USA > Iowa > Floyd County > History of Floyd County, Iowa : together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 9
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canoe; and a demon, or manitou, that buried in the boiling waters all who ventured upon them. Marquette simply thanked his friends for the warning; but he could not follow their advice, " since the salvation of souls was at stake, for which he would be overjoyed to give his life."
They floated down the rapid Wisconsin seven days, and reached the mighty Mississippi June 17. Entering that majestic current, they " realized a joy that they could not express." Rapidly and easily they swept down to the solitudes below, and viewed on their journey the bold bluffs and beautiful meadows on the western bank of the stream, now revealed for the first time to the eyes of the white man. This was the discovery of Iowa, and on the basis of this and the subsequent explorations of La Salle, all the vast territory of the Mississippi Valley was claimed by France, and so belonged to her until she ceded it to Spain, as part of Louisiana, in 1663.
Marquette and his party discovered an Indian trail on the west- ern shore about a hundred miles below the mouth of the Wiscon- sin, and determined to trace it and form some acquaintance with the tribes of that region. After a walk of several miles, they came in sight of an Indian town, or village. Commending them- selves to God, they made themselves known by a loud cry. Four old men met them and conducted them into the village. They were presented to the council, and Marquette preached to them of Christianity. He also told them that the great captain of the French, the governor of Canada, had humbled the " Five Nations" of the Iroquois and compelled them to peace. This was good news to the Indians, and procured for Marquette's party a hearty wel- come and a plentiful feast. They remained with these hospitable savages six days, and on their departure were presented with the calumet, or pipe of peace, to be hung from Marquette's neck as a safeguard in perils to come.
They then descended the Mississippi again, passed after many days the point where the transparent Mississippi mingles reluc- tantly with the turbid Missouri, the Pekitanoni of the Indians- They passed also the confluence of the Ohio, long called the Wabash, which likewise mingles its bright waters reluctantly with the turbid flood. By the middle of June they were in latitude 33 º north. Remaining here a short time with a friendly tribe in what is now Arkansas, they determined to return, as they had practically accomplished their mission. They began to ascend the
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river; and after several weeks of hard toil against a strong current, and exposed to numerous privations, they reached the mouth of the Illinois. Here they were told by the Indians that the Illinois afforded a much more direct route to the great lakes than that through the Wisconsin. They spent two weeks in ascending the Illinois and Desplaines. Then crossing to the Chicago Creek, they soon entered Lake Michigan.
During the rule of Louisiana by France, no efforts were made to form settlements in the remote country of Iowa. Nor was any- thing done under Spanish rule until 1788, and this was only the individual enterprise of a Frenchman. At this date the greater portion of Iowa was in the possession of the confederated tribes of Sac and Fox Indians. The first occupation under claim of title by a white man, of any portion of Iowa soil, was by Julien Dubuque, a native of Canada, who, in 1788, obtained from Blondeau and two other chiefs of the Fox Indians, what he asserted was a grant of lands. He bounded his claim as seven leagues on the west bank of the Mississippi, from the mouth of the Little Maquoketa to the- Tete Des Morts, and three leagues in depth. He also had a quali- fied confirmation of this grant from Carondelet, the Spanish Governor of New Orleans. He married an Indian squaw, and occupied the mines until the time of his death, in 1810, employing about 10 white men in digging mineral. He was buried on the bluff of the Mississippi at the mouth of Catfish Creek, and the city and county of Dubuque were afterward named for him. This claim of Dubuque's was the foundation of a claim to the soil by its heirs, that was long contested in the courts. It was not decided until 1854, when the Supreme Court decided that the grant was no more than a temporary license to dig ore, and constituted no valid claim to the soil.
March 30, 1799, Louis Honore Tesson, also a native of Canada, ob- tained permission from the Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Louisi- ana to establish a trading post at the head of the lower rapids of the Mississippi River, with the concession of a " sufficient space to make the establishment valuable for the commerce of peltries, to watch the Indians, and to keep them in fidelity to his Majesty." He made such a settlement, and it was sold to one of his creditors at sheriff's sale on the 15th of May, 1803, for $150. This claim was afterward allowed to the extent of 640 acres, and Martin Van Buren issued a patent therefor, Feb. 7, 1839. The Supre ne
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Court of the United States in 1852 adjudicated the title valid, and it now constitutes the oldest legal title to any land within the State.
