USA > Iowa > Buchanan County > History of Buchanan County, Iowa, and its people, Volume I > Part 9
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We have quoted, "verbatim," a prophecy made regarding the future of this county and reasons for the very apparent lack in its growth at that period.
It is interesting to learn that the same conditions existed thirty-four years ago as prevail today and that we can voice the same lament. His reasoning is faultless. The opening up of Indian Reservations, Government reserves, cheaper land throughout the West and in Canada, a more equable climate, reclamation
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HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
of arid lands by irrigation and even an emigration baek east to reelaim those farms so beautiful and desirable, though so run down and worn-out that only a thrifty, energetie western farmer could see any possibilities in them and by no means least, the general laek of posterity of our eitizens have all been vital factors in reducing our population.
But as for his prophecy, it has held good only in a small degree. We still have comparatively quiet but pleasant and prosperous times and the best of land, but we have not reached "the activity, enterprise, and excitement" that he antici- pated for us, but doubtless we would have had it if the tide of immigration had yet been turned in our direction and we could have had the "rapidly increasing population," which with the best of judgment in the year 1881 would have seemed the inevitable outcome of sueh fertile and desirable land of such a county, of sueli a state, of such a nation.
And no doubt the time will come for it seems now to be absolutely inevitable considering the vast increase in population in the United States and the con- stantly increasing influx of foreigners, that these western countries will be swarming with people, that these great immense farming tracts will be divided into small garden patches and that only the enormously rieh can afford to be land owners, that every aere will be cultivated and farmed to the limit of its production, not the wanton profligacy and extravaganee of the present day farm- ers with this valuable land. Every aere will be farmed conscientiously, both from the fact of great advancement in knowledge and improved facilities and from the absolute necessity for the maintenance of this thiekly populated uni- verse. This is a prophecy, not to occur within either my generation or the next and possibly not for many others succeeding it, but it seems safe to predict such a condition, say in the year 2050.
SETTLEMENT
The early history of this county is veiled in much obsenrity, but from various sources we have gleaned the following facts, concerning the early settlement.
The first permanent white settler of this county was William Bennett, a native of Maine, who had also been the first white settler of Delaware County. He brought his family here in February, 1842, having built a small log cabin on the site where Quasqueton now stands. The exact spot is said to be a point on the east bank of the Wapsie about twelve rods above the location of the old flouring mill now used as a eream station.
Ile, with his two hired men, erected this building and a cow stable and con- pleted them in nine days, a short time when we consider the work of clearing the site and hewing all the timber for them. Ilistorians greatly disagree as to his character. One authority who was personally acquainted with him, paints him as a natural genins and an untiring worker, such as explore the seas and the land, and extend civilization and give the finish to a erude world; while another says of him. "He was a rough and restless character, " and goes on further and depiets him as a sort of desperado. Reciting an episode where "Bennett having con- ceived a violent grudge against the adventurer Johnson (whose arrival will be recorded further on) formed a conspiracy with five or six companions to waylay and lyneh him. They tried to carry out their plot and did to a certain extent, whipping the man in the most shameful manner, then fear of arrest compelled
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them all to flee from the settlement on the very night after they had committed the outrage, which was in mid-winter and fearfully cold. They set out for Coffin's Grove, in Delaware County, and managed to reach it, but all of them, except Bennett, were in more or less frozen condition. Two of the company died from the effects of their exposure and what became of Bennett and his family was never known. They remained in this county only about a year. About the same time as Bennett, came S. G. and H. T. Sanford and they were soon followed by Ezra B. Allen. Early the same spring Dr. Edward Brewer, who resided many years and until his death in Independence, and Rufus B. Clark eame with their families and settled about a mile and a half from Quasqueton. William W. Hadden and Frederick Kessler and family also came about that same time, then a man by the name of David Styles eame with his family, during the summer of that same year, and for a while kept a hotel, the first one in the county.
Bennett was engaged in improving the water power and erecting a mill and had several young men employed who boarded with him. Their names were Jeffers, Warner, Day, Wall, and Evens and at least one of these was an accom- pliee of Bennett's in the assault on Johnson and had his feet badly frozen in the flight to ('offin's Grove. During the fall of that year, there came, among others, three young men-Henry B. Hatch, who made his home with Kessler, and Daggett and Simmons, who lived for awhile with Rufus Clark.
