USA > Iowa > Pottawattamie County > History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa. Containing a history from the earliest settlement to the present time biographical sketches; portraits of some of the early settlers, prominent men, etc. > Part 7
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We are informed that on the 5th day of Feb- ruary, 1855, under the charter granted by the Legislature of the State in 1833, the first elec- tion for city officers was held. No election took place in 1854. At the election held, the follow- ing persons were elected to fill the offiees : C. E. Stone, Mayor ; C. W. Boyers, Recorder ; B. R. Pegram, Treasurer ; A. F. Thompson. Mar- shal ; and G. A. Robinson, Assessor. The first council consisted of the following gentlemen : First Ward-J. B. Stutsman, J. B. Lewis, and W. Hepner; Second Ward-J. P. Casady, R. P. Snow and S. S. Bayliss; Third Ward-J. A. Jackson, Milton Rogers and W. J. Cooper. Messrs. Snow and Hepner declined to serve, when J. D. Test and J. E. Johnson were ap- pointed to fill the vacancies. At a meeting of the council the following-named gentlemen were appointed to fill the offices named : R. L. Douglass, City Attorney ; Thomas Tostevin, City Surveyor, and H. D. Harl, City Supervisor
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HISTORY OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY.
A tax of five mills was levied for city pur -. poses. The Mayor recommended that a sys- tem of improvements should commence early in the year, and that the bonds of the city should be issued to pay the expense of such public improvements as might be made in the wisdom of the authorities. The Mayor was allowed 8100 as his salary for one year. A Board of Health was created, and the following gentle- men were appointed to fill the place: Drs. Honn, Malcolm and Shoemaker.
No startling developments were made dur- ing this year, but the Mayor and Council, and in fact, all the officers, discharged their duties well during this term.
These organizations established evidence of the rapid increase of population in the few years of the existence of the county. But beyond this, the growth of wealth has been wonderful, and now we find Pottawattamie numbered among the wealthiest counties in the State. With the present advantages possessed by this people, nothing can stop the increase of population or retard the growth of wealth and prosperity. Everything is combined to continue Council Bluffs as the great western railroad center of Iowa, while the rich and productive soil of the country around will pro- duce abundant harvests and sustain large herds of stock. In the next ten years, the popula- tion will be double its present number, while the wealth will more than double.
POTTAWATTAMIE'S WAR RECORD.
In a country like this, filled with people from every section, patriotism is always above par, and ready for action, as was proven when our country called for help. The call was scarcely out till hundreds of the brave men of Pottawattamie County responded. They did not stand upon the manner of going, but went at once to the front to defend this Nation against disruption and division. Those who left here to do battle for their country, made
records for themselves that will stand as living monuments to their memories as long as our country and time last. Their noble deeds are recorded upon the memory of every patriotic citizen in this county, and in all time to come blessings will be invoked upon their heads. It is said " to be noble to die for your country," and it is noble to live and defend it. Those who have been through onr difficulties, and now live to enjoy the peace and prosperity of homes, ean enjoy them with an appreciation that others know nothing about. In speaking of the pa- triotie aets of the brave men of this county, we do not confine our remarks to the recent war, but also to the noble men who endured the earlier wars in vindication of the honor and liberties of the people of the United States. History informs us that at an early day many a brave soldier left this country for Mexico in vindication of our rights and honor, among whom was William Garner, who is still an. honored citizen, and is in the possession of peace and plenty, but we are sorry to say, is not in good health. During the later war, citi- zens of this county rushed to the front of the battle fields by the hundreds, and many never returned to enjoy the results of their labors, but were cut down in the thick of the battle. Our citizens, of course, revere their memories and honor their graves.
The people of this country are full of pa- triotism, and therefore allow themselves to be imposed upon by eunning politicians, as has ever been the case. All men who went into the army did not go in upon the simple idea of doing service for the country, but many had selfishness in every step they took, and have been making political capital out of it ever since, and this class are not entitled to any great credit for their acts. But the true patriot is entitled to the lasting blessing and prayers of the American people. His aims and am- bitions were all for his and our common country. He had no other or higher ambition, and was
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HISTORY OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY.
always found at his post on all trying occasions. These are the men and memories we shall hold sacred. To honor them is to express a love of country. This large and fertile country sent many such men to the battle fields of their coun- try, and they did noble service on many occasions.
