USA > Iowa > Taylor County > History of Taylor 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 Taylor County, Constitution of the United States, reminiscences, miscellaneous matters, etc > Part 37
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The southeastern portions of the county are drained by the West Grand, Platte and Platte Branch rivers. From all of these water-courses there are an infinite number of smaller streams, flowing some to the west, others to the east, but all obeying the general course of their valleys. Taken together, they afford the most perfect system of drainage imaginable; so perfect that there is not an acre of land in the county that may be called a swamp. Those steams on the west and southern sides are the sections where wooded regions are found. The northeastern portion is almost devoid of timber.
The surface of the county is quite level, only gently undulating with in- considerable hills and valleys. Here, as in every other part of the world, there is a most intimate connection between the configuration of the surface
326
HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY.
and the geological structure of any particular district, and it will be shown under the section devoted to the geology of this county that every peculiar- ity in its topography is due to the nature of the underlying strata, modified by three agencies which are to-day operating to change the entire aspect of nature. Nowhere in the county are there eminences of material height, nor is it true that its several water-sheds are marked by distinct ridges, easily recognized. The county is situated on the western slope of the great divide between the "Big Muddy" and the "Father of Waters," and though so near the former, it has still a much higher elevation than the counties along the Mississippi-the difference being two hundred and sixty-three feet above the level of low water in the last named river. A most striking feature in the topography of this county is the region of prairies-a. term first applied by the early French settlers, and now almost universally adopted to designate natural grass lands. The prairie occupies the whole of the higher portion of the county, with here and there the exception of an isolated group of trees, standing like an island in the midst of the ocean .*
*The following by Capt. Basil Hall, an intelligent English traveler, is highly descriptive of the prairies, and is inserted here as being a complete description :
"The charm of a prairie consists in its extension-its green, flowery carpet, its undulating surface, and the skirt of forest whereby it is surrounded; the latter feature being of all others the most significant and expressive, since it characterizes the landscape and defines the form and boundary of the plain. If the prairie is small, its greatest beauty consists in the vicinity of the encompassing edge of forests, which may be compared to the shores of a lake, being intersected with many deep inward bends, as so many inlets, and at intervals projecting very far, not unlike a promontory, a protruding arm of land. These projections sometimes so closely approach each other, that the traveler passing through between them, may be said to walk in the midst of an alley overshadowed by the forest before he enters again upon an- other broad prairie. Where the plain is extensive, the delineations of the forest in the far back-ground appears as would a misty coast at some distance upon the ocean. The eye some- times surveys the green prairie without discovering upon the illimitable plain a tree or bush, or any object save the wilderness of flowers and grass, while on other occasions the view is enlivened by groves dispersed like islands over the, plain, or by a solitary tree rising above the wilderness. The resemblance to the sea which some of these prairies exhibited was really most striking. I had heard of this before, but always supposed the account exaggerated. There is one spot in particular, near the middle of Grand Prairie, if I recollect rightly, where the ground happened to be of the rolling character above alluded to, and where, excepting in the article of color, and that was not widely different from the tinge of some seas, the similiar- ity was so striking that I almost forgot where I was. This deception was heightened by a circumstance which I had often heard mentioned, but the force of which perhaps none but a seaman could fully estimate; I mean the appearance of the different isolated trees as they gradually rose above the horizon, or receded from our view. They were so exactly like strange sails bearing in sight, that I am sure if two or three sailors had been present they would al- most have agreed as to what canvas those magical vessels were carrying.
"In spring, when the young grass has just clothed the soil with a soddy carpet of the most delicate green, especially when the sun, rising behind a distant elevation of the ground, its rays reflected by myriads of dew-drops, a more pleasing and more eye-benefiting view can- not be imagined. You see the fallow deer quietly feeding on the herbage; the bee flies hum-
327
HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY.
