History of Delaware County, Iowa, and its people, Volume I, Part 21

Author: Merry, J. F. (John F.), 1844- ed
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago : The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 454


USA > Iowa > Delaware County > History of Delaware County, Iowa, and its people, Volume I > Part 21


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).


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"Professor Everman seemed fairly well pleased with the location, but when he made his report to the commission, which eventually reached Congress, the


181


182


HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY


people of Manchester considered that the visitor had not given them a fair representation. The matter was reported to Sen. William B. Allison and the representative in Congress from this distriet, David B. Henderson, who agreed with the remonstrances they had received from Delaware County, that the expert's report was hardly satisfactory, considering the location. Thereupon, A. A. Anderson, who was interested in the matter, was sent to Washington to confer with the commission, taking with him a sectional map of Delaware County. He went before the United States Fish Commission and showed that body the map, at the same time clearly portraying the desirability of the Dela- ware County location, and presented its many virtues in a manner that left the commission fully informed. After the interview the commissioners remarked to Mr. Anderson that his visit was very timely aud that his map and report clearly indicated an entirely different condition and fairer presentation of Delaware County's claim for recognition.


"The visit of the county's agent, Mr. Anderson, to Washington, resulted in the fish commission sending out a civil engineer to make a further examination of this place. With his helper, the engineer spent several months looking over the grounds and surveying the location, upon which it was finally decided that the hatchery should be built, although Delaware County had fifty-two rivals in the Northwest for the location of the industry. In the summer of 1894 the Govern- ment sent on their superintendent to fit up the grounds and build the hatchery. Ponds were made and residenees built for the superintendent and assistant superintendent. That same summer the superintendent took possession of his house at the hatchery and at onee began the propagation of fish, and during the first ten years of operation this station propagated and distributed in all parts of the country over forty-five millions of fish.


"This station of the United States Fish Commission is located on seetion 2, Milo Township, and consists of twenty-six aeres of ground, which was purchased by the citizens of Manchester from Charles Thorpe at a cost of $25 an aere. The grounds are beautifully laid out, having ponds for the various kinds of fish, also separate runways for them. There are various tastefully built structures on the ground, among which are residences for the superintendent and his assistant, propagating houses and the like. The grounds have a park-like appear- ance and through the warm season are enjoyed as such by visitors from far and near. The fish propagated here are brook and lake trout, grayling, black bass, rock bass, pereh, earp and numerous other varieties.


"To make this institution possible in Delaware County funds for the purchase of the land were collected principally by James Belknap, all of which consisted of voluntary contributions."


CENSUS OF 1910-OTHER STATISTICS


1910


1900


1890


Adams Township, including part of Ryan Town


916


868


640


Ryan Town (part of)


370


Total for Ryan Town in Adams and Hazel Green townships


511


Bremen Township


883


968


976


HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY


183


1910


1900


1890


Coffins Grove Township, including Masonville Town.


927


990


898


Masonville Town


282


Colony Township, including Colesburg Town.


1,124


1,183


1,296


Colesburg Town


271


274


Delaware Township, including Manchester City


3.437


3,680


3,051


Manchester City


2,758


2,887


2,344


879


..


Ward 2


775


..


..


.


Delhi Township, including Delhi Town


1,040


1,030


1,039


Delhi Town


375


.


.... .


Elk Township, including Greeley Town


1,123


1,270


1,074


Greeley Town


383


48


Hlazel Green Township, including part of Ryan Town .. Ryan Town (part of).


768


857


784


Honey Creek Township, including part of Edgewood Town


994


1,152


874


Edgewood Town (part of) .


258


225


Milo Township


715


731


657


North Fork Township


753


908


817


Oneida Township, including Earlville Town Earlville Town


552


618


569


Prairie Township


588


592


588


Richland Township


826


873


787


South Fork Township, including Hopkinton Town.


