History of Scott County, Iowa, Part 49

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1280

USA > Iowa > Scott County > History of Scott County, Iowa > Part 49

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Next day found us on Lake Erie celebrating our first " Fourth of July," between Buffalo and Cleveland, where we landed that night and engaged our passage next day on the canal for Ports- mouth, on the Ohio River. We were nine days on the canal cross- ing the State of Ohio,-rather a slow way of traveling now-a-days. We did not need to stay long before we got a steamboat. We went aboard and set sail for Alton, Ills., where we arrived in due time. After securing a house and making the women and children comfortable Alexander and myself started into the country; after traveling a long time both in the south of the State and up the Illi- nois River, we came back pretty well discouraged, having seen nothing that would suit our idea for a settlement; in the meantime wo heard some reports of the Black Hawk purchase as it was then called (now Iowa). We concluded to take a look on the west side of the Mississippi, called at Burlington, stopped a little while there,

546

HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.

and finally got to Davenport, where we landed on the 25th day of August, 1838, then only a city in prospect,-one small store and one tavern, with two or three board shanties and one log cabin; the tavern contained more people than all the rest of the town besides.

This year the Territorial Legislature met in Burlington, I think for the first time. There was no land in market for two or three years after we came to Long Grove; the people held their land by elaim.

After inquiring we found that all the timber along the river was claimed, and the squatters held their claims at such extravagant prices that we concluded not to indulge them in their greed; so we turned our faces to Long Grove; and after a tedious walk (there was no livery stable) through sloughs and long grass (there were no roads) we arrived at our destination, but, behold, Long Grove was all elaimed too. Here we found a man and his wife and one child by the name of Elder, from Pennsylvania; and an old man named Alvord, from New York, who had taken claims; and yet another man by the name of Coats, who owned a claim, but lived in Davenport, who afterward was associated with Davies in the planing-mill business.

We next went east to Warren Grove, as it was then called, now Walnut Grove, and here we learned that Coats and a man living in Dubuque by the name of Pease claimed all that grove; then we went up the Wapsie River bottom and found two old bachelors by the name of John and William Quinn, living in a log cabin, seemingly content with their lot, although not within five miles of any neighbors; from there we went to Allen's Grove where we found Allen himself, after whom the grove was named, and a family by the name of Dunn; then to Poston's Grove, where we found the venerable Poston himself, " monarch of all he surveyed."

These I believe were all the white people in Scott County ontside of the river settlements .*

After due consultation we came to the conclusion to return to Davenport and try to buy Coat's claim in Long Grove, as we were pretty sure that he only held it for speculation. So rather than get into a quarrel with him we concluded to give him $160, which he readily accepted, and now, according to the law of custom, we owned

* There were quite a number of white people at this time living in the settle. ments named, in addition to which there were many other settlements found in the county not mentioned by Mr. Brownlee. See township histories .-- ED.

547

HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.

160 aeres of timber in Long Grove and as much prairie as we wanted to claim, for it was only the timber that there was any value in in those days.

I think we had neither deaths, births nor marriages within four years after we settled in Long Grove.

Davenport was the nearest postoffice and continued so for many years.

My brother, William Brownlee, came and settled here with his family, five in number, in 1840, and built the first frame building in Scott Connty outside of Davenport .*

Sunday-school and religious services were commeneed in 1839, and have been kept up ever since on every Lord's day with but few exceptions, and a Church was regularly organized according to the New Testament plan in 1840. James Brownlee's house being used for both Sunday-school and meeting-house; about two years after, say in 1842, the whole neighborhood turned out and hanled logs from the Wapsie and built one, which was used for a school-house and all kinds of meetings-religions, political and school-for many years. The first regular preacher's name was James Rumbold; he was an elder in the Christian Church of Davenport.

The first school was opened in 1841, and the name of the first teacher was Kennedy; he was a straight Catholic; he opened an independent school; that is, one on his own responsibility. I think this was in 1841.

The price of flour the first year we lived here was $11 per barrel; pork, 8:5 per hundred weight; horses, none for sale; cows. $28; po- tatoes, $1 per bushel; but in two or three years after this, when we got something to sell, wheat sold from 30 to 40 cents per bushel ; corn. 10 eents ; pork, 75 cents per hundred ; eggs, 3 cents per dozen ; and all this must be payed in what was called in those days store pay, out of the store. If calico was 30 cents per yard or sheeting 20 cents, it made no difference.

