History of Johnson County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, and its townships, cities and villages from 1836 to 1882, Part 35

Author: Johnson Co., Ia. History. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Iowa City, Iowa.
Number of Pages: 980

USA > Iowa > Johnson County > History of Johnson County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, and its townships, cities and villages from 1836 to 1882 > Part 35

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lage very well, but all important matters were reported to the head chief. His age and birth-place are not known.

KISHKEKOSHI was a war chief or leader who had won his rank by such deeds of blood as his nation delighted to honor, just as civilized nations give military rank to successful warriors who may not have been born of the ruling class. He was tall, straight, active, wiry; an expert in every athletic exercise engaged in by the men of his tribe, such as running, leaping, dancing, paddling a canoe, climbing, riding a pony, throwing the tomahawk, etc. By this means he won great repute and influence, espe- cially among the younger portion of his people. But he was also a fluent and eloquent speaker in his native tongue, and a man of sober habits. His age was about ten years younger than Poweshiek, from whom he differed in every respect, both of physical and mental quality. He possessed in full measure the natural cunning, shrewdness and trickery which belonged as a race characteristic to the Indian tribes. He had no sense of honor, at least not as toward white men; would lie, steal, cheat, betray, murder, without scruple. He was feared, hated and distrusted by all the whites; in fact it was believed that he committed several murders of white men, although it could not be proven. Kishkekosh was a " bad Injin."

TOTOKONOK-pronounced To-to-ko-nok-was a minor civil chief, who had his village opposite the mouth of the English river, in Fremont town- ship. Little is known of him, beyond the fact that he sympatized with Black Hawk in his war against the whites, and prophesied success for him. And finally, rather than submit to Keokuk's rule, as required by the treaty of 1838, he left his native tribe and went to the Winnebagoes. He seems to have got along very peaceably with his white neighbors in Johnson county.

Sketches of the more prominent Indian chiefs who lived in other parts of Iowa will be found in the fore part of this volume, under the head of "Iowa Indians."

NEWHALL'S "SKETCIIES."

Accounts and descriptions of Indian life and character are always fascinat- ing, especially to the younger class of readers who have heard of, but never seen a genuine wild Indian. Newhall's "Sketches of Iowa," which was the first book ever printed as an Iowa historical work, contained a pretty fair account of the very class of Indians who had inhabited John- son county. And from this work we make some extracts which will fur- ther illustrate the sort of life led by our redskin predecessors in this county :

The Sacs and Foxes have been among the most powerful and warlike tribes in the northwest. History finds them fighting their way from the shores of the northern lakes gradually toward the Mississippi, sometimes warring with the Winnebagoes, and at other times with the Chippewas, often instigated by the French. At an early period they inhabited the region of country bordering on Wisconsin river, and planted large quan-

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tities of corn. The whole history of their wars and migrations shows them to have been a restless and spirited people-a people erratic in their pursuits, having a great contempt for agriculture and a predominant pas- sion for war. By these ruling traits they have been constantly changing, suffering and diminishing. Still they retain their ancient chivalry, ever ready for war, regardless of the superiority of their foes. Their number, of late years, has been somewhat augmented by the policy they have pur- sued of adopting their prisoners of war and receiving seceders from other tribes, and at the present time they number about seven thousand souls. Their villages are principally located upon the river Des Moines. The have, however, one large village situated upon the banks of the Iowa, a few miles from the United States boundary line. This is called Powe- shiek's village, it being the residence of "Poweshiek," a Fox chief. His village is large, containing many lodges and from seventeen hundred to two thousand souls.

Sometimes, midway between two villages, or perhaps off in the prairie, may be seen a hundred young ' warriors ' from each, " picked men," who have won laurels on the battle field. They have met (per agreement) to exercise their feats in the race or ancient games; the prize being, perhaps, two or three horses, a rifle, or a war-club; the old warriors and chiefs of each village looking on as judges. Often these feats of rivalry at the games take place. A challenge from one village is sent to the next. Great interest is manifested on these occasions, and the same ambitious emulation for rivalry is exhibited in these 'children of nature' as among those who play their part beneath gilded domes of the city; and I doubt not the young Sac warrior wears his laurels as proudly as ever did the gladiators of ancient Rome.

