USA > Iowa > Allamakee County > Past and present of Allamakee county, Iowa. A record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. I > Part 47
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In these woods bears, wolves, panthers and wild cats were numerous in the early days, and red deer fairly flocked on the prairies up to about 1857, when a winter of deep snow and thick crust prevented their traveling, and they were almost annihilated by the hunters, throughout all this region.
Bear hunting was a favorite pastime up to about 1854, when the last town hunt, in October, culminated in a law suit against some outsiders who happened to be "in at the death" of a wounded bear, and who had the bear skinned and the
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four hundred pounds of meat divided and quietly taken away before the regular hunters arrived on the ground to dispatch him. The cause was tried before John Laughlin, J. P., with Hon. John T. Clark, attorney for the plaintiffs (the regular hunters), and James & J. D. McKay for defendants. The case was car- ried to the District court, then to the state Supreme court, and finally decided adversely to the plaintiffs.
The settlement of Post township by white people was begun by Joel Post, a millwright from Conewango, Cattaraugus county. New York, who obtained permission to occupy the Government log shanty, or "half-way" house, built by the United States troops midway between Fort Crawford, Wisconsin, and Fort Atkinson, lowa. The document has been preserved, and reads as follows:
"Joel Post is hereby granted the privilege of occupying the house and stable, belonging to the public, on the military road from Fort Crawford to Turkey River (1. T.) during the pleasure of General Brooke, or the commanding officer at Fort Crawford.
"The said Joel Post has permission to make such additions to house and stable as he thinks proper, and the use of the buildings are to be always open, free of charge to the use of the public ; a supply of wood for the use of one fire is also to be furnished free of charge. The said Post will also be required to take charge of and be responsible for all public property placed under his charge at that place.
"The privilege of cutting a sufficient supply of hay for the use of the public, at the nearest point at that place, is reserved : and the said Post has the privilege of cutting what wood and timber, for building and fuel, as he may find necessary for his own use and travelers. He has also the privilege of breaking ground and planting, and is always to be subject to the orders of the commanding officers at Fort Crawford.
"It is hereby further contracted by the said Post that he is not to keep spirit- uous liquors in his house, on any pretense whatever ; neither is he to sell liquors, either directly or indirectly, to Indians or United States soldiers, under the pen- alty of being immediately removed ; and, further, that he is not to trade with the Indians, unless by permission from the Indian agent. It is also stated that the said Post may build nearer to the spring, as being more convenient, but at the same time must be responsible for the public buildings now erected, and also all other public property placed under his charge.
"GEORGE M. BROOKE, "Brev. Brig-Gen. Com'g Ist. Dept. W. Div.
"Fort Crawford, January 12, 1841.
"I, Joel Post, do hereby bind myself to observe the above order, in all re- spects, under all the penalties prescribed.
JOEL POST.
"Fort Crawford, January 12, 1841.
"Witness: John Robertson, Thos. Buyber.
"Note-The power reserved by the commanding officer of Fort Crawford, in the above instrument, is also to be held by the commanding officer at Turkey River, when a senior officer to that at Fort Crawford."
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The document is not a model in grammar or punctuation, but is given above precisely as written and punctuated.
The "shanty" then consisted of a log house, 16x20 feet, and a log stable some- what larger, and was located about sixty rods east from the one-fourth post, on the north side of section 33, a short distance south of the section line, and about a mile northeast of the present town of Postville, on the farm now owned by Darius Orr. The occupation of the family was a kind of hotel keeping, and the promise of good business in this line was the chief inducement for Mr. - Post to risk himself so far from civilization. But the business grew. and proved both profitable and pleasant, and increased so fast that in the next winter Mr. Post and one Richard Only built a more commodious and hotel-like house, which on completion afforded comfortable quarters for Government and military officers, Government teamsters, etc., and proved quite remunerative for about two years, when these teamsters, who were mostly from Illinois, planned a scheme to cheat Mr. Post out of their unpaid bills; it being the custom for them to pay their bills on their return from Fort Atkinson, where they were paid for their services.
They did this by constructing a new road or route, which could be traveled by unloaded teams, across the bend of the road; beginning near the southwest corner of section 33, and keeping near the county line. They could thus pass by the "half way" unseen, avoiding the "north bend" and the hotel bill at once. This cut-off received the name of "Sucker Chute."
