USA > Iowa > Sac County > History of Sac County, Iowa > Part 2
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Goodenow, Charles 485
Gordon, Francis E. 798
Goreham, Edson E. 507
Goreham, Joseph l'. 456
Goreham, Leonard L. 434
872
Gosch, John H. 896
Gosch, Juergen P.
Gould, George B. 840
Green, Col. Festus J. 650
Greenley, Thomas E. 571
Groman, August, M. D. 383
Gulliford, A. B. 846
Gunderson, Anton E. 800
H
Hahne, August 859
Hahne, Herman 781
Hahne, Samuel 763
Hahne, William
863
Hamand, James 857
Hammerstrom, Gust 776
Hanson, Edward H.
847
Hanson, George H.
475
Hanson, Harry H.
906
Hanson, Henry
366
Hanson, John
570
Haradon, Eli 550 1
Hart. William H. 376
Hartman, Edward P. 397
Hartsell, Jacob W. 359
Hasch. Henry 502
Hatfield, Charles 828
Hayden, Arthur S., M. D. 493
Hechtner, Charles 637
Hechtner, John G.
638
Henning, William W. 622
Henrich, Valentine 894
Hess, Herman C. 862
Hiersche. F. R. 888
Highland, Walter T. 596
Hill, Ulysses S.
1 468
Hillmann, Fred
614
Hix, Henry
860
Hoft, Henry 197
Hopkins, Christopher M., M. D. 663
Hoskins, Perry S .-
589
Hover, Alexander 542
Howard, William J. 538
Howard, William O. 494 1
Huelman, Theodore
549
Huser, Thea
603
1
1
Huston, David S. 704
I
Ibel. Jacob J. 612
Irwin, Charles W. 665
Irwin. James T. 869
Irwin, Nestor B.
643
J
652
Jacobsen, Theodore
Jensen, Charles
845
Fox. Marshall D.
694
Friesner, Andrew J.
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX.
Jensen, Oliver
Johnson, Andrew E.
Johnson, George W.
K
Kastner, Henry 524
Keir, Duncan B. 738
Keir, Thomas G.
1
Keiser, Joseph
608
I
Kessler, Henry
484
1
King, Charles D. 546
Meyer, Conrad
Miner, Albert D. 650
Miner, Kingsley A.
651
Mock, Marion
452
Molsberry, Frank R., D. D. S. 885
583
Molsberry, Will I.
534
Montgomery, Arthur H.
N
Ncal, J. Wilbur 794
Needham, Francis S. 825
Nelson, Alfred
470
Nuehring, Charles
621
839
Nutter, Walter A.
O
O'Grady. J. E., D. D. S. 770
Oldsen, Carl A.
675
Oldsen, John D.
500
P
Paeper, Robert J.
702
Parkinson, Joseph
477
Paul, Allie J.
Paul, Charlie A. 478
Perkins, George B. 389
McDonald, J. F. 522
McGeachy, Alexander 874
Mc Geachy, Donald, 832
McLaughlin, John B. 773
McNeill, Rev. Francis 576
M
Mackey, Oliver
Markley, John R. 648
Martin, Charles A. 873
Martin, Francis T. 870
Mason, Anderson
418
Mattes, Joseph 789 1 1
783
Mayhall, Ross
1
516
Mead, Hugh 11.
902
Mead, Isaac N.
915
Mehlbrech, W. Louis
Mendenhall, George W.
732
Merkley, Edgar C.
557
529
Messer, Martin A. 454 1
King, Joseph H. 540
Kluckhohn, Henry .A.
848
Konradi, Josephı
890
Kramer, Ozro J.
775
Krusenstjerna. Alfred G.
399
L
Lange, Claus 431
Lashier, Albert F. 555
504
Lee, C. Everett
Lee, Curtis Orville 384 4
Lewis, Reuben
547
Little, Walter W.
448
Long, Robert M.
599
Longman, Thomas
736
Lookingbill, Col. William C.
734
Low, J. H.
Lowry, Larkin P. 830
Lundell, August
459
Lundell, Peter G.