1,653


1,762


1,703


Hopkinton Town


797


767


668


I'mion Township


577


648


611


Total


17,888


19,185


17,349


AN INTERESTING COMPARISON


The first tax assessed in Delaware County was in 1842, and the first assess- ment roll, still preserved in the archives of the county, is an interesting historieal document. as it not only shows the amount of taxes paid but indieates with tolerable accuraey the number and names of the actual settlers in Delaware County at that time. On the roll appear about one hundred and ten names, and the amount of taxes eolleeted for the year was about one hundred and eighty dollars. Compare that amount of money with the following table of figures and get a clear view of the wonderful growth in wealth of the county in a eompara- tively few years.


-TOTAL NO.


TOWNSHIPS


11ORSES


MULES


IIOGS


CATTLE


Adams


907


25


6,175


2,909


Bremen


806


8


4,655


2,110


Coffins Grove


864


3


5,857


2,203


Colony


924


27


9,684


2,261


Delaware


810


. .


6,532


2,654


Delhi


738


15


5,980


2,642


Ward 1


1,104


Ward 3


141


.. .


1,554


1,564


1,673


184


HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY


-TOTAL NO.


TOWNSHIPS


IIORSES


MULES


HOGS


CATTLE


Elk


877


6


7,080


3,001


Honey Creek


857


6


6,835


3,016


Hazel Green


1,049


6


8,104


4,867


Milo


797


21


5,482


2.395


North Fork


525


10


8,942


2,088


Oneida


772


2


6,605


2,116


Prairie


946


31


6,177


3,005


Richland


881


15


5,575


2,476


South Fork


1,036


25


8,037


3,246


Union


636


8


4,157


1,977


Oneida Corporation


43


2


411


227


Greeley Corporation


29


233


58


Ryan Corporation


124


3


1,090


428


Masonville Corporation


55


319


126


13,676


213


107,930


43,811


WOOL


NO. DOZEN


TOWNSHIPS


SHEEP


CLIPS


POULTRY


EGGS


Adams


485


1,579


20,820


75,105


Bremen


448


4,069


22,995


246,270


Coffins Grove


220


1,630


24,430


50,935


Colony


384


2,200


21,842


47,330


Delaware


182


1,087


13,260


45.598


Delhi


427


2,750


28,214


82,200


Elk


391


1,974


20.515


56,900


Honey Creek


152


461


18,446


63.611


IIazel Green


502


4,409


32,006


80,515


Milo


23


125


25,811


52,958


North Fork


246


1.485


31.754


70,410


Oneida


85


96


16,889


40,016


Prairie


698


3,372


23.835


45,261


Richland


125


595


26,040


67,264


South Fork


124


1,025


24,371


134.130


Union


363


3,707


27,792


66,780


Oneida Corporation


1,307


1,650


Greeley Corporation


685


1,150


Ryan Corporation


82


336


2,477


7.426


Masonville Corporation


115


468


1,845


9,600


5,052


33.242


385,334


1,245,109


.


The above tabulation shows the number of all kinds of live stock on the farms and in the villages in Delaware County, at the end of the fiscal year 1914. In that year the aereage of green corn gathered for canning was 1,145; pop eorn, 81 ; total yield of timothy seed from 3,480 acres was 14,659 bushels; elover seed, from 547 acres, 631 bushels; the total acreage in pasture was 114,507; total


185


IIISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY


acreage in gardens, 363; total acreage in orchards, 526; total number of bushels harvested in 1913, 2,981; total acreage in waste land, not utilized, 2.025. The number of silos was 191, and the average of wages per month paid for farm labor was $29.44 during the summer months; during the winter months, $24.66.


