USA > Iowa > Jones County > History of Jones County, Iowa, past and present, Volume I > Part 3
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The day after Edinburg was laid out, Colonel Thomas Cox, at the solicitation of J. D. Walworth, came to the present location of Anamosa, and laid out a town which was called Dartmouth. This plat was never recorded. The place did not grow or develop, and of course the efforts expended to plant a town, came to naught.
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HISTORY OF JONES COUNTY
The first tax was made July 6, 1840, being five mills on the dollar of taxable property in Jones county, and a poll of fifty cents upon each voter.
We find that on November 5, 1840, Clement Russell paid into the county treasury twenty-five dollars for the privilege of keeping a grocery. To those who have not been upon the border, it may be a question why grocerymen in a new country should be so heavily taxed. The initiated will understand that a frontier grocery was simply a saloon of the lowest character, where whisky was the only article on sale, and which could be obtained at a reasonable price, in any quantity from a glassful to a barrel.
In April, 1841. we find six dollars appropriated to Donald Sutherland for rent of rooms in which the county commissioners had held meetings.
Henry Hopkins was the first counsel and prosecuting attorney and for his services, he was allowed thirty-four dollars at the meeting of the board in March, 1842.
October 3, 1842, the territorial road from Dubuque to Marion, was approved on that portion of it which was included in Jones county. James Butler and P. Scott were the commissioners appointed by the legislature to view the same.
The first licensed ferry of which there is a record, was granted Adam Over- acker, across the Wapsipinicon river at Newport. This license was for the con- sideration of two dollars, continued for one year from April 13, 1847. A two- horse vehicle was charged twenty-five cents; one horse, twelve and one-half cents; footman, six and one-quarter cents.
In order to fund the increasing floating indebtedness, and to maintain the county warrants as near par as possible, it was ordered, October 7, 1850, that the clerk of the commissioner's court, issue bonds of the county, bearing ten per cent interest, due in five years, the bonds to be for fifty dollars each, and not to exceed forty in number. These bonds were to be issued to any one who would present the treasurer's receipt for the amount.
In 1851-52, various state roads were surveyed and platted, among which were highways from Anamosa to Bellevue; Anamosa to Garnavillo, Clayton county ; Cascade, by way of Canton, to Maquoketa; Cascade to Garry. Owen; Denson's Ferry to the house of Thomas McNally, in Washington township; Anamosa to the Davenport and Marion road; Anamosa to Camanche; Fairview to Tipton. Most of these roads are yet the principal roads of travel through the county.
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ELECTION PRECINCTS.
At a meeting of the county commissioners, July 6. 1840, Jones county was divided into four precincts for electoral purposes, as follows :
Walnut Precinct. comprising townships 83 and 84. in ranges 1, 2, and 3 west of the fifth principal meridian.
Buffalo Fork Precinct, comprising townships 83 and 84, range 4 west.
Bowen Prairie precinct, comprising congressional township 86, ranges 2, 3 and 4. and township 85, ranges 3 and 4.
Farm Creek precinct. comprising townships 85 and 86, range I, and town- ship 85, range 2.
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HISTORY OF JONES COUNTY
The civil partition of Jones county in 1840, might, therefore, be represented as follows :
BOWEN PRAIRIE
86
FARM CREEK
85
84
ยท
BUFFALO FORK
WALNUT
83
Townships North
Ranges IV, West
III,
II,
I.
The judges of elections appointed at. the time of organizing the precincts were :
For Bowen Prairie-William Dalton, William Clark, Charles Johnson. Elec- tion to be held at the house of Joseph E. Green.
For Walnut-Moses Garrison, Isaac H. Simpson and O. Cronkhite. Election to be held at the house of Norman Seeley.
For Buffalo Fork-John G. Joslin, Clement Russell and G. H. Ford. Election to be held at the house of Clement Russell.
For Farm Creek-Jacob Peet, Hezekiah Winchell and John E. Lovejoy. Election to be held at the house of Abraham Hostetter. .