In ascending from the level of a river to the high land in its vicinity, we first cross the "bottom-land" or "bottom," the portion of the valley which is level, and being but little elevated above the surface of the stream is usually liable to overflow, especially at the time of the spring freshets. These bottom-lands are almost always heavily timbered and with a variety of trees, among which the elm, linden, black walnut, black and burr-oak, poplar and ash are the most common. The breadth of the bottom may be very variable-in some places from six to eight miles, and in others again with bardly more than room for the stream itself to pass between the bluffs. These latter are usually met with just after leaving the bottom-land, and rise on either hand from one hundred to two hundred and fifty feet.
ming through the air; the wolf, with lowered tail, sneaks away to its distant lair, with the timorous pace of a creature only too conscious of having disturbed the peace of nature; prai- rie fowls, either in entire tribes, like our domestic fowls, or in couples, cover the surface; the males rambling, and, like turkeys or peacocks, inflating their plumage, make the air resound with a drawled, loud and melancholy cry resembling the cooing of a wood-pigeon, or still more, the sound produced by rapidly rubbing a tambourine with the finger. The multitude of these birds is so surprisingly great as to have occasioned the proverbial phase, 'that if a settler on the prairie expresses a desire for a dish of omelets, his wife will walk out at night and place her bonnet on the open ground, to find it full of eggs on her return next morning.' The plain is literally covered with them in every direction, and if a heavy fall of snow drove them from the ground I could see myriads of them clustered around the tops of the trees skirting the prairie. They do not migrate, even after the prairie is already settled, but re- main in the high grass near the newly established farms; and I often saw them at no great distance from human habitations, familiarly mingling with the poultry of the settlers. They can be easily captured and fed, and I doubt not but they can be easily tamed.
"On turning from the verdant plain to the forests or groups of high growth timber, the eye, at the said season, will find them clad also in the most lively colors. The rich under and brushwood stands out in full blossom. The andromedas, the dogwood, the wood-apple, the wild plum and cherry grow exuberantly on rich soil, and the invisible blossom of the wild- vine impregnates the air with its delicious perfume. The variety of the wild fruit trees and of blossoming bushes is so great, and so innumerable the abundance of blossoms they are covered with, that the branches seem to bear down under their weight.
"The delightful aspect of the prairies, its amenities, and the absence of that sombre awe inspired by forests, contributes to forcing away that sentiment of loneliness which usually steals upon the mind of the solitary wanderer in the wilderness, for although he espies no habitation, sees no human being, and knows himself to be far off from every settlement of man, he can scarcely defend himself from believing that he is traveling through a land- scape embellished by human art. The flowers are so delicate and elegant as apparently to be distributed for mere ornament over the plain. The groves and groups of trees seem to be dispersed over the prairies to enliven the landscape, and we can scarcely get rid of the im- pression invading our imagination of the whole scene being flung out and created for the satisfaction of the sentiment of beauty in the refined man. The similiarity of the whole fre- quently reminds the Englishman of the extensive parks of the great aristocractical palaces he used to admire in his country; the grass plots, the shiaded walks, groves and bushes pro- duced there by a designing art, nature has spontaneously created here; and nothing but proud structures of lordly mansions, and the view of the distant towns and villages are wanting to make the resemblance complete."
328
HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY.