In 1801 the Province of Louisiana was ceded to France by Spain. This cession was at first secret, but as soon as it became known the United States Government began negotiations for the purchase of Louisiana. These negotiations resulted in the sale by France of all her possessions in the Mississippi Valley to the United States, for the sum of $15,000,000. Thus, in 1803, the territory west of the Mississippi, of course including Iowa, became a possession of the rapidly growing power which extends from ocean to ocean, and of which Iowa, once the frontier, is now nearly the center.
By act of Congress approved March 26, 1804, the "Territory of Orleans " (afterward the State of Louisiana) was laid off. It in. cluded all the territory south of latitude 33º north. The remain- der of the province was known and designated as the "District of Louisiana," and was attached to the Territory of Indiana for polit- ical and judicial purposes.
In 1804 the expedition of Lewis and Clarke to the head waters of the Missouri visited the western border of Iowa. They buried one of their number, Sergeant Floyd, on a bluff of the Missouri, near the mouth of the Sioux River. It has ever since been known as Floyd's Bluff. They also held a council of the Indians near the northwest corner of the present county of Pottawatomie, there- after known as Council Bluffs. The name has since been trans- ferred to the county seat of the county, now known as the city of Council Bluffs, the present eastern terminus of the Union Pacific
Railroad. In 1805-'6 Lieut. Pike led an expedition to discover the source of the Mississippi, and also to conciliate the numerous tribes of Indians then inhabiting the country watered by all the western tributaries of the Mississippi. He especially endeav- ored to establish amicable relations with those in the immediate vicinity of the frontier settlements. In his explorations upon the Upper Mississippi, upon the lower tributaries of the Missouri and Arkansas Rivers, Lieut. Pike omitted no opportunity for entering into treaties of friendship and peace with the native tribes through which he passed; thus preparing the way for the subsequent sale and relinquishment of lands in advance of the adventurous pioneer.
In the year 1805 the District of Louisiana was erected into the "Territory of Louisiana," with the first grade of Territorial gov- ernment, administered by a governor and Territorial judges. St. Louis was the seat of government.
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The first governor was Gen. James Wilkinson, who held the office until the close of the year 1806, when he was succeeded by Col. Meriwether Lewis.
In 1812, when the Territory of Orleans became the State of Louisiana, the name of the Territory of Louisiana was changed to "Missouri Territory." Some changes in government were also made. A representative grade of Territorial government was adopted. The first governor was Gen. Wm. Clarke; the first Ter- itorial assembly consisted of a " Legislative Council," composed of nine members, appointed by the president, and a House of Rep- resentatives, elected by the people in the ratio of one to every 500 free white males. The first delegate to Congress was Edward Hempstead.
In 1821 Missouri was admitted as a State, but her territory was limited on the south by 36 ° 30' north, and on the north by 40 ° 30'. The territory to the south, between Missouri and Louisiana, was organized as the "Territory of Arkansas;" but from 1821 to 1834 Iowa may be considered a "political orphan." During this interregnum it is probable that the only civil law in force in Iowa was that provision of the Missouri bill that prohibited slavery and involuntary servitude in the Territories of the United States north of 36 ° 30' north latitude, and the constitutionality, even of this precious remnant of Lex Scripta, was afterward seriously ques- tioned by the Supreme Court of the United States.
