History of Kossuth, Hancock, and Winnebago counties, Iowa; together with sketches of their cities, villages, and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 2

Author:
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Springfield IL : Union Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 950

USA > Iowa > Kossuth County > History of Kossuth, Hancock, and Winnebago counties, Iowa; together with sketches of their cities, villages, and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 2
USA > Iowa > Winnebago County > History of Kossuth, Hancock, and Winnebago counties, Iowa; together with sketches of their cities, villages, and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 2
USA > Iowa > Hancock County > History of Kossuth, Hancock, and Winnebago counties, Iowa; together with sketches of their cities, villages, and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 2

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

891 Hanson, Peter 910 Moe, H. P

Bailey, John.

925 Hanson, W. O ..

770 Moen, Ole Knudson. 919

Simmons Solomon

898

Bakke, O. P

922 Harang, Aaron O.

870 Munson, Nels M 918

908

Blennerhassett. A

879 Haugland, R. O.

869 Murphy, Jerry .. 800

Blowers, George R.

898 Ilayes, DeWitt C ..

801

Blowers, F. P

898 Hermonson, Bendick ..

931 Nelson, S. T

869

Sogard, T. A.

919

Brackey, Mrs. T.

868 Hill, Jonathan B.

926 Nelson, C. L 803

Sogard, Arne T

919

Braekey, T. A ..

868 Holstead, Michael J.

931|Nerby, L. B 867

Sornsen, Ole ..

869

Braekey, Ole O.

888 Floltan, lians

914 Nilson, Alf ..

Brokke, Sigur C.

920 llonsey, S. G

932

Styve, N. O ..

864

Brones, A. N.

773 Howard, J. E.

806 Olson, Hans P

922

Syverson, Syver 919

Burnap, W. A.

801 Hull, Justin M

815 Olson, Sandel.

920

912 Taylor, William 900

Chase, A. H

780

806 Jenks, Charles F

897 Otis, James J

899 Thomson, Thomas 856

Thompson, J. F .. 804

911 Thompson, Clement ... 917

Cole, A. T ..

738 Johnson, H. T

870, Pederson, Bertus

917 Thompson, N. B.

927

Conley, J. B. 863 Johnson, George. Joice, E. J.

883 Person, Andrew.

914 Turveson, Martin. 901

Dahl, I. M.

858 Jones, P. C.

814 Peterson, Harold.

901 Twito, Jacob H.

771

David, J. W.

814 Jones William H.

813 Phelps, J. A.

892

879 Ulve, O. O. 928

Denzel, John ..

921|Keeler, C. E.

816 Plummer, J. A

891

Drogsvold, Ole J

909 Kiland, K. K.

871 Poulson, Jens

882 Van Duzen, William 814

Falken, T. J.

908 Landru, Iliram K 766

Wadsworth, S. D ... 866

Fisher, James W

892 Larson, William

861 Ragan, M. V.

Fisher, William 11. 804 Lattimore, J. T

806 Ransom, T. C.

Foss, John. 920 Law, John

885 Rasmuson, Christian ..

900 Wilson, J. B 862

Franklin, W. R.

815 |Lepper, Frank

862 Revland, P. K.

914 Winslow, Henry W 863

PORTRAITS.

PAGE

Anderson, J. E.

877 Dahl, I. M ...

859 |llull, J. M.

. .

811 Mahoney, J. W .. ..... 895

868

¡Grasley, Oley 913

Mahoney, J. W 874

870 Merrick, C. Eugene.

893

Seihert, Peter Severs, O. T

Skinner, E. D 885 Smith, N. A Smith, C. D .. 855

919

Boyd, J. K.

800 Fliginbotham, William. 910 Nelson, Mikkel. 869

869 Strike, Thomas B.

900

Brandstad, Andru E. 902 Honsey, T. G.

932 Odden, Andrew J 870

Sunderland, Ole H. 926

Burgeson, John. 867

Irish, Harry R

815

Olson, Peter.

901 Tennis, Willlam 929

876 Tennis, Samuel. 788

Isaacson, John. 876

Onstab, Knud E.

918 Thomas, George W 855

Chapman, W. A

926 Jensen, R. P

881

Clark, Robert

787 .Johnson, Peter H

921 Paulson, Halvor

903 Pederson, P. P.

917 Thompson, John. 888

Day, Charles H

767

Pinckney, James

Price, James 932

927 Wambheim, Peder H .. 922 803 Welsh, Charles E. 898

Buteher, Thomas J 891

Isaacs, Charles

767

Olson, John S.

Rygmyr, H. H. 911

Ambrose, J. H. T 569

Anderson, John A

Gudmanson, Ole 918

Secor, Eugene.

