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 69
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There are other railroad stations around which villages are slowly growing, and many villages which are waiting for shipping facilities only, to become considerable towns, but our limits oblige us to confine ourselves to their enumeration. The principal of these are : Doud, Kilbourne, Inde- pendent, Willets, Summit, Buona- parte, Cantril, Mount Sterling, Mil- ton, Portland, Iowaville, Pittsburg, Vernon, Pleasant Hill, Lebanon, Win- chester and Pierceville.
Wapello County is named after an Indian chief whose authority imme- diately preceded the advent of white settlement, and was concurrent with its earlier days. The Des Moines river divides the county almost equally, the stream crossing diago- nally from northwest to southeast. The soil of Wapello county is not so
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well calculated as that of many other districts for withstanding drought, but supposing the seasons favorable it will give excellent crops of cereals. The northeast of the county is better suited for farming operations. Roll- ing prairie predominates, and the soil does not so readily bake under the fervent heat of the summer sun. Hills and wooded country render the south- west less valuable for farms, but there are some spots in which all the condi- tions combine to make stock raising, grazing, and the production of cereals especially, successful. The crops common to Iowa flourish here, and fruits are moderately successful.
Bituminous coal underlies nearly half of this county, and the deposits are undoubtedly very extensive, if not absolutely inexhaustible. In one part of the Des Moines river the river bed consists partially of a vein of coal. The village of Eddyville has an in- stance of the kind indicated, and all along the river there are outcropping coal deposits. Twenty-four coal banks have been opened and worked in Wa- pello county. The black diamond is found in most of the smaller streams, and the hills south of the Des Moines river give many excellent indications of the mineral wealth which under- lies the surface. The coal is very near the surface, and the veins are thick, consequently the work of the miner can be prosecuted more advan tageously here than in many other counties of whose coal deposits we have written.
The several railroads which sur- round and penetrate Wapello county draw much of their coal supply from these coal banks, and the local con- sumption otherwise is very large; many hundreds of persons find em- ployment in meeting these demands, and an early increase may be ex- pected.
In summing up the mineral treas- ures of this county, it is proper to ob- serve that limestone of the best kinds has been found in abundance, alike suited for buildings and for manufac- tures, and as is usually the case where the coal measures are found, there is a fine quality of clay fit for the manu- facture of fire bricks, and the supply of sand and clay which may be used for brick making on a large scale is ample for all purposes.
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Facilities for transit are essential to progress. The old times when vil- lages and towns lived in perpetual an- tagonism, and the faminc of one re- gion scarcely prevented wasteful ex- travagance in dealing with food sup. plies in another, have happily gone by. That development was European rather than American, and it is dying out everywhere. The condition of so- ciety which permitted Robber Barons to dominate their special regions in Germany and elsewhere, which en- couraged the adventurous Northmen to settle down in France, calling their conquest Normandy, which assem- bled within a few miles of each other hostile camps of Danes, Saxons, Celts and Britons, watchful of every move- ment and fearful of surprises, could not fail to consolidate at length into communities peculiarly jealous of lo- cal interests and suspicious of stran- gers. They had always in their lives, if not in their words, the maxim which the poet rendered : Timeo Da- naos et dona ferentes, and not only to the Greek, but to every foreigner, they applied the distrustful rule: "Be watchful of the Greeks, when they come bringing presents." Every vil- lage not born within the sound of their cow bell was an en enemy, if not a Greek. There are parts of Eng- land even now, where a new face calls forth some expression of hostility, similar to that which was heard half a century ago, in spirit, if not in lan- guage : " Bill, whoas he ?" quoth the ruling spirit of the petty dominion. "Ah doant know," said the hench- man, " but he's a stranger." " Well 'eave 'arf a brick at'im," was the con- clusion of the colloquy.
Halves of bricks are not so applied in our western country. Strangers are taken in and done for in a more commercial spirit, and railroads are valued as much for the people they bring, as for the produce which they convey to market.
