USA > Iowa > Page County > History of Page County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc. : a biographical directory of many of its leading citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, history of Iowa and the Northwest, map of Page County, constitution of the state of Iowa, reminiscences, miscellaneous matters, etc > Part 37
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20
343265
3041873
1033743
Shelby
53180
39326
47230
22029
317944
17674
689556
2254
71676
573026
Sioux.
39824
367394
4591
45096
166980
Sac.
31336
47201
33515
6780
32038
235515
24179
22996
251286
11056
110094
10
8662
3035
6599
238880
Taylor.
102861
79442
15446
206813
244
3068
279716
48260
1419680
8718
269657
384469
908476
Tama
255182
90222
57005
214941
Union
33216
45826
97013
10586
1437807
73251
2842859
13574
2316405
99528
53
6127
187748
624260
Van Buren.
Wayne.
153674
147766
113263
141188
960
24063
1130930
7455
58808
10928
121854
12596
353698
1439586
66795
194265
167178
117689
158737
10375
76346
143
1236
50211
1823622
2405187
13242
367396
1361376
Warren ..
Winnesheik
246140
654679
910
65625
131670
42175
61
80280
3561365
8391
281510
2208392
Woodbury
57097
259469
33097
112175
15243
1813465
27185
977316
24307
8216508
2265252
44179
48927
45957
32157
218875
14647
3530
490371
122291
3072
410487
4445
91647
298209
Worth
225176
55652
23092
161557
396506
Washington
Webster.
157884
41646
469879
1439
14193
73265
2832241
15701
453320
2035264
7491
207493
733342
Winnebago.
97238
61744
70910
30554
391051
5
28713
917911
Wright.
17589
30625
35516
32387
12421
28957
8939
162281
11
270
1374
52425
1327
45109
140219
Wapello
150209
63491
13629
196166
281821
4134
135176
288685
135173
17368
1617
16159
10089
157535
57035
2143731
11570
293590
1455319
Totals.
12627850| 8410435
9354905| 3690711
42669731
69188
759277
4700176 136284542!
982994
29144352 $131536747
History of Page County.
POSITION.
Page county is situated in the southwest corner of the state, being in the southern tier and the second county east of the Missouri river. It was named in honor of Captain Page, a gallant young officer, who was killed in the Mexican war. The boundaries of the county are as follows: On the north by Montgomery county; on the east by Taylor county; on the south by the counties of Nodaway and Atchison, in the state of Mis- souri; and on the west by Fremont county, Iowa.
The following table shows the time and by whom the original surveys were made. The two first townships were surveyed under the direction of the surveyor-general of Missouri, the surveys of these townships hav- ing been made prior to the settlement of the boundary line difficulty:
TOWNSHIP.
RANGE.
BY WHOM SURVEYED.
WHEN SURVEYED.
67
39
Warren Reed,
December, 1845.
67
36
Thomas Monroe,
January, 1846.
67
37
William Shields,
June, 1852.
67
38
William Shields,
June, 1852.
68
36
A. Carpenter,
June, 1852.
68
37
A. Carpenter,
June, 1852.
68
38
A. Carpenter,
June, 1852.
68
39
John S. Shiller,
November, 1851.
69
36
Wm. Dunn,
November, 1851.
69
37
Wm. Dunn,
November, 1851.
69
38
Thomas D. Evans,
September, 1851.
69
39
Thomas D. Evans,
June, 1852.
70
36
Wm. Dunn,
October, 1851.
70
37
Thos. D. Evans,
June, 1852.
70
38
Thos. D. Evans,
June, 1852.
70
39
Thos. D. Evans,
June, 1852.
The boundary line difficulty referred to was caused by a mistake in making the surveys. The constitution of Missouri in defining the boun- daries of that state had defined her northern boundary to be the parallel of latitude which passes through the rapids of the Des Moines river. In the Mississippi river, a little above the mouth of the Des Moines river,
A
322
HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.