The beautiful and fertile prairies and unrivaled plains west of the Upper Mississippi, and north of the Des Moines River, had remained in the occupancy of the native tribes, which had gradu- ally retired west of the great lakes, until they commenced their aggressions against the people of Illinois, under the fierce and vill- dictive Black Hawk, in 1829. After a disastrous war of nearly three years on the northern frontier of the State of Illinois, Black Hawk and his confederates, utterly routed, retired with their des- titute and crest-fallen followers across the Mississippi River, and sought safety and peace in the remote west, within the limits of Iowa. Here the vanquished warriors and their indomitable chief inade overtures for a cessation of hostilities, and negotiations for peace. Sept. 15, 1832, Gen. Winfield Scott concluded a treaty at the present site of the city of Davenport, Iowa, with the confeder- ated tribes of Sac and Fox Indians, by which the Indian title was extinguished to nearly all the land owned or claimed by them. This was a strip of land on the west bank of the Mississippi River,
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the western boundary of which commenced at a point where is now the southeast corner of Davis County; thence to a point on Cedar River, near the northeast corner of Johnson County; thence north- west to the neutral grounds of the Winnebagoes; thence to a point on the Mississippi above Prairie du Chien, and contained about 6,000,000 acres of land. This was subsequently known as the " Black Hawk Purchase." By the terms of this treaty, the Indians might occupy the land until June 1, 1833, but on or before that date must retire to the west.
No sooner had the stipulated period expired than the white pop- ulation began to advance into the ceded territory, which was speedily overrun by pioneers and exploring parties in search of choice lands, desirable sites for towns, and water-power for future locations. From this date immigration was exceedingly rapid and Iowa's progress uninterrupted.
INDIANS OF IOWA.
Having traced the early history of the great empire lying west of the Mississippi, from which the State of Iowa has been formed, it becomes necessary to give some history of the Indians of Iowa.
The acknowledged principle of the European nations in making their settlements in America, was that possession perfected title to any territory. We have seen that the country west of the Mississippi was first discovered by the Spaniards, but was after- ward visited and occupied by the French. It was ceded by France to Spain, and by Spain back to France again, and was then pur- chased and occupied by the United States. During all that time it does not appear to have entered the heads or hearts of the high contracting parties, except perhaps the United States, that the country they bought, sold and gave away was in the possession of a race of men who, although savage, owned the vast domain be- fore Columbus first crossed the Atlantic. Having purchased the territory, the United States found it still in the possession of its original owners, who had never been dispossessed, and it became necessary to purchase again what had already been bought, or to forcibly eject the occupant. The United States has generally adopted the former wise and successful policy; and the history, therefore, of the Indian nations who occupied Iowa prior to and during its early settlement by the whites, becomes an important chapter in the history of the State that cannot be omitted.
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Strange to say, for more than 100 years after Marquette and Joliet trod the virgin soil of Iowa, and admired its fertile plains, not a single settlement had been made or attempted; not even a trading post had been established. The whole country remained in the undisputed possession of the native tribes, who roamed at will over her beautiful and fertile prairies, hunted in her woods, fished in her streams, and often poured out their life-blood in ob- stinate contests for supremacy. That this State, so aptly styled " The Beautiful Land," had been the theater of numerous fierce and bloody struggles between the rival nations for possession of the favored region, long before its settlement by civilized man, there is no room for doubt. In these savage wars the weaker party, whether aggressive or defensive, was either exterminated or driven from its ancient hunting grounds.
When Marquette visited this country in 1673, the Illini were a very powerful people, occupying a large portion of the State; but when the country was again visited by the whites, not a remnant of that once powerful tribe remained on the west side of the Mis- sissippi, and Iowa was principally in the possession of the Sacs and Foxes, a warlike tribe which, originally two distinct nations, residing in New York and on the waters of the St. Lawrence, had gradually fought their way westward, and united, probably after the Foxes had been driven out of the Fox River country in 1846, and crossed the Mississippi. The death of Pontiac, a famous Sac chieftain, was made the pretext for war against the Illini, and a fierce and bloody struggle ensued, which continued until the Illini were nearly destroyed, and their hunting grounds possessed by their victorious foes. The Iowas also occupied a portion of the State for a time in common with the Sacs, but they, too, were nearly destroyed by the Sacs and Foxes, and in "The Beautiful Land" these natives met their equally warlike foes, the northern Sioux, with whom they maintained a constant warfare for the possession of the country for many years.
In 1803, when Louisiana was purchased by the United States the Sacs, Foxes and Iowas possessed the entire State of Iowa, and the two former tribes, also, occupied most of Illinois.