Wapello has sought and obtained much favor from the magnates who conduct the railroad enterprises, hold- ing in their hands the life and death of commercial centers.
The Burlington and Missouri river division of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad gives commuui- cation with the eastern states as well as with Burlington and Chicago. The
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northern division of the St. Louis, [ located on the site where Ottumwa Kansas City and Northern Railroad stands. which terminates at Ottumwa, con- nects the county with St. Louis, and with a wide range of country to the southeast and southwest. The valley of the river is traversed by the Keo- kuk and Des Moines Railroad, and this line crosses the road of the Iowa Central Company in the adjoining county of Monroe. The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad sends its south western division across the corner of the county, and the Ce- dar Rapids and St. Louis Railroad, not yet completed, will still further assist the beneficent network with which science and commerce are covering this favored region.
Hundrds of men had settled in this locality before the Musquake Indians had actually abandoned the lands which they had formerly ceded. The settlement by a white population was only to become legal after May 1, 1843, had dawned ; but long before that time the more masterful and venturesome spirits were already in the new terri- tory.
Wapello as a part of that settled, un- settled country, was held in this way, before claims could be marked out. Some encamped upon the borders of the land of promise, waiting for the signal that the grand rush could be commenced. The work of claim mak- ing, so hurriedly done in the darkness and by firelight during the night and morning of that first of May, led al- most of course to numerous difficul- ties among rivals. Customarily all such disputes were adjudicated upon by a committee, with powers to en- force their decisions, and as a rule there was submission. The most nota- ble instance in which there was an attempt to defy the verdict of the ar- bitrators arose on a claim which from the first was without even a show of justice. The Dahlonega war, as the dispute in question was called, proba- bly because forces were levied, blood was spilt aud life lost in the quarrel, resulted at last in the will of the com- mittee prevailing, and dry law which might have been uncertain, was put aside by rude justice.
The county of Wapello was organ- ized in the year 1844, and the first election took place on all fools' day in that year, the seat of justice being
OTTUMWA, still the seat of justice in Wapello county, stands but a few miles south of the geographical center, and is the point upon which thrce lines join and diverge. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, the Keokuk and Des Moines, and the St. Louis, Kansas City and Northern Railroad, have each a depot in Ottumwa. The bank of the river on which the city stands is perfectly level, but it is placed too high to be in danger of in- undation, and that portion of the site is used principally by the railroads and by manufacturers for whom the river and its water powers are desid- erata. Private residences of the better class are located on a range of hills back of the business part of Ottumwa, and many of the houses thus located are palace like in design and propor- tion. The scene in which these homes become a part, and the scenery visible from their altitude must arrest the at- tention of every visitor who has a taste for the beautiful.
The town was first laid out in the year 1843, by a company of specula- tors, who took possession immediately upon, if not before, the departure of the red men, and one half of the city lots were given to the county on con- dition that Ottumwa should become the seat of administration. The com- missioners who located the county seat named the town Louisville; but the company objected, and after a prolonged attempt on the part of the officials already named, the name was abandoned in the following year, the present name being retained because of its fitness to describe some one or several of the qualities of the site, about which nobody appears to be very certain.
In the year 1844, there were only nine log cabins on the site of the pres- ent city, but great improvements were being projected.
The Appauoose Rapids Dam and Milling Company came into active service in the following year, and the value of the Des Moines began to re- ceive due attention. From that time the growth of Ottumwa became more assured, and its prosperity steadily in- creased, although many of its most enterprising citizens were carried off; hy the gold fever to beyond the Sierra'
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Nevada in 1849, when California was | pies with its grounds about four acres making the whole world dream of gold, and a crusade more momen- tous than that for the redemption of the holy sepulchre was coming into force.