" The Sacs and Foxes speak the Algonquin language. This language is still spoken by the Chippewas, Pottawatamies, Ottawas, and several other tribes. It is soft and musical in comparison with the harsh guttural Narcoutah of the Sioux, which is peculiar to themselves, having but little affinity to the Algonquin tongue. Their ideas of futurity are somewhat vague and indefinite. They believe in the existence of a supreme Manitou, or Good Spirit, and a Malcha Manitou or Evil Spirit. They often invoked the favor of the good Manitou for success in war and the hunt, by various sacrifices and offerings. Storm and thunder they view as manifestations of his wrath; and success in war, the hunt, or in deliverance from enemies, of his favor and love. Everything of great power or efficacy, or that is inexplicable, is a 'great medicine;' and the medicine men and prophets are next in consideration to the chiefs. At the decease of their friends, they paint their faces black, and the time of mourning is governed by the affinity of the kindred. Their ideas of the condition of the departed spirits, and the ceremony of burial, may be deemed interesting. Often, in perambulating their deserted villages, has my attention been arrested in gazing through the bleached and mutilated slabs, made to protect the dust of a noted chief or 'brave,' who is frequently placed in a sitting pos- ture, his gun and his war-club placed by his side, moccasins upon his feet, his blanket (or remnants thereof) wrapped around his body, his beads and wampum suspended to his neck, where he sits 'like a warrior taking his rest,' in his silent sleep of death.

The Sacs and Foxes frequently visit the towns on the river-Burling- ton, Madison, &c. The dress of the males generally consists of leggins, sitting closely from the loins to the ankles, usually of smoke-tanned deer-

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skin, and often of blue, and sometimes of red cloth, trimmed with fringe and beads in a variety of fantastic forms. They wear a white, and fre- quently a scarlet-colored blanket, thrown loosely over the shoulders. Their moccasins are of deerskin, often trimmed with extreme taste with beads and porcupine quills. Their headdress is of various fashions, and frequently indescribable. A chief or warrior's headdress consists of a pro- fusion of .scarlet-colored hair and long black beards of the wild turkey, connected to the scalp-lock, and, not unfrequently, a silver band, or a richly-beaded turban. Their ears are strung with rings and trinkets, their arms with bracelets of brass, tin, silver, and steel, and their necks are often strung with a profusion of wampum. A tolerably correct idea may be formed of the riches and caste of a young Indian by the number of strings of wampum around his neck. This may be considered as their "lawful tender," as no treaty was ever formed, or pipe of friendship smoked, between different Indian tribes, without an exchange of wampum.

The Sacs and Foxes have various dances, and they evince a remarka- ble fondness in exhibiting themselves. They have the war-dance, the council-dance, the feast-dance, the dog-dance, and the beggars' dance. The people in the large towns of Iowa have learned what the beggars' dance is, long since. Many of the dances and festivities at their villages, as did the dances of olden time, have a religious character. Previous to going to war, and particularly on their return, laden with the trophies of victory and the scalps of their enemies, their dances and revelry are kept up for several days in succession. They have a grand dog-feast; dogs are held in much reverence by them, and on the occasion of a feast, a por- tion is always consecrated as "medicine." Having visited their villages in June last, I was astonished to observe several dogs recently killed, and suspended to different trees; upon inquiry, I was informed that they had a "dog-feast" on the occasion of their leaving their country to fight the Sioux. For every dog they eat, another was suspended to a tree as a pro- pitiation or sacrifice for some mysterious charm or luck. Upon going to war, their medicine bags are carefully worn about their persons, and bet- ter had the Sac warrior be without his gun or his bow, facing his enemy, than that any mishap should deprive him of the magic potency of his medi- cine bag. No Indians exult more than the Sacs and Foxes in a triumphant skirmish with their enemies, and none more proudly exhibit their bloody trophies. They frequently have several scalps suspended on a spear, or connected with their dress. As an evidence of the value they set upon these eniblems of merciless victory, I will relate an incident of my attempt to get one of a veteran Sac brave. While writing these pages, I had wit- nessed him several days passing my window on a little pony, proudly wav- ing his bouquet of scalps, connected with beads, ribbons, and eagles' feath- ers, and tied with a rattlesnake skin upon a spear. Having a desire to obtain one, and after three days' unsuccessful egotiation, offering him money, calico, beads, powder, and tobacco, he declined selling it for one box, (i. e., 1,000 dollars.)