These new developments led to a removal of the "half-way house" to the west end of "Sucker Chute" by special permission of the commanding officer of the military department, then Major Edwin V. Sumner, in June, 1843. The new location of the house was on what is now lot 12 in Ellis & Company's addi- tion to Postville, in recent years the residence of the late James McEwen and the large stable was diagonally across the Lybrand road where is now situated the residence recently occupied by the late J. W. Ward. A well was dug just east of the house, in Maple street, which still remains in evidence. This house proved a nucleus around which settlements were made; travelers found here a quiet resting place, and Postville a local habitation and a name. A number of men who have since become famous in the civil and military history of the coun- try were accustomed to visit this house and partake of its cheer, among whom were : H. M. Rice, of Minnesota; H. L. Dousman and M. Brisbois, of Wisconsin ; John Haney, Sr., and Jr. of Lansing, Iowa ; Capt. Nathaniel Lyon : Majs. E. V. Sumner and Patterson; Capts. Miller, Schuyler, Hamilton, and Lieut. Alfred Pleasanton ; all these military guests later became high in command and fame in the history of the nation.
Settlements of a permanent nature began to be made as soon as the treaty for the relinquishment of the neutral ground by the Indians was made in 1847, al- though they were not actually removed until the following year. The first settler after Mr. Post was Squire Crossly, from Galena, Illinois, who located on section 32, half a mile west of Mr. Post's, in June, 1847 ; the next one, Josiah Reed, from Ohio, half a mile west of Crossly, in October ; John Reed, on section 30; Thomas Newberry, northwest quarter of section 28, all in 1847. A number had also set- tled over the line in Clayton county, so that in the summer of 1848 a school was started with twenty pupils in one of the chamber rooms at Mr. Post's, by Mrs. Quinn. The first religious services were also held here in June, 1848, by Rev. Vol. 1-24
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Eldridge Howard, a Methodist preacher, who later served in various other parts of the county. One Stevens, a Presbyterian. also held services in this house.
The principal settlers in 1848 were Henry Noble and Elias Topliff, both lo- cating on section 30, in October or November.
On New Year's day, 1849, was held the first social party in the new settle- ment, at the house of Mr. Post. Having spent eight years in frontier life with few neighbors, he thought the time had come when all should meet and learn the names and ways of the men and women who were to build up the new com- munity with him. It is related that every settler within eight miles was present, the most of them bringing their wives, and in not a few cases the whole family appeared at the New Year's feast. Several uniforms were present, and the repast was spoken of as one of luxury and bountiful to excess. The festivities were kept up by the few youngsters to a late hour, and at that gathering an en- gagement was made which resulted in the first wedding ever celebrated in Alla- makee county, viz. : Elias J. Topliff and Anna Reed, married December 6, 1849, by Grove A. Warner, justice of the peace.
A postoffice was established in the same month of January, called Postville, and Joel Post appointed postmaster. He, however, dying on the 24th of the same month, never knew of the appointment, as it did not arrive for some days after his decease.
Several settlers arrived in 1849 whose names and locations are as follows : Elijah and James Stevenson ; James H. Penny, a soldier just discharged, on sec- tion 16; Reuben Smith, section 11 ; Constantine Hughes, section 12; William Cal- lender, section 9; Hiram Jones, section 15; Moses Hostetler, also on section 15; Anderson Amos, section 14. In 1850 came David W. Lyons, a Presbyterian clergyman, to section 16; Alexander J. Breedlove and Thomas Saucer on section 25; John Minert to section 21; James Mather, section 16; Wm. Fewell and Charles Bowman, on section 23; Jeremiah Prescott and Truman Stoddard, on section 36; also S. P. Hicks, L. R. Herrick, John Clark, Anderson Fewell, on section 34 ; David Jemison on section 28; Wm. H. Carithers on section 10; P. F. Schwartz, on section 3; Jacob Lybrand, on section 16. In 1851 came P. P. Cady to section 36; Asa Cheedle to section 10; John Laughlin to section 27; Syl- vester Dennis bought M. Hostetler, on section 15; and Jas. Mather, section 26. In 1852 came N. J. Beedy to section 35; Samuel Dobson, section 22; and many others, among them A. R. Prescott.
It is presumed that Mr. Post had early staked out approximately the claims he intended to purchase of the Government. But he dying early in '49 it became Mrs. Post's privilege to make these entries after the lands had been surveyed. The Government survey of this township was made by J. G. McDonald in 1849, and the legal entries were made by Mrs. Post in the early fall of 1850, including all of the southeast quarter of section 32 and the southwest quarter of section 33, comprising all of the now corporate limits of Postville and other lands.
About the year 1855 Mr. Reuben Smith above mentioned built a large stone house. two stories and basement, on his farm in the northeast corner of section II, which is still standing and widely known to picnickers and fishermen as "the stone house" on Yellow river. It is now owned by Ed Smith, but is too much out of repair to be tenantable.
