USA > Iowa > Dickinson County > History of Dickinson County, Iowa, together with an account of the Spirit Lake massacre, and the Indian troubles on the northwestern frontier > Part 4
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The foregoing accounts embody all that is known of the early explorations of the lake region. The fact that this region was the favorite resort of the Wahpekutah branch of the Yankton- Sioux has already been referred to. In the early days it was a well understood fact that the Indians regarded Spirit Lake with a kind of superstitious, reverential awe. The Indian name, "Minnie Waukon," signifying Spirit Water, is proof of this if there were no other, and the early trap-
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DICKINSON COUNTY - IOWA
pers and adventurers agree in ascribing to them a be- lief in various legends and traditions to the effect that the lake was under the guardian watch care of a "Great Spirit," that its waters were continually troubled and that no Indian ever ventured to cross it in his canoe. That some be- lief of this kind existed is certain; to what extent is un- known. It may be regarded as a singular circumstance, but it is a fact, nevertheless, that no Indian canoe was ever found by the early settlers in the vicinity of the lakes. The veil of mys- tery, the shadow of uncertainty, the tinge of the supernatural, which rested on this enchanted region, early excited the interest and attracted the attention of the restless and hardy pioneers, who were thereby induced to strike out far beyond the confines of civilization and make homes for themselves and their pos- terity in this land of romance and this region of mystery.
ONLY HOUSE LEFT OF THE MASSACRE IN 1857
(From an old photograph.)
THE GARDNER CABIN.
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FIRST SETTLEMENT
On the 16th of July, 1856, Rowland Gardner, from Cerro Gordo County, in this state, and his son-in-law, Harvey Luce, came in and made claims and erected cabins adjacent to what was then known as the Gardner Grove. The Gardner house is still standing. It was occupied for several years by Rev. Samuel Pillsbury, and is now occupied, during the summer season, by Mrs. Abbie Gardner Sharp. James Mattock and his family, with several others from Delaware County, in this state, settled in the grove south of the Okoboji bridge, which was then known as Mattock's Grove, taking its name from Es- quire Mattock, one of the principal and most influential men in the settlement. About the same time a party came in from Red Wing, Minnesota, consisting of William Granger, Carl Granger, Bert Snyder and Doctor Harriott, and located on the point on the north side of the Okoboji bridge. Their cabins stood upon what is now the right of way of the Chicago, Mil- waukee & St. Paul Railroad, about half way between the lake shore and the depot. The Grangers claimed the point and the land along East Okoboji Lake; Harriott, the Maple Grove on West Okoboji Lake, and Snyder, Center Grove. Center Grove was known as Snyder's Grove for some time after the settlement subsequent to the massacre. Mr. Joseph M. That- cher, from Hampton, Franklin County, but formerly from Howard County, Indiana, about this time settled at the north end of what is now called Tusculum Grove. His cabin for- merly stood a little north of the present residence of HI. D. Arthur. At the same time Joel Howe settled at the south end of the grove, near the present residence of Mr. Ladu. In September a Mr. Marble, from Linn County, this state, settled upon the west bank of Spirit Lake in the grove now owned by J. S. Polk. This grove was for years known as Marble Grove. These comprise all of the settlements made prior to 1857.
In order to avoid confusion a recapitulation may be desirable.
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DICKINSON COUNTY . IOWA
First. The party consisting of Granger brothers, Harriott and Snyder resided north of the straits, where the Okoboji bridge now stands. The track of the Milwaukee Railroad runs through the site of their cabin. They were all young men without families except William Granger, and his family was not here. There was also stopping with them temporarily at the time of the massacre a young man by the name of Joseph Harshman.
Second. The family of Mr. Mattock, consisting of himself, wife and five children, resided at the south end of the Okoboji bridge. There were also residing with him a Mr. Mattison, who had taken a claim upon the west side of Okoboji Lake, on what was for a long time known as Madison Grove. The family of Mr. Madison remained in Delaware County during the winter, expecting to join him in the spring.
Third. The family of Mr. Gardner, consisting of himself, wife and four children (the oldest being the wife of Mr. Luce), and Mr. Luce, his wife and two children, resided in what was Jong known as the Gardner house, now occupied by Mrs. Sharp. There was also stopping temporarily with Mr. Gardner a young man from Waterloo by the name of Clark, also a young man by the name of Wilson, who afterwards became the husband of Eliza Gardner.