446
Mc
McCarter. Washington 723
McCord, Robert L. 793
McCorkindale, Angus 866
McCorkindale, Donald 658
McCray, Frank H., M. D. 777
682
McCrea, L. H.
Petersmeyer, August C. 680
483
Petersmeyer, Fred W.
Peterson, Solomon 436
Pilloud, Frank
560
Pitstick, William
730
Platt. Asa 371
750
Poland, William R.
627
Pratt, Frank E.
Purdy, Walden E.
552
721
784
779
631
911
754
834
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX.
Q
Quinn, Pat 867
Quirk, Lewis T. 654
Quirk, Thomas 674
Quirk, William
816
R
Rabe, Henry 892
Rake, L. B. 790
Reinhart, John
909
Reuber, August H. W.
853
Reynolds, John A.
616
Rhoads, William W.
624
Rich, Maurice D.
727
Ringgenberg, Edward S.
594
Ritter, Conrad A
646
Roberts, Henry J.
877
Robinson, Henry C.
672
Robinson, James D.
530
Robinson, Olden C.
856
Robinson, Robert S.
533
Rogers, Earl C.
715
Rogers, Henry W. 743
Roseke, Angust
580
Rosenhauer, George
565
S
Sanborn, John S 554
Schaefer, Christian 592
Schaller, Phil
345
Schenck, De Witt G.
610
Schenkelberg, Rev. L.
714
Schnirring, E. M.
751
Schmitz, John N.
699
Schulte, Charles A. 836
Schultz, Alfred C.
803
Sebern, R. C., M. D 701
Seek, William
543
Selby, Seymour D. 381
Shaffer, Raymond C., M. D. 913
Sheley, Martin 744
Shelmerdine, David 558
Slacks, John R. 378
Smith, Asa B.
1 668
Smith, Hiram B
444
Smith, Peter 720
Sonnichsen, Sankey C. 711 1
Spicer, J. J. 642
Spurrell, John 884
Stanzel, Barnabas C. 851
Stanzel, George C. 563
Stanzel, Silas 786
Stanzel, William A. 696
Stanzel, William August 687
Starner, Emett
685
Staton, James S. 518
Stocker, George L. 809
Stokes, William W.
756
Stouffer, Frank E.
392
Stouffer, Samuel M.
392
Strahn, Harry I.
496
Swearingen, Guy, M. D.
831
T
Taylor, George .1.
827
Teaquist, Col. Albert S.
574
Therkelsen, J. P.
712
Thielhorn, Chriss J.
649
Tiberghien, Elias
806
Tiberghien, James W.
822
Tiberghien, Jeremiah S.
544
Tischer, Hans
509
Tourgee, J. B.
653
Townsend, William H., M. D.
804
U
Umbarger, J. F.
855
Umbarger, William L.
677
=
Wadsley, George W. 562
Wager, Alexander 630
Wagner, John G. 525
Wagner, John H.
691
Watt, Samuel I
363
Wayt, Leon R. 414
Wayt, Wooster B. 410
Webb, Adelbert E.
748
Weed, Francis W.
420
Wells, John P. 718
Westrom, John
I
724
Whiteside, W. K.
787
Whitted, C. M.
802
Willhoite, George B.
619
Williams, Ed
600
Williams, Ephraim A.
582
Williams, F. E., M. D. C.
904
Wilson, J. W.
878
Wilson, Robert 1.
615
1
I
1
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX
Wine, Lacey A.
408
Y
Winkler, Fred 442
Wiseman, George
876
Young, Edwin M 528
Wolf, Michael B.
429
Young, Joseph S. 597
Woodke, August D.
771
Yonnie, John W. 462
HISTORICAL
CHAPTER I.
GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY.
Without going into a detailed account of all that has been written by geologists concerning the formation and surface appearance of Sac county, it may be of some interest to the ordinary reader of this work to mention some of the general features of the soil and formations below, in this section of the state.
First, it should be said that the geological features here are not materially different from other western Iowa prairie counties.