Though not strictly belonging to this county it has yet been essential to complete the topographical description of southwestern Iowa that some account of the famous bluffs along the Missouri River be here given. Espe- cially is this necessary since Taylor county belongs to that water-shed, and its streams find their way to that river. "The bluffs which border the broad flood-plain or bottom-land of the Missouri River, along all that part of its course which forms the western boundary of Iowa, are so peculiar in character and appearance that they cannot fail to attract the attention of every one who sees them for the first time. Their strangely and beauti- fully rounded summits, occasionally mingled with sharply cut ridges, smooth and abruptly retreating slopes, and the entire absence of rocky ledges, except in rare instances where they appear only at their base, cause them to present a marked contrast with those of the Mississippi and other rivers of the eastern part of the State where rocky ledges support and com- pose the greater part of their bulk. From the mouth of the Big Sioux to the southern boundary of the State, these bluffs present a continuous, ser- rated and buttressed front to the flood-plain of the great river, from which they rise abruptly to a maximum height in different parts of the line, vary- ing from one hundred to little less than three hundred feet. Although the front they present is so definite and continuous, it is nevertheless frequently and deeply cleft, not only by the tributaries of the great river, but also by small creeks and short ravines that drain the surface-water from the up- lands beyond, in which the bluffy character is soon lost. Sometimes the bluff-range, departing a little from the general direct line, presents a full crescentic front to the plain with an arc several miles in length. At these places their peculiar outlines are shown in an interesting manner, and the form and arrangement of the numerous rounded prominences present views of impressive beauty as they stretch away in the distance, or form bold curves in the line of hills; while the broad flood-plain of the Missouri River, level as a floor, stretches miles away to the westward to meet the turbid stream near the line of bluffs which borders the western, as those of Iowa do the eastern side. Trees often fill the sides of their deeper ravines or skirt their bases, but usually their only covering is a growth of wild grasses and annual plants; and, as the mound-like peaks and rounded ridges jut above each other, or diverge in various directions while they recede upward to the upland, the setting sun throws strange and weird shadows across them, producing a scene quite in keeping with that wonderful history of the past of which they form a part."-White.
The wealth of Taylor county is due to the prevalence of the deposit known as the "drift," and which covers its entire surface. The origin and
329
HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY.
nature of this material may be fully learned from the geological history of the county. It forms, however, one of the richest of the rich soils for which Iowa is so famous. Analyses of its composition show it to have a very small percentage of clay, and a very great percentum of purely silicious material. The county is peculiarly adapted to the growth of those grains and fruits that contribute to the maintenance of man. Its fertility is suffi- ciently well indicated by the rank luxuriant growth of prairie grass and the strength of most of the common wild plants. For centuries the earth has been giving of its substance to the nourishment of plant life-but the return it has gleaned only adds to its powers. The humus-soil containing the remains of vegetation-seems almost endowed, not only with the life-sus- taining, but a life-producing principle. The broad acres of Taylor were not subject to the wonderful changes which have passed over their face without a purpose, and that purpose is sufficiently clear and needs no com- ment. For ages the earth has brought its increase, and for ages more the process of growth and decay may go on, without destroying the fertility of this wonderful soil.
The nature of the soils of a given district is sufficiently distinct to admit of a kind of rude classification, which serves the double purpose of nomen- clature, and indicates their value. To two of the three classes into which they are usually divided; namely, drift, bluff, and alluvial -- the soil of Tay- lor belongs, and to the first and last namned. As has been said, the drift deposit or soil covers the surface of the entire county to a depth varying from five feet to sixty feet. In the "bottom-lands," however, is to be found the so-called "allinvial," a soil which, from the nature of its origin, is prob- ably the very richest material known. This latter is the residue or fine sedimentary matter left by the waters of a stream when at highest flood. Rushing down declivities the waters of both the ancient and modern streams wore away their soft embankments, carrying the material thus derived to the lower lands, depositing them at all points where the waters were com- paratively at rest. These constitute the "flat " or " bottom-land "-the pres- ent flood-plains of the county's rivers. Not only will the physical pecu- liarities of these two formations serve to distinguish them, but the different characters of their vegetations will make an excellent criterion. The flora of the deeply wooded valleys will be found to differ in inany essential points from that of the prairies, each of which is characteristic. This feature is a most noticeable one in Taylor county, especially on its western side, which is infinitely diversified with hills and valleys strangely and confusedly mingled together in the wildest manner. Riding from Bedford in any direction many valleys are crossed and hills surmounted -- valleys and hills
330
HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY.
