some time to come, detract from the prosperity of Decatur City, but the great natural advantages of the location will preserve the city from collapse. There is a good school house in the central square, and the interests of that establishment are treated as of paramount importance. The building cost $3,000, and the pu-
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pils number about two hundred. The teachers are men and women well adapted to their work.
GARDEN GROVE is a handsome vil- lage, possessing a graded school, well administered. The place has advan- tages in the matter of shipment, being located in the northeast of the county, on the Chicago, Burlington and Quin- cy Railroad, between Charlton and Leon. The village stands near a fine grove of timber, on a rolling prairie adjacent to the Weldon fork of Grand river. The Mormons were the first settlers on this site, and many of them remained until 1851.
PLEASANT PLAIN is on the divide between Little river and Grand river, near the southern boundary of the county. The village has now an ad- dition which stands in the state of Missouri. The country round Pleasant Plain is rolling prairie, which admits of high cultivation, and at a mile dis- tance east and west there are groves of finc timber. There was a college building erected here some years ago, but like the house built upon the sand, the walls would not stand the beat of the weather and, in consequence, it fell in 1865, great being the fall thereof. Since that time the college project has been abandoned, but the town remains on the same spot, about twelve miles south of the county seat.
NEW BUDA is on the west side of Grand river, half a mile from the stream itself, on a second bottom of great beauty. The village was laid out by a colony of Hungarians, who had abandoned the country over which Austria tyrannized. The date of the foundation was 1855, but the men who undertook that enterprise had been in the country since 1852. They had been companions in arms of Kossuth, hence the names which are to be per- petuated in this monument erected to a brave people by a band of exiles. New Buda, the name of the village, is. suggestive of the land of the Magyars, one of the streets is denominated Mag- yar street, and the ccutre of the town is known as Kossuth Square. The country which nearly five hundred years ago responded to the free thought of John Huss, and rallied to the rescue when their lcader was snatched away by treachery, should have been able to preserve liberty to its manly sons, as indeed it would have done but for the
gratuitous hielp given by Russia to- ward the crushing of popular liberties.
DAVIS CITY is a village on the west bank of Grand river, not great in ex- tent, but moderately well to do. The facilities offered by the river have been improved here, and to that fact Davis City is indebted for its only mill and carding factory. There is a conveni- ent school house in the village, and it is well attended.
TERRE HAUTE is on the west bauk of Grand river, five miles from Deca- tur City; there is not much business done in the place, but there is a good shool house, in good hands. There are several post offices in the county, at Westerville, Fink's Mill, Decatur, Elk, Sedgwick, New Buda, Terre Haute, Nine Eagles, High Point, Gar- den Grove, Franklin, and Lcon.
Delaware County is in the south- west of Iowa, and contains an area of 368,640 acres. The land consists of about three-fourths prairie, and one- fourth timber, the whole being well watered in every section. Near the streams where timber is abundant, the ground is much broken and hilly ; elsewhere it undulates enough to se- cure good drainage, and to give variety to the scene. Persons in search of good agricultural land upon which to make homes for their families, could hardly desire a more pleasant country. The soil is a deep loam, almost black, with, in some places, an admixture of sand, which is found advantageous, as it helps to force vegetation. What has been said of other counties in this state adapted to the growth of fruits, grain, vegetables, and grasses, may be supposed to be repeated here, the gen- eral character holding good through- out, with here and there some unim- portant change in detail only. We have said that the county is well wa- tered, and it may be well to note some of the principal rivers, lakes, and creeks, by way of sustaining that state- ment. The south fork of the Maquo- keta river is the chief stream in this county. It passes through the county in a southeasterly direction, having foi its main tributaries on the east Honey and Plum creeks, and on the west Buck creek and Prairie creek, which drain a very large extent of country. In the east of the county the north fork of the Maquoketa is the principal
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stream. In the northeast the Little | in one basket, consequently he has his Turkey is the drain and water course, and in the west the Buffalo serves the same beneficial purposes.