Sac is the third county from the Missouri river, and the fourth from the north line of the state. It contains a superficial area of five hundred and sev- enty-six square miles, equal to 368,640 acres. It is admirably watered and drained by North Raccoon and Boyer rivers and their tributaries, together with several branches of Maple river which have their sources in the county. Cedar and Indian creeks are important tributaries of North Raccoon. Boyer river, so famous in this state for the fertility of its valley, rises in Buena Vista county and flows south across the center of Sac county.
The southern extremity of an important chain of little lakes occupying the "Great Watershed," is in Sac county. The middle of the county is about on the summit ridge, Raccoon river, on the east, flowing to the Mississippi, and Boyer river, on the west, flowing into the Missouri at Council Bluffs. On this "watershed" between the Raccoon and Boyer are situated several small lakes, the largest of which is known as Wall lake. This charming little lake is situated in townships 86 and 87, of range 36, being in the southern portion of the county. This body of water covers an area of about three square miles, and does not exceed a depth of twelve feet. Originally a part of the shores of this lake were bordered by earthworks, or an embankment of earth and boulders, in some places the latter having the appearance of a wall laid up by the hand of men, and hence the name Wall lake. In the waters of this lake
26
SAC COUNTY, IOWA.
are many fine fishes and from the early settlement of western Iowa many per- sons visited the spot on fishing expeditions. In the beautiful autumn time of western lowa, immense flocks of wild fowl, including ducks and other water- fowls, here congregate. In the north part of the county there was also an- other lake of about a mile square. It was in township 88 of ranges 36 and 37. This was known as Rush lake, but has recently been drained out by dredge ditches.
In recent years-since the beginning of the railroad era-these lakes, especially Wall lake, in the southern part of the county, have been utilized for summer resorts. The shores of Wall lake have been improved and boating and bath houses have made it a very popular place for excursionists. Camping and fishing, with all the amusements that characterize a summer resort, are here found.
At an early day, and even at this time to a certain extent, the Raccoon and Boyer rivers possessed a considerable growth of natural timber, including such varieties as oak, black walnut, cottonwood, linn, elm and the maples. The general character of the surface is rolling, in only a few places being very rough or broken-simply a beautiful prairie plain. But little is too flat or wet to cultivate, and most of the present county is used for actual. practical farm- ing purposes. The soil is of unusual fertility and richness. Here are pro- duced annual crops of wheat, oats, corn and tame grasses. Vegetables and some variety of fruits do well in Sac county. At one of the corn palaces in Sioux City in the nineties, Sac county took the premium on her exhibit of apples. Variety, color and flavor were all taken into account.
The soil is for the most part a deep. black alluvial loam, which possesses rare productive qualities, and will last for generations, even without fertiliz- ing; but the scientific methods of the present century have taught the wise and intelligent farmer to conserve his rich soil holdings, by rotation of crops, the growth of tame grasses, etc., in order that his land may not "run down," but be as rich and productive in generations to come as it is today. This drift deposit in all northern Iowa is from the original rocks of Minnesota, with much from Iowa itself. In general terms, the constant component element of the drift soil is that portion which was transported from the north. while the inconstant elements are those portions which were derived from the adjacent or underlying strata. For example, in western Iowa, wherever that creta- ceous formation known as the nisnabotany sandstone exists, the soil contains more sand than elsewhere. The same may be said of the soil of some parts of the state occupied by the lower coal measure, the sandstones and sand shales of the formation furnishing the sand.
27
SAC COUNTY, IOWA.
The northern and northwestern portions of Iowa contain more sand and gravel than any other portions. This sand and gravel was doubtless derived from the cretaceous rocks that do now or formerly did exist there, as well as from the pudding-stone beds of the Sioux quartzite.
Sac county is really too far north to be within the coal measure of the state. Good clays are found within the county, but the wealth comes largely from the rich alluvial soil and is more and more valued as the years go by.
ORIGIN OF THE PRAIRIES.