A few patches of land were broken and cultivated the first spring, potatoes and other garden vegetables and perhaps a little corn was planted but no wheat was raised until the next year.
Some time during the fall or early winter of 1842 there appeared on the scene a typical pioneer adventurer by the name of William JJohnson, who elaimed to be the famous Canadian patriot of that name, who had lived for years among the islands of the St. Lawrence River. He was accompanied by a young woman of very attractive appearance, whom he introduced as his daughter (Kate), the identical "Queen of the Thousand Isles" or the "Wild Girl of the Island." Subsequent events, however, proved that Johnson was an escaped criminal and an adventurer of the worst type.
But his stay was of short duration, the cause of which we have mentioned previously. The opening up of a new country always attracts adventurers and disreputable characters, the easy life, excitement, and lack of restraint appeals to such. but greatly to the eredit of the early pioneers of this county was their attitude of intolerance of crooked proceedings and evil doers were made so uncomfortable that they soon left.
Another of the earliest frequenters was A. C. Fulton, who was a sailor of wide experience and travel and had come from the "hamlet" of Davenport into the frontier and located at Quasqueton and was engaged with Bennett and a man named Lambert in ereeting the dam and mill at Quasqueton.
This is but a brief synopsis of the beginning of settlement in the county. A more complete review of this and sketches of the first settlers will be given further along in the history.
FIRST EVENTS
The first store in the county was opened during the year 1842 in Qnasqueton by William Richards, familiarly called "Bill Diek." It is written in history
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that his stock was a "general" one; the principal asset being the best brand of Old Bourbon whiskey obtainable.
The first sermon was preached in the Quasqueton settlement during its first summer, by a minister named Clark.
The first mill was one built on the Wapsie at Quasqueton, begun by Bennett in 1842 and finished by W. W. Hadden 1843.
The first hotel was operated by David Styles in 1842.
The first postoffice was established at Quasqueton in 1845, and William Richards was appointed the first postmaster.
The first school was taught by Dr. Edward Brewer in a small log house in Independenee, in the winter of 1848. The building was afterwards used as a blacksmith shop.
The first law office opened in the county was that of James Jamison, of Inde- pendence, in 1847 or 1848. D. S. Lee commenced practicing law about the same time.
The first marriage was that of Dr. Edward Brewer and Miss Mary Ann IIathaway, which was celebrated in March, 1846. The ceremony was performed by Joseph A. Reynolds, then a justice of the peace for Delaware County.
The first white ehild born in the county was Charles B. Kessler, son of Fred- eriek Kessler. He was born near Quasqueton, July 13, 1842. The oldest living person born in this eounty is Rufus Brewer, still a resident of the county. He was born April 27, 1847. He is a son of Dr. Edward and Mary A. Brewer.
The first death was that of a boy seven' or eight years old, a son of John Cordell, who died in 1843 or 1844.
Some authorities claim that there were two deaths previous to this boy's, one, a man was shot to death near Quasqueton and another was frozen in December, 1842, also that one of Buchanan's citizens was shot to death but outside of the county.
The first Buchanan newspaper was the "Independence Civilian," a demo- cratic organ, the first number of which was issued on May 17, 1855, B. F. Parker and James Hilleary being the proprietors.
The first bank (one not of issue but only for deposit and exchange) was established in the old Brewer Block on Main Street by Bemis, Brewer, and Roszell in 1865.
CHAPTER V
ORGANIZATION
LOCATION-COUNTY GOVERNMENT-ELECTIONS
The counties of Iowa lie in very regular tiers running east and west and in tiers, but less regular, from north to south. Buchanan is in the third tier south of the Minnesota line and sixth north of the Missouri line. third west of the Mississippi River, and tenth east of the Missouri. Its central point, which is a few miles east of Independence, its county seat, lies very nearly in latitude 421/ degrees north and longitude 14 degrees and 50 minutes, west from Washington.
It is sixty miles west of Dubuque and on an extension of the line which divides Illinois and Wisconsin.