Nearly all the principal streams in this county give water powers which prove very valuable, and some few of them have already been improved with great advantage to all concerned. Many springs are found in this county, some soft enough for domestic use, and all valuable for the stock raiser, who is bound to become a power in Delaware county. Wells from twenty-five to thir- ty feet find unfailing supplies of whole- some water.
Timber is plentiful and well distrib- uted, the proportion already stated be- ing remarkably good. Fuel makes heavy demands upon the woods in this county at present, but that consumption is a mere bagatelle compared with the terrific conflagrations which, before the advent of white settlers, used to lick the prairies clean of grass and timber, and leap across broad streams to accomplish their works of destruc- tion. The better preservation of tim- bered lands now, and the planting of groves and belts to shelter landswhich otherwise would be too open to the winds and storms of this region, will make of small moment the few trees necessary for human warmth.
The timber is generally found near streams, the heaviest being found near the Maquoketa and Turkey creek, in the northeast of Delaware county.
Coal has been obtained as required from adjoining counties, and lumber for building purposes can be obtained from distant pineries at less cost than would be involved in the use of native woods at present, consequently it is evident that the timber resources of this county will not presently decrease.
Wheat and corn are, as elsewhere in Iowa, the staple productions of the soil, but every kind of farm produce flourishes just in proportion as atten- tion is given to their increase. Fruits have been so profitably raised that astonishment has been expressed at the great returns realized. This fact applies to small fruits especially. The farmer, if a provident and enterprising man, is generally a grower of stock in this county, with an eye always open to secure the very best varieties of ev- ery breed for his purposes. He will not, if he knows it, carry all his eggs
dairy farm well in hand, and looks to the establishment of cheese factories on the most approved principle. He feeds and fattens his stock with such crops as are most convenient, and watches his distant markets for the right time to realize. His staples are well herded and they come early to market when the prices rule most fa- vorably for the growers, and with all these reins in his hand, it would be strange if an intelligent, persevering man could not secure fair remuneration for his manitold labors. Men of the class indicated are to be found in all the best locations in Delaware county, and wherever they settle down the land must do its best. Their butter has secured premiums at the great fairs in St. Louis, and no county has a better name for similar products in the east. They can sell their wool well, and their sheep fetch good prices. Their hogs and their pork are shipped in good condition, and they are thus, almost, as a matter of course, a fore- handed people, who may take the world pleasantly, sure that their place will always be in the front rank.
Building stone can be procured without difficulty, and in almost limit- less quantities in Delaware county. Magnesian limestone, which permits of a very beautiful polish, is one of the varieties. The likeness of this stone to marble would suggest the sameness of the elements of which it is com- posed, even though scientists had never revealed that interesting fact. Exposures of this stone are frequent on the banks of the Maquoketa and along some of its branches. Away back from the rivers the rock is cov- ered by a heavy and rich coating of soil, but wherever search is made be- neath the mantle of fertility the rock opens out of a pale yellow or French white. The stone is harder than the famous Anamosa variety, but quite easily worked. Delhi, Colesburg and Hopkinton near Manchester, are the sites of excellent quarries of the same stone. Nearer the streams the soil covering the rock is necessarily thin- ner and in some places the treasure stands revealed, bald headed, as a new born babe. There is an excellent flagging found in this county, very durable and even, and not readily lia- ble to disintegration. Good lime can
Nathaniel Field
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be made from any of the stone. Some , in spite of several attempts to carry very choice specimens have been the honor to Manchester or to Dela- ware Center, Delhi is still the county seat. found in the strata of gravel, and it is anticipated that the lapidary will some day be called upon to operate upon stones more precious than cornelians and agates found among the mineral treasures of Delaware county. Pot- tery clay, of fine quality, has been found near Colesburg, and it is proba- ble that fictile wares of much excel- lence will he made from the deposit mentioned. Clay, fit for brickmaking, is perhaps of more immediate import- ance, and that can readily be procured in any part of this highly favored county.
