History of Davenport and Scott County Iowa, Volume I, Part 32

Author: Downer, Harry E
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 1042

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ranged the fire to keep until morning, by raking together and covering with ashes. It was not uncommon to go half a mile to a neighbor's to "borrow fire."

After establishing a ferry at Buffalo, Captain Clark laid out a road to Du- buque, seventy-four miles due north from Buffalo; also to Monmouth, forty miles due south. He had a man, named John Shook, take a claim on the Wap- sie, and sent Wallace and Solomon Pence to establish a ferry on the Maquoketa river. Shook built a little log cabin in the fall of 1834, then came home for supplies, leaving his traps, flour and tobacco in the cabin. After cold weather set in he took his winter supplies and the writer, an energetic, twelve year old boy, went with him, taking two horses and two dogs with our packs. We reached what is now Allen's Grove at night; the creek was frozen over so smooth that the barefooted horses could not cross the ice, so we turned them loose to go back home. I had to arrange for camping while Shook sat down and fell asleep. I found a large red oak tree that had fallen north and south; with the bark taken from the tree, after raking away the snow I soon made a fire on the west side, so the smoke and heat would blow over the log; and then cut the limbs from the little trees that had leaves on to make our beds. Next I broiled some meat over the fire and peeled a large onion, then waked Shook to eat supper. He had but one chew of tobacco (a very much used article in those days), which he took from his mouth, turned his hat upside down and placed the quid upon it while eating. We spread our blankets and I, having one dog at my feet and one at my side, slept nicely in spite of the cold and snow. The next morning we started to make the four miles remaining to the cabin. Shook was anxious for his tobacco. When we reached there the door was open and his first words were: "The Indians have been here and I fear my tobacco is gone," and so it was, as well as the flour, traps and all; but the tobacco was the greatest loss to him. Like any boy, I was glad when he decided that we must go back home; we tramped about six miles, and camped for the night, again eating fat broiled meat and frozen onion for supper. The next day we took the fourteen miles through the snow, over the open prairie, for eleven miles without a house, until we struck the river. Sometimes Shook would sit down and go quickly and soundly to sleep. I would arouse him, making him believe he had slept a long time. As we reached a place where we could see the river timber, when not blinded by snow, I began to be frightened, knowing people often perished in snow storms. Soon we came to a ravine running toward the timber and I pro- posed to follow it. Shook consented; it struck other and larger ravines until it became a branch, then a creek, then the river at the upper end of where Mont- pelier now is situated. We found there a cabin which John Richie had closed while he went to be married to Frances Pace. In the cabin he had left an earthen jar of honey, and as we had eaten nothing for twelve hours, and only broiled pork and frozen onion within forty-eight hours, the thought of that honey was very tempting. I climbed up and opened the clapboard roof, went down inside and with a splinter from the logs took out the honey, which was candied, or hardened, and pushed it through the openings between the logs to Shook, but of course not forgetting myself. We continued until we had eaten all that was safe for us, or in fact, too much for our own good. We then turned

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up the river for our home, five miles distant, and the only house between there and Dubuque. You may rest assured that my boyish, adventurous spirit was satisfied by that time by that hard, lonely, bitter tramp through unbroken blinding snow. Shortly afterward father sent Shook alone with an outfit for his winter support. It proved a very severe, cold winter; ice on the Mississippi being twenty-four inches thick. One night about four weeks later the door opened and in walked Shook. All were glad to see him, and father asked if he were not frozen; he answered, "No." After eating supper and chatting awhile, he showed signs of pain in his feet ; people were too hardy for small complain- ings in those days, and like the Indians, would scorn them; but we could see he was suffering. Upon trying to remove his boots we found them frozen to his feet, so they had to be cut off. The toes on one foot were as hard as ice ; in short, it was a very bad case. All possible was done by poulticing and such simple remedies as we possessed to relieve him, but without success. I took a sleigh and drove him up to Fort Armstrong to see Dr. Emerson, who was stationed there, but the doctor had gone to St. Louis, so we had to bring Shook back home. We prepared a room in one of the claim cabins, where he lay on his back on the floor for weeks. I went out and hunted for the swelling buds of the linwood tree to use for poultices, which brought the left foot out all right, but the flesh of the toes on the right foot dropped off, leaving the bone ex- posed. There was no doctor nearer than Galena, Illinois, 107 miles distant (even that was doubtful). My father had a man working for him, named Smith Mounts, who told Shook he could take off the blackened ends of the toes. It was arranged for him to do so. Mount sharpened a carpenter's chisel, and we moved Shook so that the foot would be at the end of a smooth log that formed the fireplace, Shook lying on his back on the floor while we held the foot steady to the timber. Mounts with his sharp chisel and mallet would ad- just the chisel, then hit it a strong blow, when the toe would fly off. Poor Shook groaned, but put his foot up again, another blow, another toe off; con- tinuing until in due time all were removed. Shook recovered except for a halt in his walk. This, we believe, was the first surgical operation in Scott county, if not in the state-crude, unscientific, without anesthetics, but effective.