It must be said to the honor of our people, they did not allow a draft to be made, but the citizens freely volunteered and the demand on this county was constantly satisfied with one ex- ception. The Democrats and Republicans went forward at every call, shoulder to shoulder, many falling side by side in the bloody con- flicts. The recruiting and organizing were mostly done in the city, and of course, the particulars of sending forward the men will be given in this portion of the history. But while this is true, we cannot refrain from men- tioning a few of the brave men, and some of the incidents connected with the war. The first company raised was the Council Bluffs Guards, consisting of fifty men. On the 11th of April, 1861, G. M. Dodge was elected cap- tain ; John F. Hopper and C. C. Rice, chosen First and Second Lieutenants, and Ira Hoffman was appointed Orderly Sergeant.
The Council Bluffs Union Cavalry was the second organized company. On the 14th day of April, 1861, the following gentlemen were chosen for the officers: S. H. Craig. Captain ; J. T. Oliver and P. A. Wheeler, Lieutenants, and F. M. Davenport, Orderly Sergeant.
In a short time after the above organization, a company of flying artillery, consisting of about forty men, was formed and elected Samuel Clinton Captain. In May, William H. Kins- man went to the capital to procure arms. He was in a measure successful, and returned on the 6th of June with a six-pound brass cannon sabers and other implements. The cannon arrived about midnight, when Mr. Kinsman settled it on Broadway, and aroused the natives by firing a salute, which bursted a number of windows.
It was not long until steps were taken for the organization of a regiment in Western Iowa. This city was made headquarters for all the companies. Company A, of Mills County, with William A. English, as Captain, was marched into camp. Company B, of Pottawattamie County, with S. H. Craig, Captain ; P. A. Wheeler and William H. Kinsman, Lientenants, next arrived. As Company B was mostly com- posed of citizens of Council Bluffs, the ladies of the city presented the company with a flag before they left for active service, and it can be said to the honor of the members of the com- pany, they never allowed that banner to be dis- graced. This company was commanded suc- cessively by Capts. Craig, Kinsman and George E. Ford. In 1864, the Fourth Regiment was re-organized, and the following veterans of Com - pany B were found upon the rolls : George E. Ford, George W. Lloyd, Christian Weirich, Henry Bradshaw, C. A. D. Clarke, Lawrence Doren, Levi Jones, Henry C. Clayton, James D. Lewis, John W. Nesbitt, Curtis O'Neil, George W. Tucker, Jonathan West, Isaac V. Maynard. It is reported that of this company two were killed and twenty-one wounded, and four captured and died in Andersonville prison, viz .: Maynard, Reed, Jones and Ennes.
This regiment was recruited in the follow- ing counties : Pottawattamie, Mills, Guthrie, Decatur, Polk, Madison, Wayne, Page, Ringgold and Adams, with G. M. Dodge as Colonel. On the 9th of July, 1864, Col. Dodge returned home, and was escorted to his residence by Companies A, B and the Flying Artillery, when he returned thanks for the honor con- ferred upon him, and spoke in high terms of the noble bearing of the companies.
In a short time the headquarters of the army were removed to an elevated spot of land, one or two miles from the city. This point became quite attractive, as it was placed under strict military discipline, and the men were regularly | drilled every day. Col. Dodge was anxious to
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HISTORY OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY.
have this regiment well advanced when it should enter upon the field of duty.
A detachment of twenty-five men from each company were called ont on the 30th of July to make a forced march to the Missouri line, where it was reported the rebels were assembling, but were not found. In the early part of August the regiment left camp for Jefferson Barracks, Mo., where on the 15th day of this month, the regiment was mustered into the service of the United States.
The regiment took an active part in all the stirring battles of the West, and won honors under the command of Gen. Curtis, at Pea Ridge, under Gen. Grant at Chickasaw Bayou, and through the entire campaign at Vicksburg, and marched thence to Chattanooga, fighting at Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge and Ring- gold. Then they marched under Gen. Sher- man, through the Atlanta campaign to the sea, and thence to Washington, and after being in thirty hotly contested conflicts, were honorably mustered out of service at Louisville, Ky., ou the 24th of July, 1865. The records show a heavy fatality ; 119 were killed or died of wounds ; 240 died of disease, and the dis- charged only numbered 309.