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PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The first schoolhouse in Post township was located near the east line of sec- tion 36, near the village of Hardin. It was built in the fall of 1849, mainly through the efforts of Leonard B. Hodges, who taught the first school there, and figured so prominently in the early history of the county not only in this vicinity but also at Columbus. This was doubtless the first schoolhouse in the county, aside from the old mission school, and was about 16x22 feet in size, and con- structed of oak logs. The last school taught in this house was by Wm. Larrabee, of Clermont, afterwards the honored Governor of the state of Iowa, and who died within the past year.
The second schoolhouse in the township was also built of oak logs. in 1852, and situated a few rods north of the quarter post on south side of section 28, not far from the original "half-way" house of Joel Post but to the northwest of it, and on the opposite side of Williams Creek.
The third, called "West Grove," was the first frame schoolhouse in the town- ship, built in 1854, near the northeast corner of section 22, removed in 1860 to section 24, and is now on the east line of section 23.
Fourth, Postville sub-district, a frame, built in the southwest corner of sec- tion 33, in 1858, on lot 1, block 4, original plat of Postville.
Fifth, Lybrand, a frame built in 1860 on the north side of the northwest quarter of section 15.
Sixth, Minert, a frame built in 1862 near the southeast corner of section 21.
to replace the log house above mentioned on section 28.
Seventh, a frame built in 1864 on the west side of section 20.
Eighth, a frame built in 1865 near the center of section 35.
Ninth, a frame built in 1865 on section 31.
Tenth, a frame on south line of section 5.
ยท Eleventh, Myron, a frame built on a lot in that village in 1870.
Twelfth, a frame built in 1873 at the east end of the Reuben Smith bridge across Yellow river,. near the northeast corner of section II.
The accuracy of this statement has been questioned, as it is known that Mr Smith built a small schoolhouse early in the fifties, as stated in the chapter on county schools. Mr. Prescott, who is the authority for the above, was a very careful investigator, and quite probably his statement refers to the first public school building. It is currently believed that the school taught by Judge Granger in 1854-5 was in the Reuben Smith district ; but it is stated in a biography pub- lished in 1882 that the school he taught was in Franklin township; and both may be true, as the Evergreen district of recent years included territory on both sides of the line, and the original schoolhouse may have been on the Franklin side. It is hoped that interest may be aroused to determine the location of that early schoolhouse. Mr. Granger engaged with Mr. Gilson that year in the build- ing of a sawmill at or near the present site of Werhan's mill, but gave it up and returned to Illinois.
The independent school district of Postville was organized in 1866, with the following officers : President, T. Stiles: secretary. N. W. Sites.
In 1871 a two-story and basement brick building was erected on block 29 of Lawler's addition, which has been improved from time to time, and now is steam
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heated and equipped with modern school conveniences, including laboratory and library. In or about 1882 increased room for the growing attendance was pro- vided by the purchase of the old Free Baptist church. The school now (1913) has six departments, and an enrollment of 270.
Since 1869 the principals or superintendents have been : Miss Lucy Hall, A. M. Alvord, D. C. Brown, S. B. Finney, Frank H. Hannah, A. H. Tuttle, A. C. Ripley, J. W. Callender, B. H. Standish, T. F. Johnson, Mrs. S. White, J. H. Car- roll, Amos Rowe, B. W. Brintnall, J. M. Bedicheck, J. L. Edsall, J. F. Smith, E. H. Hurd, F. F. Merriam, T. V. Hunt, Ida M. Sala, A. F. Harvey, H. L. Cof- feen. R. S. Anderson, Arthur Wilson, F. M. Phillips, S. S. Guiles.
The following have served as president of the board, since the organization of the district: T. Stiles, J. S. Green, C. P. Darling, A. Staadt, S. S. Powers, A. P. Abbott, Jas. McEwen, Jas. Sheehy, J. H. Gray, Jos. Nicolay, J. H. Meier, WVm. Harris, J. M. Thoma, present incumbent.
The following have served as secretary : N. W. Sites, J. S. Grohe, Hall Roberts, Chas. Skelton, R. N. Douglass, and Godfrey Staadt from 1885 until the present time.
The other officers now are: Treasurer, F. H. Welzel ; directors, B. C. Fleming. Wm. Weihe. A. L. Peterson, F. H. Luhman.
Post township was organized by an order of the County court in 1851, com- prising the west eight miles of township 96, taken from Linton township, which had at first extended to the Winneshiek county line. The east two miles was later. March 28, 1855, set off to Franklin township, to conform to the con- gressional township lines. This region settled up rapidly, so that in 1854 the population ( doubtless including the eight miles east and west ) was reported as 504. the largest of any township in the county. There are no records of town- ship officers elected prior to 1852. The election in April of that year was held in a blacksmith shop near the house of Chas. Bowman. Thirty-one votes were cast, and Reuben Smith, Chas. Bowman and A. J. Breedlove were chosen trustees ; Jas. C. Thompson, township clerk ; John Laughlin, justice of the peace ; Anderson Amos, constable.