The Doctor Emerson, mentioned in the above, was the owner of Dred Scott, a slave whom the doctor brought to Fort Armstrong as a servant, and whom the writer often saw there. This negro brought about the famous "Dred Scott Decision," in the Supreme court of the United States, by Roger B. Taney, who was chief justice. Said decision was the starting point of the Civil war, many years later.

INDIAN CUSTOMS.

The following the writer personally witnessed: The Indians made a ring half as large as a circus ring by beating down the grass. The crowd assembled, the braves outside, the squaws and papooses inside the ring; the latter carrying switches and sticks. The two culprits (Winnebagos) were led almost nude, into the ring and turned loose and compelled to run in a circle, the squaws and pa-

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pooses prodding and switching as they ran, while the warriors sung or chanted "ha-wa-we, ha-wa-we," keeping up a continuous jumping, mostly in a stooping posture. When the prisoners were tired out, an opening was made, a line formed on either side of squaws and papooses with switches, each anxious to administer the hardest blow, and bring blood if possible. After they had run this last gaunt- let, they were told that if they were ever again caught stealing horses the certain penalty would be death. This was done under the command of Chief Black Hawk, he being present. At night the entire tribe had a dog feast, the animals having been killed and hung up long enough to be nicely tainted and tender. A squaw will steal a fat puppy rather than anything else on earth. To revert to the whipping: an Indian can be subjected to no greater degradation than to be switched by a squaw, and greatly prefers death by shooting if dealt by a warrior. Hence, this mode of punishment was administered for appropriating their most valued possession, horses.

HIDING WINTER SUPPLIES OF CORN.

The Sacs and Foxes, to hide their corn and other food, after selecting a suit- able spot. usually among old fallen tree-tops, dug holes, lining them with leaves and dry bush, placed sacks made from linn or basswood bark, holding one and one-half bushels, containing corn and beans, covering the place with brush, then dirt at the top, over all placing brush again to hide the fresh earth from the thieving Winnebagos, and frequently has the writer seen them with long musk- rat spears prodding around to strike the soft spot and once saw them find it and carry away its contents in triumph over the absent foe.

TELEPHONING THE NEWS.

During the summer of 1828 a company of Sacs and Foxes went in their canoes to where Jackson and Clinton counties were eleven years later laid out, on a sum- mer hunt. A number of their most bitter enemies, the Sioux, killed two of their warriors. The remainder of the party entered their canoes for home. It was a beautiful. clear afternoon, so it happened the trail was well filled with Indians, consequently the news had preceded the returning party. As it had been halloed first down the river before they landed, to the Indians at the trading post, these passed it in the same manner along the island to the fort, then across the slough. next down the trail to the village, all within the space of a very few minutes. At once about two hundred of the warriors armed themselves, taking their canoes, paddled down the Sinnisippi or Rock river to the Mississippi, up the latter to Rock island (the island, for of course there was no city). These warriors were upon the war path to avenge their fallen comrades. The Sioux had. however, fled toward their own country, so were not caught and punished.

FARMING.

It is difficult for the writer to separate the different parts of his narrative, this section belonging not to the Iowa but to the Rock Island side of his life

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history. All farm work was done by the squaws. In fact, they did all work including packing the ponies ; also, when stopping at night, they cut the poles and made the wiccaups which were just the shape of the upper half of a palm leaf fan. In 1827 there was a brush fence running from the foot of the bluff, south of where the Rock Island station now is (in Rock Island) down to Rock river (Sinnisippi) west of what is now Black Hawk's tower. This fence was built by setting posts in the ground, then lashing poles with withes to these posts and weaving in brush, perhaps four feet high. This was done to keep out the Indian ponies. The ground was dug up with a heavy hoe, worked into large round hills, similar to the southern sweet potato hills, which were planted with corn, beans, potatoes and squashes. The corn was called squaw corn. It had small ears, grains short and flat intermixed with blue and white, soft and easily cooked, a little sweetish to the taste and readily dried. The same hills were used year after year, with little additional work.