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July 4, 1861, the Second Iowa Battery Light Artillery went into camp at Camp Kirkwood, and was mustered into the United States service on the 8th and 31st of July ; its last section left this county with two companies of the Fourth Infantry on the 27th of the month, under Capt. Craig. The officers of the battery were, Nel- son T. Spoor, Captain, and Charles T. Reed, Second Lieutenant, of Council Bluffs ; Joseph R. Reed, of Dallas County, Iowa, and David Watling, of Cincinnati, O., were Senior and Junior Lieutenants. This battery did good serv- ice during the war. Nineteen of these men were from Pottawattamie County. The battery was honorably discharged at Davenport, on Angust 5, 1865.
Fifteenth Iowa Infantry, at Council Bluff's, in the fall of 1861. The officers of the company were elected in November, and were as follows: D. B. Clark, Captain; Stephen W. King, First Lieutenant, both of Pottawattamie County; and John A. Danielson, Second Lientenant, of Harrison County. Twenty-four of the men and non-commissioned officers were enlisted in this county. The company suffered severely at Shiloh, a large portion of the officers and men being wounded or killed. Before the close of the battle, owing to the sickness or disability of the other officers, Sergeant Ed- wards had to assume command, and was soon after commissioned Captain. When the time of the enlistment expired, the following persons of Company H re-enlisted and became vet- erans: N. W. Edwards, E. W. Crawley, Joshua Gilbert, A. Heagbney, Otto C. Hoffman, Levi J. Laflesh, William Moorehead, Benton T. H. Marshall, Frank N. Martin, John D. Slocum, Amos A. Van Winkle and Joseph Whaley. The records show four killed and thirteen wounded of this company.
In the winter of 1861-62, William S. Burke enlisted eighteen men in this county for com- pany H, Seventeenth Iowa Infantry, and he was afterwards commissioned First Lieuten- ant.
In the summer of 1862, John C. Lininger, a school teacher, enlisted twenty-five men, all of this county, for Company E, Twenty-third Regiment. Mr. Liniger was chosen Captain. William H. Kinsman, of Council Bluffs, was made Lieutenant Colonel of this regiment, on August 2, 1862, and Colonel on Septem- ber 19, 1862, and remained at the head of his men until he was stricken down at the battle of Black River Bridge. The Colonel died from his wounds, on the 23d day of May, 1863, after having made a fine record for him- self.
We are told that Company E, of the Sixth
D. B. Clark enlisted in Company H, of the | Cavalry, was principally recruited by William
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HISTORY OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY.
G. Crawford, but ill health prevented him from entering the service. Twenty-five men of this company were from Pottawattamie County, and Daniel F. Eicher, was chosen Captain, and commanded the company during their term of service. Joseph C. De Haven was elected First Lieutenant, and made an excellent officer. The company went into service in January, 1863.
The Twenty-ninth Regiment camped at Coun- cil Bluffs early in August, 1862, and remained in Camp Dodge till December. The officers were : Thomas H. Benton, Colonel ; William S. Grimes, Surgeon ; William W. Wilson, Quar- termaster, and Joseph Lyman, Adjutant ; all of this eounty. The other field and staff offi- cers were generally from Western Iowa. Com- pany A, of this regiment, contained 108 men and officers, residents of this county. The offi- cers of this company were : John P. Williams, Captain ; George A. Haynes, R. R. Kirkpat- rick, Lieutenants. Capt. Williams was Sheriff, and resigned to recruit the company and enter the service. His health would not allow him to remain with the regiment, and in the sum- mer of 1863, C. V. Gardner was chosen Cap- tain, and remained in command till the end of the war. The regiment was in battles at Ar- kansas Post, Helena and Mobile, and performed service in Texas, and was discharged in New Orleans on August 10, 1865. The records show that thirty men were killed or died of wounds ; 253 died of disease, and 134 were discharged for disability.
On the 5th of November, 1864, 109 men were drafted, and this was the only draft ever made in Pottawattamie County.