Bowen Prairie Precinct was made Road District No. 1, with Franklin Dalby, supervisor ; Buffalo, No. 2, with Clark Joslin, supervisor; Walnut, No. 3, with John Merritt, supervisor; Farm Creek, No. 4, with George Mefford, supervisor.
ORGANIZATION OF TOWNSHIPS.
At the meeting of the county commissioners' court, July 5, 1842, it was re- solved to organize the county into townships, which should have their regular
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HISTORY OF JONES COUNTY
township officers and local government. The precincts were accordingly changed into townships, without altering their boundaries.
ROME was organized as a township, July 5, 1842, with the same boundaries as Walnut precinct, given above. the first township election to be held at the residence of N. B. Seeley.
FAIRVIEW was organized as a township, July 5, 1842, with the same boundaries as Buffalo Fork precinct, given above.
WASHINGTON was organized as a township, July 5, 1842, with the same boun- daries as Farm Creek precinct, given above.
RICHLAND was organized as a township July 5. 1842, with the same boun- daries as Bowen Prairie precinct, given above.
From this arrangement it will be seen that Rome, Fairview, Washington and Richland were the four original townships of the county, and out of these have been carved the townships as they exist today.
CLAY was organized as a township April 3, 1844, including what is now known as Wyoming, that part of the present township of Clay which is south of the Maquoketa river, all of Scotch Grove township, south of the river, and a strip about one mile in width upon the eastern border of Wayne township, extending north, through Monticello, until it touched the river. The first election was held at the house of John Sutherland.
MONTICELLO was organized as a township June 10, 1847, from Richland town- ship, and included all of that township south of the Maquoketa river, being most of the territory now occupied by Monticello, Wayne, Cass and Castle Grove.
GREENFIELD was organized as a township with its present boundaries. being separated from Fairview, and corresponding to congressional township 83, range 4.
The townships now know as Cass and Wayne were separated from Monti- cello and attached to Fairview April 21, 1848.
HALE was organized as a township in July, 1851, and included the present townships of Hale and Oxford, which were on that date separated from Rome. The first township election was held at the house of Joseph Bumgarner.
JACKSON was organized as a township in July, 1851, and included the present townships of Madison and Jackson, which were on that date separated from Rome. The first township election was held at the house of Charles Beam.
CASS was separated from Fairview and organized as a township, with its present boundaries, March 1, 1852. The first election was held at the house of W. J. Beaks.
WYOMING was separated from Clay township February 8, 1854, and organized, with its present boundaries, under the name of Pierce township, which was a couple of years later, changed to Wyoming. The first election was at the house of William Stuart.
CASTLE GROVE was separated from Monticello and organized with its pres- ent boundaries, January 1, 1855. The first election was held April 2, 1855, at the school house near Mr. Beardsley's. John Scott, Horace Downer and Ezra C. Springer were judges of election, and Thomas S. Hubbard, and Albert Highby were the clerks of election.
On January 1, 1855, Monticello township was extended across the river to the northern boundary of the county, corresponding to its present boundary,
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HISTORY OF JONES COUNTY
and included that part north of the river that had formerly belonged to Richland township.
MADISON township was organized, with its present boundaries, January 1, 1855. The first election was held April 2, 1855.
SCOTCH GROVE was separated from Clay and organized as a township, with its present boundaries, in February, 1855. The first election was held at the Scotch Grove schoolhouse, April 2, 1855.
OXFORD was separated from Hale township and organized with its present boundaries, in March, 1855. The first election was held at the house of John Bryan.
WAYNE was set off from Fairview township and organized with its present boundaries, March 5, 1856. The first election was held at the house of O. G. Scrivens, April 7, 1856.
It will be observed that the last township was not formed until some sixteen years after the organization of the county, and that certain districts belonged, at different periods, to quite a number of different townships. Wayne township, for instance, had belonged to Richland, Monticello and Fairview previous to its organization as an independent township. Greenfield, Cass, Wyoming, Castle Grove, Madison, Scotch Grove, Oxford and Wayne suffered no changes in their boundaries after organization as independent townships. Rome, Fairview, Wash- ington, Richland, Clay, Monticello and Hale townships arrived at their present boundaries by a process of elimination or whittling off, until each had just what territory was left and the adjoining townships had received all the territory they were to have. Each township now corresponds to the congressional numbering with the township north and range west, rendering the political geography of the county as simple as a chess board.