As to local government we did not have much, and indeed did not need inneh, for the neighbors were few and very friendly, much more so than they are now; but if some ill-disposed person did happen to come in among us he was disposed of in this way. A meeting was called and two or three appointed to notify the person that he must not be seen in those parts after a certain date. That

*Mr. Brownlee is mistaken, as at this time there were hundreds of frame buildings in the county. This house was probably the first in Long Grove .- En.

548

HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.

generally proved effectual, and under these circumstances the taxes were light; the whole taxes for a family owning or claiming a quarter section of land with a goodly amount of stock would be from four to five dollars per year; however, it took considerable planning and scheming to raise even that amount.

The land I think came in market in 1840 or '41. That was quite an exciting time for it was reported and generally believed among the settlers that speenlators were coming from the East to bid off all the good farms, and to overcome this trouble they all combined together and chose one man to bid off all the settlers' lands, and the first man that made a bid that was not authorized was to be arrested and put under gnard until the land sale was over. This answered the purpose: the settlers all got their lands It did not benefit them much after all, for many of them had to borrow money at 40 and 50 per cent., which some of them were never able to pay.

As to the climate, I do not think there has been any perceptible difference during the 40 years that we have lived here.

And as to the game, the prairie chickens were very plenty. We used to catch them in traps by the bag full, and quails were equally plenty; the deer likewise were plenty; I have seen as high as 20 in one drove; there were also some wild eats and plenty of prairie wolves, who were very destructive to both our sheep and poultry, especially the former.

And as for the Indians, we have frequent visits of goodly num - bers of them, but they were always civil until the night before they were going to leave; then we had to watch our corn eribs.

Having concluded to make Long Grove our future home, we set about getting a place that we could live in through the winter. Accordingly we went about finding a team to haul out some Ium- ber, and Mr. Dillon (the present Judge Dillon's father), who had just arrived a short time before to make a home like ourselves, willingly consented to take out a load of lumber, and with that and some logs we built a house, which we lived in through the winter ; and after going to Illinois for a cow and a yoke of oxen, and fixing up things generally, brother Alexander started down the river for the family, who were still in Alton, and left me to look after the claim, and that was the sorriest time in all our travels. He left for Alton Oct. 15, and expected to be back in two or three weeks, but I never heard a word of them until the day before Christmas ; just about the time they ought to have reached

549

HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.

Davenport there was a steamboat sunk on the rapids and I naturally concluded that they had gone to the bottom of the river with that boat ; but on the day before Christmas three covered wagons landed at Long Grove, with the women, children and all the outfit. The reason of the delay was, the women and children had been sick and could not be moved because there was so much ice in the river that the boat had to unload at Warsaw, which com- pelled our folks to cither stay there all winter or hire teams to bring them on, which latter they did at $3 per day each until they returned. We were now all right, all together, and all pretty well, in our log cabins.

DY JUDGE WM. L. COOK.

I came to this county from Ontario Co., New York ; it was then under the government of the Territory of Michigan. I started from New York in March. 1>36, with my family, consist- ing of my wife and two small children. I moved my family and goods by team 100 miles, to the headwaters of the Allegheny River, and there built a raft of pine boards. On the raft we built a abin for our habitation. We launched our craft upon the Alle- gheny River on the 26th of April, 1836, and floated day after day until we arrived at the city of Pittsburg, Pa., having traveled on in this manner about 400 miles, we then disposed of our raft and chartered our passage to St. Louis ; from there we obtained passage on one of the boats which were employed in carrying supplies to the forts above Dubuque, and when we arrived at Rock Island the captain said he did not know anything about landing on the west side of the river. as no boat as yet landed on that side.

Col. George Davenport kindly took my family into his house until I could find a way to ship my goods across the river. I found an Indian who had a very small canoe, and Mr. Davenport asked him, in the Indian language. to carry me over to Mr. Le Claire's cabin. We started, and as he was the first of the Western In- dians I had ever seen, I went very reluctantly into his frail canoe, as I then thought. The river was very high and I felt there was great danger of leaving us in the river, but we finally landed near where Mr Le Claire had erected a cabin ; it was built of logs, and stood near the place where the first treaty was held in 1832 or 1×33, and is now occupied by the Chicago & Rock Island depot.