They place great reliance in dreams; and the intrepid warrior who awakes in the morning from a night of troublesome dreams, is dejected and melancholy. Sometimes they imagine that an evil spirit or sorcerer has inflicted a spell, after the manner of the witches of former times. I think it was last year that Keokuk had an aged squaw killed because she had bewitched or inflicted a spell upon some of his children.

As a nation, the Sacs and Foxes are a noble looking race. They are

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generally erect, of fine forms, with few, if any instances of decrepitude and deformity. The feeble infants scarcely survive the threshold of exist- ence. Hence, as Volney says, 'Nature cries to them, be strong, or die.' In their walks and marches across the country, one is generally behind the other, in what is termed Indian file; hence, the frequent 'Indian trails' that stretch across our wide prairies, which are sure to lead the traveler to a good ford, or the site of a former village.

The Indian character is full of interest; and although much has been said and written, still a wide and ample field remains of interesting research and speculation. Some have maintained that the savage state is the only natural state of man, and in no other state can he be happy. Such were the felicitous dreams of Rousseau and Chateaubriand. Vol- ney's description has less of the ideal, and more of the acute and discrim- inating observation. Mr. Flint, and many modern writers, speak of them as a gloomy, unjoyous race, with little or no susceptibility to the common impulses or affections of life. That they do not so readily sympathize with external objects, I admit; but that the deep emotions of the inner man will often break forth, not only in fiendish passion, but in the elastic gaiety of joyous revelry, I have often witnessed, particularly in the pastimes and the sports of their villages, the outbreakings of unrestrained mirth in the dance, the race, and the games, showing conclusively. feelings susceptible of joyous excitement. Certain it is, the Indian in his intercourse with the whites assumes an affected reserve, generally musing, frequently stern and unsocial. He will not talk English, (even if he understands it,) and if his admiration is excited by the innovations of the whites, his pride conceals the emotion. There are some exceptions to this taciturn mood, particularly on seeing a steamboat, which excites great wonder, and in their opinion a great 'medicine man' must have been the projector. The Sacs and Foxes call a steamboat scoticheman, i. e., fire-canoe. But with all their bravery and exposure to death in a thousand forms, I have often been amused to see their courage falter from the 'sticking point,' and the scene has been most ludicrous-young Indians, and old veteran warriors, and all, scamper for dear life when one of our Mississippi boats is in the act of 'letting off steam;' the hissing noise appearing to strike more terror than the savage yell of a thousand conquering foes.

It is amusing to observe that, widely as the savage character differs from the civilized, their ideas of brave and great assimilate nearly with our own. In meeting a party of Indians crossing our prairies, or at their villages, their first salution in accosting the traveler is " How-de-do? Me big cap-a-tain." They are all "big cap-a tains," or would fain make you think so. Bravery and daring command the first place in their homage; and their whole training, from the dawn of their existence to the latest hour of their life, inculcates this principle. But their military prowess consists in fiendish revenge and blood-thirsty cruelty, and the laurels most triumphantly crown him who dexterously wields the tomahawk and scalping-knife.

Capt. F. M. Irish wrote some reminiscences of the early days in John- son county, for the magazine called ANNALS OF IOWA, which was pub- lished quarterly by the State Historical Society for a number of years. Capt. Irish's sketches appeared in 1868; and of our Johnson county Indians he said:

Up to this time (1837) the red man had held undisputed possession of

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this beautiful region. A number of Indian towns were located upon the Iowa river, within what are now the limits of the county; the largest of them was about two miles below Iowa City on the Clark farm, now owned by Jas. McCallester, and contained about one thousand of the Musquaka or Fox Indians, governed by Poweshiek, an Indian of fair abil- ity and rather amiable disposition for a savage. The county of Powe- shiek was named after him. The war chief of this tribe was Kish-ke- kosh, of whom nothing very favorable can be said. These natives were generally well-disposed towards their white neighbors, and save when under the influence of whisky seldom gave any trouble. Their grave- yards were near their towns, and they evinced great solicitude for the remains of their dead.