Buchanan County is bounded on the north by Fayette, on the east by Dela- ware, on the south by Linn and Benton and on the west by Black Hawk County, is twenty-four miles square with a correction jog.
Independence, according to the census of 1910, embraces an area of 362,668 acres, of which 351,498 acres or 96.9 is in farm land and 303,593 acres, or 86.4 is improved farms, and this 351,498 acres is divided into 2,334 farms ranging in size from less than three to over one thousand acres, averaging 150.6 acres ; 130.1 the average improved acreage. The woodland in farms is 19,698 acres and other unimproved land in farms is 28,207.
The value of all farm property is estimated at $33,867,776, an increase of 75.7 per cent since the year 1900.
The value of the land is $23,772,344, an increase of about 93 per cent in ten years and is 70.2 per cent of the value of all property. Buildings on farins are valued at $5,045,854, which have almost doubled in value since the last census and is 14.9 per cent of all property values.
Implements and machinery, domestic animals, poultry, and bees have increased materially and together constitute 14.9 per cent of all property values. All property on farms averages $14,511, land and buildings, $12.347, and $67.63 per acre, an average increase of about 86 per cent.
The number of farms operated by owners is 1,456, or 62.4 per cent, a decrease of 193, or 5 per cent. The number operated by tenants is 850, which is 36.4 per cent, or 67 more than in 1900-an increase of 4.4 per cent.
The number of all farins operated by owners free from mortgage is 734; 711 have mortgages and 11 have no mortgage report.
The amount of debt is $2,049,129, or 29.8 per cent of the value of the land and buildings.
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HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
In ten years the value of Bnehanan County's dairy products, excluding home use of milk and cream, was $494,513. The receipts from sale of these products was $472,524.
The value of the poultry and eggs prodneed was $360,280. Receipts from the same were $226,773.
Value of honey and wax produced was $2,776.
Value of wool and mohair produced was $8,075. Receipts from sale of domes- tie animals was $2.209,460.
Value of animals slaughtered was $79,811. Total value of domestic animals was $3,898,457. includes all kinds, cattle, horses, swine, sheep and goats.
The value of all erops, including cereals, and other grains and seeds, hay and forage, vegetables, fruits and nuts was $3,267,330.
ORGANIZATION OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
At its winter session of 1837-8, held at Burlington, the Legislature of Wis- eonsin Territory (which then embraced the territory now constituting the State of Iowa), passed "an act to establish the boundary lines of the counties of Dubuque, Clayton, Jackson, Benton, Linn, JJones, Clinton, Johnson, Scott, Dela- ware, Buchanan," ete. The boundaries of Dubuque and Delaware having been deserihed in the first three or four sections of this aet, it proceeds as follows :
Section 5. That all the country lying west of the County of Delaware and between the line dividing townships eighty-six and eighty-seven, and the line dividing townships ninety and ninety-one, north. extended to the western bonn- dary of the territory, shall be, and the same is hereby constituted a separate county, to be called Buchanan.
Section 6. That the counties of Delaware and Buchanan shall, for tempor- ary purposes, be considered in all respects a part of the County of Dubuque.
This aet, which was approved December 21, 1837, merely planted the seed of the new county. It gave it "a local habitation and a name," but left its develop- ment into a living organization to the operation of time and its own internal, germinal forces. The subsequent development of the county may seem to have been slow to one who fails to realize the amount of embryotie growth which it had to make. If it takes sixteen months for an acorn to be developed from the blossom, and twice that number of years for a blossoming oak to be developed from the acorn, it ought not to be regarded as wonderful that it took Buchanan County ten years to emerge fully from its embryotie condition. Especially ought this fact excite no wonder, when it is remembered that all the early development of Buchanan County had to be made without any of that remarkable stimulus which railroads have since given to the growth of new counties.
The act above cited fixed the eastern boundary of the county as it now is, and designed the parallels along which the northern and the southern boundary lines still extend westward ; but it extended those lines to the western limits of the territory. That is to say, it constituted as the western boundary of the county those portions of the Big Sioux and the Missouri rivers included within the two parallels mentioned. The county therefore embraced, theoretically, at that time, a strip of land about two hundred and forty miles long and twenty-four miles wide.