that were formed by great streams that raged through these narrow passes ages ago -- and the wonderful and rapid changes in vegetation, from a prai- rie to a woodland flora, is a sufficiently plain indication of the changes in the formations on which they flourish. This remarkable adaptability to cer- tain plants in particular regions, whereas in others their very existence is critical, has induced a vast amount of speculation and experiment as to the adaptability of Iowa soils for the growth of forest trees. What is true of this great State as a whole, is true of the county of Taylor. Dr. White's admirable summary of discussions on this much mooted point has demon- strated that notwithstanding the fact that the distance from the northern to the southern limits of the State is more than three degrees of latitude, in consequence of the slight difference in surface elevation, and the great de- gree of uniformity in the character of the soil, there is a striking uniform- ity in the character of the native vegetation; for the same reasons also there is an equal uniformity in the adaptability of the soil and climate to the pro- duction of cultivated crops. There are, indeed, many species of indigenous plants restricted to certain parts of the State, and others that are found only in habitats rendered congenial by moisture, dryness, barrenness, unusual fertility, etc., as the case may be; yet these are only exceptions to the gen- eral uniformity throughout the State of all indigenous vegetation, including the forest trees. The subject of the distribution of indigenous vegetation is a very suggestive and interesting one in all its bearings, but especially when applied to the growth of forest trees it becomes one of unusual prac- tical importance to every citizen of Iowa. The great importance which at- taches to this part of the subject is apparent from the fact that the wood of forest trees for fuel, no less than for other purposes, is an indispensable ele- ment in the prosperity, and even the habitation of any country, not to; men- tion the beneficial effects of forests upon the climate, the beautifying and adornment of its landscapes, and the shading and sheltering of its homes. Dr. White continues: "If there is really an unfitness of prairie soil for the growth of forest trees, then at least one third of our State is worthless indeed. But this is not the case, for personal observation in all parts of the State, extending through a period of thirty years, has established a knowledge of the fact that all varieties of our indigenous forest trees will grow thriftily upon all varieties of our soils; even those whose most conge- nial habitat is upon the alluvial soil of our river valleys, or upon the rug- ged slopes of the valley sides."*
*For the common and botantical names of indigenous trees, shrubs and climbing plants, the reader is referred to the list hereinafter given.
331
HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY.
As has been previously indicated, this county is remarkably well drained all over its surface by the numerous small streams, the waters of which ulti- mately find their way to the Missouri. The character of these streams is determined by the nature of the soil and surface over which they flow. The clear sparkling rill and the dancing blue waves of New England streams, are all wanting in the waters of Taylor. These latter flow through- out their entire courses in this county in narrow, sinuous, ditch-like de- pressions in their flood-plains, and over the materials previously mentioned as drift and alluvial. This is the cause of their excessive muddiness. Not- withstanding the fact that the beds of these rivers dip in the direction of their courses at the average rate of 2.68 feet per mile, their sinuosity is so great, and the specific gravity of their waters so largely increased by reason of the fine comminuted material held in suspension, that they are exces- sively sluggish, and it would seem decidedly inappropriate to dignify them with the title of river. Yet there are times when it would seem that in their rage, during heavy rains or the floods of spring, they defy the power of the very hills to withstand them. Then are they seen in their full force, and in all their destructiveness; then, if at all, can be appreciated the mighty eroding power of water, that power which shall ultimately level the moun- tains, and carry away the lands to be swallowed up in the dark recesses of the sea. Observing one of these streams at high flood, such as occurred here in the spring of 1849 and 1851, no one will longer wonder how they became such an important factor in the earthi sculpture, and how the valleys of Tay- lor county came to be as they are. The years mentioned as years of great floods, will be remembered as ones of unprecedented snow-fall. The area of the fall was the entire Northwest, with exceptionally heavy snows in the
upper Missouri. Like a winding sheet about the dead, the mantle of snow covered the hills and filled the valleys-beautiful and white, but filled with the potency of death and desolation. When the warm rains of the spring and the genial rays of a returning suminer sun caused the accum- ulated snows to melt, they came pouring down the ravines and filling the water courses to repletion. When the accumulating water reached the lower Missouri the circumjacent country was submerged, dwellings and out- buildings were carried away, farms disappeared beneath its waters, the channel changed, the river's course became somewhat different, but higher and higher still the waters rose until the month of August, when they began slowly to subside. The damage had been done; valuable tracts of lands lay unimproved for that year, and thousands of dollars in property had gone down with the rushing waters.