The taxable valuation of real and personal property in the towns and town- ships of Delaware county follows: Manchester, taxable value of land, $126,461; railroad property. $37.496: town lots, $352,910; personal property, $102,217; money and eredits, $631,472; total, $1,251,556. Malvin, land, $39,650; personal property. $2.336: total. $42.886. Oak Grove, land, $36,810; personal property, $2.719: moneys and credits, $8,000; total, $47,529. Pleasant Grove, land, $44,520: personal property, $4.510; total, $49,030. Ridgeville, land, $32,610; personal property, $2.361; moneys and credits, $1.600; total, $36,571. Spring Vale, land. $33,940; personal property, $2,654; total, $36,594. Earlville, land, $61,802; railroad property, $23.445; town lots, $51,898; personal property, $29,035; moneys and eredits, $183,328; total. $349,508. Delhi, land, $53,908; railroad property. $33,530: town lots. $26,180; personal property, $18,457: moneys and credits, $132,394; total. $264,469. Delhi Township, land, $271,640; railroad property. $30.831 ; personal property. $32,408: total, $334,879; moneys and eredits. $49,500. Greeley, land. $53,828: railroads, $18.113; lots, $30,569; personalty, $20,750: moneys and credits, $94,872; total, $218,132. Fountain Spring, land, $33,245; personalty. $4,376; money and credits, $6,800; total, $44.421. Sunny Side, land. $27,371; personalty, $2,949; money and credits, $6,300; total, $36,620. Butterfield, land, $65,258; personalty, $6,823; money and credits, $178.70; total, $72.259.70. Campton, land, $31,557; railroads, $10.775; personalty, $3,921; money and credits, $4,200; total, $50,453. Forest- ville, land. $36,107 ; personalty, $4,310; lots, $155: money and credits, $8,000; total. $48,572. Union Township, land, $261,554; railroads, $15,570; personalty, $24,237 ; moneys and credits. $22.400: total. $323,961. Bremen Township, land, $461.026 : railroads. $88.947 ; personalty. $38,124; moneys and credits, $112,600; total, $700,697. Oneida Township, land, $245,013 ; railroads, $69,588 ; personalty, $25,824; lots. $3,741 ; money and eredits, $15,021; total, $358,206. Oneida Cor- poration, land, $15,686; railroads, $24,835; lots. $7,457; personalty. $6,690; money and credits, $9,700; total, $64,368. Delaware Township, land, $268,076; railroads, $58,653; personalty, $27,090: money and credits, $32,197; total, $385,- 016. Town of Delaware, land, $43,277; railroads, $36,008; lots, $11,392: per- sonalty, $6,877; total, $97.554. Sheldon, land. $49,105; personalty, $4,022; money and credits. $4.700: total, $57,827. Dyersville, land, $5,983; railroad. $7,790: lots, $2,427; personalty. $911 : total, $17,111. Pleasant Valley, land, $29.125; personalty, $2,135; money and credits. $5.000; total, $37,260. Pleasant Hill. land. $27,421 ; railroads, $12.316; personalty. $2,914; money and eredits, $1.000; total, $43.651. Harris, land, $46,263; railroads, $16,572; personalty, $4.126; money and credits, $3,500; total, $70,471. Dundee, land, $61.493; rail- roads, $25,824; lots, $9,212; personalty. $12,413; money and credits, $17,500; total. $36,442. Hopkinton, land, $31,616: railroads, $16,264; lots, $98,323; personalty. $36,747 ; money and credits, $156,902: total, $339.852. Ryan, land, $80,581 ; railroad, $10,310; lots, $21,844; personalty, $27,409 ; money and eredits, $55,320; total. $195,444. Ifazel Green, land, $368,005: railroads, $16,114 ; per- sonalty. $38,388; lots. $1,053: money and credits. $100,550; total, $524,110.