The first white settler came to this region in 1836, from the Galena dis- trict in Illinois, and he built a cabin for his family in the timber, since called "Eads Grove." A party of Scotch people came next, early in the following year. The part of the coun- ty where they located is still known as "Scotch Grove." From that time the movements of immigrants become too complex to permit of our following their steps. Settlement went on stead- ily and organization became an immi- nent necessity. Long after there was a justice of the peace in the territory, a functionary of that high order, being unable to cross a swollen river to ad- minister the rite of marriage to a lov- ing pair, succeeded in effecting the legal union so much desired, by roar- ing the necessary sentences over the turbid stream, and procuring their high-toned responses, so that he could proclaim them man and wife. The fee was a secondary consideration in those primitive days.
The territorial legislature, in 1837-8, named the county and authorized its organization. There was some delay in locating the county seat, but the commissioners eventually settled upon the town of Millheim, having drawn lots to arrive at that solution. The decision of the commission gave unan- imous dissatisfaction, and it was eventually resolved by a popular vote that Delhi should be the seat of ad- ministration. The task of location gave the citizens much labor and some sport, but the site eventually selected is beyond question very beautiful and well adapted. The vote which ratified the choice, made by an extensive com- mittee, was not taken until 1841, and
MANCHESTER is a town, a little west of the center of Delaware county, and the most important place therein. A station of the Iowa division of the Il- linois Central Railroad makes Man- chester a very eligible port of ship- ment. The town is built on both sides of the Maquoketa river, the stream be- ing at that point about ninety feet across. A more delightful site for a town, it would be difficult to find. It is beyond the reach of floods, well placed for drainage, and the soil adapted for gardening, while there are special facilities for road making near at hand. Before the settlers became too numerous there were fine herds of deer which came to this location to graze on the nutritious covering of the soil, and the groves were large enough to secure them shelter. There were wolves also in the region, and snakes also were seen at times. Concerning the latter some travellers' stories have been told, which had, beyond doubt, some foundation in fact, as there probably were snakes, but a monster seven feet and a half in length, coiled up in bed with a lady settler must have been a near relation to the often mentioned sea serpent.
Manchester is surrounded hy prai- ries, which are being settled rapidly, and are already largely improved, the class of farmers being men who know how to make occasions serve them. They have wood and water abundant, and soil unsurpassed in fertility. Springs and wells meet their wishes and supply their needs, so that they can make their own course in lite more pleasant, by assisting from the natural plenty by which they are sur- rounded to build up the greatness and plenty of their neighboring town.
Manchester has fine water powers which have not yet been improved. There are excellent quarries near at hand, and clay for brick making pur- poses has been turned to good purpose near the town.
The first settler came to Manchester, or rather to the place that has since become Manchester, in the year 1850. After building a cabin and commenc- ing to cultivate, he sold out to a new- comer and moved away. Improve-
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ments near the site had been made nine | afterwards came on apace, and the years earlier. The original holders of town grew rapidly, and there was an opportunity to secure a railroad line, with the consequent traffic coming to their doors, if the citizens could have looked far enough ahead. Unfortu- nately, they were not wise enough to grasp the opportunity, and the propo- sitions of the Dubuque and Pacific Railroad fell to the ground. While there was a probability of that road being completed to Delhi the growth of the town was marvelous, the popu- lation increasing to eleven hundred in a short time. The railroad line passes three miles north of the town, and the population is now one hall' less than its best number. Should some other chance arise, the residuum of business men would be wise enough to embrace their opportunity ; but fortune seldom knocks twice at a slow opening door, except at long intervals. Delhi has newspapers energetically conducted, which are devoted to their interests, and the farmers in the surrounding fertile territory make the place their trading post, unless they wish to avail themselves of shipment by the rail- road, in which case, of course, Delhi has nothing to offer but vain regrets. the town site sold out to the Iowa Land Company, and by that organization, Manchester, as it now stands, was laid out. The first thought of the new set- tlers that came from the east was, as to school and church privileges, and to those objects they gave attention as soon as their most pressing needs had been provided for. Their school house was erected, and that, for nearly ten years, served every purpose in local organization. The town was called Burrington at first, but confusion aris- ing, especially in mail matters, some of the letters for the new town being carried to the better known town of Burlington, in southern Iowa, the ap- pellation was changed to Manchester. The Maquoketa river carried away the substantial bridge constructed by the early settlers, four times, before the present handsome structure was thrown across the stream, in 1868, at a cost of $11,000. Since that time, the river has showed signs of a more civilized condition, and it reserves its powers for more beneficent operations. The incorporation of the city dates from 1866. There is a good school in Man- chester, graded in three departments, culminating in the high school, which was erected during the same year that the act of incorporation was passed in. There are two newspapers published in Manchester, and the business enter- prise of the town entitles it to be con- sidered the first place in the county, although it is not the county seat.