are the rapids, which had been known as the Des Moines rapids, or the rapids of the Des Moines river. Just below the town of Keosauqua, in Van Buren county, there are rapids (though very slight and inconsidera- ble) also in the Des Moines river. The Missouri authorities claimed that the latter rapids were referred to in the definition of her boundary, and insisted on exercising jurisdiction over a strip of territory some eight miles in width which Iowa claimed as being a part of her territory. At the first court held in Farmington, Van Buren county, in April, 1837, by Da- vid Irwin, judge of the second judicial district of Wisconsin, an indict- ment was found against one David Doose for exercising the office of con- stable in Van Buren county, under authority of the state of Missouri. This, and other similar acts by Missouri officials, were the origin of the dispute which resulted in demonstrations of hostilities, and very nearly precipitated a border war. Governor Boggs, of Missouri, called out the militia of that state to enforce its claims, and Governor Lucas, of Iowa, called out the militia of the territory to maintain its rights. About 1,200 men were enlisted and armed. There was no difficulty in raising volun- teers, for the war spirit ran high. At this stage, however, it was consid- ered best to send peace commissioners to Missouri, with a view of adjust- ing the difficulties. Gen. A. C. Dodge, of Burlington; Gen. Churchman, of Dubuque, and Dr. Clark, of Fort Madison, were appointed, and pro- ceeded to discharge the duties of their mission. When they arrived they found that the county commissioners of Clarke county, Missouri, had re- scinded their order for the collection of taxes in Iowa, and the governor of Missouri had sent messengers to Governor Lucas, with a proposition to submit an agreed case to the supreme court of the United States. This proposition was declined, but afterward both Iowa and Missouri petitioned congress to authorize a suit to settle the question. This was done, and the decision was adverse to the claims of Missouri. Under an order of the supreme court of the United States, William G. Miner, of Missouri, and Henry B. Hendershott, of Iowa, acted as commissioners to survey and establish the boundary line. They discharged the duties assigned them, and peace was restored.
Before the dispute in regard to the boundary line had been settled, the greater portion of the southern half of the county paid tribute to the state of Missouri and the citizens of the territory above described, what few there were, considered themselves under the jurisdiction of that state, a portion of the time being attached to Andrews county and afterwards to Nodaway, the sheriff from Missouri calling on them yearly for their taxes, it being the duty of that officer then to look after such matters.
As near as we can learn the citizens of this portion of the disputed ter- ritory always submitted gracefully to Missouri during the "border" diffi- culty, a great number of them really believing that they belonged to that
323
HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.
state ; but after the boundary line had been permanently and amicably settled, a more permanent and substantial era immediately pervaded the whole of what had been the much disputed territory. The line was es- tablished by the commissioners appointed by act of congress for that pur- pose in 1851.
GEOGRAPHY-DESCRIPTIVE AND PHYSICAL.
Page county, generally speaking, is a well watered and fertile tract of land, having a plentiful supply of timber and being well adapted for agri- cultural purposes. The county, east and west, is twenty-four and three- fourths miles long, including the "offset," which appears as though the northern half had been slipped three-fourths of a mile west. North and south it is about twenty-two and one-half miles, including an area of 555 square miles, or 355,200 acres.
The surface is uneven, gently undulating with hills and valleys. The county is drained by Buchanan creek, a stream about twenty feet wide; the East Nodaway river about fifty feet wide; the West Nodaway river, about one hundred feet wide ; the East, Middle and West Tarkios, each about twenty feet wide ; by the East Nishnabotna, about seventy- five feet wide, and by their various tributaries. These principal streams flow in a direction a little west of south. Each of these streams have fine valleys, corresponding in width with the size of the stream, especially is this the case with the valleys of the Nodaways and the Nishnabotna. In fact, they are unsurpassed, both in beauty and the fertility of their soil. It will be readily observed that Page county is well supplied with living streams of water, and is therefore well adapted for stock raising. No better inducement could be offered stock raisers than to have it generally known that a plentiful supply of living water abounds at all times within the borders of the county; it is an advertisement to be proud of, and many stock raisers are taking advantage of the facilities and inducements offered here, for both handling and raising stock.
Good well water is obtained in most localities throughout the county, in great abundance, and at a moderate depth below the surface, ranging from ten to forty feet, of a good quality, clear, cool and unfailing. Fre- quently it becomes necessary to dig thirty and forty feet, and occasionally deeper, before meeting with the same results, accordingly as the well-digger is fortunate in starting in the right place to strike a good vein. Here, as in other localities, of course, these water-veins underground vary greatly in depth, and sometimes, only a few rods from a good well fifteen or twenty feet deep, it may become necessary to dig twice or three times the
324
HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.
distance in order to find plenty of water again, and vice versa, so that it is difficult to give an average of depth. But in this county, as a general thing, plenty of good well water is more easily obtained than in most places throughout the state, and, though sometimes it is necessary to go down to quite a depth, the excellent quality of water secured-clear as a crystal-well repays the digging.
