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 8
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83
Referring to the privations of the early settlers, Mr. Taylor says: " Alexander Crookshanks, a Norwegian sailor, an honest man in all things, settled a few miles west of West Point, in Lee county, in 1835, and by hard work made himself a large farm. When the sale of his land was ordered by the government, he went to western New York and borrowed four hundred dollars of his brother to enter the land. This was when President Van Buren's specie circular was in force, and certain designated banks were made government depositories by the government. Crook- shanks, to be certain that his money was "land office money ' when he got home, paid a premium of three per cent. in New York to get the bills of a city bank that was a government deposit bank. His brother gave him thirty-four dollars to pay his way home ; at that time there were no railroads. Alex. walked to Pittsburgh, and there took a boat for St. Louis, but when he got to New Albany, Indiana, the Ohio river was so low that there was no certainty of getting to St. Louis in time to get home by the day of the selling of his land, and he had no money to spare to go by stage. Sc he, on foot, crossed Indiana and Illinois, reaching home the Fri- day before the sale on Monday ; and when he went to Burling- ton, he found that his New York money would not be taken by the land office, and he had to shave off his money that he had al- ready paid a premium for, to get " land office money," and pay another premium of twelve and a half per cent, reducing his four hundred to three hundred and fifty dollars. To make up this
105
PIONEER INCIDENTS.
fifty he had to sell off a part of his scanty stock at less than one- fifth of what the same kind of stock would sell for now. I recollect the day that Alex. started to New York to borrow the money to en- ter his land with, asking him what he would do if he failed; his answer was 'I will come home and try to borrow at the sale, but if I fail, and lose my land, I will cross the Rocky Mountains, but what I will have and own my own land.' Of such material were the early settlers of Iowa."
Individuals not in actual possession were also liable to have their claims jumped. Several cases of this kind occurred when the society which had been organized in March of this year inter- fered. Having tried one man named Stephens, who had jumped a claim of Major Wilson's and he refusing to vacate the premises, on application of the major, the sheriff of Dubuque county was sent for, there being then no nearer seat of justice than Dubuque. On the arrival of sheriff Cummins, he found Mr. Stephens snugly en- sconced in the major's cabin, armed with the instruments that would terminate life if properly handled, and threatened annihi- lation to any and all who might dare to touch him. The sheriff
soon summoned his posse, and with them came a yoke of oxen, which were soon hitched to one corner of the log cabin, and as the timbers began to show signs of parting, Mr. Stephens very willingly vacated the premises, and was shown the most feasible, as well as the quickest route to Stephenson, and never afterwards made any attempt to recover his claim this side of the river.
But little produce was raised in 1838. Meat was scarce, except wild game. All seemed happy and well pleased with the coun- try. The settlers belonged to Wisconsin territory, and lived un- der the laws of Michigan. The first steps towards civilization and improvement had been taken. The beautiful prairies in vir- gin loveliness were untouched by the rude hand of man. The wild flowers were far more numerous and variegated than now, and more fragrant in their wild untrodden state, than since reckless man has trampled under foot the floral region of our most lovely prairies. There are many incidents which transpired among the settlers of 1837 that would be interesting to narrate. The finan- cial troubles of the east were keenly felt here. There was no money, no credit. nor any produce to bring supplies to the infant
106
TUTTLE'S HISTORY OF IOWA.
colonies. But few of the immigrants brought a supply of money, and to many the approaching winter looked dark and lowering. The Indians that still remained here could not furnish a supply of wild game, but in return they asked for per-quash-i-con (bread) and co-cosh (pork) or pin-ne-ac (potatoes.) The small stocks of merchandise were exhausted, so much so, that the first steamboats in the spring were looked for with great anxiety. Like the Pil- grim Fathers of New England looking forth from the "rock bound coast" towards the land of their nativity, and like the Israelites of old, they sighed for the " flesh pots," and remembered the " leeks and garlics" of the country left behind them.
