USA > Iowa > Woodbury County > Sioux City > Past and present of Sioux City and Woodbury County, Iowa > Part 65
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When Dr. John K. Cook, in the spring of 1854, came to make his survey of the township in which Sioux City is located he found Smut- tybear, an Indian chief, with a band of his tribe encamped near the mouth of the Floyd. This chief seemed to understand that this sur- vey was an entering wedge of white invasion
Mr. George Murphy relates the following in- cident : The only time I was ever witness to of what had hitherto been his country, and or-
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dered Dr. Cook to stop his surveying, that if he did not he would call his followers from the country above on the river and stop him by violence. The Doctor replied, through an in- terpreter, that if the Indians disturbed him he would go at once for white men sufficient in number to wipe out the red men, and the chief concluded it was no use to try to enforce his threat and soon departed.
In the fall of 1854 Mrs. Sangster came here from Canada with her two children. She was the first white woman to come to the country and many of the Indians had never seen a white woman or child, and they crowded around her to examine her clothing. Soon after she arrived there was a scalp dance in front of Joe Leonnais' house, a Sioux squaw, Mother Bluenose by name, holding the scalp of a light- haired man on the end of a pole for them to dance abont, and finally Joe Leonnais made them go away. It was rather a lonesome life for the only white woman; her children had only Indian boys and girls to play with, and for a long time she wanted to go back to Canada.
Along the Little Sioux, near Oto, Indians were accustomed to camp and for a time were peaceably disposed. They were for many years in the habit of traveling around the country in small parties, and many of them were bad enough to steal from the whites.
We have already traced the early French set- tlements in our county and will now turn our attention to the others.
William B. Thompson was the first known actnal settler in Woodbury county; he came in September, 1848. He had previously lived in Morgan county, Illinois, where his wife died. He built a log house near the Missouri river, between it and where the present railroad track runs, a short distance below the bluff on which Floyd's monument stands. He afterward en- tered the land on which it stood after it was surveyed by the government, his entry being the west half of southwest quarter, section 6,
township 88, range 47, and lots 8 and 9, and the east half of southeast quarter, section 1, township 88, range 48, on September 18, 1854. He soon called his place Thompsontown, and attempted to file a plat of part of it, calling it Floyd's Bluff, but when it came to early legis- lative action for a county seat it was named as "Sergeants Bluff," the name being given be- fore Thompson had anything but a squatter's title to the land. His place is still known as "Thompson's Grove."
His brother, Charles C. Thompson, came later that year and spent the winter of 1848 and 1849 with him, they being undoubtedly the only white men to spend that winter in this county. Charles C. Thompson took a claim next south of his brother on the northeast quar- ter of section 12, township 88, range 48, and next north of Traversie's, and he had a small cabin on his place later. Charles moved to Monona county, but Bill Thompson, as he was always called, remained in Woodbury county till his death. He did not marry again until many years later. He, to some extent, kept a trading post or store at his house.
In those days his house was a stopping place for the American travelers and early immi- grants, for he did not lack in hospitality and good fellowship. He preceded the advent of legal, civil government in the county, and al- ways had a supreme contempt for courts, laws, sheriffs, and, in faet, anything that interfered with his personal inclinations. He was hardly calculated to build up a pioneer community, even though he was its founder. His town never progressed beyond the one house he built. Thompson was a tall, well proportioned man, ordinarily of good temper, and kind hearted, but absolutely fearless and desperate when in anger. When the railroad was laid ont through his land he would order off the surveyors, and when the appraisers came to assess the damages he told them he had sold three lots there to widows and orphans in the east, and B- G-d he would protect their rights. The advent of
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a sheriff with a paper to serve was the occasion for a barricade, with a shot gun for defense, and he figured in the courts in the early days.
The first known murder in the county was committed by Thompson, and as it illustrates the man and the times, it may be best to record the event here from the best evidence obtain- able. The date is not certain, but most likely about the time of the organization of the county in 1853: it may have been shortly before that. There was a dance at Francis La Charite's house, and the people of the vicinity assembled there, French Indians, half bloods, and some Americans. Among the latter were an Indian agent named Norwood and Bill Thompson. as usual in those days on such occasions, whisky was the chief beverage, and all partook freely. The accounts published of what took place are from recollections of persons who have heard the story told, and they vary in some parti- enlars.