The city was incorporated in 1851, and in the following year several meetings of railroad men were held, calling attention to the claims of the county seat, as a depot for the opera- tions of such magnates. The first railroad constructed to assist the de- velopment of this county was com- pleted as far as Ottumwa in 1859, pas- senger traffic commencing in August of that year. The Burlington and Missouri River railroad was followed by the Keokuk and Des Moines road, under a different name, in the follow- ing year, and during all the time that has since elapsed there have been con- tinuous advances in numbers and in wealth. The railroad companies which were the first to enter this terri- tory werc liberally aided by the bonds and funds of Wapello county, and the bread cast upon the waters came back in valuable forms of bounty before many days had elapsed.
The rapids at this point in the river have immense promise for the manu- facturing future of Ottumwa. There is a company now at work carrying out a large scheme of water supply for works of various kinds in the city, and it is reasonably certain that good returns will be obtained. The supply will give motive power to numerous works on a small scale, as well as to some majestic undertakings, and in addition to these advantages the city will have water available for public uses, such as the extinguish- ment of fires and numberless other pur- poses. The whole of the works, dams, head and tail races and all besides ne- cessary to the realization of the scheme are being effected without the issue of one bond, or the company incurring debt. Cash subscriptions from private hands $75,000, and $25,000 from the city will cover all the outlay.
of land on one of the most beautiful elavations of the city. Much care has been bestowed to make the schools ornate and attractive as well as beneficial in other senses, as the cul- tivation of taste demands that school buildings should affect the minds of the young, as worthy templars devoted to the highest aims of psychology.
There are several private schools and academies, devoted to like pur- poses, except that they seem to sub- stitute narrow, sectarian or personal aims for the greater objects of the public school. Yet with all those drawbacks a school is a benefaction to the race. Better that the children should be taught the rudiments, even though they come tinctured with Fetish worship, because in most cases the expanding intellect will purify it- self from such degradation, but the untaught and untrained capacity for culture finds but few openings for ex- pansion.
The population of the city amounts to about eight thousand, and there is a fine library association, by way of set off to a small police force, an excel- lent fire department, and all the etcet- eras which are required to make up a prosperous community, fully impress- ed with the responsibilities of self government and protection.
The county has a court house which cost $13,000, and a jail which was built in 1857 cost $9,000; neither of these edifices can be considered suitable for the sites which they oc- cupy and the city which they serve, but the citizens are slow to increase expenditure in that direction. There is a fine area devoted to the fairs of the agricultural association, and a very poor provision in the shape of a poor house or farm or both, for those who must look to public charity.
The newspapers of this city are numerous enough to meet the wants of the county, and the management is generally good, but more than a page would be necessary to describe the fortunes and the virtues of the several candidates for public favor, so we content ourselves with the statement, that Ottumwa gives a fair measure of support to its press.
The schools of Ottumwa are admir- able institutions, well lodged in ap- propriate buildings. There are three buildings; a high school, capable of accommodating nine hundred schol- ars, and two ward schools which have EDDYVILLE is a border village, part being situated in Mahaska county. cost an aggregate of $20,000. The high school cost $30,000 and it occu- | The position of this village, on fine
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land, on the Des Moines river, with the Keokuk and Des Moines Railroad running through it, forming a junc- tion here with the Central Railroad of Iowa, cannot fail to prove a pass- port to success. The founder of this village was an Indian trader, who kept in advance of civilization to enable him to select his location ad- vantageously. He laid out the plat in the year 1843, when the Indian title expired, and for some time it seemed doubtful whether Ottumwa or Eddyville would lead. There are saw mills, grist mills, a woolen mill, wagon manufactories, pork packing establishments, and better than all these together, a good graded school, well managed, which cost $20,000 for its erection, and which is maintained in a very high degree of efficiency. The population of Eddyville is less than 1,500, but there is an opera house, and theatrical representations are occasionally well supported.