550

HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.

I moved my family to the west side of the river about the 20th of May, 1836. and settled on a claim below where the city of Dav- enport now stands. I was then about 32 years old. There were probably 10 or 12 white persons living in this vicinity at the time.

The first female born, I believe, was Caroline Friday. Her father and mother landed on the west side of the river on Friday. They came from Indiana, and had a wagon, that was then called a prai- rie schooner, large enough for his family and goods. The night after their arrival Caroline was born in their house on wheels.

Ellen Cook was born the 6th of Angust following.

The first wedding that I recolleet was Cheney Monger and Miss Donaldson.

The first death within my recollection was a man from In. diana. with a breaking team, and he was breaking prairie for Mr. Le Claire, near the present site of the new Burtis House and the depot on Perry street. He was taken sick with the bilious fever, and, as he lived in his wagon, no one found him until he was be- vond help. He was moved to a log cabin near where the old Bur- nell saw-mill now stands, and died soon after. Some rough boards (from his wagon-box I think) were nailed together for his coffin, and we buried him near where the old High School building now stands.

There were two or three other deaths that summer, but they were strangers.

Our postoffice was called Farnamburg, and it is now called Rock Island, Ill.

Dubuque was probably the largest place in this Territory.

The first Legislature was held after we were organized in Wis- consin. Alexander McGregor was sent to that Legislature in the year 1837. H. T. Camp was elected to this Legislature and died. In July, 1837, A. W. MeGregor was elected to fill the vacancy, and took his seat at the first session, meeting at Burlington, the preceding session having been held at Belmont, within the limits of the present State of Wisconsin.

Iowa Territory was formed in 1838, and the first Legislature was held at Burlington.

The State of Iowa was formed in 1846. Originally there were two counties, called Dubuque and Des Moines Counties. The di- viding line extended from the foot of Rock Island in direct line westward through the Territory.

551

HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.

The first frame building was raised near where the old Burnell saw-mill now stands. It was a two-story building, and I believe was the first building in the town that burned down.

The first Methodist sermon that I heard preached in this county was in this building before the floor was laid. It was preached by the Rev. Elnathan Gavit.

The first Methodist society was organized in the fall of 1839. It consisted of seven members, viz .: Timothy Dillon and wife, Wm. L. Cook and wife, W. J. Ruby and wife and W. W. Moran.

The first circuit preacher for the Methodist Church was Chan- ney Hobert, who was sent here to form the Rockingham circuit, in the fall of 1836; his circuit covered about one-third of the settle- ment of the Territory.

The first Christian organization was probably the Presbyterian; the next. the Christian Church, then the Congregationlist.

James Thorington taught the first private school.

Food was scarce in those early times; pork, which they called bacon, of the poorest quality was 1S cents per pound, flour, $16 per barrel; we had no potatoes until we raised them ourselves; corn was 81 ; per bushel; horses, from $60 to $100; cows, $25.

The settlers organized a local government in 1836, for their own safety, feeling that the laws of Michigan Territory could not reach them effectually. They chose a judge, sheriff and others, such as a committee of investigation, to which all cases of complaint were made, and the case had a fair judicial trial, and when the verdict was given there was no appeal to any higher court. In 1838 our Territorial Courts were organized and Judge Williams was ap- pointed judge of the west side of the river. The first court under this appointment was held in the spring of 1838, in a little room on front street, above Main. The court was organized and all the business finished in one day.

The Government paid the cost of judge and jury.

The first Territorial road was laid from Burlington to Dubuque. in 1839. The Government land of this vicinity was surveyed in 1837, and brought into market in 1839.

Since the county has been cultivated, the land is much dryer; land that was then considered swamp land will now admit of cul- tivation.

The climate is colder in summer, and in winter we had colder weather and more snow than we do now. The year I fenced my farın (1839) I drew the rails on a sled, on good snow paths for 40 days, without one thaw.

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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.