The county, very fortunately, has comparatively few of those unap- proachable sloughs and tracts of swamp lands so often found on extensive prairies. The sloughs throughout the county are generally a good dis- tance apart, leaving a broad strip of well drained farming land on either side. They are mostly broad and level, with sufficient fall to carry off the drainage and prevent water standing in them very long, while their channels do not wash deep, narrow drains in the center as is the case in many other places. The greater portion of the slough lands in the county could be easily drained and made tillable. They would then become some of the most productive lands in the county, and would still answer the same purpose of drainage for which they are now prized, at the same time producing abundant yields of hay and other products. In some places they spread out in the shape of broad, level bottom lands, grad- ually widening and sloping down toward the valleys of the neighboring rivers or other running streams. The soil of these slough lands is fertile and easily tilled when once drained and broken.
The belts of local timber will supply all local needs for many years to come. The tendency is now and has been for some years, to limit rather than enlarge the area of timber land. The timber is more abundant in the eastern part of the county, and the area in timber and prairie is per- haps about equally interspersed ; in the central and western part of the county the timber is generally to be found along the streams. On the whole, the timber of the county is well distributed and conveniently located to the prairie and farming lands, so as to be easily accessible from any locality within its boundaries.
Beautiful groves are dotted here and there, some of them occupying quite elevated positions, and others bordering on the low lands, which tend to relieve the monotony and dreary aspect so prevalent on our broad, bleak western prairies.
There are a great many varieties of timber found, such as oak, hickory, sycamore, walnut, hackberry, lind, elm, sugar maple, soft maple, cotton- wood, swamp ash, and in some localities white ash, etc. Along the river bottoms and low lands it chiefly abounds in the soft woods, with a moder- ate per cent of hard wood trees occurring among them more or less fre- quently in different localities, while along the higher banks and bluff lands are found the more valuable hard woods, suitable for fencing and build- ing purposes.
325
HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.
In many places the best of the hard woods of the older growth have been culled out, and in others pretty thoroughly cleared off to supply the needs of settlers, thus leaving only the less valuable soft woods. But the second growth is rapidly increasing, and is furnishing as an average, a better quality of timber than that which preceded, and it is estimated that the increase in growth will exceed the annual waste and consumption for all purposes; so that there need be no fear of the citizens suffering from want of fuel, and fencing, and shelter, especially since coal and lumber, becoming so plentiful and cheap, are found almost at their very doors.
Even those who were born and reared in a timber country, and who have spent their prime of life in the woods, can find here a timber home quite congenial to their nature, and also joining this they can secure, for as large a family as they choose to raise, a fertile tract of farming land, all grubbed and cleared and ready for the plow, which, with a moderate amount of labor and judicious management, will furnish a comfortable home and liberal income as the reward of faithful industry and prudence.
In these days, however, timber land is not in such high estimation as formerly, since railroad facilities have rendered fuel, fencing, and build- ing material, so cheap. Consequently the opportunities to purchase are increased and the price decreased somewhat, as a general thing.
Prairie is the prevailing characteristic of the county. It is abundant in quantity and mostly all excellent in quality.
In so large a tract there must always be some that is of an inferior qual- ity. However, there is a comparatively small per cent of poor prairie land in this county, and among so much that is good it is a difficult task to designate that which is best. On nearly all the divides between the rivers and running streams are found large tracts of beautiful, rolling prairie lands, well drained, easily cultivated, highly productive, and conveniently located to water, timber, mills and markets.
The character of the soil, heretofore spoken of, is such that a failure of crops from dry weather is unknown. The soil is light and porous, so that ten hours of bright sunshine will dry the roads after a heavy rain.
The climate is healthful, invigorating and pleasant for this latitude, both winter and summer. The winters are generally long, with rather an even temperature, sometimes changing quite suddenly from cold to warm and back again to extremely cold weather within a few days. But these sud- den changes are the exception rather than the general rule, so the citizens soon become accustomed to them, and consider it not half a winter with- out them. This region is subject to an average and occasionally a heavy fall of snow, during the winter season, which is usually accompanied by sharp, healthful frosts. But as a general thing the mercury remains above zero, seldom reaching more than twelve or fifteen degrees below, and very rarely falling to twenty and twenty-five degrees below zero.
326
HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.