AGENCY CITY is a station on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Rail- road, about seven miles from Ottum- wa. The name was given because the town grew up when the Indian agency was located, when the frauds daily practiced upon the red man, were the principal evidences of civili- zation in this territory. There are several mills here, and a population of nearly one thousand. The arrange- ments for schooling in this city are moderate, but they suffice to meet all demands at present.
KIRKVILLE is eleven miles north- west from the county seat, and it has a population of four hundred, for which there are more churches and schools, but the village will come to greater note when there is a better opportunity for the shipment of pro- duce.
ELDON is a station on the Keokuk and Des Moines Railroad, where the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, by one of its divisions, crosses the line of the first named railroad company, in the southeast of Wapello. The town came into exist- ence merely as a point for shipments, but the population is already as great as that of Kirkville, and it is patent to every observer that its growth must be still more rapid. The arrange- ments for a good common school
education have not yet been brought to a very high pitch of perfection.
BLAKESBURG will become identified with the coal production in Wapellc county. The town is fifteen miles from Ottumwa, on rolling prairie ad- joining some heavy woodland. There is a population of three huudred and fifty, and almost unlimited oppor- tunities for the employment of labor and capital in winning coal from the mines. There are several mills in the village and some manufactories, and the agricultural prospect is first class.
DAHLONEGA is named from the dis- trict of Georgia, whence most of its earliest settlers came, but for some time the place was known as Shell- bark. The town was famous early in the history of the county and rivalled Ottumwa itself as a candidate for the county seat, but it has now a popula- tion of two hundred only.
CHILLICOTHE stands on the south bank of the Des Moines river, eight miles from Ottumwa, with several mills and a population of two hundred.
BLADENSBURG is ten miles north- east of the county seat, with a popula- tion of two hundred and fifty, and several mills and other industries.
There are numerous small villages which can only be enumerated and named, They are: Ashland, Port Rich- mond, Marysville, Point Isabel and Ormanville. All of them are places of promise.
Warren County not then defined nor organized was first settled in 1843, when a saw mill was erected at Mid- dle river, under the warranty and pro- tection of the military force stationed at Racoon Forks. The Indian title did not expire until two years later. There were many other persons set- tled in the county, but organization was not effected until 1849, and the county seat was located at Indianola in the following year.
The county contains about four hundred and seventy square miles, ly- ing immediately south of Polk, and being drained by the Des Moines river and its numerous affluents, many of which are large enough to give good mill powers, and the main river stands unsurpassed for such facilities. There is no lack of springs and and streams, all the streams going
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northeast toward the Des Moines, and the county gives unrivalled opportu- nities to the farmer.
Timber is plentiful in this county except in the southwest, where the val- leys only are wooded heavily, but even there, now that fires are no longer of annual recurrence, more wood is springing up on the prairies. The valley of the Des Moines is filled in this county by what might be de- scribed as a forest, and along the streams everywhere, there is an abund- ant supply of wood, the groves reach- ing far up the ascent to the uplands. Between the streams the prairies un- dulate in the east, but in the west the lines of demarcation are more abrupt, and the surface rolls considerably. There is broken land along Wolf creek, but the area is not large.
The soil is of dark loam, deep and fertile, except in the northeast where the drift has been abraded by rains, and the atmosphere, leaving the stra- tified rocks of the coal measures vis- ible. The quality of the soil varies very slightly where the decomposed shales mix with the loam as the result is still very fertile and productive.
Warren county is within the region of coal deposits, each of the three meas- ures being well represented in its area, and the general result must give great wealth to the hive of industry congre- gated within its boundaries. Several mines are being worked in this coun- ty, and the thickness revealed will pay for working in the best style known to the scientific men of to-day, the quality being equal to that of the Des Moines valley. First class building stone is rare, the coal measures in Warren county giving a soft sandstone which hardly repays the care requisite to quarry it. Some of these will har- den after removal, but that feature is not common. When the stone har- dens on exposure, it supplies a good material for buildings. Limestone is found in many cases, but it disinte- grates rapidly, and is of little value ex- cept for the manufacture of lime. Bricks will be the main reliance of builders here and the materials for their manufacture are superabundant.