921

788

907 Simon, John A 931

Sogard, Simon

Olson, Harres

( hristianson, John

Gannett, Philip 926

Hanson, W. O.

915

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Certificates of Committees.

We the undersigned, committee appointed for the purpose of examining and correeting the manuscript of the History of Kossuth County, written and compiled by the Union Publishing Company, of Springfeld, Illinois, do hereby certify that the said manuscript was submitted to ns, and that we made all the changes and additions that we, in our judgment, deemed necessary, and as so corrected, we approve the same.

W. H. Ingham, Ambrose A. Call, Mrs. C. A. Ingham, Mrs. H. E. Stacy, J. E. Stacy, Lewis H. Smith, B. F. Reed.

Committee.

We the undersigned, a committee appointed by the old settlers and prominent men of the county, to over- see and revise the history of Hancock County, written and compiled by the Union Publishing Company, of Springfield, Illinois, do hereby certify that the said manuscript was submitted to us, and that we made all the corrections and additions, that we, in our judgment, deemed necessary, and as so corrected, we approve the same.

John Maben, J. M. Elder, I .. B. Bailey, John Christie, Jr. [ Anson Avery.

Committee.

We the undersigned, members of the general committee, appointed to correct and revise the mannseript of the History of Winnebago County, written and compiled by the Union Publishing Company, of Spring- field, Illinois, do hereby certify that said manuseript has been submitted to us, and that we have made all the additions and corrections, that we, in our judgment and to the best of our recollection, deem necessary, and as corrected, approve the same.

David Seeor, J. S. Blowers, J. E. Anderson, A. T. Cole. Solomon Simmons, William Tennis, Peter Ilanson.

Committee.

HISTORY OF IOWA.

CHAPTER I.

T HE traveler, in wending his way across the fair State of Iowa, with its evidences of civilization upon every hand; its magnificent churches with spires pointing heavenward; its school-houses almost upon every hill; palatial residences evincing wealth and refinement, cannot realize that, less than a half century ago, this "beautiful land" was the home only of the red man, who roamed at will over the fair and fertile prairies, hunting in the woods and fishing in its streams. The change would seem too great for him to realize. But it is indeed true. These churches, these school-houses, these pala- tial residences, these railroads, these tele- graph and telephone wires, all have been erected or placed here within the space of a half century.

Before the advent of the Red Men, who were found in possession by the Europeans, who inhabited this country, is a subject yet unsolved, and is shrouded in mystery. That there were human beings of a distinct race from the red men of later days, is gen-

erally conceded, but scientists fail as yet to agree as to their nature and origin. That this continent is co-existent with the world of the ancients cannot be questioned. Every investigation instituted under the auspices of modern civilization confirms this fact. It is thonght by many that the first inhabitants came from Asia, by way of Behring's Strait, and in large numbers. Magnificent cities and monuments were raised at the bidding of tribal leaders, and populous' settlements centered with thriv- ing villages sprang up everywhere in man- ifestation of the progress of the people. For the last four hundred years the colo- nizing Caucasian has trodden on the ruins of à civilization whose greatness he could only surmise. Among these ruins are pyramids similar to those which have ren- dered Egypt famous. The pyramid of Chalula is square, each side of its base being 1,335 feet, and its height 172 feet. Another pyramid north of Vera Cruz is formed of large blocks of highly polished porphyry, and bears upon its front hiero-

HISTORY OF IOWA.

glyphic inscriptions and curious sculpture. It is 82 feet square, and a flight of 57 steps conducts to its summit, which is 65 feet high. The ruins of Palenque are said to extend 20 miles along the ridge of a moun- tin, and the remains of an Aztec city, near the banks of the Gila, are spread over more than a square league. The principal feature of the Aztec civilization which has come down to us was its religion, which we are told was of a dark and gloomy character. Each new god created by their priesthood, instead of arousing new life in the people, brought death to thousands; and their grotesque idols exposed to drown the senses of the beholders in fear, wrought wretchedness rather than spiritual happi- ness. In fact, fear was the great animating principal, the motive power which sustained this terrible religion. Their altars were sprinkled with blood drawn from their own bodies in large quantities, and on them thousands of buman victims were sacri- fived in honor of the demons whom they worshipped. The head and heart of every captive taken in war were offered up as a sacrifice to the god of battles, while the victorious legions feasted on the remaining portions of the bodies. It is said that during the ceremonies attendant on the consecration of two of their tem- ples, the number of prisoners offered up in sacrifice was 12,210, while they them- selves contributed large numbers of volun- tary vietims to the terrible belief.