"Well do the old settlers of Iowa, remember," says Mr. Bar- rows, "the days and years from the first settlement to 1840. Those were the days of sadness and often of distress. The en- dearments of home had been broken up in another land, and all that was dear, and hallowed on earth, the home of childhood and the scenes of youth were severed, and we sat down by the gentle waters of our noble river, and often 'hung our harps upon the willows;' but the bright prospects of the future led us on, and with hope as our sheet-anchor, we lived upon the fruits of our labor, almost an exiled race, for many years. No splendid cottage was then our home. The rude cabin was our shelter, and we were scarcely protected from the rains of summer, or the snows of winter. No luxuries crowned our board, but we rejoiced in that Providence which shaped our destinies, and led us to the shores of the Mississippi. We loved the land of our adoption. We loved her soil, her climate, and her majestic river, upon whose banks we often strayed, and mingled our tears with one another. The pio- neers of Scott county, came as the vanguard of that great army that has since flooded our land. They came to build for themselves and posterity a glorious destiny amid the wilds of Iowa. They brought no sword or battle-axe, but the plough-share and prun- ing-hook were their only weapons. They had no history to point them the way; no kind friend to bid them welcome to these shores. The legends of the Indians could only tell them of the beauty of the land they had come to possess, and instead of the smiles of welcome, they received only the frowns of the savage."
Much difference of opinion exists as to the origin and meaning
CROSSCUP & WEST-SC.PHILA
Od del tagen
108
TUTTLE'S HISTORY OF IOWA.
of the word Iowa. The following legends respecting the name have been given by various writers on the subject, though the question is not by any means satisfactorily settled.
Mr. Antoine Le Claire, a well known citizen and formerly In- dian interpreter, says, the word "Iowa" means-"This is the place," -and the meaning is derived as follows : a tribe of the Sac and Fox Indians wandering or hunting, were in search of a home, and when they crossed the Mississippi (not the Iowa), they reached a point they admired, and finding all they wished, they exclaimed "Iowa"-this is the place." Hence the derivation of the word as extracted from an autograph letter from Mr. Le Claire to Prof. T. S. Parvin, of Iowa City.
W. H. Hildreth, Esq., of East Davenport, in a communication to the " Davenport Gazette," 1860, says: "It is a common thing to find words transposed and corrupted, which are transmitted merely by sound, and can be traced to no written language; and fre- quently is this the case with Indian words, which first becoming used by the trader, who is perhaps a Frenchman or Canadian who spells the word according to its sound, with the vowels of his own language, which is copied in turn by the tourist or traveler, who is perhaps an Englishman or American, and thus it becomes Anglicised ; and as the peculiar aspirates and gutterals of the In- dian tongue lose their force in the written word, we would scarce be able to recognize the same words spoken by a native.
Corruptions from various causes are inevitable. Interpretations are sometimes adopted, as for instance Platte river instead of Ne- braska, which first term is evidently a corruption of the true meaning, viz; " Flatwater," but resembling closely an English proper name "Platte, " it has finally lost its original sound and meaning.
It is historical that the Omahas first gave the name of " Grey Snow " Indians to the tribe now known as the Iowas; and it is also authentic that they were an offshoot of Omahas. A very slight circumstance may have caused the giving of the cognomen. The Indian tradition is that they left the parent tribe in a snow storm, which presented the phenomenon of "Grey Snow " by mingling the sands of the shore with the falling snow and thereby sullying its purity." The original Omaha word "Py-ho-ja " can very
109
PIONEER INCIDENTS.
readily be corrupted by making the j silent, or by using it as a vowel as in the German language. The word then becomes Py- ho-ia, which can be easily further corrupted into I-o-wa, and with all due deference to Mr. Le Claire, who is perhaps more competent than any one else to construe Sac and Fox terms, I would say that, although the word Iowa may have a place in the Sac and Fox language and doubtless he renders it correctly - it is more reasonable to look for it, or its derivation, to the tribe who speak the same language with the Iowa, and from whom they sprung. S. P. Prentiss, Esq., thinks the legend or account given by Mr. Le Claire bears a suspicious resemblance to a story long current in newspapers to the effect " that a wandering tribe of Indians searching for new hunting grounds came at length to a beautiful river, and, pleased with the general aspect of nature, exclaimed, " Alabama ! Alabama,!" or " Here we rest ! Here we rest !"