During the winter the roads generally remain dry, there being usually but little rain. Snow seldom falls, of late years, to a greater depth than six inches. It is much drifted, however, by the winds. The climate is generally esteemed no more rigorous than in the eastern states of the same latitude.
Strong, sharp, chilling winds sweep over the broad prairies and down the valleys during the winter and early spring months, but these become modified to gentle, bracing, welcome breezes during the later spring, sum- mer, autumn, and early fall months; and within the past few years the winters have become greatly modified from the reputed coldness of ear- lier days to the milder temperature of a more southern clime, so that many of the older settlers having become accustomed to exposure in driving storms and blustery weather during the hardships of frontier life, rather incline to look upon these open, mild winters, as intruders, coming out of season and out of place, and they begin to "long for the good old days of yore," when neighbors must become congenial and accommodating in order to keep from freezing or starving to death, and when storm-staid strangers will be made welcome guests at the fireside. The later spring, summer and autumn months are generally delightful and salubrious.
The prairie winds, which become mild and almost constant, are fresh and bracing, regulating the temperature and purifying the atmosphere.
During the months of July and August they sometimes seem rather mild and motionless, allowing the sun's rays to beam down unhindered for a while, and to occupy the field with almost undisputed sway, thus pro- ducing a few days of hot, sweltering harvest weather, which cause the citizens to place something of a proper estimate on the value and useful- ness of the county's beautiful shade trees and excellent water. Then these few sultry summer days are soon followed by a glorious "Indian summer" of balmy autumn days, which are aptly fitted to brighten the pathway and " cheer the heart of man." The county has rain and wet weather enough to water the crops and produce a healthy growth of veg- etation.
The health of the Page county people is usually very good, although they die here as elsewhere. Ague is practically unknown in these later days, and there are no climatic diseases peculiar to the county, so that the repeal of the quinine duty had little practical effect in this county, and will not be made the one issue in any canvass in this county. The early set- tlers on the river bottoms would have welcomed it, but for practical re- sults it is now useless.
Although the early settlers found considerable wild fruit in the timbered regions of the county, they accepted without question the belief that the county was not well adapted to fruit raising. Experience has proven this to be a great error. Tame or grafted fruits of equal hardihood have been
327
HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.
found to flourish as well as the wild fruits. Among the wild fruits found in the timber belts were several varieties of plums of excellent flavor. The large yellow plum was often from three to three and one-half inches in circumference, and it was as luscious to the taste as any of the tame plums. Grapes, crab apple, wild cherry, currants, gooseberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, black and red haws, and other fruits of the same character were also found. The butternut, walnut and hickory tree bear well, and hazelnuts are abundant. It is along the river bottoms that the fruit flourishes best.
Tame plums, peaches, apples, cherries, etc., produce abundantly when cultivated with care and when the proper varieties are selected. As we have stated, the early settlers, as a general thing, thought it useless to at- tempt fruit-raising here, and thus the county now lacks many a noble or- chard it might otherwise have had. At present, however, nearly every farmer, who has not already an orchard, is engaged in cultivating one, and thriving young orchards are to be seen all over the country, and no better apples are raised anywhere than those grown in Page county. The raising of peaches did not prove a success at an early day, but of late years it has been demonstrated that the peach can be raised here, almost as well, and proves, generally as sure a crop, as anywhere.
The strawberry succeeds well, as it does throughout almost all portions in this latitude. They are not cultivated extensively for the markets, be- cause of the remoteness of the county from a large town to create a de- mand, but with improved railway connections, a large and profitable busi- ness in this production will doubtless spring up to add employment and wealth to its people.
Raspberries and blackberries succeed well, and are cultivated quite generally over the surface of the county for home use.
Cherries have become a very important crop, and will eventually add much to the wealth of the county.
But the great, the standard productions of the county are the cereals, corn, wheat, oats, barley and rye. For these, the soil is peculiarly fitted, and they almost grow spontaneously. Especially is this the case with the corn crop, as no other county in Iowa can excel Page, in regard to yield, and, in fact, but few equal it. This portion of the state appears to be particularly adapted for corn, averaging from forty to eighty, and sometimes as high as one hundred bushels per acre.
Spring wheat is generally grown, and on an ordinary year, the average will probably reach fifteen bushels. Winter wheat does well when the ground is covered with a snow early in December, thus giving protection to the crop during the rigor of winter.
Rye and barley, while quite extensively cultivated, have not attained great importance because there are no local markets. The temperance
328
HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.
proclivities of the people also operate as a bar to the establishment of breweries and distilleries.