It is recorded that Caleb Baldwin, a promi- nent lawyer of Council Bluffs, acted as aide to Gov. Kirkwood in the early part of the war, and was sneceeded by Henry C. Nutt, who re- mained in the field to the close of the war, act- ing as aide to Gov. Kirkwood and Gov. Stone. H. H. Field was Provost Marshal and Deputy United States Marshal for Pottawattamie County
The Board of Supervisors and citizens of the county contributed liberally for the support of the families of the soldiers who had enlisted. Early in 1861, the ladies of Council Bluffs and the county formed aid societies, and raised considerable funds for the relief of soldiers' families. The record of this county during the war was a most glorious and brilliant one, and will remain green in the memory of those who may come after the present generation. We must add here, the press of the county did much to aid those engaged in recruiting.
POOR FARM, CENSUS, ETC.
During the early part of 1857, Judge D. S Nye purchased a traet of land for a Poor Farm, and the price paid for it was supposed to be exhorbitant, and his act was considered illegal ; but the Legistature was in session at the time, and an act was immediately passed by that body confirming the action of the Judge in the purchase. Public sentiment in the county was strongly against this act, and some of the Judge's sureties withdrew from his official bond, and in May, 1858, he resigned, and the duties of the office fell upon J. H. Sherman, County Prosecuting Attorney. The latter, soon after taking the office, issued an order directing the Drainage Commissioner to drain the swamp and overflowed the lands of the county. A large sum of money was spent in this work during this and the following year.
The Poor Farm has grown into quite an im- portant institution, and it no doubt saves much to the county in the way of supporting the un- fortunate class who have to be sustained by the public. It would now yield a good profit over the priee paid when it was considered so extremely high as to call down vengeance upon the head of the County Judge because of the purchase.
The State census, taken in 1869, showed the total population of Pottawattamie County to
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HISTORY OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY.
be 10,977, divided among the different town- ships as follows : Boomer, 394; Center, 410 ; Crescent, 918; Rockford, 596; Grove, 292; James, 286; Knox, 560; Macedonia, 223 ; Sil- ver Creek, 144; Walnut Creek, 252; York, 148 ; Kane (outside of Council Bluffs), 1,038 ; Council Bluffs, First Ward, 908 ; Second Ward, 1,605 ; Third Ward, 927 ; Fourth Ward, 1,804 ;
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Fifth Ward, 547 ; total number in the city, 5,793. The number of dwelling houses in the county, was 2,083-1.153 were within the lim- its of Council Bluffs. The amount of grain produced this year was, corn, 345,081 bushels ; wheat, 35,967 ; oats, 48,702, and potatoes, 42,- 854. This year the farmers made 12,065 gal- lons of sorghum.
CHAPTER VII .*
.
IOWA: ORIGIN OF THE NAME-HER FUTURE-LAND SPECULATORS AND THEIR PECULIAR METHODS OF "DOING" PURCHASERS-EARLY EVENTS-FINANCIAL MATTERS- AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION-DEAF AND DUMB ASYLUM-SEVERE WINTER-EARLY SETTLERS-AN EXCITING ELECTION, ETC.
TOWA is interpreted to mean, "this is the place," so stated in the Annals of Iowa, in a story of an "Indian tribe who came from the West and crossed the Missouri into this State, because of an unfavorable season for game, trapping and hunting, and after several days of weary, tired tramping, hungry and heart- sick, its members came unexpectedly, at night- fall, to the shore of a beautiful lake. Groves of shade surrounded it, plums, wild apples and berries were found upon every hand, on over- ladened trees and vines; fowls swam upon and flew over the lake in great swarms, and fishes glided and swam in the beautiful waters. The tired ponies drank from the cool fountain, and the squaws plucked the fruit with avidity and began to prepare for the evening meal. The chief who had taken in at a glance the whole prospect, wisely said, "Iowa!" (this is the place). .
Hundreds and thousands, like the Indian chief, think Iowa is " the place," and they find here the best of lands and comfortable houses. Within a few years more, every acre of land will be in the possession of actual settlers, when this State will loom up with greater
rapidity and more prosperity than was ever achieved by any State before. The eyes of men of wealth are already turned in this direction, and here they find profitable investments, and in many cases make excellent improvements upon their purchases for their sons and sons- in-law. But in the years to come, the progress will go forward with much greater speed, and all Iowa will be made to bloom. This will be particularly true of this section, where so many natural and improved advantages abound. The county of Pottawattamie is certainly blessed with a fine location, beauty and variety of soil, and the best of markets, and of course, those seeking good homes cannot fail to dis- cover these facts, and seeing them they will aet upon them. While Iowa must very soon become one of the most populous States in the Union, this county will become one of the most populous in the State. In the past ten years the increase in population in Iowa has been extensive, but in the ten years to come the increase will double the past ten years. Larger rewards will be paid to those who may hold to their little homes, and those who have scarcely been living will be among those who are independent. These are the pre-
*By W. T. Giles.