186


HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY


Oak Grove, land, $36,810; personalty, $2,719; money and eredits, $8,000; total, $47,529. Montieello, land, $23,483; personalty, $1,013; railroads, $9,095; total, $32,591. South Fork Township, land, $372,977; railroads, $67,445; personalty, $46,194; lots. $1,982; money and eredits. $72,900 ; total, $561,498. Adams Town- ship, land, $348,941 ; railroads, $42,439 ; personalty, $40,544; lots, $3,010; money and eredits, $78,100; total, $513,434. North Fork Township, land, $332,543; rail- roads, $9,095; personalty, $39.428; lots, $69; money and credits, $36,600; total, $417,645. Fairplay, land, $27,582 ; personalty, $2,376; money and credits, $1.900; total, $31,858. Milo Township, land, $314,021 ; railroads, $45,898; personalty, $34,848; money and credits, $30,500; totals, $425,267. Prairie Township, land, $402.110; personalty, $39,027; money and eredits. $20,800; total, $461,937. White Oak Grove, land, $24,428; personalty, $3,185; money and credits, $12,500; total, $40,113. Colony Township, land, $286,579; personalty, $24,237; money and credits, $99,800; total, $410,612. Honey Creek Township, land, $369,593; railroads, $40,481 ; lots, $2,324; personalty, $28,950 ; money and eredits, $13,450; total. $464,798. Colesburg. land, $31,661; lots, $21.265 ; personalty, $15,772; money and credits, $62,113; total, $110,801. Edgewood, land. $18,795; railroads, $5,010; lots, $18,731 ; personalty, $3,148; money and eredits, $53,700; total, $99,384. Masonville, land, $21,046; railroads. $11.685; lots, $16,447 ; per- sonalty, $12,006; money and credits, $3.650; total, $64,834. Coffins Grove Town- ship, land. $319,055; railroad, $34,825; personalty, $30.127 ; money and credits, $45,228; total, $429,235.


The foregoing jumble of names and figures makes a grand total of taxes on property of $8,222,142; on money and credits, $2,211,966.


PRAIRIE CHICKEN HUNT


In the early settlement of Delaware County, prairie chickens were very mimerous-so numerous that in many instances they made great inroads on the cornfields. The hunting of these birds furnished rare sport to the hunters and trappers. On Angust 1. 1864, the sportsmen of Manchester and vicinity inaugurated a hunting contest, which continued to be an annual occurrence for several years. The following description is taken from a copy of the Delaware County Union, issued August 17, 1866:


"The third annual chicken hunt came off on Friday, August 10th, with the following contestants :


1. J. C. Hadley


1. Iliram Iloyt


2. N. Denton


2. II. M. Congar


3. Charles Paxson


3. Ray B. Griffin


4. Charles C. Lewis


4. S. G. Van Anda


5. II. L. Bates


5. 1. U. Butler


6. Thomas Dodson


6. J. A. Wheeler


7. Frank Bethell


8. B. W. Ellsberry


7. 11. Houghton 8. J. W. Myers


9. 3. M. Watson


9. A. W. Randall


10. C. B. Eaton


10. II. W. Cotton


11. J. L. Noble


11. G. W. Ward


12. W. J. Doolittle


12. L. F. Robinson


187


HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY


-


13. William N. Boynton


13. E. W. Peek


14. J. G. Strong


14. Charles Hoyt


15. A. J. Carter


15. George Hoffman


16. F. A. Lowell


16. J. A. Stevens


17. Charles Burnside


17. N. G. Trenehard


18. L. MeCarty


18. Willie Sherwin


19. Charles Trenehard


19. E. B. Smith


20. John J. Daly


20. S. M. Jackson


21. James Provan


21. George E. Toogood


22. N. T. Hale


22. James Green


"About 5 o'clock the two sides started out and were to report at Baker's (Coffins Grove) at 11 o'eloek. When the hour arrived it was a hurried time, for any one late was to furnish a chieken for each minute behind time. In spite of whip and panting steed, some half dozen of Hadley's side were tardy and forfeited fourteen chickens. When the connt was eompleted it was found the two sides were nearly equal, after dedueting the forfeitures. Five hundred and ten chiekens was the result of the forenoon's hunt. The ladies of Manchester were on hand with everything necessary for a picnic dinner and soon the air beeame fragrant with the odor of chickens undergoing preparations. Each hunter was to furnish two chickens for the dinner and


could retain the remainder for his own use. Mr. Baker had provided stoves on which to cook the chickens, long tables were set up and at 1 o'clock the assemblage, consisting of 200 people, sat down to a repast that epieures might envy. The chickens were cooked to a turn and all enjoyed the meal. After dinner the Manchester Cornet Band diseoursed sweet mnsie and speeches were made by Hon. Thomas S. Wilson and Jesse Clement, of Dubuque. After three hearty cheers were given to Mr. Baker for his cordial hospitality and the hour for resuming the hunt having arrived, the sportsmen started off. for their afternoon's chase. At the tap of the drum off they scampered at full speed. The hour for reporting at the Clarence House was to be at half past 8 and all the hunters were on time. The count resulted as follows: J. C. IFadley's side, 483; [Firam Hoyt's, 418; total, 901. The total number of slain chickens was 916. Mr. Hoyt and James Green were siek and did not hunt. After the result was announced all sat down to a most excellent supper at the Clarence House."