Oats will probably average about thirty to forty bushels to the acre, one year with another.
Sorghum thrives well, but is not now cultivated to that extent as for- merly.
Potatoes grow almost without effort, although the bug has been a pest which has exercised the patience and devoured the crop of many a farmer. The average yield is probably about one hundred and fifty bushels per acre, although many instances are known of a production at the rate of four hundred bushels to the acre.
The importance of the tame grasses was not_ appreciated at an early day, so long as the virgin soil of much of the county remained unbroken, because the supply of pasturage was free and plentiful, and the quality of the prairie hay was all that the early settlers desired or needed; but when the time came, the soil of the county gave evidence that it was thoroughly adapted to tame grasses. Timothy and red-top and clover, for both pas- turage and hay, and Kentucky blue-grass for the former, succeed well in almost every portion of the county. As the county becomes more per- fectly ,developed, the importance of the tame grasses to the entire pro- duction of the other growths from the soil will be greatly increased.
Successful stock-raising here, as in every other portion of the western country, has kept even pace with the adoption and increase of the tame grasses, and will, in the future, be the absorbing industry of its people.
HYDROGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY OF PAGE COUNTY.
The geological history of Page county is one of peculiar interest, and affords some very suggestive facts relative to its past vicissitudes. It ex- tends in point of time over many thousands of years, and embraces pe- riods of repose, and periods of remarkable change. Its history, climato- logically, has been one of deep interest, and embraces changes so radical and so directly at variance with one another as to be almost incredible. There have been long ages when it basked under a torrid sun ; and then these ages gave place to others equally as remarkable for polar frosts. Life, in all the variety and luxurience of a tropical climate, gave place to the desert wastes of an arctic zone. Nor were these changes sudden. They are there, stamped in the very rocks at your door, and limned upon the landscape of your valleys, not as great and far-reaching catastrophes, but as gradual transitions, marked as such by the fossil forms that roll out from the rock you crush, or see traced with a delicacy no draughtsman
329
HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.
can imitate. There have been times when Old Ocean, heedless of his do- ings, dashed against the rocky barrier that dared dispute his way, or rolled in solemn conscious might above its highest point; times when a beautiful and varied flora thrived on its surface; and times when there was nought, save a waste of desert water. We strike our pick in the shales on the hillside, and behold! there in the coal that gives us warmth and drives our engines, are the fairy forms that made the Fern-paradise of the coal period. To trace briefly these changes and to note their proba- ble causes, is the object of this sketch.
It is, however, of the utmost importance to first obtain a correct view of the drainage of the county-or its hydrography.
The general dip of the county-averaging two feet to the mile-as in- deed of the remaining portions of southwestern Iowa, is a little west of south, its surface waters finding their way to the Missouri-the "Big Muddy." The entire eastern portion of the county is drained by the Nodaways, and along their valleys the most beautiful scenery of the county is to be found. The most heavily wooded sections also are here, the stream, throughout its entire course through the county, partaking less of the nature of a true prairie stream than any other water-course within its limits. To the west, and running throughout the county in courses, mainly parallel to the Nodaway, are found the Tarkio and West Tarkio rivers, while through Pierce and Grant townships in the northwest flows the Nishnabotna. These streams, with their numerous smaller tributaries, entering at right angles to the courses of the main streams, af- ford a complete and perfect drainage. The three last named streams, with the exception of the lower half of the Tarkio, are truly prairie streams, sparsely wooded, and of sluggish movement. The surface of the county, in the main, is the usual undulating, treeless prairie. Whatever may be the origin of these prairie lands, their real cause is the preva- lence of annual fires. The valleys themselves present the usual appear- ance of the "drift"-a term which will be explained further on-and in the western portion of the county they are occupied by the "bluff de- posit." The material of this deposit is of a slightly yellowish ash color, except where darkened by decaying vegetation, very fine and silicious, but not sandy, not very cohesive, and not at all plastic. The origin of the "bluff" is referred to the accumulation of sediment in an ancient lake, which was afterwards drained, and the sediment became dry land. That so enormous deposit of this age as is found in Page county-nearly two hundred feet on its western side-should be made, we must conceive the present level of the land to be lowered, the water of the Gulf of Mexico backing up on the land, the whole country adjacent to the lower Missouri far below the surface of the ancient lake thus formed, while the upper Missouri is plowing its way through the land, wearing away its bounda-
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