SINKING CANOES.

Before starting on the winter hunt the Sacs and Foxes would bring their canoes around from the village, which was situated near where Milan now is, paddling down Sinnisippi or Rock river to its mouth, then turn up the Mississippi until they reached the shore near where our family lived, and where the Rock Island railroad bridge now crosses the river. They would place sufficient rock in their canoes to sink and hold them under water until their return in the spring. They marked the spot by sighting from a large boulder or a certain tree. The Indians chose this particular place, because in low water, after disposing of their boats, they could readily ford the slough to the government island and Fort Armstrong.

MODE OF BURIAL.

For the squaws and papooses, shallow holes were dug, the bodies wrapped in mats made of woven flags or rushes fastened together, with cords made of lint of nettles, then after being covered with earth the graves were surrounded with split or round pickets. The chiefs were set upright, lashed firmly to stakes with their war implements around them ; slabs of wood were put in and usually a pole was set up with a flag on it. The braves were well cared for, and in two in- stances that the writer knows of, a hollow tree was split to form a trough or coffin shape, the remains put in with guns, bows, arrows and other accoutrements. After arranging these the whole was raised several feet from the ground and suspended by strong lassoes made from rawhide, to the limbs of the trees. The flags mentioned above were of red or any other dark shade of cotton cloth, usually calico. The writer has also seen dishes or bowls placed about the graves and containing remnants of food which was supposed to sustain them through the journey to the spirit land.

HOW THE INDIANS WERE SWINDLED BY TRADERS.

Benjamin Pike, afterward the first sheriff of Rock Island county, told the writer that while in the employ of the Indian trader who, finding that Phelps,

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of the lower Yellow Banks (now Oquawka)-a branch of the American Fur Company, was intending to send men up Rock river to where the Indians were on their winter hunt, gave Pike an outfit which consisted of a ten gallon keg of whiskey and little else. When he reached Prophetstown Pike put up his tent for trade, but would not sell anything until night. The Indian custom is that when going into a drunken spree, they set apart a certain number to keep sober, and to these they give in charge the knives, guns and weapons to keep during the carou- sal. An Indian drunk is a fighting maniac, and will froth at the mouth like a mad dog. When all was ready Pike opened the keg of whiskey, drew a bottle full (all trade was by bottles containing three half pints) exchanged it for a four dollar otter skin. Pike had pails of water in his tent out of which he filled his keg as emptied, still exchanging the watered whiskey for a deer skin or a lot of skins worth several dollars. Pike had also brought a lot of bright tin brooches, costing about ten cents a dozen, also brass rings; one of each of these he traded for a beaver or otter skin to these drunken Indians. Pike's whiskey at first made them all drunk, but by the filling process the water sobered them again, until by morning he had many hundreds of dollars worth of skins while the poor Indians had not a dollar to show and all sober. Was it any wonder that Davenport did not want the white people to come to this country ?

WHY BUFFALO FELL BEHIND.

When Buffalo was so prosperous, Black Hawk's Purchase had but two coun- ties, Dubuque and Des Moines. The territorial legislature, during the winter of 1837, subdivided the two counties into many others and in the assembly Dr. Eli Reynolds, of Geneva, (four miles above Bloomington, now Muscatine) wanted to make his town as near central as possible, while Alex McGregor, of Daven- port, also a member, wanted to kill Buffalo, as we had the most thriving town between Burlington and Dubuque. The two men then joined forces and ran Muscatine county up to its present boundary on the river and McGregor gave Montpelier township to Muscatine county, so as to throw Buffalo near the lower end of Scott county, thus rendering it impossible for Buffalo to become the county seat ; and this is the reason Buffalo dropped behind in the race for the seat of government. Had Scott county been extended down to Salem, (now Fairport) Buffalo would have been the county seat and the largest town in Scott county.

A TYPICAL FARM SCENE IN SCOTT COUNTY

CHAPTER X.

TOWNSHIPS AND TOWNS.

HISTORY OF THE TOWNSHIPS FROM THE CLOSE OF THE BARROWS HISTORY-THEIR RECORD IN PATRIOTISM DURING THE DAYS OF '61-THE PROSPERITY THAT HAS COME TO THE FARMERS OF THE COUNTY-RURAL SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES- TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS-THE MANY SMALL SETTLEMENTS THAT FORM SOCIAL CENTERS IN THE COUNTY-BETTENDORF-THE VILLAGE OF LE CLAIRE.