From all that has been written concerning the origin of the prairie lands of this state, it appears to be quite well settled in the minds of up-to-date scientists, that the annual prairie fires account for the lack of timber in this section of the Mississippi and Missouri valleys. It is estimated that seven- eighths of the entire surface of the state of Iowa was prairie when first known to white men. These prairies are not confined to any particular variety of soil, for within the state they rest upon all formations, from those of the Azoic to those of the Cretaceous age inclusive. Whatever may have been their origin, their present existence in Iowa is not due to the influence of climate, nor the soil, nor any of the underlying formations. The real cause is the prevalence of the annual fires. If these had been prevented fifty and a hundred years ago, Iowa would now doubtless have been a timbered country. The encroaching habits of forest trees are well known to farmers of this state, and they have from time to time observed this encroachment going on as soon as the adjoining woodland has been well protected from the fires. As it is today, and has been for forty years, ninety-five per cent. of the land in Iowa is tillable land of great value.
THE MYSTERY OF THE PRAIRIES.
The Iowa boy and girl of today knows but little. if indeed anything, of the beauty and mystery of the prairie ; they can never see (as did their parents only a few decades ago ) the moist furrow as the sod is turned in long rolls, the miracle of subduing the soil so wild. The prairie, just as God turned it, in long reaches, so clean, so sweet in its perfumes wafted on the winds that came down out of the southwest. After a rain, how pure all nature ap- peared. The wide expanse stretching away to the east and north, all prairie for miles from the new farm that was being improved. The billows of wav- ing grass, dotted with wild flowers, the whole seeming to wave in unison with
28
SAC COUNTY, IOWA.
the wind as it came over the hill. The mystery of the prairie? Unsolved, entrancing and one of rarest memories of boyhood and young manhood, in the days that have forever gone for the sons and daughters of the Hawkeye state, the floral emblem of which is the wild rose.
What tribes haunted these prairie lands of Sac county before the advent of the white race? What Indian princess had gathered the wild flowers to radiantly bedeck her swarthy brow? For this had been, in the early days, the richest of all pasture lands and the hunting ground of the Indians for many generations. Of this there were many mute evidences when the pioneer first set stakes along the streams of this county. The writer of this article knew the same kind of prairies in Iowa, when they were unsullied and unscarred, the gift of God, direct from His hand, lying like a great quilt of many colors over spreading valley and upland, the pattern most exquisite and perfect in execution, for it had been wrought out by the great Artist of the Universe. The sweet william, the violet and retiring lily, the latter the most beauti- ful and so hard to discover, so hiding in its habits-these were the flowers scattered through the wild grass, in many places a riot of bright, dazzling color.
To have known the unbroken prairie was to have known, intimately, virgin life. Really, to have studied it in all its deep mysteries was to have been well schooled in all things chaste and broad-minded. To have seen the joyous springtime, the mature deliberations of summer and the somber hues and tones of autumntime was to have witnessed the sublime in Nature's 1In- cultivated flower garden. Then the great white blanket of snow, covering all as far as the eye could see, was but to look out upon a dreary, yet pleasing landscape. But how changed is all this scene. There are no large prairies in Sac or any of her sister counties. The plowshare has forever obliterated all that has just now been described. The landmarks have long since been swept down beneath the hand of the greedy, though generally laudable, hus- bandman. The beautiful prairies have served their time and have passed away, and with them the nimble-footed deer, the elk, antelope and that won- derful game bird, the prairie chicken.
PIONEER ANIMAL LIFE.
The following is a list of the mammals found in Sac county, at an early day, as shown by a recent state publication : Opossoms, prairie hare, cotton- tail, prairie gopher, muskrat, meadow mouse, prairie deer mouse, northern white-footed mouse, brown rat, common house mouse, American beaver,
29
SAC COUNTY, IOWA.
woodchuck, ground-hog, marmot, prairie squirrel, striped gopher, chipmunk, ground squirrel, western fox squirrel, short-tailed schrews, prairie mole, red rat, hoary bat, red deer, American elk, buffalo, American otter, northern plains skunk. civet-cat, American badger, mink, long-tailed weasel, red fox, prairie wolf, bob cat, mountain lion.
All but a small percentage of these animals have long since been scarce in this portion of Iowa, but at one day it was their home.
CHAPTER II.
INDIAN OCCUPANCY- TERRITORY ACQUIRED BY WHITE MEN.