Fourth. The family of Joel Howe, consisting of himself, wife and seven children (the oldest being the wife of Mr. Noble), resided in a cabin near the present residence of Mr. Ladu, at the south end of Tusculum Grove.
Fifth. The family of J. M. Thatcher, consisting of himself. wife and one child; and the family of Mr. Noble, consisting of himself and wife and one child, resided in a cabin at the north end of Tusculum Grove, on the place now owned by HI. D. Arthur. There was also boarding with Mr. Thatcher a
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NEIGHBORING SETTLEMENTS
trapper by the name of Morris Markham, a Mr. Ryan, who was a brother-in-law of Mr. Noble; and a brother-in-law of Mr. Thatcher by the name of Burtch.
Sixth. The family of Mr. Marble, consisting of himself and wife, resided in a cabin located in the grove on the ridge between Spirit Lake and Marble Lake.
From the above it will be seen that over forty persons, nich, women and children, were dispersed in the various localities adjacent to the lakes. It has been deemed advisable to be thus particular in pointing out the location of the different families and the number of persons connected with each, from the fact that the massacre in the spring of 1857 is the one important event in the early history of this county, and the one about which travelers and strangers make the most inquiries; and at the same time, the one about which they get the least reliable information.
It may assist our understanding of affairs at the lakes by knowing something of surrounding settlements. The same vear that the first settlement was attempted here, namely, in 1856, some six or eight families had settled on the Des Moines River in Jackson County, near where the town of Jackson now stands. They called their settlement Springfield. It was about fourteen miles from Marble's, and about twenty miles from the balance of the lake settlements. In Emmet County George Granger had built a good sized cabin four miles above where Estherville now stands, and there was a small cabin between his place and the river occupied by a couple of trap- pers. There were also two or three cabins in the neighborhood of High Lake, There was no settlement at Estherville until 1857. There was a small settlement eighteen miles east of Esther- ville, at Chain Lakes, known as "Tuttle's Grove." In the same year (1856) an Irish colony came from Kane County, Illinois, and settled on the Des Moines River in Palo Alto
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County. Between there and Fort Dodge there were cabins along the river from two to five miles apart occupied by set- tlers and trappers. To the south of the lakes the first settle- ment was at Gillett's Grove, about thirty miles distant, where two brothers by the name of Gillett had brought in a large herd of cattle, which they were wintering there. From Gillett's Grove to Peterson there were some eight or ten families scat- tered along the groves that skirt the river. Waterman, four miles below Peterson, was the only person between there and Cherokee. Below Cherokee there were settlements every few miles to the Missouri. There was no settlement to the north or west. From Cherokee west there was no settlement until the Floyd was reached some ten miles above Sioux City.
CHAPTER IV.
THE PARTY FROM JASPER COUNTY-THEY EN- COUNTER A PART OF INKPADUTAII'S BAND AT LOON LAKE-THE EXPOSED CONDITION OF THE FRON- TIER-NECESSITY FOR PROTECTION-GOVERNOR GRIMES APPEALS TO CONGRESS AND THE PRESI- DENT-HIS APPEAL UNHEEDED-THE TERRIBLE WINTER OF 1856 AND 1857-INKPADUTAHI'S BAND GO SOUTH-THE TROUBLE AT SMITHLAAND-DIF- FERENT VERSIONS- THE INDIANS START UP THE RIVER-TROUBLE AT PETERSON AND IN BUENA VISTA COUNTY-GILLETT'S GROVE-GILLETT'S ACCOUNT AS GIVEN IN THE HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY-SETTLERS SEND TO FORT DODGE FOR ASSISTANCE-DUNCOMBE'S ACCOUNT-THE IN- DIANS ARRIVE AT THE LAKES-THEIR NUMBER- ACCOUNTS DIFFER.