The Sacs had four principal villages, where most of them re- sided. Their largest and most important town-if an Indian vil- lage may be called such-and from which emanated most of the obstacles encountered by the Government in the extinguishment of Indian titles to land in this region, was on Rock River, near
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Rock Island; another was on the east bank of the Mississippi, near the mouth of Henderson River; the third was at the head of the Des Moines Rapids, near the present site of Montrose; and the fourth was near the mouth of the Upper Iowa.
The Foxes had three principal villages. One was on the west side of the Mississippi, six miles above the rapids of Rock River; another was about 12 miles from the river, in the rear of the Du- buque lead mines; and the third was on Turkey River.
The Iowas, at one time identified with the Sacs of Rock River, had withdrawn from them and become a separate tribe. Their principal village was on the Des Moines River, in Van Buren County, on the site where Iowaville now stands. Here the last great battle between the Sacs and Foxes and the Iowas was fought, in which Black Hawk, then a young man, commanded one divis- ion of the attacking forces. The following account of the battle has been given:
Contrary to long established custom of Indian attack, this bat- tle was commenced in the day-time, the attending circumstances justifying this departure from the well-settled usages of Indian warfare. The battle-field was a level river bottom, about four miles in length, and two miles wide near the middle, narrowing to a point at either end. The main area of this bottom rises perhaps 20 feet above the river, leaving a narrow strip of low bottom along the shore, covered with trees that belted the prairie on the river side with a thick forest, and the immediate bank of the river was fringed with a dense growth of willows. Near the lower end of this prairie, near the river bank, was situated the Iowa village. About two miles above it and near the middle of the prairie is a mound, covered at the time with a tuft of small trees and under- brush growing on its summit. In the rear of this little elevation or mound lay a belt of wet prairie, covered, at that time, with a dense growth of rank, coarse grass. Bordering this wet prairie on the north, the country rises abruptly into elevated broken river bluffs, covered with a heavy forest for many miles in extent, and in places thickly clustered with undergrowth, affording convenient shelter for the stealthy approach of the foe.
Through this forest the Sac and Fox war party made their way in the night and secreted themselves in the tall grass spoken of above, intending to remain in ambush during the day and make such observations as this near proximity to their intended victims
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might afford, to aid them in their contemplated attack on the town during the following night. From this situation their spies could take a full survey of the village, and watch every movement of the inhabitants, by which means they were soon convinced that the Iowas had no suspicion of their presence.
At the foot of the mound above mentioned the Iowas had their race course, where they diverted themselves with the excitement of horse-racing, and schooled their young warriors in cavalry evolutions. In these exercises mock battles were fought, and the Indian tactics of attack and defense carefully inculcated, by which means a skill in horsemanship was acquired that is rarely excelled. Unfortunately for them this day was selected for their equestrian sports, and, wholly unconscious of the proximity of their foes, the warriors repaired to the race-ground, leaving most of their arms in the village, and their old men, women and children unprotected.
Pash-a-po-po, who was chief in command of the Sacs and Foxes, perceived at once the advantage this state of things afforded for a complete surprise of his now doomed victims, and ordered Black Hawk to file off with his young warriors through the tall grass and gain the cover of the timber along the river bank, and with the utmost speed reach the village and commence the battle, while he remained with his division in the ambush to make a simultaneous assault on the unarmed men whose attention was engrossed with the excitement of the races. The plan was skillfully laid and most dexterously executed. Black Hawk with his forces reached the village undiscovered, and made a furious onslaught upon the de- fenseless inhabitants by firing one general volley into their midst, and completing the slaughter with the tomahawk and scalping- knife, aided by the devouring flames with which they enveloped the village as soon as the fire-brand could be spread from lodge to lodge.