Of what is termed the pre-historic race that inhabited this section of the Northwest, there is but little known, the only history of this extinct race being the mounds and the contents of the same. These mounds are found scattered here and there in many sections of this and other states, a goodly number having been discovered in recent years in Cherokee county. Whether these Mound Builders were a distinct race from the North American Indians or not is still an unsettled question, but the evidence so far goes to show that they sprang from some tribe from Asia. Those best versed in such questions claim that this settlement from the Orient came about either by ship-wrecked sailors, or by the true immigration from Asia, crossing at Bering Strait. There is every evidence that tends to show that the Mound Builders were people well up in arts and science, as then understood in the world, and that copper was mined and worked in a fashion now unknown to the most skilled artisan. They made implements of war and had elaborate houses, practiced domestic cconomy and were probably the ancestors of the North American Indian.
For more than one hundred years after Marquette and Joliet trod the soil of lowa and admired its fertile plains, not a single settlement was made or attempted, not even a trading post being established. During this time the Illinois Indians, once a very powerful tribe, gave up the entire possession of this "Beautiful Land" (as its name, Iowa, really signifies) to the Sacs and Foxes. In 1803, when Louisiana was purchased by the United States, these two tribes. with the lowas, possessed the entire present state of Illinois. The four most important towns of the Sacs were along the Mississippi, two on the east side, one near the mouth of the Upper lowa river and one at the head of the Des Moines rapids, near the present town of Montrose. Those of the Foxes were, one on the west side of the Mississippi just above Daven- port, one about twelve miles from the river, back of Dubuque lead mines, and one on Turkey river. The principal village of the Iowas was on the Des Moines river, in Van Buren county, where Iowaville now stands. Here the
3I
SAC COUNTY, IOWA.
last great battle between the Sacs and Foxes and the Iowas was fought, in which Black Hawk, then a young man, commanded the attacking forces.
The Sioux had the northern portion of the state and southern Minne- sota. They were a fierce, warlike nation, and often disputed the possessions of their rivals in savage and bloody warfare ; but finally a boundary line was established between them by the government of the United States, in a treaty held at Prairie Du Chien in 1825. This, however, became the source of an increased number of quarrels between the tribes, as each trespassed, or was thought to trespass, upon the rights of those who lived on the other side of the line. In 1830, therefore, the government created a forty-mile strip of neutral ground between them, which policy proved to be more successful in the interests of peace.
Soon after Louisiana was acquired by the United States, the latter adopted measures for the exploration of the new territory, having in view the conciliation of the numerous tribes of Indians by whom it was possessed. and also the selection of proper sites for military posts and trading stations. This was accordingly accomplished. But before the country could be opened up for settlement by the whites, it was necessary that the Indian titles should be extinguished and that people removed. When the government assumed control of the country by virtue of the Louisiana purchase, nearly all Iowa was in possession of the Sacs and Foxes, at whose head stood the rising. daring and intelligent Black Hawk. On November 3. 1804. a treaty was concluded with these tribes by which they ceded to the United States the Illinois side of the Mississippi, in consideration of two thousand three hun- dred and thirty-four dollars worth of goods then delivered and an annuity of one thousand dollars to be paid in goods at cost ; but Black Hawk always maintained that the chiefs who entered into that compact acted without au- thority, and therefore the treaty was not binding. The first fort built on Iowa soil was Fort Madison. A short time before a military post was fixed at what is now Warsaw, Illinois, and named Fort Edwards. These enter- prises caused mistrust among the Indian tribes. Indeed Fort Madison was located in violation of the treaty of 1804. The Indians sent delegations to the whites at these forts to learn what they were doing and what they in- tended. On being "informed" that these structures were merely trading posts, they were incredulous and became more and more suspicious. Black Hawk, therefore, led a party to the vicinity of Fort Madison and attempted its destruction, but a premature attack by him caused his failure.
In 1812, when war was declared between this country and Great Britain,
32
SAC COUNTY, IOWA.