N THE month of November. 1856, a party from Jasper County, in this state, consisting of O. C. Howe, R. U. Wheelock and B. P. Parmenter, under the guidance of a hunter and trapper by the name of Wiltfong, made a visit to the county and were so captivated by the romantic scenery, lovely climate and abundance of game that they do- cided to return the coming spring for the purpose of perma- nent settlement. They spent some time in the vicinity of the lakes and returned to their homes just in time to avoid the ter- rific storms with which the winter of 1856 and 1857 set in. It is to them and to Mrs. Abbie Gardner Sharp that we are in- debted for what little we know of the condition of affairs in the vicinity of the lakes previous to the massacre. At the time
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DICKINSON COUNTY ยท IOWA
they were here, in November, Inkpadutah and a part of his fol- lowers were camped at the southern extremity of Black Loon Lake, in Jackson County, Minnesota. As near as could be ascertained at the time, the band consisted of not less than fifteen nor more than twenty warriors, with their squaws and papooses and the usual appurtenances of an Indian camp. This band has been pretty thoroughly described and their relations to the settlers can now be pretty well understood. They were known as a thieving, pilfering band of tramps and outlaws, hovering along the border dividing the whites from the Indians. They acknowledged the authority of neither. In their contact with civilization they had imbibed the evil and rejected the good. They possessed the vices of both races and the virtues of neither. It will require no stretch of the imagination to understand the feelings of bitterness, hatred and revenge on the one side, and that of distrust, apprehension and fear on the other, existing between the Indians and the settlers along the border. Under the circumstances it would be perfectly natural for the settlers to look to the general government for protection and defense. Other Indians besides Inkpadutah's band occa- sionally made excursions along the frontier, but they were without exception on friendly terms with the settlers.
Repeated appeals were made to the United States authori- ties, both before and after the massacre, for more adequate protection to the Iowa frontier. Governor Grimes, during his administration (1854-1858), addressed several urgent appeals to our senators and representatives in Congress setting forth the exposed and helpless condition of the border settlements. As early as January 3, 1855, he sent them a lengthy communi- cation in which, among other things, he says: "I have taken the responsibility to appoint Major Williams, of Fort Dodge, a kind of executive agent to act for me in protecting both the settlers and the Indians, and particularly to preserve the peace.
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GOV. GRIMES ASKS FOR FRONTIER PROTECTION
I had no legal authority to make such appointment, but as there was no government agent in that section of the country, and as I was so remote from the scene of trouble and felt that there should be some one in the vicinity who would act pru- dently and who could aet efficiently, I knew no better course than to appoint him as I have indicated." The letter eloses as follows: "I trust, gentlemen, you will stimulate the depart- ment at Washington to take immediate steps to remedy the evil complained of. We have just cause for complaint. The goverment has undertaken to protect our frontiers from the Indians with the assurance that this stipulation would be ful- filled. That frontier is filled with peaceful citizens, but the Indians are suffered to come among them, destroying their ' property and jeopardizing their lives. I hope no time will be lost in allaying the apprehensions that exist in some parts of the state on this account. I am, gentlemen, very truly your obedient servant, JAMES W. GRIMES.
"To Hon. A. C. Dodge, Hon. George W. Jones, Hon. J. P. Cook and Hon. B. Henn, Delegation in Congress from Towa. Washington, D. C."
No response whatever was made to this appeal.
Nearly a year later he made another attempt, this time ad- dressing the President. The letter closes as follows: "A year ago the General Assembly of this state unanimously asked for the establishment of a military post on the Sioux River near the northwest corner of the state. I concur entirely in the pro- priety of that measure. I have no doubt that two companies of dragoons or cavalry stationed there would effectually pre- vent the incursions of the Indians and give quiet to the whole of northwestern Iowa. Without such a post they may be re- moved, but it does not occur to me how they may be perma- nently kept out. I am, very truly with great respect, Your obedient servant, JAMES W. GRIMES.
"Hon. Franklin Pieree, President of the United States."
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This letter was sent something more than a year previous to the massacre and shared the same fate as the former one.
Hon. Charles Aldrich, in the Annals of Iowa, commenting on the stupidity and stubbornness of the general government in withholding the necessary protection to the frontier, says : "Governor James W. Grimes wrote letters to our United States senators and to the authorities at Washington some time be- fore the outbreak of hostilities, asking that the general govern- ment take immediate steps for the protection of our exposed frontiers. Little or no attention was paid to his reiterated re- quests, and so when the Indians resorted to hostilities our Iowa border was wholly without protection. * * Had the earn- est appeals of Governor Grimes been heeded. the Spirit Lake Massacre would not have occurred. What makes. this neglect appear more stupidly and wickedly ernel was the fact that in those days the catching of a runaway negro under the infam- ons 'Fugitive Slave Law' was rife in the land, and detach- ments of the Federal army or vessels of the United States navy could be readily secured to return a slave to his master."