On the instant of the report of fire-arms at the village, the forces under Pash-a-po-po leaped from their couchant position in the grass, and sprang tiger-like upon the unarmed Iowas in the midst of their racing sports. The first impulse of the latter naturally led them to make the utmost speed toward their arms in the village, and pro- tect, if possible, their wives and children from the attack of their ' merciless assailants. The distance from the place of attack on the prairie was two miles, and a great number fell in their flight by the bullets and tomahawks of their enemies, who pressed them closely with a running fire the whole way, and the survivors only
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reached their town in time to witness the horrors of its destruction. Their whole village was in flames, and the dearest objects of their lives lay in slaughtered heaps amidst the devouring element, and the agonizing groans of the dying, mingled with the exulting shouts of the victorious foe, filled their hearts with maddening despair. Their wives and children who had been spared the general massacre were prisoners, and together with their arms in the hands of their victors; and all that could now be done was to draw off their shattered and defenseless forces, and save as many lives as possible by a retreat across the Des Moines River, which they effected in the best possible manner, and took a position among the Soap Creek Hills.
Previous to the settlement of their village on Rock River, the Sacs and Foxes had a fierce conflict with the Winnebagoes, subdued them and took possession of their lands. At one time this village contained upward of 60 lodges, and was among the largest Indian villages on the continent. The number of Sacs and Foxes in 1825, was estimated by the Secretary of War to be 4,600. Their village was situated in the immediate vicinity of the upper rapids of the Mississippi, where the flourishing towns of Rock Island and Dav- enport are now situated. The extensive prairies dotted over with groves, the beautiful scenery, the picturesque bluffs along the river banks, the rich and fertile soil producing large crops of corn, squash and other vegetables with little labor, the abundance of wild fruit, game, fish, and almost everything calculated to make it a delightful spot for an Indian village, which was found there, had made this place a favorite home of the Sacs, and secured for it the strong attachment and veneration of the whole nation.
The Sioux located their hunting grounds north of the Sacs and Foxes. They were a fierce and warlike nation who often disputed possessions with their rivals in savage and bloody warfare. The possessions of these tribes were mostly located in Minnesota, but extended over a portion of Northern and Western Iowa to the Mis- . souri River. Their descent from the north upon the hunting grounds of Iowa frequently brought them into collision with the Sacs and Foxes, and after many a conflict and bloody struggle, a boundary line was established between them by the Government of the United States, in a treaty held at Prairie du Chien in 1825. Instead of settling the difficulties, this caused them to quarrel all the more, in consequence of alleged trespasses upon each other's side of the line. So bitter and unrelenting became these contests, that in 1830 Government purchased of the respective tribes of the
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Sacs and Foxes, and the Sioux a strip of land 20 miles wide on both sides of the line, thus throwing them 40 miles apart by creat- ing a " neutral ground," and commanded them to cease their hos- tilities. They were, however, allowed to fish and hunt on the ground unmolested, provided they did not interfere with each other on United States Territory.
In 1852 there occurred a fight between the Musquaka band of Sacs and Foxes and a band of Sioux, six miles above Algona, in Kos- suth County, on the west side of the Des Moines River. The Sacs and Foxes were under the leadership of Ko-ko-wah, a subordinate chief, and had gone up from their home in Tama County by way of Clear Lake, to what was then the " neutral ground." At Clear Lake Ko-ko-wah was informed that a party of Sioux were encamped on the west side of the East Fork of the Des Moines, and he de- termined to attack them. . He started with 60 warriors and arrived at a point on the east side of the river, about a mile above the Sioux encampment, in the night, and concealed themselves in a grove, where they were able to discover the position and strength of their foes. The next morning, after many of the Sioux braves had left their camp on hunting tours, the vindictive Sacs and Foxes crossed the river and suddenly attacked the camp. For : short time the conflict was desperate, but the advantage was with the assailants, and the Sioux were routed. Sixteen of them, includ ing some of their women and children, were killed, and a boy 14 years old was captured. A squaw shot one of the Musquakas ir the breast as they were rushing into the Sioux camp. HE started to run away when the same brave squaw shot him through the body, at a distance of 20 rods, and he fell dead. Three other Sac braves were killed; but few of the Sioux escaped. The victo- rious party hurriedly buried their own dead, leaving their dead foes above ground, and with great speed made their way home with their captives.
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