By a reference to Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, in the vo- cabulary of Modern Geographical names, we find the following definition : Iowa, the French form of an Indian word signifying the " drowsy " or the "Sleepy Ones " ; a Sioux name of Pahoja, or " Gray Snow Tribe."
CHAPTER XIII.
TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT.
Iowa Territory Organized - Gov. Lucas' Administration - First Session of the Legislature -State Officers - Acts Passed - State Prison - Stormy Politics- Legislative Incidents - Vetoes - Conflict between Lucas and the Legislature - President Van Buren upholds Gov. Lucas.
Having passed through all the events recorded in the foregoing chapters, and acquired the necessary population and commercial importance, Iowa in 1838 was ready to form a territorial govern- ment, and thus to take the first step toward a place in the Union. In 1838, the legislature of Wisconsin convened at Burlington on the first of June, and continued in session till that portion of the territory west of the Mississippi was cut off from Wisconsin, and formed a separate government. There was an act passed by con- gress on the 12th of June, 1838, by which it was provided, "that from and after the third of July next, all that part of the territory of Wisconsin that lies west of the Mississippi river, and west of a line drawn due north from the head waters or sources of the Mississippi to the territorial line, was, for temporary purposes, constituted a separate territorial government, and called Iowa "
This law made provisions, that there should be " nominated and by and with the advice and consent of the senate, appointed by the president of the United States, a governor, secretary, chief justice and two associate judges, a United States attorney and marshal. The governor was appointed for three years, and the other officers for a term of four years. The governor was required to reside in the territory, was the commander-in-chief of the militia, was required to perform the duties of superintendent of Indian affiairs, and all laws passed by the legislature were to be approved by him, before they should take effect, and he was in- vested with the power to grant pardons ; and he was " to nominate, (110)
111
TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT.
and with the advice and consent of the legislative council, appoint all judicial officers, justices of the peace, sheriffs and all militia officers, except those of the staff, and all civil officers not provided for by the organic act. It was further provided, that the territory should be divided into three judicial districts, and the governor had the right to define the judicial districts of the territory, and assign the judges appointed to the several districts, and appoint the time for holding courts in the several counties, till otherwise provided by the legislature ; the judges were required each to live in and hold the courts in his own district, and the three judges were required to meet at the seat of government once a year, and to- gether hold a supreme court. It was also made the duty of the governor to "declare the number of members of the council, and house of representatives to which each of the counties was en- titled," and the first election was to be held at such time and places, and be conducted in such manner as he might direct.
Robert Lucas, who had been governor of Ohio, was appointed governor, William B. Conway, secretary, Francis Gehon (the old marshal of Wisconsin) marshal, Cyrus S. Jacobs,* Charles Ma- son, Jos. Williams and Thos. S. Wilson, judges.
Governor Lucas caused the census to be taken, and apportioned the members of the legislature, and issued his proclamation for an election of delegates to congress, and members of the legisla- ture. The governor made Burlington the temporary seat of government, and convened the first legislature of Iowa territory on the 12th of November 1838, consisting of thirteen members of the council, and twenty-six members of the house of representa- tives.
One of the members returned elected, Cyrus S. Jacobs of Des Moines county was killed in an unfortunate political conflict in Burlington, before the meeting of the legislature, and Geo. H. Beeler was elected to fill the vacancy. At that day national politics were little thought. of in the territory. Notwithstanding, a large majority of both branches of the legislature were dem- ocrats, yet Gen. Jesse B. Brown of Lee county, whig, was elected president of the council and Hon. B. F. Wallace, whig, of Henry
* Jacobs, soon after he was appointed, in a political difficulty, was killed, and Isaac Van Allen appointed in his place.
112
TUTTLE'S HISTORY OF IOWA.
county was elected speaker of the house of representatives. The session in many respects was a stormy one.