It seems that the man Norwood wore a wig, and Thompson was dancing with a handsome part blood Indian girl, Sophia Menard, a sis- ter of the wife of Joseph Leonnais, and who soon afterward married Chas. Rulo. Her name like other French ones, being misspelled when written from sound, has been taken down as Shapa Manok in interviews with old Mrs. Sangster, but she also gives the name of Leonnais' wife in the same interview as Rosa- lie Manor as taken down by the interviewer. The Indian agent it is said had become rather jealous of Thompson's attentions to the girl, and the latter, in a spirit of fun, and to bring ridicule on Norwood snatched the wig from his head and held it aloft in his hand for the amusement of the dancers. Norwood was angry and drawing his knife made a slash with it at Thompson, inflicting a slight wound in his stomach. Thompson was aroused, and strode out of the house north toward his own home nearly a mile away. The company knew some vengeance was meditated, and Norwood, now thoroughly alarmed, realizing what he had done
started up the road either to escape or to apolo- gize. Ile shortly met Thompson coming back with a rifle in his hand, and got down on his knees begging for merey, but Thompson in- stantly struck him over the head with his rifle, crushing his skull and causing almost instant death. No immediate steps were taken for the punishment of Thompson, and he continued his usnal course till the time came when a court was established. It would seem, however, that for judicial purposes Woodbury county was thought to be subject to the courts in Pottawat- tamie county until some court was held in Woodbury county. At the session of the legis- lature creating Woodbury county an act was passed January 23, 1853, ordering court to be held in Woodbury county on the third Monday in July, but the county was not organized in time that year, and the first term of court was not held till September 3, 1835, when it was convened at Traversie's house, most persons state, and the first entry on the first page of the District Court record is District Court record A, page 1, Sept. 3, 1855: "At the September term, begun and held in Woodbury county, State of Iowa ; present Hon. Sanmel H. Riddle, Judge: J. K. Myers, Clerk ; F. Chapel, Sher- iff." Evidently the clerk was one temporarily appointed, as the first business of the court was to order an information filed against Theophile Bruguier for wilful neglect of duty. Probably he was too busy to take the time to attend court. The next entry appears as follows:
State of Iowa -
VS. Manslaughter.
W. B. Thompson
Motion by prosecuting attorney to send case back to Pottawattamie county. Overruled.
It would thus appear from the entry that prior to this something had been done to make a case of it in the other county, for there is no record of a grand jury meeting at this time. It starts in the records here as a case ready for trial.
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The record follows that defendant appeared, demanded a speedy trial and a jury, and a jury was ordered to appear "tomorrow morning at 9 a. m." M. F. Moore was prosecuting attor- ney, and Horace C. Bacon, an attorney licensed in New Hampshire, was admitted to practice. The court adjourned till next day, when this case came up; the prisoner was arraigned and pleaded not guilty. ITorace C. Bacon appeared in fact as his attorney. The jurors were Sam- nel H. Cassady, - Richie, George Cham- berlain, Huddleston, - Fitzpatrick, I. Clark, H. D. Clark, John Simmons, John Sam- nels, A. W. Craven, I. F. Turner and Rowe. Defendant objected to introducing wit- nesses on the part of the state whose names were not endorsed on the back of the indict- ment. This objection was sustained by the court, and as there were not names of persons so endorsed who saw the killing, there could be no evidence, and the court ordered a nolle to be entered and defendant required to give bond of $1,000 to await action of the grand jury at the next term. Henry Ayotte signed the bond.
This is in brief the record of the mistrial, but the story as told by Horace C. Bacon, the pris- oner's attorney, will illustrate the times and the men.
Mr. Bacon had just arrived in Sioux City and one morning saw a lumber wagon and a number of men, among them Frank Chapel, the sheriff, who asked him if he was going down to court. He was surprised that there was any- thing for a court to do. They invited him to go with them, and he concluded to do so. There had been rain the night before and the roads were muddy. The sheriff was dressed in a full snit of buckskin and had his moccasins tied to his belt, going barefoot. They drove, as Judge Wakefield, to whom Colonel Bacon related this part recollects, to Traversie's place, where court was held. It was a log cabin, and the door had been taken off to make a table for the Judge and clerk. The Judge instructed court to be opened, and the barefooted sheriff duly an-
nounced that court was opened. Thompson's case was called and he was asked if he had an attorney. Thompson said no, but he under- stood there was an attorney there, and he would have him, and walking over to Mr. Bacon asked him to appear, which he consented to do, though he knew nothing about the case.