Thirty years ago [from 1868] bands of Indians might be seen every year leaving these towns upon their annual hunt, armed, their ponies laden with mats for tenting, and followed by squads of squaws, whose duty was to drive the beasts, pitch the tents and cook the food when their lords had luck in the chase. And again at another season parties could be seen starting out, their ponies laden with deer and elk skins, moccasins and ornamental work prepared in the manner peculiar to these people, bound to some trading-post to exchange their commodities for food, trinkets and money. And yet again another party, consisting of squaws and children, the latter slung in baskets on either side of the pony, while the mother is perched on his back, each spring took its way by well-worn trail to their corn patches, where with heavy iron hoes they prepared the ground for planting corn and beans. Upon those three resources, the chase, trade and a rude agriculture, the Indian depended for his subsistence. And yet with all his exertions he frequently found himself destitute, although he thought he availed himself of every advantage the country was capable of presenting.

In Hon. Henry Felkner's contribution to this history, in another place, will be found a graphic account of "An Indian Battle," and some other reminiscences of our Johnson connty Indian folk.

BRYAN DENNIS' SCARE.

Bryan Dennis relates that when he first came to this county he went to Miller's ferry, at the old Napoleon town-site, and wanted to get across that night, it being then near dusk. The ferry keepers lived on the west side, but had a tin horn hung up on the east side of the river for people to blow when they wanted the ferry. He blowed lustily with the horn, but couldn't make the ferryman hear, for there was a stiff wind blowing from the west which blew the sound all in the opposite direction. After trying in vain a long time he concluded to lie there in the bushes on the river bank all night, and try the ferry-horn again in the morning. Shortly after dark he heard strange noises and saw a great light only a few rods away, and on getting up where he could see more plainly he beheld a group of " bloody In-ji-ins," performing as he supposed their frighful scalp dance, getting ready to pounce down there and lift his hair. He felt the cold chills run over him and each particular hair began to stand out straight, for he knew little about Indians except the current stories about their

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tomahawk and scalping-knife bloodthirstiness. However, he hid himself in the brush; they did not find him, and the next day he got across the river and reached his destination with a whole skin.

Without doubt the Indians looked hideous and frightful enough in their wild and frantic gesticulations as seen by the lurid light of a circle of fire; and it is no wonder that the young man, a total stranger and totally alone, falling upon such an unexpected scene should have been considerably frightened. O, you needn't laugh! You'd have been scared, too! But the real fact was, the Indians had moved away long before this; and a band of them now happening to be out on some trip up or down the river, had stopped at the site of their former village (Wapashashiek's town) to per- form their grotesque funeral dance around the graves of their dead rela- tives left behind when they were compelled to move further west, in the spring of 1838. Their performance that night was the wail and howl of graveyard lamentation and frantic invocation of the spirits of their ances- tors, instead of the demoniac revelry of scalps.

INDIAN JUSTICE.

Col. Trowbridge relates the following incident illustrating Poweshiek's strong sense of justice and strong rule over his village:

One summer a horse had strayed or been stolen from a remote neigh- borhood. The owner follows his trail into the neighborhood of Indian villages, calls upon the settlers in the vicinity of the villages, but can get no further clue to it. He suspects that it is in possession of the Indians. Calls upon Poweshiek early in the morning, and through an interpreter states his case. The chief knows nothing of it, but will investigate it. Immediately he issues an order, which is spread with great rapidity, that no man or person shall leave the village until further ordered. Not a soul dared to, or did go. The owner describes his beast; is sent through the camp with an escort, in search of it; finds and points it out very readily. The Indian owner is examined-i. e., the avowed owner-but can give no satisfactory explanation of his ownership. The horse is passed over to the white man, and the Indian made to pay him liberally for his trouble and expense in hunting him, which is assessed upon his annuity from the government. The owner is thereupon dismissed satisfied, and the thief is now taken in hand by the chief and punished for his dishonesty.

WHITE HAWK'S BAND.

Mr. Jacob Ricord, postmaster of Iowa City, furnishes the following interesting sketch of early incidents on Old Man's Creek. The place spoken of would have been about three miles west of the present county line, over in the border of Iowa county. The Ricord brothers were Edward, Elisha and Jacob-all at that time green young men. This was early in 1840.

The first settlers on Old Man's creek, where it crossed the western boun- dary of what was then called the "New purchase," found residing on the land a band of Fox Indians They were the band of the chiefs named White Hawk and Cocohic. They called on the Ricord boys in all the

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pomp of paint and feathers and acrimoniously informed them that they knew their band was still living on the white man's land, but that all the game there belonged to them anyway. and they wanted to stay there until the next spring, so they could take their game from there; but that they, " the Ricords," might have all the deer they could shoot themselves, for they did not think the Ricords were " much old hunters." White Hawk informed them that they were not the first white men who had come to live on Old Man's creek, and said, as near as they could understand, that on a time, about the fall of 1836, Cocohic's young men had found a white man on the prairie of Old Man's creek, and he was sick, nearly destitute of clothing, and entirely unable to proceed on his journey.