The next record is that of November 4, 1856, when ninety-four votes were polled. The records from this election are perfect. P. P. Cady was township clerk, and procured a book at his own expense, hunting over all the papers of the several officers, in vain for complete records. Much that is valuable is lost to the compiler from the absence of such important items, compelling us to rely upon the memory of the few early settlers left among us, and whose recollections will disagree, thus rendering all attempts at exactness abortive.
At the November clection, 1860, W. H. Carithers was chosen as first township supervisor on the county board; Timothy Stiles, township clerk ; P. P. Cady and Emery Higbey, justices : James Patterson and Stephen Thibodo, constables.
The year 1861 was eventful as changing the future prospects of so many fami- lies in our land, and was felt largely in Post township, when, with a population entirely rural, it furnished more than forty men to the Union army, distributed and named as follows:
Company K, ist lowa Cavalry-Charles T. Prescott ( ist enlistment in the township), Moses A. Bollman. Moses Early, Benton Bowman. Ed Hanan. John S. Post, Stephen Harris, David M. Minert, Wm. H. Saucer.
PARENTAL HOME OF JOHN R. MOTT, POSTVILLE
HOTEL, POSTVILLE
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Company I, 9th Iowa Infantry-John S. Mather, Squire Mather, Geo. S. Rice.
Company B, 12th Iowa Infantry-Wm. Maynard, Elias Repp, Chas. Rus- sell, Stephen Thibodo.
Company B, 13th Iowa Infantry-Jesse P. Prescott, Elza Sanders, David Vickery, Julian D. Miller.
Company B, 2Ist Iowa Infantry-Wm. T. Hays.
Company A, 27th Iowa Infantry-Caleb I. Bishop, Daniel Cole, Warren Clough, Elisha Curry, Saul Dobson, Theodore Granger, C. C. Marston, Darius C. Mather, Meredith McGee, Calvin McMullen, Hiram Hawkins, Andrew J. Pat- terson, James Patterson, Warren R. Reed, Truman Stoddard, Geo. W. Topliff, John Pixler, A. L. Stiles, Alonzo Thornton.
Company -, 38th Iowa Infantry-John L. Johnson.
Company I, Engineer Regt. Mo. Vols .- A. R. Prescott, William R. Johnson, John F. Jones, George W. Wheeler and William Harris.
Company B, 18th Mo. Infantry-Dennis A, Harden.
Fifteen of these perished in battle or the hospital. The others, few of them whole or sound, returned to their homes to begin where they left off-at the plow or bench, in store or shop.
POSTVILLE
In the year 1848 Gen. A. C. Dodge, then Senator from Iowa, recommended the establishment of a postoffice at the "half-way house," on the Military Road in then Clayton county, to be.called Postville, with Joel Post as postmaster. The appointment was made, of date January 19, 1849, but as Mr. Post died on the 24th of that month a commission was then issued to Elijah. Stevenson, who thus became the first postmaster. The original plat of the village of Postville was not laid out until June, 1853, by S. P. Hicks, county surveyor, the proprietors being Mrs. Zeruiah Hayward (widow of Joel Post) and husband George S. Hayward. The plat consisted of four blocks of eight lots each, the center being at the inter- section of the Military Road with Bruce street, now southern part of Lawler street. Mrs. Post, resuming her former name after divorce from Mr. Hayward, later resided west of this plat, on lot 5, south side of Military Road. She con- tinued a resident of Postville until her death, December 22, 1886.
A store was opened in 1851 by Josiah D. Reed & Co., who were succeeded in 1856 by Samuel J. Russell. A blacksmith named Draper started a shop in 1851 also, but business had not much increased until 1855, when James Roll succeeded Draper in the smithy, and also built a small frame hotel. Numerous dwellings had been erected, and in 1857 the new and commodious "National Hotel" was completed by Mrs. Post. H. B. Hazleton put in a stock of goods in 1859. Web- ster & Stevenson bought out S. J. Russell in 1863. By this time several dwellings and trade shops had been built on the main street, that is, the old Military Road, and stores had been enlarged and repaired.