The winter of 1856 and 1857 is one long to be remembered by the early settlers of Iowa as the most severe one in the annals of its history. The first heavy storm occurred carly in December, when snow fell to the depth of nearly two feet. This was followed by others in quick succession, until by the first of February the snow had reached a depth of four feet. These storms were accompanied with high winds and were of the most fearful and violent character. Nothing ap- proaching then in intensity has been experienced in the state of Towa since. The settlers at the lakes were but illy prepared for such a winter as this. We must remember that there was not a foot of lumber to be had within a hundred miles and all of the flour and provisions used had to be hauled twice that distance. The cabins of the settlers were unfurnished. They
1
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THE HARD WINTER
were without floors and had heavy puncheon doors hung upon wooden hinges. But few of the settlers had been able to get in a sufficient supply of provisions when the first storms came, and only succeeded in reaching home on snow shoes, dragging what little they could on hand sleds or sledges made for the occasion. The sufferings and privations endured at that time may be imagined, but they cannot be described.
Inkpadutah and his band left their camp at Loon Lake some time in December and went south down the Little Sionx as far as Smithland. Two other parties of Indians were known to have been hovering along the frontier at this time. One, a small party of agency Indians, pitched their camp in the neighborhood of Springfield, now Jackson, Minnesota. An- other party, under Ishtahaba, or Sleepy Eye, camped at Big Island Grove. There is no record that Inkpadutah's band had any trouble with the settlers on their way down the river. Whether they went by way of the settlements or not, is not known. There is no account of their being seen by the settlers here at all on their way down the river, and it is more than probable that they went from the head of Spirit Lake down the divide to Lost Island Lake. Up to this time they were supposed to be friendly, that is, as friendly as usual. They were never cordial; always sullen and suspicious. The settlers at Smithland knew but little, if anything, of the previous trou- bles of this band of Indians with the settlers of the older locali- ties, and they had no apprehensions of any serious difficulty. Various versions are given of the outbreak at this place. The one most generally accepted at the time was something as fol- lows: Large numbers of elk had been driven in from the prairie by the deep snows and terrific storms. These the In- dians surrounded and slaughtered in large numbers. This created excitement and indignation among the settlers, and some of them conceived the idea of driving the Indians away. To
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DICKINSON COUNTY - IOWA
accomplish this they got up a drunken frolic and invited the Indians in. They represented themselves as soldiers sent ont by General Harney to drive them out of the country. At that time the operations of General Harney at Ash Hollow and other places had made his name a perfect terror to the Sioux, and they became very much alarmed and excited, so much so that they started at once on their return, leaving a portion of their guns and equipage in the hands of the supposed soldiers. When this transaction became known, the more level-headed citizens denounced it and did what they could to counteract what they feared would be the result. They gathered up the guns and other property which the Indians had left behind and sent them forward to them, and did what else they could to appease their indignation, but as will soon appear, however, all to no purpose.
Mrs. Sharp says: "It seems that one day, while the Indians were in pursuit of elk, they had some difficulty with the set- tlers. The Indians claimed that the whites intercepted the chase. There is also a report that an Indian was bitten by a dog belonging to one of the settlers, that the Indian killed the dog and that the man gave the Indian a severe beating. It is also said that the settlers whipped off a company of squaws who were carrying off hay and corn to feed their ponies. The Indians becoming more and more insolent, the settlers in self- protection went to the camp and disarmed them, intending to return their guns the next day and escort them out of the coun- try. But the next morning not a "red-skin" was to be seen. They had folded their tents like the Arabs, and as silently stolen away."