Deer were often seen. I have seen while out hunting 100 deer between Duck Creek and the groves beyond. The settlers who came to stay were of the first class. They were kind and friendly and ready to assist one another in sickness and health, and would divide the last loaf. In a word, the "latch string " always hung on the outside of the door.

There were a large number of Indians in this vicinity, consisting of the Sae and Fox tribes. The two tribes confederatel together. Black Hawk was the chief of the Saes, and Keokuk of the Foxes. This confederation was made to defend themselves against the northern tribes. In the fall of 1836 two tribes met on the island called Maple, just below the town of Davenport. They commenced fighting near my house, on the river. The white settlers became alarmed, as stories were often circulated that the Indians would make a raid on the settlers. I feared them. I tried to get a boat to take my wife and children to the fort, but did not succeed. As soon as it was dark I fastened my cabin, which had a door and a nine-light window, and took my rifle, ax and butcher knife and stood sentinel about half the night, or until they had stopped their whooping and noise; then I laid down by the door and went to sleep. When they were sober enough to know what they had done they buried their dead, and took their wounded and left as soon as possible. I went down soon after and saw where they had buried them.

In July, about the hottest weather we had that summer, the Sac and Fox Indians were out west in the country, and they came in contact with a party of Sioux and had a fight. There were about 20 killed of both tribes, and by the negotiations of the Government and the treaty made they were not allowed to hunt or trespass on others right. The Government had a line made by surveyors, dividing the tribes. The Indians sent in a delegation to have their agent who lived in the fort, together with Mr. Le Claire, who was an interpreter, and his brother-in-law, Mr. Watts, to come out, and they were to decide who were the aggressors. I saw the delegation when they came from the scene of conflict, and they reported that the Sioux were the aggressors, and so their annuity was not forfeited, and the Fox and Saes were fighting on their own hunting grounds. They had an Indian powwow that night near Le Claire's cabin. The Indians never molested us very much; they would come along on the trail, and the first we would know some old squaw would press her face against the window pane, and if

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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY,

she saw any one in the house, she would deliberately walk in, without saying anything, take a walk around the room, and as every thing we had was visible they would look into each vessel, and if they saw any thing that they could eat would take it and depart without even saying "by your leave."

In the winter of 1836 we had not so much as a pound of coffee, sugar, tea or saleratus in the house all winter. I had raised a lit- tle sod corn and I picked out the best and dried it, rather than to go 50 miles to the mill to have it ground. I took a coffee mill and ground corn two hours every evening in order to have bread the next day; and in order to raise the bread my wife burned the cobs in a kettle and used what she obtained in the place of saleratus, then mixed it up with water, which made a very good article of bread. We burned oats to make coffee, and to make it worse we had no milk or sugar to make it palatable.

Our crops of wheat and corn were very abundant and remarka- bly good. I have often raised 85 bushels of corn per acre, and our wheat was sown in among the corn in September, and the next season would produce 50 bushels per acre of as fine a quality of wheat as I ever saw in the Genesee Valley, New York. We had no machinery to help harvest and care for the crop of wheat we could raise, and no market for it after it was gathered. We only obtained from 25 to 35 cents per bushel. in dry goods. I have often sold eight bushels of excellent wheat for a calico dress of eight yards; and ladies of the highest class among us were fortu- nate if they had a calico dress to wear to church. We could raise pork, and when fatted 200-pound hogs would be worth $1.25 to $1.75 per hundred in dry goods, groceries, boots and shoes, which were held as cash.

This is the history of an old settler who has lived 46 years within four rods of where he first put down his stakes.

CHAPTER XIII.

AGRICULTURE AND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES.

Scott County stands first among the counties of the State, in ag- riculture; unlike many of the river counties, there is scarcely any waste land in it, and the soil can be enltivated down to the river's edge, and the land back from the river-the prairie land-is un- excelled. There is no cereal or fruit common to this latitude but is highly productive. The county was early settled by an intelli- gent class of agriculturists, and no effort has been spared to im- prove and keep the county in the front rank.

In regard to fertility of the soil, the Iowa Sun of September, 1839, says:

"We yesterday saw a watermelon, raised about one and a halt miles west of the village, which measured four feet one way and three and a half the other, and weighed 40 } pounds. Another gentleman has a pumpkin vine, on which, he says, he counted sixty-eight good sized pumpkins!" These facts speak volumes for the farming country adjacent to Davenport.