Lovell township was organized as a separate township about January, 1898, with the same boundaries as Monticello township, the latter being included within Lovell township. the corporation of Monticello being declared a separate town- ship and called Monticello township.
THE TOPOGRAPHY OF JONES COUNTY.
BY E. E. REED.
(The following interesting chapter on the general surface conditions existing in Jones county, written by Ervin E. Reed, of Monticello, will be a valuable ad- dition to the History of Jones County, and will be fully appreciated by all stu- dents of natural science. Mr. Reed has a natural and gifted aptitude for the study of the geological and soil formations of Mother Earth, and the study of the physical geography of a country is to him a pleasure and a delight. The phenomena existing in Jones county, which Mr. Reed very pointedly describes with reference to the origin and course of the streams and rivers, should be
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HISTORY OF JONES COUNTY
noticed. To the mind untutored in the love and study of the natural sciences, this contribution will not have the interest it will have to the more educated mind, schooled in the study of Mother Earth and her composition .- EDITOR.)
Jones county offers an interesting study to the student of nature who would read the story of the creation in the formation of the rocks and soils, and in the conformation of the hills, valleys and prairies. To the unscientific man the county offers a prospect of beautiful, productive prairies, and graceful rounded and gently rolling timberlands. To the scientific mind, the topography of the county presents characteristics that are astonishing and suggest problems that are confounding and perplexing. To the artist, the landscapes of the county are the rivals in beauty of the creations of his liveliest imagination. To the prac- tical man of affairs, the soils of the county give abounding promise of assured harvests and ample reward for all the labor employed in agriculture, while the forests of hardwood trees furnish fuel and lumber in abundance. All parts of the county are capable of producing material wealth to reward the earnest toiler whose faith and intelligent labor merit reward.
The area of Jones county is nearly equally divided between the prairie lands, and the wooded lands or "timber lands" as they are here locally called. The prairie land was found by the early settler to be destitute of trees, save a few scattered crab-apple or plum trees on the rolling "uplands," and willows in iso- lated groups in the marshy sloughs The rolling "uplands" were covered with a thick carpet of wild grass, but it supported no trees save the occasional wild fruit tree, and no bush save the scattered berry bushes, and no herbacious shrub save the red-rooted prairie tea, well known to the pioneer who broke the prairie sod. The prairie soil is rich and productive, and the ease with which it could be brought under cultivation and the rich returns it gives in harvests, invited the pioneer to make his home there. Thus we find that the first settlements were made on the "upland" rolling prairie.
The sloughs or level ill-drained marshes were more obstinate and resisted the approach of the settler. Long grass and rushes covered the slough, which was reeking with water lying beneath the wealth of grassy growth. No animal found a home in the slough excepting the cray-fish and the muskrat. The former built circular chimneys of mud around the openings of their subterranean homes, and the latter built his dome-like mud houses in the sluggish waters. The muskrat has now disappeared and the cray-fish has been banished to a few wet road sides, but the rounded tussacks which mark the sites of former chimneys and mud dome-like houses are found in many pasture fields that have been re- claimed from the former sloughs. The sloughs have yielded to the dominion of man, and the tall grasses and rushes have disappeared. The waters have found their way to the streams, and now corn fields and meadows are found where the pioneer found impassable morasses.
The timber lands presented a harder problem to the settler. The labor and patience necessary to clear the soil of the trees, bushes and roots, rendered the task of making farms there an unprofitable one. When prairie lands could be purchased as cheaply as they could in the early history of the county, there was no inducement to the farmer to clear the timber soil of the growth of trees, or remove from the soil the great stumps and roots of the hardwood forests. But
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THE WAPSIPINICON AT SLIDE ROCK
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HISTORY OF JONES COUNTY
with the advance in the price of prairie lands, the timber lands have been in- vaded by the farmer, and are now fast yielding to the plow.