The flood of 1851 was of a similar character to that of 1849. The imme-
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HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY.
diate cause, however, was a heavy fall of rain of seven days' continuance. The rain-fall all over the State was of a most remarkable nature, the sınaller streams all attaining a high water mark which has never since been reached. Great damage was done by carrying away fencing and other improvements along the banks of the various streams. This overflow reached its culmi- nation in May, and the waters then began to recede.
The deaths that were caused-and they were not few-were mainly the result of foolish daring and recklessness. When the floods reached their .greatest height, the fords, of course, were impassible, and unless great risks were taken, no communication could be had with neighboring families. Boats and rafts were improvised, or the foolish method of swimming the streams was adopted, both of which contributed to the mortality through accident or bravado. Deaths, caused directly by the overflow, there were none; or few at most.
Climate is one of those most important things about which men inquire least. Few realize the fact that all the changes in wind and storm, rain and drouth take place in obedience to fixed laws. It is important to every resident of the county to know at least the effects of those laws, even though they take little interest in the laws themselves. Climatic extremes in this county are few. The winters are not excessively cold, and the summers are not intolerably hot. Heavy falls of snow are of extremely rare occurrence, and the annual fall of rain is somewhat less than that of the eastern portions of the State in the same latitude. The prevailing winds, during the winter, are from the northwest, and are rarely of that bitterly cold nature which residents in the northern portion of the State denote the " blizzard." In the spring the character of the winds suddenly change to that of a healthful and mellow nature. Then, too, they change their quarters, blowing from a southerly direction until the late fall months, when again they blow from the north. There never have been made any meterological observations extending through a sufficient length of time from which may be gathered the statistics of the climatic conditions of the county since its settlement and organization. It differs but immateri- ally, however, from the conditions at Council Bluffs, where observations have been made through a long series of years, in pursuance of a plan devised by the general government dating back to 1819. The following table of mean temperatures for each season, compiled from data gathered at the last named place, ranging from the year 1820 to the year 1843, inclu- sive, will aid in forming a general conclusion on the climate of this county :
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HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY.
Latitude. 41 degrees, 30 minutes. 95 66 48 66
Longitude.
Elevation, in feet.
1,350
Mean spring temperature.
49.3
Mean summer
74.7
Mean autumn
51.4
Mean winter
21.7
The year.
49.3
From this table it will be seen that the mean temperature for the year is exactly that of the spring.
A series of observations extending over a period of nineteen years (1850-69), on the direction of the prevailing winds, give the following in- teresting facts:
N. N. E.
E. S. E.
S. S. W.
W. N. W.
Spring
19.0
19.9
22.2
28.8
Summer.
15.3
23.1
33.1
18.0
Autumn
17.3
19.5|
25.1
29.2
Winter.
17.0
11.4
24.1
37.8
Year.
17.5
19.0
26.2
28.5
From this last table it will be seen that for three hundred and sixty days of the year there are perceptible winds blowing in the county. To rightly estimate their value as climatic modifiers, there must be considered many important factors, such as the distribution of heat through their agency, the distribution of moisture, and their force, questions into which it is not the purpose of this sketch to enter. They are of the greatest benefit to the sanitary condition of the county, as they prevent the accumulation of malaria which arises from the decay of the rich masses of vegetation with which the prairies are covered. Another agent, active in preventing the origination and spread of disease by absorbing large quantities of noxious gases, is the annual fall of rain, which for a period of twenty years (1850- 69) gave the following in inches:
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