Says Wilkie, in "Davenport, Past and Present:"

"' The editor of the Sun has not a few articles in his sheet eulo- gistical of the mamnoth vegetables which from time to time were laid upon his table by subscribers anxious for a ' puff -of the soil. He was once, however, badly sold. Mr. D. A. Burrows re- solved to astonish him, and for this purpose stuck a half dozen or more large potatoes so nicely together with pegs that they seemed one growth. The editor was hugely delighted with the present. It was to other potatoes what elephants are to mice, and he trum- peted the fact accordingly, defying any other soil under the sun to produce its equal. It hung in the sanetum a long time, and was a source of patriotic pride both to the worthy editor and all specta- tors. But one day a piece of the monster fell off, and revealed a hard woody substance protruding which excited enriosity. A nearer examination revealed a peg, and a little more revealed the entire internal economy of the potato. The worthy votary of the quill was highly incensed at the denouement, and did not puff a mammoth vegetable for three whole weeks."

(556)

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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.

The log houses of the pioneers have long sinee given way to the more substantial, comfortable and convenient dwelling-houses. Barns and out-houses of an improved character have also been built. Barbed wire is now the principal material used in fencing. Quite a number of farmers have commenced the breeding of short horns, and the quality of the eattle is being constantly improved.

B. F. Seamon in 1869 entered for premium in Class No. 26, in the Scott County Agricultural Society, and made to the board in the fall of that year the following report:

Corn .- Ground plowed in September, 1878, about eight inches deep; mannred with well-rotted barn-yard manure, drawn out in November, 1878, and dumped in piles, at the rate of 10 loads per aere; spread the third week in April, the ground well harrowed, then run over with a Rowell seeder, then rolled and planted the last week in April with a Deere's two-horse planter with Banie check rower. Seed, a mixture of Michigan Dent and Penn Gourd seed, abont four quarts of seed per acre; well harrowed with a common harrow just as it was coming up; plowed five times with a two-horse horse cultivator: before last plowing it was thinned to three stalks per hill; the hills stand three feet nine inches by three feet eight inches apart.

COST OF CULTIVATING FIVE ACRES.

Plowing ground. $ 6.00

Hauling mannre. 7.50

Seattering manure. 1.50

Harrowing. 3.00

Work with seeder and roller

2.50

Planting.

1.50

Cultivating

10.00

Husking

9.00

Total $ 37.75

Gathered the second week in November. Amount, 535 bushels, or 107 bushels per aere.

Worth at home, 30 cents per bushel.

$160.50

Cost of eultivation $37.75, and rent of land $25.00 62.50

Profits $98.00

Oats .- Five aeres; ground was plowed the first week in April, then eross harrowed; sewed the second week in April, then har- rowed twice and rolled. Seed, White Duteh oats, sowed at the rate of two bushels per aere. Cnt the last week in July. Amount 345 bushels, or 69 bushels per acre.

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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.

COST OF CULTIVATION :

Plowing

$ 4.00

Sowing . 1.50

Harrowing and rolling 4.00

Cutting and binding. 7.00

Stacking.

3.00

Threshing.

15.00

Rent of land

25.00

Total

$59.50

Worth at home about 30 cents per bushel $ 103.50

Total cost. 59.50

Profits. $ 44.00

Potatoes .- One acre ground plowed in the fall, planted about the middle of April in drilled rows three feet apart, one large piece every 15 inches ; covered with cultivator ; used 10 bushels of Cali- fornia Rose ; ground rolled a few days after planting ; well harrowed just before coming up ; plowed three times with cultivator ; the last time used large shovel to ridge up moderately. Dug in Sep- tember 210 bushels.

COST OF CULTIVATION.

Plowing ground and planting $3.50

Harrowing, rolling and cultivating 3.00

Digging. . 7.00

Seed, 10 bushels at 80 cents

8.00

Rent of one acre. 5.00

Marketing.

7.00

Total cost. $33.50

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History of Scott County, Iowa, Part 49

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.) Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing co. Number of Pages: 1280

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1280