Jones county is located in that part of the country which geologists assert was raised above the cosmic waters during the Silurian Epoch, and during the Niagara age of that eon of geologic time. The rocks exposed here are of lime- stone, the older ones being unseamed and unstratified rock masses, examples of which are found in the rocky promontories and bluffs bordering the principal streams. The newer formations are regularly stratified and evenly deposited, as are the rocks found in the quarries at Stone City and elsewhere in the county. The irregular rock masses of the older formation, called domolite, fur- nishes good stone for the burning of lime, and in various parts of the county a good grade of lime has been produced. At present the cost of fuel makes the burning of lime unprofitable and none is now produced within the county. The domolite is the kind of stone in which galena or lead ore is found, and the pros- pectors have repeatedly looked for this metal in the ledges of the bluffs within the county. Small quantities of lead have been found, but never has there been a lead mine here opened that has rewarded the prospector for his labor. The stratified rocks of the quarries furnish a high grade of building stone capable of being easily dressed into desirable shapes.
By far the most important resource of the county is its soils, and they have been deposited at some far later period of time after the Silurian Epoch had passed. The rich blackish loam that furnishes a favorable seed-bed for the grains and grasses that have brought wealth to the county, is not the direct product of any cosmic action. No flood deposited this rich mantle on the underly- ing clays. No glacial ice carried it from the north. No volcano belched it forth from the earth's center. No winds scattered it over the hills and prairies. The loams and soils are the products of many agents acting upon the rocks and clays that form the subsoils. Industrious ants and burrowing animals, and the blind earth worms have carried upward to the surface the finer grains found among the underlying clays and subsoils. These little agents' work have been sup- plemented by action of the rains and frosts, and the active processes of animal and vegetable growth and decay. These agencies, acting through the thousands of years, which must have elapsed since the glacial ice, deposited its successive mantles of clay over this country, and have produced a soil or loam of exceed- ingly great fertility and productiveness.
Beneath the blackish soils, there is found a nearly continuous sheet of yel- lowish clay varying in thickness from nothing on the rocky promontories, to ten or twenty feet. Beneath the yellow clay is found a similar layer of bluish clay. Between the layers of clay is found an incontinuous layer of blackish soil, in which are found embedded the trunks and branches of giant trees, represent- ing an interglacial forest. In many railroad cuttings, and road grading, and in many wells, there are found the remains of ancient trees which represent a forest growth of a degree of luxuriance unknown at the present time.
The scientist explains the presence of the clay deposits by calling to his aid vast continental fields of glacial ice which inundated this country at repeated intervals since the country was first raised above the waters. The first of these ice sheets appears to have rested on the surface of this part of the country heavily
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HISTORY OF JONES COUNTY
enough to scrape off all soils and forest growths it may have found here, but it did not rest on the surface heavily enough to plane down the hills or carve the indurated rocks which pierce the soils.
When the ice sheet melted, it dropped in a fairly uniform layer, a bluish clay in which we find large quantities of small rounded greenstone pebbles. When the first ice sheet that covered this part of the country, which scientists call the Kansan ice, receded, it left its deposit in the form of the blue clay described. This deposit scientists call the Kansan drift.
Long eons of time must have elapsed after the Kansan ice receded before another continental ice sheet submerged the country. During the unnumbered years of the cycles following the deposit of the Kansan drift rank forests of giant conifers sprang up, and what is now Jones county presented in those far- off periods of time, the dark and impenetrable depths of an evergreen and cone-bearing forest. When this forest was at its height, a second ice sheet, known as the Iowan ice, swept southward, leveling it to the ground, and breaking and crushing the giant trunks. The Iowan ice drifted and floated over this part of the country in such a manner as not to disturb in any great degree the soil accumulations of the forest growing times, and there is now discovered beneath the yellowish clay of the Iowan drift and above the blue clay of the Kansan drift, the remains of the inter-glacial soils, and the broken trunks and branches of pine and cedar trees embedded in the deposit and preserved throughout the ages that have elapsed since they saw the light of the sun. The Iowan ice melted and deposited over the country a fine clayey silt, here almost universally found as the yellow subsoil underlying the blackish loams of the prairies. Flinty pebbles are found through the Iowan drift; and over the drift-covered prairie lands are found granite boulders, smoothed and rounded by the action of ice and water. In some localities, the Iowan drift is very thin and imperceptible, as on the flat plains near Monticello and Martelle. There the blue clay of the Kansan drift approaches the surface and is the subsoil found beneath the loam.