Business now received a fresh impetus by the construction of the McGregor Western Railway, and its completion to this place, the first train arriving on the 8th day of August, 1864. The handling of freight and mails began on the first day of September following. At once the place put on new airs. Mrs. (Post)
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Hayward sold the north three-fourths of the southeast quarter of section 32 to John Lawler, the Prairie du Chien railroad man, who laid out thereon the "Town of Postville," it now being generally called Lawler's addition, or "Lawler's Post- ville." Associated with him in the enterprise were Joseph (Diamond Jo) Rey- nolds, of steamboat fame, and John T. Stoneman, the McGregor lawyer. A station was built and John S. Grohe became the first station agent for the rail- road. It may be here added that this old building which long ago became anti- quated and inadequate is now after nearly a half century about to be replaced with a substantial modern structure. in this A. D. 1913.
To go back ; a large grain elevator was built by Lawler & Reynolds at a cost of $26,000, 50x90 feet, with seventeen bins, and a capacity of 51,000 bushels. It was completed about the middle of September. 1864, and did a very large business, the pay roll of its employees amounting to some $500 per month. E. D. Holton and Hall Roberts put in an extensive stock of merchandise near the elevator.
The business and professional men of Postville in January, 1868, were noted by a correspondent of the Waukon Standard as follows:
General Merchandise-Stevenson & Lyon, Webster & Clark, Roberts & Bros., H. B. Hazleton, and Liethold & Poesch.
Groceries-John Moir.
Drug Stores-N. W. Stiles and Anthony Staadt.
Hardware-Ingalls & Co. and Stone Bros.
Furniture-S. D. McClelland and Hazleton & Co.
Wagonmakers-H. Smith and J. C. Dow.
Blacksmiths-Jas. Roll, R. Mathew, Reed & Hesperd, Hudson & Co.
Harness Makers-A. W. McDaneld, and Ernest Schmidt.
Lumber-Hoyt & B. and Seley & Shaw.
Physicians-L. Brown, Jr., and J. S. Green.
Hotels-National, by C. Van Ilooser ; and Kelly House, by John Kelly.
Meat Markets-John Hoppas, and Wm. Patterson.
Postmaster-John Moir.
J. S. Grohe. agent, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, and U. S. Express Co .; J. N. Liethold, M. U. Express Company.
Billiards-O. Raymond and M. Beucher.
A large grain elevator by Bassett & Huntting.
T. Stiles, notary public; G. F. Webster, justice of the peace; N. Clough, constable.
Masonic lodge, G. F. Webster, W. M., and A. Dresser, secretary.
Congregational, Baptist, and Methodist churches, the first two of which have good houses of worship.
The railway company had just erected water tank, with windmill for pumping.
New buildings were being erected in all parts of the place, denoting healthy growth and increasing prosperity.
Passing over the events of a few years, which were prosperous ones for the township, we mention that in 1871 the assessed value of the total amount of property was $255,026. The village had increased to correspond with the rural districts.
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The Northeastern Iowa Agricultural Society was organized here in March, 1871, embracing four counties, banded together for the mutual improvement of all branches of industry. For several years a successful district fair was held on the grounds north of town, but in 1882 the land was resold for farming purposes.
The Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railway Company began business on the Milwaukee division of their road in Postville, about September 5, 1872, James Perry, agent.
Hall Roberts purchased one-third of the Lawler & Reynolds elevator in 1875. The company (known as Hall Roberts & Co.) handled one hundred and eighty-five thousand bushels of grain the same year. W. S. and Hall Roberts started the Postville Bank also this year.
MUNICIPAL
The town of Postville was incorporated March II, 1873, and its municipal officers from that time to this date have been as follows :
1873-1874
Mayor, J. S. Mott; Recorder, D. T. Smethurst; Treasurer, H. P. Dawes; Marshal, A. W. McDaneld; Trustees, A. Staadt, C. P. Darling, J. N. Leithold, A. P. Abbott, J. H. Sanders.
1874-1875
Mayor, John Putnam, (died soon after election, S. S. Powers elected to fill vacancy ) ; Recorder, N. W. Stiles ; Treasurer, D. T. Smethurst ; Marshal, H. P. Dawes; Trustees, A. P. Abbott, J. S. Mott, James Stevenson, F. Meyer, Matt Leithold.
1875-1876
Mayor, S. S. Powers; Recorder, James Perry ; Treasurer, D. T. Smethurst ; Marshal, W. W. Hains; Councilmen, J. S. Mott, A. Staadt, F. Meyer, C. L. Allen, L. Brown.
1876-1877
Mayor, S. S. Powers; Recorder, James Perry; Treasurer, W. S. Roberts; Assessor, F. S. Burling; Marshal, E. Ragan ; Councilmen, J. S. Mott, A. P. Ab- bott, F. Meyer, N. J. Beedy, A. W. McDaneld.
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