Judge Fulton says: "One day while a party of them (the Indians) were in pursuit of an elk in the vicinity of Smithland, they had a difficulty with some white settlers. It is difficult to state with certainty the nature of the trouble, as different
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INKPADUTAH'S BAND AT SMITHLAND
and conflicting accounts of it have been given. The Indians, however, claimed that their pursuit of the elk was intercepted by the whites, who forced them to give up their arms and availed themselves of the use of their guns in the pursuit of the game. This aroused the indignation of the Indians and they demanded provisions of the settlers. They continued en- camped in the vicinity of Smithland for several days, during which time the whites became more and more annoyed by their presence. Finally the settlers resorted to strategy to get rid of them. At that time the name of General Harney was a terror to the Indians of the Northwest, owing to a recent severe chastisement some of them had received at his hands. One of the settlers donning the old uniform of an army officer made his appearance on the opposite side of the Little Sioux from the Indian encampment, while some of the other whites pointed him out to the Indians as General Harney and told them he was in pursuit of them. This ruse had the desired effect and the Indians hastily moved up the river with their savage nature aroused to a desire for revenge." These accounts, while none of them claim to be thoroughly accurate in detail, convey a pretty good general idea of the commencement of the troubles on the Little Sioux between the Indians and settlers. This affair occurred in February, 1857. The Indians after leaving Smithland followed up the Little Sioux River by way of the settlements and com- menced their depredations by taking guns and ammunition from the whites, and as they advanced, the settlements becom- ing sparser, they became more insolent and fearless in their conduct toward the settlers. By the time they reached Clas County their depredations had assumed a most savage and atrocious character.
Their depredations at Peterson are described by Mr. W. C. Gilbraith in his history of Clay County, in the following
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DICKINSON COUNTY - IOWA
language: "The Clay County settlers had heard of the depre- dations they were committing and were thoroughly alarmed for the safety of themselves and their property. When they came to the home of Mr. Bicknell and finding no one there, he with his family having gone to Mr. Kirchner's, across the river, they immediately appropriated everything which met their fancy. The next day they made their appearance at the Kirchner house, where they found the terror stricken settlers huddled together. Without any ceremony they captured all the arms to be found, killed the cattle and took what they wanted. After remaining in the Peterson settlement a day and a night, they pushed on, leaving the whites badly frightened but thankful that they had eseaped with their lives. This band of blood- thirsty Sioux then proceeded to the home of Ambrose Mead, who was absent at the time at Cedar Falls. Previous to leav- ing for this place, he had arranged to have a Mr. Taylor and family remain with Mrs. Mead and children during his stay. When the Indians came, Mr. Taylor protested against their taking the property or disturbing the premises. Becoming angry at Taylor for his interference, they threatened to kill him if he did not keep out of the way. Fearing that they would carry out their threats, Taylor left the women and chil- dren and set ont to secure assistance. The Indians killed the stock, drove off the ponies and carried the women with them. But, fearing they would be pursued and overtaken, they de- cided to allow the women to return after taking such liberties as the helpless women could not prevent. They then directed their steps towards Linn Grove and Sioux Rapids, where they subjected the settlers to the same treatment they had given the Mead and Taylor families."
Mrs. Sharp, in her book, relates the same occurrence, as fol- lows: "After remaining a few days in Cherokee, where they busied themselves with wantonly shooting cattle, hogs and
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TROUBLE AT PETERSON
' fowls and destroying property generally, sometimes severely beating those who resisted, they proceeded up the Little Sioux to the little settlement in Clay County, now called Peterson. Here they tarried two or three days, committing acts of atroc- ity as usual. At the house of A. S. Mead (Mr. Mead being away) they not only killed his cattle and destroyed his prop- erty, but knocked down his wife and carried off to their camp his daughter Hattie (seventeen years old) and started away with a younger sister, Emma, but she resisted so hard and cried so loud that an Indian picked up a stick and whipped her all the way back to the house and left her. At the same house they knocked down Mr. E. Taylor, kicked his boy into the fireplace, burning him so badly that he still carries the scar on his leg, and took his wife off to their camp, but as yet they had com- mitted no murder. After one night in an Indian camp, Mrs. Taylor and Hattie Mead were permitted to return home." From Peterson they passed on up to Sioux Rapids, where simi- lar scenes were enacted and similar outrages perpetrated. They killed the stock and destroyed everything capable of being de stroved. It was at the home of Abner Bell that their atrocities assumed the most fiendish aspect. From Sioux Rapids they went up to Gillett's Grove. The Gilletts were two brothers who had moved in late in the summer, bringing with them about a hundred head of cattle, intending to go largely into the stock business. The Indians made more general destruction here than they had hitherto done. They killed every live animal on the place, took all of their bedding, clothing and provisions, and destroyed everything they could not take away. They even ent a new wagon to pieces to get the bolts.
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