Black Hawk and his band allied themselves to the British, partly because they were dazzled by their specious promises, but mostly because they had been deceived by the Americans. Black Hawk said plainly that the latter fact was the cause. A portion of the Sacs and Foxes, however, headed by Keokuk ("Watchful Fox") could not be persuaded into hos- tilities against the United States, they being disposed to stand by the treaty of 1804. The Indians were, therefore, divided into the "war" and the "peace" parties. On old Black Hawk's return from the British army, he says that he was introduced to Keokuk as war chief of the braves then in that village. On inquiry as to how he came to be made a chief, there were given him the particulars of his having killed a Sioux in battle, which fact placed him among the warriors, and of his having headed an expedition in defense of their village at Peoria. In person, Keokuk was tall and of stately bearing, and in speech he was a genuine, though uneducated, orator. He never mastered the English language, hence his biographers have never been able to do his character justice. He was a friend of the United States gov- ernment, and ever tried to persuade the Indians that it was useless to at- tack a nation so powerful as that of the United States.
The treaty of 1804 was renewed in 1816, which Black Hawk himself signed; but he afterward held that he was deceived and that the treaty was not even yet binding. But there was no further serious trouble with the Indians until the noted Black Hawk war of 1832, all of which took place in Illinois and Wisconsin, with the expected result-the defeat and capture of old Black Hawk, and the final repulsion of all hostile Indians to the west of the Mississippi. Black Hawk died October 3, 1838, at his home in this state, and was buried there, but his remains were afterward placed in a museum of the Historical Society, where they were accidentally destroyed by fire.
More or less affecting the territory included within the state of Iowa, fifteen treaties have been made, an outline of which is as follows: In 1804, when the whites agreed not to settle west of the Mississippi on Indian lands; in 1815, with the Sioux, ratifying peace with Great Britain and the United States: with the Sacs, a treaty of similar nature, also ratifying that of 1804, the Indians agreeing not to join their brethren who, under Black Hawk, had aided the British; with the Foxes ratifying the treaty of 1804. the Indians agreeing to deliver up all their prisoners; with the lowas, a treaty of friendship; in 1816, with the Sacs of Rock River, ratifying the treaty of 1804: in 1824, with the Sacs and Foxes, the latter relinquishing all their
33
SAC COUNTY, IOWA.
lands in Missouri; and that portion of the southeast corner of Iowa known as the "half-breed tract," was set off to the half breeds; in 1825, placing a boundary line between the Sacs and Foxes on the south and the Sioux on the north ; in 1830, when the line was widened to forty miles ; also in the same year, with several tribes, who ceded a large portion of their possessions in the western part of the state; in 1832, with the Winnebagoes, exchanging lands with them and providing a school, etc., for them ; also in the same year. the "Black Hawk Purchase" was made, of about six million acres, also along the west side of the Mississippi from the southern line of Iowa to the mouth of the Iowa river; in 1836, with the Sacs and Foxes, ceding Keokuk's re- serve to the United States; in 1837, with the same, when another slice of territory, comprising one million two hundred and fifty thousand acres, join- ing the foregoing tract, was obtained; also in the same year, when these In- dians gave up all their lands allowed them under former treaties; and finally, in 1842, when they relinquished their title to all their lands west of the Mississippi river.
TROUBLE WITH INDIANS IN NORTHWESTERN IOWA.
While it should be stated that no serious trouble was ever experienced with the Indians in Sac county, save an occasional scare, there was real tron- ble in many of the counties just to the north and northwest, which should here be chronicled in brief.
After the treaty made by the government of the United States with the Sioux Indians, July 15, 1815. almost a century ago, it was believed that the tribe was forever at peace with their white brethren; but, alas, not so! In the light of all true history, it must be said that imprudence and bad faith upon the part of some white men brought on serious difficulty with the In- dians of northwestern Iowa and Minnesota, which finally culminated in the Spirit Lake massacre, so well known and generally understood by the in- telligent reader of Iowa history, and which event took place in the spring of 1857. While it is not the province of this work to go deep into the details of this horrible massacre, it is but proper to state that the author of this book does not believe that the United States government broke faith with the Indians, in this particular case at least; but that individuals did must be admitted by all honorable, fair-minded people who are cognizant of the facts that brought on this Sioux massacre, and possibly they, too, were more or less responsible for the New Ulm massacre up in southern Minnesota by the (2)
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