DELHI is the county seat, being built four miles southeast of the center. A vote of the people determined that lo- cation in 1841, nearly twelve months before the town itself was platted. The first family that made a home in Delhi took up their abode there in 1848, and long continued the only in- habitants. The first post office was located there after the county had be- come entitled to that convenience. The first school taught in the town was convened in the court house, a log building barely sufficient to serve the purposes indicated. This was in 1846, when the inhabitants could date back three years to the first family. A stage line from Dubuque made the town its stopping place going west, but settle- ment went on very slowly ; still there was an increase. Immigration soon
HOPKINTON is an enterprising vil- lage on the line of the Davenport and St. Paul Railroad, twelve mile south- east from the center of the county. The town is situated in a lovely grove on the east side of the south fork of the Maquoketa river. Back of the vil- lage the county opens out into a roll- ing prairie of great extent to the south- east, and extends to the groves of the north fork of the same stream, seven miles away. Oak openings in the north extend to Plum creek, but the country between has been opened in many places for limestone quarries. West and south the river and heavy timber are visible in the distance, and Jackson's springs, three in number, issuing from the rock at the hill foot, are celebrated for their beauty. The stream formed by the springs in ques- tion would supply a township with excellent soft water for every purpose.
The first settler came to the town in 1838, attracted by the water power, good land, and excellent timber of the region. When the people came to the locality in larger numbers and there was a demand for lumber, for build- ings became an object, two saw-mills
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were erected, on the Maquoketa and on Plum creek. The town was laid out in 1850, and the first comers were wise enough to offer inducements to settlers which soon afterwards resulted in the growth of an enterprising village. There was much care taken to main. tain a high moral tone among the peo- ple, and schools were among the first requirements of the time. A district school was established, and an evening school with evening sessions for more advanced pupils, came near serving the needs of Hopkinton for a time. The town has made very considerable progress on that foundation. The farm- ing capabilities of the surrounding country attracted a large colony of re- formed Presbyterians, in 1854, and the members of that body added immense- ly to the prosperity of the place by buying a tract of country which was cut up into farms, that have since been very profitably worked. A collegiate institute was established here in 1857, and has since done a great work in tuition.
SAND SPRING received its name in consequence of its being located near a beautitul stream quite noted among the earliest settlers. The site of the the town was called Bower's Prairie, which, however, never covered a much wider territory than the town plat. The first cabin on the town site was erected in 1856. In the same year, a station of the Dubuque and Southwest- ern Railroad was located here, upon survey of the road, and the realization of that project made the place a valua- ble port of shipment for produce. The population of Sand Spring is now as great as that of Hopkinton.
good school, and the building now in use for that purpose would be an orna- ment to any town in the state. The people are mostly from New England and the eastern states, bearing a good reputation for honesty, thrift and iu- telligence, and the appearance of their homes says all that is necessary to ex- hibit their good taste.
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