The Judge asked Thompson if he was ready for trial, and he instantly replied, "Yes, and I want to be tried pretty G-d d-m quick." Some one, probably Attorney A. C. Ford, whis- pered to Colonel Bacon, who had come up from Council Bluffs, that they could not introduce any witness whose name was not on the back of the indictment, and at the proper time, when the state offered a witness, he made objection and the court sustained it. The district attor- ney asked for leave to enter a "nol. pros." Ba- con objected, as he wanted to get a verdict of not guilty and end it, but Thompson called out, "Let them dismiss it," and it was so done.
Thompson straightened himself to his full height in the presence of the court and walked out of the room without saying a word to any one, with an air that the whole proceeding from the murder down had been one in which he was in the right, and he did not even thank his at- torney or offer to pay him, and Colonel Bacon used to say that all he got for his services was a swig out of the Judge's bottle behind the cabin after the trial was over, to steady his nerves.
Thompson was indicted at the next (April) term, held at Sioux City after the removal of the county seat there, but the case was taken to Harrison county and set for trial, Judge Riddle there presiding, and the reports came to the Judge that Thompson had made threats that no judge should try him, intimating vio- lence. As Judge Riddle was starting from Conneil Bluffs to hold this term of court in Harrison county he talked with Judge Lari- mer, now of Sioux City, and telling him of these reports of what Thompson had said, re- marked: "I shall treat him perfectly right, but
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if he crooks a finger I will kill him," and he the parties, and took his rifle and went alone was prepared to do it. For some reason, prob- ably from lack of witnesses, the case was dis- missed.
Judge Riddle was a product of the period, able to cope with such characters, a Kentuckian by birth. He migrated to Missouri, where he kept a store. A man there claiming he had been wronged by him, came into the store and commeneed assault upon Riddle, who drew his pistol and shot his assailant. He was indieted, gave bonds, was tried and acquitted, and soon moved to Council Bluffs. In April, 1853, he was elected Judge, but never having studied law or been admitted to the bar, was not eligi- ble under the law, and was not given a eer- tificate of election ; one was also refused to his opponent, and it is reported he soon, at a term of court, was admitted to the bar in that easy way known to primitive days, over an oyster supper, and was appointed by Governor Hemp- stead in Jume, 1853, to fill the vacant judge- ship. Then he studied law and became a very able judge.
This trial and transfer to Harrison county was a source of large expense to Woodbury county.
To return to "Bill" Thompson, it is related that on one occasion when Charles Rulo had taken too much whisky, and had some trouble with him in front of a trading post or saloon that stood in front of Traversie's place, Rulo, who was quick and active, struck Thompson in the month, knocking out a couple of teeth. Thompson instantly reached over and grabbed Rulo by the hair and, as they expressed it in those days, just churned Rulo up and down on the ground, and then put his feet on him, as a wild animal might shake its prey, and there was no fight left in Rulo.
The Indians and every one were afraid to have any trouble with Thompson. On one oc- casion some traveling Indians stole one of his horses ; they were camped on the bluffs north of him. Thompson, missing his horse, suspected
into their camp and walked off with his horse without a thought of fear, though the party was a large one.
Robert Perry was one of the earliest settlers in the west end of the county; previous his- tories have given the fall of 1849 as the date of his arrival. He built a shanty on the west side of Perry Creek, which is named after him. It was located just about where the West Seventh street bridge crosses, and it was just above him that the trail or traveled road then crossed this stream. This crossing was no doubt adopted from the fact that the buffalo had worn down the banks in their crossing there. This buf- falo trail was a well worn and defined land- mark for many years, and perhaps on nneulti- vated ground it can be traced yet. It started at the Missouri river, just west of Prospect Hill, that probably being then near the mouth of the Big Sioux was a favorable point for crossing the river. It then ran northeast across Perry creek at about Ninth street, and over the west side of the hill, now leveled, where Epiphany Cathedral stands at Tenth and Douglas streets, crossing Pierce street at about Eleventh street and going past west of the High School ground, and over east of St. Jo- seph Hospital, and just west of the Springdale Brick Yards, crossing the Floyd just above Leeds, and on through to Spirit Lake.