White Hawk was informed about it, and he went out with his men and brought the white man to his camp, and gave him shelter, food and cloth- ing. He was sick and unable to leave the Indian camp until the middle of winter.

He remained until spring, and one day White Hawk said: My white brother has a cloud on his brow. I am going down to a new trading house, built by some white man on the bank of Iowa river, and you may go along and ride one of my ponies. The offer was eagerly accepted, and the Indians left him at the trading-house.

In the summer of 1843 there came to the Ricord house a white man inquiring for White Hawk's band of Indians. His name was Jeremiah Hawkins, and he was the man whom White Hawk had treated so kindly. On being asked by what misfortune he came on the prairie, his informa- tion was given in a few words: He said that he and two other men had been up on the Missouri river trapping, and while coming down the river on a raft constructed to carry the three men and their traps, they encoun- tered a storm which broke the raft, but they reached shore before it went to pieces, and they saved one gun and some ammunition. Hawkins had a pocket compass, and thus equipped, they attempted to cross the territory to the Mississippi, for they knew there were white settlements there.

Everything went well until they encountered the prairie fires. Hawkins kept his course eastward, and there arose a disagreement about the course they were taking. First, the man with the gun left, then the second man lagged behind, and Hawkins never saw him again. He said, when the Indians found him, he was " entirely done for," and that he could not have been treated more kindly at his father's house than he was by the Indians, and he was going to see White Hawk and pay him for his kindness, and stay two or three weeks with him, before the Indians left for the west.

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CHAPTER IV .- PART 2.

SUNDRY FIRST THINGS.

The First Trading House-First Settlers-First Babies-First Wedding-First Deaths- First Doctors-First 4th of July-First Hotel and Other Buildings in Iowa City-First Mill Dams.

THE OLD TRADING HOUSES.

The first trading house within the bounds of Johnson county stood on the northeast quarter of section 10, in Pleasant Valley township, on the bank of the Iowa river, just below the mouth of Snyder creek, [originally called Gilbert creek], on land now owned by James Stevens. This trad- ing post was established by the American Fur Company about 1830, or before the Black Hawk war; and John Gilbert was their agent in charge. The buildings consisted of the storehouse proper, and sundry outside cribs for storage of produce, surplus goods, etc .; and a stockade enclosure for protection of the stock from wolves and other depredators by night. As recently as 1880, Mr. Stevens filled up the old cellar of this first trading house, and evidences of it were still visible this year, 1882, although it is now all plowed over and into crop. A little way south of this, or at the lower border of the field, is a raised ring of earth, very much like the ring that remains after a circus has been in town. This old ring was used by the Indians in performing their sacred fire-dance. They would build a lively fire all around the outer edge of the ring, then the chosen ones would jump through the flames into the ring, and there perform the dance, with all the accompaniments of gesture and song that formed their uncouth worship and sacred mysteries.

Trading House No. 2 .- In 1837, Mr. Gilbert had got so well acquainted with the Indians, and was on such friendly terms with them, that he thought he could do better for himself to trade on his own hook than to play second fiddle any longer, as merely a clerk or agent for the Fur Company. So he selected a place on what is now the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 35, township 79, range 6, and engaged S. C. Trowbridge and Henry Felkner to build him a trading house there. These men cut and dressed the logs and got Wm. Duvall and Thomas Bradley, with their oxen to haul them up to the place, and they erected the house-two 20x20 log cabins, with an interspace of twenty feet between them, which was also roofed over. This was in 1837, and here Gilbert wen to trading, but died soon after-and it was in this house that the first district court was held. The house stood in what is now [1882] 'Squire David B. Cox's corn-field, just across the road east from his house -his residence, barn, stock-yards, orchard, etc., being on the very ground where Poweshiek's Indian village stood at the time this new trading house was built. [See diagram on page 207.]

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History of Johnson County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, and its townships, cities and villages from 1836 to 1882, Part 35

Author: Johnson Co., Ia. History. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Iowa City, Iowa. Number of Pages: 980

Author: Johnson Co., Ia. History. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Iowa City, Iowa.
Number of Pages: 980