Some of the annual hunts ended with a dance at Hulbert's Hall. In an account of the hunt of 1864, the two highest individual seores were made by Tom Hunt. 103, and II. M. Congar, 96. Owing to the extreme wet weather of 1868, when most of the young chiekens were killed, the festival was omitted, and in 1870 the annual meet was in the nature of a harvest home, held at Coffins Grove.


THE HARVEST HOME


After prairie ehiekens, wild turkeys, deer, bear and small game beeame searee, the huntsman lost his ealling and sports of the field are now of a desul- tory character. No large gatherings for the purpose of testing marksmanship


188


HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY


upon wild game of the woods, prairie or air have been feasible for the last two or three generations and when this condition first was realized the harvest home, or annual earnival, was devised that the families of a certain community might assemble, after the heavy summer work had been completed and the small grain garnered, and in happy abandon, feast both body and soul on the good things vouehsafed them by a beneficent Creator. As early as 1872, one of the first "harvest homes" was held at Bailey's Ford, in a grove just west of the Maquoketa, upon which occasion, it is said, 3,000 people were on hand to hear speeches of the county's leading men, disport themselves in games of an innocent and pleasurable character, diseuss voeal and instrumental music, and also partake of delicious viands, prepared as only the deft and generous Delaware County matrons knew how to devise and serve. Like many another pioneer society, the harvest home pienie is now a thing of the past.


CHAPTER XVI


DELAWARE COUNTY IN THE EARLY DAYS


The author of the following interesting article, Jacob Platt, was born in Pennsylvania in 1840, and when two years of age was brought by his parents, John and Martha (Gettis) Platt, to Delaware County, who settled in the Dick- son Settlement, Colony Township, in 1843. Mr. Platt was raised in the settle- ment, attended school there and experienced the joys and vicissitudes peculiar to a new country. His relations of the early days are intensely interesting ; and the incidents described give so vivid a local color to the article as to make it valuable to a work of this description.


At the request of my friends I will endeavor to commit to paper my earliest recollections of the conditions of the life of the pioneers of Delaware County, their hardships, the difficulties under which they labored and incidents thereto. My father settled on Section 14. Colony Township, Delaware County, April 2, 1843. At that time the writer was two years old. I have continued my residence in the county to the present time-November 1, 1907, with the ex- ception of three years' service in the army of my country during the great rebellion. The lands were surveyed and open for settlement, the Indian title being extinguished soon after the close of the Black Hawk war. /Any person could enter as much or as little land as they wanted by paying the Government priee of $1.25 per aere. Many persons came and after looking over the broad prairies, covered with grass and wild flowers, returned to their homes in the East. rather than endure the hardships incident to pioneer life in Iowa. The first settlements were made along the streams and brooks, where there were springs of water. Timber grew along the water courses and the settler must have both wood and water for his convenience; the timber was used both for fuel and to fenee his land. This was the reason the early settler took up the poorer quality of land, instead of the rich, rolling prairie that was spread out before him. Then it was easier to burn the brush and clear an acre of land, after the rails were made on that aere, than it was to haul the rails to the prairie to be used for fence. There were no roads, no bridges; our teams were oxen, so that travel was very slow, and it took a full load for one yoke of oxen to make one rod of fence; consequently, it was the cheapest and best way to fence the land that you made the rails on. This was not ignorance on the part of the settler : it was economy.


A young man came from the East to look up a situation and, while looking over the land in and near our settlement, he was taken sick with a fever, became delirious, and in his delirium he kept saying repeatedly, "wood and water is the main thing." This idea was the main question in the location of a farm at that time.