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HISTORY OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY.
dictions for the future Iowa and Pottawattamie County as viewed from the past. What has been will return again, and as the advantages have improved so will the future growth be- come that much more speedy. In the twenty past years our march has seemed slow, and in a manner it was, for we had not the facilities for filling up the country and improving it that we now have. Railroads were not dotted all over the State, lumber and building materials were searce and hard to get, but now railroads abound in every direction, and building mate- rials can be secured without much delay and with but little trouble. The story seems al- most like a romanee, and yet it is as true as the needle to the pole, and even without ex- aggeration in any particular. In the early days of this county, men and women toiled unceas- ingly, and only lived, and no wonder many be- eame diseontented and left it, but to-day the story is reversed, and all who have homes live independently and enjoy bountifully of God's good things, and seem to be lords of the land. All these changes have come over this land within a few years, and they cheer the young and rising generation on to making new homes in the new Territories, where wealth will pile up in much less time than it was produced here, simply because of the railroads and additional advantages.
LAND SPECULATORS.
In giving a history of this county, it may be interesting to many who may hereafter read it to know of some of the early speculations- how they were made, ete. It will not do to set all the early settlers of any country down as men of genuine labor, or men without any speculative ideas, for in all ages and eommuni- ties you will find the energetic and speculative genius, who is ready to sell or be sold, but gen- erally does the selling. It was so here in the early days of Pottawattamie County, it is so now in Dakota and all new counties. We have briefly herein given some of the ways prac.
ticed by the early settlers upon his newly arrived friend. No seetion of country was without the class below described in this short sketch of the early settlers in this and other counties.
It was peculiar how many land speculators were found in every section of the country. Every man you would meet elaimed to own or have the agency of every foot of land within miles of the land office, and frequently combinations existed, and if you would talk to one of the combination, and he could not make a sale, you were turned over to the other, and such instruc- tions given as to price, etc., as would be likely to take you in. These parties would not own a foot of the land, but they kept themselves posted as to the entries, and whenever they could get enough above the entry or a priee above the owner's selling price, they would go to the land office or to the owner of the prop- erty and make their acts known, and the entry or deed was given just as if these outsiders had had nothing to do with the sale, but still they drew their per centage all the same. We remember buying some lots in 1854, from one of these sharpers. He claimed to own certain lots; we looked at them, bargained for them, and when the deed was made he did not sign it, and we asked, how is this-you do not give the deed? “Oh, said he, I am agent for this gentle- man, and the deed is all right." We found the title all right, but we had to pay quite a sum to the agent that we could have saved by buy- ing directly from the owner. The same game was played in relation to Government land often, unless those who were seeking to enter land were posted and would refuse to pay these officious, self-constituted agents. The early settlers were as wide awake as the men of to-day, and they made money in many and peculiar ways. While we consider the people of the present time sharp. the early settlers, in many cases, were far in advance of them, and could drive more cunning bargains than are
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HISTORY OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY.
now dreamed of. Even to-day it does not pay to tackle the frontiersman with the idea of getting the advantage of him in a trade. The only mistake he is likely to make is that he will sell too soon, when he should hold his land and lots for a time. Years ago at every land office, yon could find surveyors or men who would show you lands for a consideration, and many of these persons were sharp, and if you bought your plats-took these agents out and paid them for showing you land, if after passing over it, they found it to be more valu- able than they had suspected, they would go to the land speculators and report to them the facts, and when you would come to enter your selections they would be gone-entered by this paid agent's instructions, and often he would come and offer to sell you the land you had paid him to first show you. This way of doing business was very common on the part of a certain class. In one or two cases we paid an agent who sold us out, and then had the impudence to come and offer to sell us the land we had paid him to show us. We often met men who had been sold in Iowa in the fall of 1854. It was very common for men who did not own a lot or an acre of land, to show buyers hundreds of lots or acres of land, and would offer the one or the other at prices that would pay them a large percentage, and if the purchasers would agree to take the lot or land, the deed was given by the owner.
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