INDIANOLA is the county seat and also the chief town in Warren county. The geographical center is one mile distant from the town, which is placed
about a mile from South river, on the high prairie land, amidst a well set- tled farming population, whose in- dustries and wealth are reflected in the comfort, not to say splendor, of the traders who attend to their ship- ments and supply the wants of that locality.
The educational facilities in this county are very well represented in Indianola. The county of Warren has one hundred and twenty schools, and the buildings are valued at $90,- 000, the teachers receiving about $25,000 annually for their services. Contingent expenses bring up the gross total to nearly $45,000, every year, and the permanent school fund amounts to nearly $28,500. The school building in Indianola cost when fur- nished, in the year 1867, ahout $20,000; and the schools are well graded.
There is a centenary college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis- copal church in this city, which takes very high rank among educational establishments.
The institutions of the city, as well as its public building, indicate sub- stantial prosperity as the character- istic of Indianola; but the great rail- roads pass by on the other side, and but for the fact that a branch of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific road runs up to this place from Des Moines, there could be but little exten- sion of its trade. Produce of all kinds and live stock are shipped from this station in very considerable quan- tities, and the local trade is propor- tionately good The town was located in the year 1849, and the first building was erected early in the following year, a small beginning of a great city.
The court house cost the county $45,000, in the year 1868, and is a very handsome building.
There are three papers in the city, but they rely mainly on their county circulation for support.
ACKWORTH is the seat of an acad- emy which found its origin among the quakers, and is by that body still mainly supported. There are only about fifty pupils and two teachers, but the system pursued is excellent.
LACONA is but a small village, but it has an excellent private school which is well sustained, and produces
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fair results in its completion with the public school system already men- tioned.
Carlisle, Hartford, Hammondsville, Liberty Center, Lawrenceburgh, Ma- dora, Lathrop, New Virginia, Pal- myra, Norwalk, Saint Marys, Rose Mount, Schonberg, Sandyville, Spring Hill, Sharon, and Summerset, are vil- lages and post-office towns which de- serve much more extensive notice than our pages will permit at the present time.
Washington County was first set- tled by an immigration from Illinois. The men came to this territory in 1835, when an Indian trader was the only white man in the unsettled region besides themselves. The new comers were satisfied that they had found the right place, but they went back to their old home to procure company, and after a very deliberate process of preparation, the little colony finally settled in their new homestead in the fall of 1836. Thus the foot print of civilization came into the fertile prai- ries and bottom lands of Washington county, and the march, if not rapid since that time, has heen steadily pro- gressive.
Organization of this section of the territory, then part of Wisconsin, seems to have been meditated when an uncertain locality was described as the county of Slaughter. This was in the year 1837, but no business followed the attempt. The name was not much favored by the people, and after much petitioning ad interim, the first legis- lature of Iowa territory changed the abhorrent appellation to Washington county. The seat of justice was then located at Astoria, but it was consid- ered only a temporary act; and so very untimely was the location that no person can certainly point out when the one unfinished log building was erected, which was all the town and county seat for a time, and was called the court house.
The final location of the seat of justice was determined and named Washington in the year 1839, and that happier augury has been followed by moderate fortunes, which occupy the golden mean between poverty and affluence.
It stands second from the Mississippi river, and third from the southern boundary of Iowa.
There is admirable drainage and ir- rigation for Washington county, the watershed, so often named as determin- ing whether the streams should flow to one great highway of waters or to the other, is seen in this county, stretching its table land at the center nearly southeast, and from this "di- vide " the streams fall away toward the rivers which carry them to their destination - this to the Missouri, that to the Mississippi, but all eventu- ally to the last named river, which rolls down the turbid torrents of a continent toward the Atlantic.
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