189


190


HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY


SAYS BENNETT WAS NOT FIRST SETTLER


There has been some inquiry as to who was the first settler in the county, some elaiming it was a man by the name of Bennett, at Eads Grove, about three miles west of Greeley. He was not a settler, for he only remained there through the winter of 1835-6. He was a hunter and trapper and did not make any improvement as a settler.


In the year 1834 Henry Teegardner, a Frenchman, settled and made an improvement, clearing about four acres of land on the southwest quarter of seetion 13, Colony Township, Delaware County. He lived there two years, during which time he traded with the Indians. He was also a hunter and sold his furs and venison, bear meat and wild honey to the miners at Dubuque and Galena. . He moved from there on to the north fork of the Maquoketa, near where the Town of New Vienna now stands. He was afterwards killed by the Indians near Fort Crawford, Wisconsin. His family escaped and two of his children visited the settlement some years later and told the sad story of the death of their father. The foundation logs of his cabin did not burn, but remained there on the ground for a number of years. The land he had eulti- vated grew up to blackberry and plum bushes and that was the condition it was in when I remember of seeing it first.


The early settlers of Delaware County were gathered in groups. Where one man started an improvement, then the next man who came along sat down by the side of him. These groups of families were called colonies, or settle- ments ; hence, we have Colony Township in this county. David Moreland, Van Sicle and Wiltse settled near the Town of Colesburg and it was ealled the Colony, the postoffice bearing that name for many years.


DICKSON SETTLEMENT


The place where I grew to manhood was ealled Dickson Settlement. Missouri Diekson made his first improvement there in the year 1838, coming in the autumn of 1837. He eut the wild grass and protected it with logs and brush that he might have it to feed his oxen the next spring. He also prepared the material for his cabin by entting the logs and making the elapboards to eover it. Dela- ware County at this time was a veritable wilderness, untouched by the hand of civilization. The Indians roamed unmolested over its broad prairies and hunted wild game in its forests, where bear, deer, elk and antelope flourished and fattened for the nntutored savage that inhabited its boundaries.


FIRST ROADS


Our first roads were established along the Indian trails, that had been chosen by the redmen as being the most feasible route between given points, for Indians travel in single file. These trails were what we termed paths and were used also by the settlers; some of them were cut wider and roads established upon them. Some of the roads in the northern part of the county being thus estab- lished remain upon the same trails today.


191


HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY


INDIANS NOT TROUBLESOME TO SETTLERS


The Indians were not troublesome. Quite a number of small bands visited our settlement until they were moved by the Government to their reservation in Minnesota, at St. Paul, that being the Indian agency, established at the head of navigation on the Mississippi. There were but few depredations committed by the Indians. The different tribes, Sae and Foxes, Musquakees and Winne- bagoes, had become greatly redueed in numbers by the Black Hawk war and had combined against their stronger enemies, the great Sioux, so that they were masters of the situation so far as Indian warfare was concerned. These weaker tribes courted the friendship of the white men as against their powerful enemy, the Sioux, and this is the reason settlers along the Mississippi were not disturbed. If we had had the Sioux nation to contend with we would have been driven from our homes or massacred, as were the settlers at Spirit Lake as late as 1857, or those at New Ulm, Minnesota, in 1862. for which crimes the Government hanged, at Mankato, at one time, thirty-eight Indians. The Government, in order to establish peace among those warlike tribes, established a strip two miles wide, reaching from the Mississippi River and opposite Prairie du Chien to the mouth of the Coon River, where Des Moines now stands. This was ealled the "Neutral Ground." The Sioux were to occupy the territory on the west and north and the other mentioned tribes were to occupy the east side of this strip of land. This agreement being lived up to by the Indians, it ended the warfare then existing between them. The first map of Iowa, published in 1841, shows this strip of "Neutral Ground." This map also shows only eight towns in Iowa Territory. A few cattle were killed by the Indians near Greeley. A horse was stolen from our settlement and a saddle from James Rutherford, but the Indians were overtaken in their flight and abandoned the horse and eluded the pursuers in the Turkey Timber.




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