LE CLAIRE TOWNSHIP.

The history of this township is brought down to 1863 by Mr. Barrows, but some things he omits, that became of importance later on, are here included in bringing this sketch of LeClaire township up-to-date.

The stone found at LeClaire is of a fine quality and is now quarried by Bremer & Abel, a Davenport firm. The quarry is located on land north of the town settled by Eli Smith, one of the pioneers of Scott county. LeClaire town- ship was the birthplace of the noted Indian scout and showman, William F. Cody, better known all over the world as "Buffalo Bill." His father came to Scott county in 1839, from Cincinnati, Ohio, and entered a tract of land in LeClaire township upon which he made improvements and also opened a small general store in Parkhurst. Early in 1841 he returned to Cincinnati and brought back with him his wife and little girl, in the spring of 1842. On his way he met Dennis Barnes, at St. Louis, and persuaded Mr. Barnes to accom- pany him to Iowa, which he did, and upon arriving in LeClaire township he entered a tract of land near Mr. Cody's and at once made improvements there- on and began farming. A near neighbor to the Barnes and Codys was Eleazer Parkhurst, the first to open a farm here, which is now in the possession of Julius Woler, and it was on February 26, 1845, on the Cody farm, that the future famous "Buffalo Bill" was born. Later the elder Cody and his friend Barnes joined the stampede for the gold fields of California and, forming a partnership for better or worse, disposed of their property and in the spring of 1850, with their families, made ready to start overland for the new Eldorado.

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Stories of Indians massacres and depredations upon caravans moving across the prairies cooled the ardor of their desire to reach the gold fields, so that having dispossessed themselves of their lands and farming implements. by force of circumstances they retired to the villages, Barnes to LeClaire and Cody to Parkhurst. Finally, in 1852, Mr. Cody took his family to the territory of Kan- sas, where the boy, William, grew up and acquired a great fondness for horses, over which he had a wonderful control, and at the age of ten years became a "pony express" rider, carrying mail and despatches over the plains and gaining that knowledge of the Indians and skill with a rifle that made his fame world- wide and in later years made him much sought after by the United States gov- ernment to act as guide, and also by the nobility of foreign lands visiting America and venturesome enough to trust their lives in the then "wild and woolly west."

In the old steamboat days LeClaire was the headquarters for a large num- ber of river men and furnished many pilots and engineers for the numerous craft then plying the waters of the Mississippi. But of course, with the advent of the railroad, transportation by water has dwindled away, but there are a few of these river men still in the business who made their homes at LeClaire : Captain I. S. Spinsby, of the U. S. Mac; Captain E. J. Lancaster, of the Eclipse ; Captain George Tromley ; J. W. VanSant. Also Pilots Orrin Smith, Zach Suiter and D. F. Dorrance.

The schools of LeClaire always had first place in the hearts and thoughts of her people and have always been kept at a high standard of proficiency. Such men as Judges Barnes and Linderman, were pupils at these schools and many others made places for themselves of distinction at the bar, who received their early educational training in LeClaire. Among them may here be men- tioned W. D. Kalsey, now of Colorado; G. M. Boyd, Chicago; A. P. VanDuzer, California ; Henry McCaffrey ; the Hanley boys, and others.

When the Civil war broke out in 1861 LeClaire was quick to come to "atten- tion" and respond to "Honest Abe's" proclamation for volunteers to put down the rebellion, and sent a number of her best young men to the front and, in 1862, Captain S. B. Byram organized what later became Company K of the Twentieth Iowa Infantry, which made a splendid record, details of which ap- pear on another page of this history. But a short time after the organization of Company K other recruits from LeClaire were assigned to Company A, Fourteenth Iowa Infantry, and still others joined the Second Iowa Cavalry, all of whom are given honorable mention in the chapter herein devoted to Scott county in the Civil war.

PRINCETON TOWNSHIP.

A very interesting chapter on the first settlement of Princeton township was written by Mr. Barrows in his history of Scott county herein published to which the reader is referred. But quite a number of the earliest settlers not mentioned by him are given a place here. Settlement in the township was at first quite slow, but even at that the Methodist circuit rider thought fit to visit the community and hold religious services. It was not long before there were

FRESHYTERION

CHURCH

PRINCETON JOWA.