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HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
The act locating Blackhawk County, was passed by the Iowa Territory Legis- lature, about five years after this, viz .: on the 17th of February, 1843; the boundaries beginning at the northwest corner of Buchanan County. Between these two dates there must, of course, have been an act designating the present western limits of the last named county. When such an act was passed we have not been able to ascertain.
As to the origin of the county's name we have also made somewhat diligent inquiry, without being able to obtain any satisfactory information. The pre- vailing opinion is, however, that the name was given through the influence of an ardent admirer of the Pennsylvania statesman, James Buchanan, who afterwards became distinguished as president of the United States.
The act of December, 1837, attached Buchanan and Delaware to Dubuque, and that of February, 1843, attached Blackhawk and Buchanan to Delaware, for eleetion, revenne and judicial purposes ; and this latter arrangement contin- ned till 1847, when this county eleeted its own officers, and assumed an inde- pendent jurisdiction.
The first election was held in August, 1847, when John Seott, Frederick Kess- ler, and B. D. Springer were elected county commissioners, and Dr. Edward Brewer, clerk, an office which the latter continued to hold for twenty-three years. We have been informed by Doctor Brewer (though we have found no record of the fact) that S. V. Thompson was appointed by state authority, as organiz- ing sheriff, and that the election was called and managed by him. Doubtless some of the preliminaries were arranged by the authorities of Delaware County, under whose jurisdiction Bnehanan was at the time, and by which the latter had been divided into two election precincts, one called Qnasqueton and the other Centre precinct.
The earliest record of the proceedings of the commissioner's court of the county, shows that eertain other officers, besides those above named, were elected, or appointed, at or about the time of the first county election. We transcribe the following entries :
September 4, 1847, John Scott (who was also one of the county eommis- sioners), filed his bond and took oath of office as justice of the peace in and for the Centre precinet of the county.
September 8th. Thomas S. Hubbard filed his bond in this office as a justice of the peace in and for Qnasqueton precinet, having taken the oath of office before Esquire Ilohnes of the same precinet.
September 23d, Henry H. Baker fully qualified as constable, and Thomas E. MeKinney as a justice of the peace, in and for the Centre precinct of the county.
September 28th, A. B. Hathaway took the oath of office for coroner of the county.
On the 4th of October the commissioners held their first meeting, their official act being to divide the county into "three commission distriets," that is (as we suppose), distriets from each one of which a county commissioner was there- after to be elected.
The first of these districts comprised the north half of the county; or the eight congressional townships lying north of the correction line. The second embraced the four southeastern townships, with the exception of the two tiers
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HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
of sections lying on the west side of townships 87 and 88 of range 8; and the third comprised the remaining portion of the county.
TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATIONS
January 3, 1848, the commissioners divided the county into three civil town- ships, whose boundaries were made identical with those of the three commissioner districts already established. These townships, like the districts, were first called simply from their numbers; and an election for township officers was ordered to take place in each of them, on the first Monday in the following April. In township No. 1 the election was to be held "at the store in Independence"; Isaac Hathaway, John Scott and John Obenchain to be judges of election. In township No. 2 the election was to be held "at the schoolhouse in Quasqueton"; Benjamin Congdon, Levi Billings and Malcom MeBane to be judges. In township No. 3 the election was to be held "at the house of Barney D. Springer"; and J. Monroe Seott, Gamaliel Walker and B. D. Springer were named as judges of election.
In July, 1849, the boundaries of these townships were slightly changed, and number one was called Washington, number two Liberty, and number three Spring.
From this date until 1860 the erection of new townships and the frequent changes in their names and boundaries seem to have employed much of the valu- able time of the county authorities. We can give only enough of these to trace the formation of the sixteen townships as they now exist.
The fourth township-Jefferson-was erected May 22, 1852; Buffalo (at first called Buffalo Grove). August 6. 1852; Perry was set off from Washington February 7, 1853; Superior (afterward called Hazleton). July 4, 1853; Newton, the first made conterminous with a congressional township (the same as town- ship 87, range 7, which limits it still retains), was so erected May 1, 1854.