At this session of the legislature, there were acts passed mak- ing provisions for organizing Linn, Jefferson and Jones counties, and the name of Slaughter county was changed to Washington ; a court of probate was established ; the territory divided into three judicial circuits ; the towns of Broomfield (now Muscatine), and Davenport were incorporated, and there were a great number of special acts of incorporation for various purposes passed, giving exclusive privileges to private individuals, some of which after- wards proved very profitable to the proprietors and onerous to the people ; and this was particularly so, in regard to ferry char- ters across the Mississippi river at some of the important points on the river. Acts were also passed providing for locating the sites of, and for building the penitentiary and capitol buildings for the territory ; commissioners were appointed who were au- thorized and instructed to select the site for the former and to erect the penetentiary buildings within one mile of the public square of Fort Madison in Lee county ; provided, the citizens of the town and county should donate ten acres of land, such as the commissioners should think suitable for a site to build upon.
The question of locating the penitentiary met with but little opposition, but it was different in selecting the place for the per- manent capital of the territory, and this question called forth much feeling and a warm debate. Mr. Leffler, who was a member of the legislature, made a very able speech in favor of a perma- nent location, and his views for the most part were adopted by that body, and they passed an act locating it in Johnson county, and appointing three commissioners to select a suitable site.
The act required that the commissioners should meet on the first Monday of May, 1839, at the town of Napoleon and proceed to locate the seat of government at the most suitable place in Johnson county ; that they should agree upon a plan of building, and appointed one of their number to superintend the work.
Chauncey Swan, John Ronalds, and Robert Rolston were ap- pointed commissioners, who, at the proper time proceeded to dis- charge the duties of their trust, selected the site, procured the title to six hundred and forty acres of land, and laid it off into
CROSSCUP & WEST-SC. PHILA.
Thos. E. Cannell.
114
TUTTLE'S HISTORY OF IOWA.
lots, agreed upon a plan for the capitol, and from their number, selected Mr. Swan to superintend the work of erecting the build- ing. The location of the seat of government was two miles north- west of the town of Napoleon (which has ceased to be known as a town), and the location was designated by a stake driven in the ground with the following inscription on it: " Seat of govern- ment, City of Iowa, May 4, 1839," and signed by the three com- missioners.
The patronage of the governor, at the first organization of the territory, was large, and enabled him to exert a great deal of in- fluence over the people; but most of his power to appoint to office was taken away from him at the next session of congress, and the offices were made elective by the people. At the first session, there was a great deal of sparring between the members of that body and the governor and secretary of the territory. The council passed a resolution requiring the secretary to furnish their body with knives, stamps, folders, tin cups, etc. The secre- tary not being able to furnish those articles, addressed a commu- nication to the council upon the subject, in which they were informed that the secretary had made arrangements to procure the necessary stationery for the use of the legislature in Cincinnati, but owing to the low stage of water in the Ohio, the things ordered had not been received. The secretary in his communica- tion said : "The navigation of the Ohio was entirely suspended ; this was the act of God, whose holy name is pronounced with deep reverence, and to whose holy will it is our duty to submit. Human power cannot resist the dispensation of His providence, nor can human wisdom counteract His unfathomable designs." The secretary informed the council that he had been to St. Louis, "and returned in spite of every peril ;" that " much exertion had been made to procure knives in Burlington, but," said he, “ knives of suitable finish and quality could not be procured in town, nor can sufficient knives of any quality be obtained, and the secretary cannot make knives, if he could, he would do so with expedition and pleasure ;" that "it was the earnest and anxious wish of the secretary, that all the members should have knives, and stamps, and folders, and all and singular such thing or things, device or devices whatever, as may facilitate the operation of the hands in
115
TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT.
yielding assistance to the deliberations of the heads ;" that in relation to " that part of the resolution which relates to extra ink- stands, and tin patty pans, it can and shall be promptly complied with."