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, PRINCETON

MAIN STREET, PRINCETON

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three denominations represented, the Presbyterian, the Methodist Episcopal and the Evangelical Lutheran. All of these erected church buildings. In 1853 Jerry Goodrich, James Todd and Porter Mckinstry, members of the Methodist church, with friends and neighbors, built a brick church edifice near Lost Grove. Services were held there about three years, when the members afterwards at- tended meeting at Princeton, on account of the death of several of the priniepal members of the congregation. In February, 1856, Rev. Daniel Garber of the Evangelical Lutheran church organized a church of that faith in this township. A meeting was held in May following at which Isaac Daughenbaugh was elected elder, Samuel Gast, deacon. Meetings were then held in the vacated Methodist church and continued there until 1859, when the congregation erected a building of their own in Princeton, which was turned over to the Methodists in exchange for the Methodist church at Lost Grove. Meetings have been held there from that time up to the present. The first school was taught here in 1846-1847 by Miss Hannah Peaslee in a log house owned by H. H. Pinneo, in what is now known as Princeton independent district. Miss Peaslee's successors were Mrs. Charles Budd and Milcah Goodrich. Some- time afterwards an old barn was purchased by Giles M. Pinneo and Wilbur Warren, who remodeled the building and which was for a period used for both school and church purposes. A brick school building was built in 1852 and Mathias E. Pinneo was the first teacher. This was the schoolhouse of Princeton until 1864, when it was consolidated with other schools which occu- pied the ground floor of a hall on Front street. Then, in 1862, district No. I was changed into an independent district and in 1866 a large and substantial stone school building was erected on Third and Clay streets at the. cost of about $5,000. The city of Princeton was incorporated in January, 1857, and in March, following, the first election was held, at which Samuel Porter be- came the first mayor, but resigned from the office in May, following. To fill this vacancy a special election was held and William Shew was chosen mayor. The town contained at this time about 250 inhabitants, two hotels, one church, two stores, a blacksmith shop, a steam saw mill, and about fifty dwellings. In 1858 William H. Tompson was elected mayor and at that time there were about 500 inhabitants. Improvements kept up steadily in the town and it be- came a place of considerable importance. A steam saw mill was built by Isaac Sherman, of Cleveland, Ohio, costing $8,000, and whose output equalled 30,000 feet per day. Two steam grist mills were also built, one by Herbert M. Fishback, which cost about $9,000, and the other by Mckinstry and Hubbard, which cost $12,000. About this time Dr. G. L. Bell erected a very pretentious residence for that day at a cost of $5,000. In 1862 a disastrous fire visited the little city of Princeton and destroyed a valuable three-story business and office building which had been erected by F. G. Welsh and also the business house owned by Christian Schmaltz. At this time the Princeton house barely escaped destruction.

The citizens of Princeton take a pride in the honor which her sons reflected upon the town through their services in the Civil war. Its bright roll of honor is to be found in the chapter on the Civil war in this history. The First Metho- dist church of Princeton was built in 1858. This church takes pride in the his-

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tory of its Sunday school which began at the time of its organization in 1849 by Father Pinneo and others. In 1887 the Methodist society erected a church edifice at a cost of $2,500 and is at this day in a very prosperous condition. On the site of the old church building the Presbyterians erected a new church struc- ture in 1888 which cost about $3,000. In 1898 the Salem Evangelical Lutheran church put up a neat structure while under the pastorate of Rev. Kun- kleman. Adjoining the church building is the parsonage.

WINFIELD TOWNSHIP.

In addition to what has already been written of Winfield township by Mr. Barrows, the following is appended: John Quinn, who was the first perma- nent settler in this township, struck out further west from his home in Meigs county, Ohio, when a young man, and landed in Chicago, then nothing but a frontier village. Here he worked at his trade of blacksmithing for one year. He had located a claim in the windy city, but by some chicanery he was dis- possessed of it and losing all faith in the people there, he left and went to Galena, arriving there in 1832. Being joined by his brother William in 1835 he went to Clinton county, and after remaining there awhile he and his brother finally settled in Winfield township, where they improved a farm which afterwards came into the possession of John T. Mason, who lived on it for over forty years. It is said that had Mr. Quinn remained in Winfield township he would have be- come wealthy, for at one time he owned large bodies of timber land on the Wap- sipinicon bottoms, which brought him good prices at their sale, but being of a wandering disposition he left the locality and returned to Ohio. Not being con- tented there he once more found his way back to Iowa, from whence he went to Kansas, and then to Oregon, where he died at the age of seventy years.

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History of Davenport and Scott County Iowa, Volume I, Part 32

Author: Downer, Harry E Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke Number of Pages: 1042

Author: Downer, Harry E
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 1042