There is a cap-like deposit on all the hilltops and high rolling lands of the county differing in a material degree from drift deposits of the prairies. A yellowish clay of exceedingly fine texture is found on all the rounded tops of the hills scattered over the level prairie and on all the upland surfaces of the timber lands. This exceedingly finely pulverized silt deposit varies in thickness from a slight trace where its edges mingle with the clays of the prairie to two or even three score feet on the brows of the forest covered hills. This yellowish clayey deposit is found capping all the higher hills and promontories of the county, and wherever it exists over any considerable area, the hardwood timber trees are found growing indigenously. No boulders or flint pebbles are ever found in this deposit as they are in the drift clays. The same deposits are found in the rich and productive valleys of the Rhine and the Danube in Eu- rope, on the banks of the Amazon in South America, and along the fertile valley of the Hoang Ho in Asia. The deposits of this nature were first noticed along the productive hillsides of the German Rhine, and the German name of "Loess" has been applied to like deposits wherever found.
The loess is usually found filling the valleys and low plains, but in eastern Iowa, the loess is placed only on the highest points of land, and there it is found
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forming a cap over the boulder-dotted clay of the Iowan drift. The formation of the loess has been attributed to the action of the glacial waters, and this ex- planation has been accepted as stating the reason for its appearance in the great valleys of the rivers mentioned, but this explanation will not account for the clay caps that cover the hills of the upper Mississippi valley and those found within Jones county. This county, together with its neighbors, here presents a scientific riddle which has never been satisfactorily solved.
The loams, which the patient activities of centuries have produced over the surface of the drift deposits, are rich in plant food and are arranged physically so as to offer peculiar advantages for easy cultivation. The farms of the county where wealth is being produced most rapidly and with the least labor, are located on the ancient drift plains.
The loess soils are found covering the timber lands and occupy fully one- half of the county. Where the surface slopes are comparatively gentle, there are no better soils than those developed on the loess. It is a fine calcarious clay, free from sand on the one hand and pebbles and boulders on the other. It ab- sorbs and retains moisture well. The roots of plants easily penetrate it to a great depth. And, where the surface is relatively level, a fine, fertile, brownish, easily tilled soil develops. On the steeper slopes, the loess erodes easily and . vegetable loam is washed away as fast as it forms, and a hard, stiff, intractable soil results owing to the fresh loess being continually exposed on the surface which the mellowing agencies have not modified or changed into loam. Fortu- nately, the area where soils of the quality last described are small, and the greater portion of what is called timber land is capable of producing abundant returns to the farmer and stock raiser who intelligently uses the soil. With the rapid advance of land values, the timber lands have attracted the attention of the farmer and stockman, and now large areas that were formerly covered with timber have been brought under the plow, and are producing generous harvests, and are abundantly repaying the industry and patience that transformed them from a wilderness into valuable farm lands.
To the student of nature, the conformation of the surface of Jones county presents many astonishing features, some of which have puzzled the scientific mind from the beginning of geologic study and are yet classed as unsolved problems. To one who is used to seeing the rivers rise as small mountain or hill streams, and rush down their rapid descent, into slow moving rivers in broad valleys, it is astonishing to find that all this is reversed here, and in this one part of all the world, there exists an anomalous drainage system, the like of which cannot be found in any other part of the world. In this region the rivers run in gigantic channels cut in the axis of the highest ridges of the country. The streams all have their origin in low-lying, ill-drained sloughs. The streams here appear to defy the laws of gravitation and flow from the low valleys directly towards the high lands, and find their beds in deep gorges cut lengthwise in the highest ranges of hills and highlands of the country.
We here find that the secondary streams run in channels of constantly in- creasing depth as they near the principal streams, until, as they empty into the main streams, they run between high limestone bluffs and forest-crowned hills. Throughout the county, and in fact throughout their courses, the principal streams
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