September 19, 1854, the eight townships then existing, viz. : Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Buffalo, Spring, Washington, Superior, and Perry, were set forth anew, as to their boundaries; all of them being more or less changed, except Newton. At this time Spring Township was very irregular in its form, com- prising the south half of the present territory of Fremont, sections 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 34, 35, 36. and one-half sections 32 and 33 of the present territory of Byron, the west half of the present Township of Liberty, all of the present territory of Sinmuner, and about three sections of the southeast corner of Wash- ington. At the same time Superior Township consisted of the west half of the present territory of Buffalo, and all of the present Hazleton except the western tier of sections.
Alton (the same as the present township of Fairbank ) was erected March 5, 1855. Prairie (afterwards Fremont) was erected March 14, 1856; and Byron, March 20th, of the same year. The remaining townships were ereeted as follows. Summer, March 7, 1857 ; Madison, March 11, 1857 ; Homer, July 29, 1858; Middle- field, September 21. 1858; Cono, same date; Westburg, Angust 6, 1860. The name of Prairie Township was changed to Fremont, September 5, 1859; that of Alton was changed to Fairbank June 2, 1862; and that of Superior to Hazle- ton, some time during the same year. The last two changes were made by the board of supervisors-all the rest by the County Court.
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IIISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
We will now give, for convenience of reference, the names of the existing townships, in the order of the dates at which they assumed their present form. Newton, May 1, 1854; Fairbank ( Alton), Mareh 5, 1855; Hazleton (Superior), same date; Madison, March 11, 1857 ; Buffalo, same date; Homer, June 29, 1858; Middlefield, September 21, 1858; Cono, same date; Liberty, September 5, 1859; Fremont, same date; Byron, same date; Westburg, August 6, 1860; Jefferson, same date; Perry, same date; Washington, September 13, 1860; Sumner, same date.
CHANGES IN COUNTY GOVERNMENT
The commissioners' court was abolished in 1860, and the board of super- visors was established in its place. About the same time the office of county judge was given up and that of county auditor was adopted. The duties here- tofore performed by the county judge now fall in a great measure to the board of supervisors. This body consisted at first of sixteen members, one from each township. At present, however, the number is reduced to three, all being elected by a general vote of the county. The first supervisors were elected in the fall of 1860, and entered upon their duties Jannary 7, 1861. Their names, with the township from which they were elected, are as follows: Elisha Sanborn, of Alton (Fairbank) ; E. P. Baker, of Byron; C. H. Jakway, of Buffalo; E. D. Hovey, of Cono; James Fleming, of Fremont; S. S. Allen, of Homer; John Johnson, of Jefferson; William Logan, of Liberty; J. B. Ward, of Madison; James M. Kerr, of Middlefield; N. W. Richardson, of Newton; D. B. Sanford, of Perry; V. R. Beach, of Summer; William C. Nelson, of Superior (Hazleton) ; George W. Bemis, of Washington; William B. Wilkinson, of Westburg.
TOWNSHIPS
All of the townships in this county coincide with the national survey, except that the north part of Sumner, consisting of the upper tier of sections, together with a part of sections 12 and 13, is added to Washington partly to accommodate the City of Independence, which was first laid out in Washington, soon extended itself across the line into Sumner and partly to accommodate the people living near the county seat for schooling and other benefits. The names of the town- ships, in the order in which they are given on the map, presents a singular poetical euphony, which is said to have no parallel in the state and probably none in the entire country. The county is twenty-four miles square, and divided into sixteen townships, each six miles square, making four tiers each, containing four townships. Every township name consists of either two or three syllables with but one accent, so when arranged as they are on the maps they form a regular poetie stanza-which technically is ealled a dimeter quatrainthus; and all the school children learn these names quite as easily as the words of a song. Beginning each time with the west township :
Fairbank, Washington, Buffalo, Madison, Perry, Washington, Byron, Fremont, Westburg, Sumner, Liberty, Middlefield, Jefferson, Homer, Cono, Newton.
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HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
But any other arrangement forms a similar poetic stanza but not quite so euphonions.
There are fifteen towns and villages in this county, ten of which are railroad stations; viz., Independence, the county seat, in Washington Township, a town of 3,517 inhabitants, situated on the banks of the Wapsie and where the two railroads, the Rock Island and the Illinois Central, cross.
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