The race known as the Mound-Builders next attracts the attention of the ethnolo- gists. Throughout the Mississippi Valley, including many portions of Iowa, are found mounds and walls of earth or stone, which

can only have a human origin. These mounds vary in size from a few feet to hundreds of feet in diameter. In them are often found stone axes, pestles, arrow- heads, spear-points, pieces of flint, and other articles. Pottery of various de- signs is very common in them, and from the material of which they are made geol- ogists have attempted to assign their age.

Some have thought that the Mound- Builders were a race quite distinct from the modern Indians, and that they were in an advanced state of civilization. The best authorities now agree that while the comparatively civilized people called the Aztecs built the citics whose ruins are occasionally found, the Mound-Builders were the immediate ancestors of the In- dians De Soto first saw, and little different from the Indians of to-day.

The origin of the Red Men, or Ameri- can Indians, is a subject which interests as well as instructs. It is a favorite topic with the ethnologist, even as it is one of deep concern to the ordinary reader. A review of two works lately published on the origin of the Indians, treats the matter in a peculiarly reasonable light. It says :

"Recently a German writer has put for- ward one theory on the subject, and an English writer has put forward another and directly opposite theory. The differ- ence in opinion concerning our aboriginals among authors who have made a profound study of races, is at once curious and in- teresting. Blumenbach treats them in his classifications as a distinct variety of the human family; but, in the three-fold divi- sion of Dr. Latham, they are ranked among the Mongolide. Other writers on races

HISTORY OF IOWA.

regard them as a branch of the great Mon- golian family, which at a distant period found its way from Asia to this continent, and remained here for centuries separate from the rest of mankind, passing, mean- while, through divers phases of barbarism and civilization. Morton, our eminent ethnologist, and his followers, Nott and Gliddon, claim for our native Red Men an origin as distinct as the flora and fauna of this continent. Prichard, whose views are apt to differ from Morton's, finds reason to believe, on comparing the American tribes together, that they must have formed a separate department of nations from the earliest period of the world. The era of their existence as a distinct and isolated people must probably be dated back to the time which separated into nations the in- habitants of the Old World, and gave to each its individuality and primitive lan- guage. Dr. Robert Brown, the latest authority, attributes, in his 'Races of Man- kind,' an Asiatic origin to our aboriginals. Ile says that the Western Indians not only personally resemble their nearest neighbors -the Northeastern Asiatics-but they re- semble them in language and tradition. The Esquimaux on the American and the Tchuktcis on the Asiatic side understand one another perfectly. Modern anthro- pologists, indeed, are disposed to think that Japan, the Kuriles, and neighboring regions, may be regarded as the original home of the greater part of the native American race. It is also admitted by them that between the tribes scattered from the Arctic sea to Cape Horn there is more uniformity of physical feature than is seen in any other quarter of the globe. The weight of evidence and au-

thority is altogether in favor of the opin- ion that our so-called Indians are a branch of the Mongolian family, and all additional researches strengthen the opinion. The tribes of both North and South America are unquestionably homogeneous, and, in all likelihood, had their origin in Asia, though they have been altered and modi- . fied by thousands of years of total separa- tion from the present stock."

If the conclusions arrived at by the reviewer is correct, how can one account for the vast difference in manner and form between the Red Man as he is now known, or even as he appeared to Columbus and his successors in the field of discovery, and the comparatively civilized inhabitants of Mexico, as seen in 1521 by Cortez, and of Peru, as witnessed by Pizarro in 1532 ? The subject is worthy of investigation.

In the year 1541, Ferdinand DeSoto, a Spaniard, discovered the Mississippi river, at the mouth of the Washita. He, how- ever, penetrated no further north than the 35th parallel of latitude, his death ter- minating the expedition. It was thus left for a later discoverer to first view the "beautiful land."

In a grand council of Indians on the shores of Lake Superior, they told the Frenchmen glowing stories of the "great river" and the countries near it. Mar- quette, a Jesuit father, became inspired with the idea of discovering this noble river. He was delayed in this great un- dertaking, however, and spent the interval in studying the language and habits of the Illinois Indians, among whom he expected to travel. In 1673 he completed his pre- parations for the journey, in which he was to be accompanied by Joliet, an agent of

HISTORY OF IOWA.

the French Government. The Indians, who had gathered in large numbers to wit- ness his departure, tried to dissuade him from the undertaking, representing that the Indians of the Mississippi Valley were cruel and blood-thirsty, and would resent the intrusion of strangers upon their do- main. The great river itself, they said, was the abode of terrible monsters, who could swallow both canoes and men. But Marquette was not diverted from his pur- pose by these reports, and set out on his adventurous trip May 13; he reached, first, an Indian village where once had been a mission, and where he was treated hospit- ably; thence, with the aid of two Miami guides, he proceeded to the Wisconsin, down which he sailed to the great Missis- sij pi, which had so long been anxiously looked for; floating down its unknown waters, the explorer discovered, on the 25th of June, traces of Indians on the west bank of the river, and landed a little above the river now known as the Des Moines. For the first time Europeans trod the soil of lowa. Marquette remained here a short t'me, becoming acquainted with the In- dians, and then procceded on his explora- tions. He descended the Mississippi to the Illinois, by which and Lake Michigan he returned to French settlements.