The communication of the secretary greatly insulted the dignity of the council, and the matter was referred to a special committee, of whom Stephen Hempstead (afterwards governor) was chairman. The committee after due deliberation, made their report, in which they set forth that the secretary's communication "was of such a nature as to call forth a severe animadversion upon its tone and spirit ;" that "the evident intent of the communication was not only to treat the resolution, adopted by the council, with irony and contempt, but at the same time to convey the idea that the articles asked for by the resolution were unnecessary and unim- portant." The report went on to show that the house in which they held their deliberations was not properly furnished ; that the secretary had used his influence to prevent the council from ob- taining things without his sanction, and "that the honorable secretary of the territory might rest assured that the present legis- lature will not tamely submit to the insults and derisions of any officer of the territory, and they at all times will defend to the last their honest rights and the liberty of the people whom they have the honor to represent." This report of the committee was unanimously adopted.
This controversy about knives, etc., though fiercely commenced, did not last long. The secretary, through the intervention of Judge Wilson, apologized to the council and withdrew the objec- tionable paper, and the council let the insult to their dignity pass without further notice.
But this matter had hardly been adjusted before another diffi- culty arose implicating the governor with the secretary. The legislature passed a joint resolution, that the secretary of the council and the chief clerk of the house should receive six dol. lars per day for their services in the assembly, and each of the additional clerks, sergeant-at-arms, doorkeepers, messengers and firemen, should receive three dollars per day, to be paid by the secretary of the territory, upon the presentation of a certificate of their services, signed by the presiding officer of the house in
116
TUTTLE'S HISTORY OF IOWA.
which they served, and countersigned by the secretary and clerk. The secretary, doubting whether this would be a sufficient au- thority for him to pay out money, referred the matter to the governor, and the governor gave him an opinion in writing, in which he took the ground, that the secretary ought not to dis- burse the public moneys under that authority. The secretary being sustained in his views, as to the disbursing of the public moneys by the written opinion of the governor, sent to the legis- lature a communication, informing that body, that he did not feel authorized to pay out money under such authority, and to sustain his views, sent with the communication, the written opinion of the governor.
This counseling of the governor was considered by most of the members of the legislature, as interfering with their prerogative, and a matter of so great importance, that there was a joint con- vention of the two houses held, to devise ways and means by which to protect their rights against the supposed encroachments of the governor. This convention passed resolutions expressive of what they considered to be the rights of the legislature, and in their discussions, many of the members severely animad verted upon the part which the governor had taken in this matter. The attacks made upon the governor at the fore part of the session probably caused him to be a little prejudiced in his feelings towards the members, and less disposed to yield his opinion of what he conceived to be right, to the wishes of that body, than he would have been had there been no misunderstanding between them ; and from the time of this joint convention, instead of reconciling the strife that had been engendered between his excellency and the legislature, the quarrel became sharper and more bitter until the adjournment. Governor Lucas, being a man advanced in years, and having occupied the guberntorial chair in Ohio, thought himself better versed in making laws, and what was for the best interests of the territory, than most of the members of the legislature, who were mostly young men and inexperienced as legislators, and all laws which they passed that did not entirely meet with his approbation were vetoed; and by the provisions of the organic act of the territory, it was necessary that the governor should approve of all bills passed by the legis-
117
TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT.
lature, before they could become laws, so that his veto was abso- lute and no act of that body could become a law without his consent. For the purpose of harmonizing differences, there was a joint committee appointed by both branches of the legislature to consult with the governor, and prepare a bill to regulate the intercourse between the legislative and executive parties of the territorial government. After such consultation, a bill was pre- pared by the committee with such restrictions and provisions as met with his approbation ; but when it was brought before the legislature, there were some very material alterations made in the bill, which were very obnoxious to the governor, and when it was presented to him for his approval, he refused to sign it, and returned it to the house in which it originated ; and in his veto message he laid down the rules by which he would be gov- erned in relation to acts presented to him for his approval. He informed the legislature that all bills submitted to him would be carefully examined, and if approved, would be deposited in the secretary's office ; but he said, if " special objections are found, but not sufficient to induce me to withhold my assent from the bill, a special note will be indorsed with my approval. Bills that may be considered entirely objectionable, or of a doubtful policy, will be returned to the legislative assembly with my objections, at such times and in such manner as I may from time to time deem most advisable."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.