Nine years later, in 1682, La Salle de- scended the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, and, in the name of the king of France, took formal posession of all the immense region watered by the great river and its tributaries from its source to its month, and named it Louisiana, in honor of his master, Louis XIV. The river he called " Colbert," in honor of the French Minister, and at its mouth erected a column

and a cross bearing the inscription, in French:

' 'LOUIS THE GREAT, KING OF FRANCE AND NAVARRE, REIGNING APRIL 9, 1682."

France then claimed by right of dis- covery and occupancy the whole valley of the Mississippi and its tributaries, inchid- ing Texas. Spain at the same time laid claim to all the region about the Gulf of Mexico, and thus these two great nations were brought into collision. But the country was actually held and occupied by the native Indians, especially the great Miami Confederacy, the Miamis proper (anciently the Twightwees) being the east- ern and most powerful tribe.

Spain having failed to make any settle- ment in the newly-discovered country, it was left for France to occupy the land, and that government, soon after the dis- covery of the mouth of the Mississippi by La Salle, in 1682, began to encourage the policy of establishing a line of trading posts and missionary stations, extending through the west from Canada to Louis- iana.

In 1762, France, in a time of extreme weakness, ceded all the territory west of the Mississippi, including what is now Iowa, to Spain, which power retained pos- session nntil October 1, 1800, when it retroceded it to France. This latter power ceded it to the United States in 1803, for the sum of $15,000,000.

On assuming control, the United States organized all that region west of the Mis- sissippi and north of the Territory of Orleans as the District of Louisiana. In 1805 the District of Louisiana was organ- ized into the Territory of Louisiana.

HISTORY OF IOWA.

This Territory was subsequently divided, and now forms seven great States-Louis-

iana, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas and Nebraska. -

CHAPTER II.

INDIANS

AND INDIAN WARS.

For more than one hundred 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, nor even a trading post estab- lished. The whole country remained in the undisputed possession of the native tribes, who often poured out their life blood in obstinate contest for supremacy. That this State, so aptly styled "The Beautiful Land," had been the theatre of numerous fierce and bloody struggles be- tween the rival nations for possession of the favored region long before its settle- ment by civilized man, there is no room for doubt. In these savage wars the weaker party, whether aggressive or de- fensive, 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 Mississippi, 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 Pontiae, a famous Sac chieftain, was made the pre- text for war against the Illini, and a fierce and bloody struggle ensued, which con- tinued until the Illini were nearly de- stroyed, and their hunting grounds pos- sessed 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 & constant warfare for the pos- session 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.

HISTORY OF IOWA.

The Sacs had four principal villages, where most of them resided. Their largest and most important town-if an Indian village may be called snch-and from which emanated most of the ob- stacles encountered by the Government in the extinguishment of Indian titles to land in this region, was on Rock river, near 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 Rap- ids, 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 Missis- sippi, six miles above the rapids of Rock river; another was about twelve miles from the river, in the rear of the Dubuque 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, com- manded one division of the attacking f rees. The following account of the bat- tle has been given:

"Contrary to long established custom of Indian attack, this battle was commenced in the day-time, the attending circum- stanees 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 twenty 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 wil- low. 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 underbrush growing on its sum- mit. 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 ex- tent, and in places thiekly clustered with undergrowth, affording convenient shelter for the stealthy approach of the foe.

"Through this forest the Sacand 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 observa- tions as this near proximity to their in- tended victims might afford, to aid them in their contemplated attack on the town during the following night. From this sitnation their spies could take a full sur- vey of the village, and watch every move- ment 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 men- tioned the Iowas had their race course, where they diverted themselves with the

HISTORY OF IOWA.

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 re- paired 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 com- mand 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 IIawk 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 com- mence the battle, while he remained with his division in the ambush to make a sim- ultaneous assault on the unarmed men whose attention was engrossed with the excitement of the races. The plan was skillfully laid and most dexterously exe- cuted. 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 un- armed Iowas in the midst of their racing sports. The first impulse of the latter natnr- ally led them to make the utmost speed to- ward their arms in the village, and protect, 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 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."

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History of Kossuth, Hancock, and Winnebago counties, Iowa; together with sketches of their cities, villages, and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 2

Author: Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Springfield IL : Union Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 950

Author:
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Springfield IL : Union Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 950