Perry was said to have been a young man, well educated, from Washington, D. C., some- what eccentric. He cultivated a small piece of ground and had a log shanty, and probably did not have much in common with his French and Indian neighbors. Bruguier got the In- dians to scare him away. He stayed over a year after Leonnais bought his place at the mouth of Perry creek, which was in 1852. He sold his cabin and erops to Leonnais and went south, dragging his belongings behind his pony on a pole "travaille," most likely in 1853. The date of his departure is more certain than that of his arrival, as the former is fixed by Leon-
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nais' very definite statement, and as he appears to have been known only by the French, his description is derived from them. A man by the name of Robert Perry for a short time in the spring of 1856 stopped near where the town of Cherokee now is, but, finding it too lonesome, left, and that spring was in Sioux City. Carl- ton Corbett, on his way from the east, saw him there and Perry told him what a fine country there was about Cherokee. A visit there confirmed Perry's report, which led to a settlement at that place. It may be that Perry returned to our midst, and at so early a date after his departure that his return was not considered of any special moment, and only so now when we consider that nothing is known of the first settler in the center of Sioux City.
J. M. Townsley, more commonly known as Marshall Townsley, came to this county about August 1, 1853, the day when the first election was held and the county organized. He was an acquaintance of Thomas L. Griffey, the organizing sheriff, and probably followed him from Council Bluffs. He was a late arrival at Thompson's house on the day of the election and was elected a county judge, the chief office, and was a man of considerable ability. He shortly after this bought out the claim of Guieseppe Marivelli (Joe Spaniard) and moved on it. It was about half a mile east of Traver- sie's, under the bluff, and for a time became a sort of American headquarters, as he had a family, and he was an important figure in local history for several years and then went west.
It is doubtful whether there were any more houses or settlers in the west end of the county in 1853. Bruguier had a partly completed cabin on his land west of Salix the next year, but used it only for a temporary residence when he cultivated his land there. It was prob- ably built in 1853.
Leonard Bates, with a party of government surveyors, came to this locality August 8, 1852, for the purpose of running the six-mile town- ship lines between the Big Sioux and Little
Sioux rivers from the correction line north to the state line, this correction line having been theretofore run between townships 88 and 89. This party was in charge of the United States Department Surveyor, or Mr. Alexander An- derson, who for years owned land in Wood- bury township. His son, James M. Anderson, Leonard Bates, Ivy Johnson, John Coon, Jon- athan Vincent, John Garnet, and probably others, whose names I can not learn, were in the party. Some of them later became settlers. Surveying the land was the first step in get- ting it opened to settlement, and this surveying the township lines preceded the subdividing it into sections, which the latter surveyors did. Mr. Anderson also subdivided several town- ships.
This surveying party, with which Mr. Leo- nard Bates was connected, met with several calamities. While they were surveying up in Sioux county a large prairie fire was seen ap- proaching rapidly, and the party scattered; some reached the high ground where the grass was thin and got off with a slight singeing. Mr. Bates and two others went into a wet slough, and Mr. Bates put his coat over his head, lay flat and kept still, and the other two raised their heads and inhaled the hot air as the flame went over them, and one of them, a son of Mr. An- derson, died from the effects, but the other re- covered.
This party, while subdividing township 89, range 47, was coming down what we now call Dead Man's Run and camped for the night. In the morning when John Coon, after the wagon started, attempted to get his gun out of the wagon, it went off, killing a comrade, Ivy Johnson. They buried the body near by, north- west of Glen Ellen station on the Milwaukee road, just northeast of the home of E. P. Webster, on land now owned by him, and Mr. Anderson thought so much of the man killed that he sent to Council Bluffs and had a marble slab erected over his grave, which is now broken and lies on the ground, inscribed :
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"In Memory of Ivy Johnson, Killed by John Coon, Oct. 18,
1852, aged 20 years."
Mr. Anderson narrated these facts to Mr. E. P. Webster and emphasized his belief that the shooting may not have been accidental and the inscription on the tombstone insinuates as much. The party had camped the night before near where the shooting occurred, and Coon, who was a Mormon, had a heated argument with Johnson over that religion, in which Coon got very angry, and there was bad blood between them, hence the suspicion. It was before any law was in force, and nothing was done. It was from this circumstance that this stream has been called Dead Man's Run.
In this matter of the killing of Ivy Johnson Mr. Anderson made mention of the circum- stances in his field notes of the survey. In naming his chain men, he writes "Ivy Johnson, dead," and in the work of October 11, 1832, he says, "Set qr. post between sects. 15 and 22 (Ivy Johnson's grave), from qr. post bears S753º west offset north 14} west (interlined over east) 5 chains bears S673° west." And at beginning of notes to work of October 12, between two black lines of mourning, he writes :
Ivy Johnson, one of my men, was acci- dentally shot yesterday and died almost in- stantly.
Leonard Bates was born in Windsor county, Vermont, about 1830, and had come west with his father when about eight years old to Mont- gomery county, Indiana, and about seven years later to Black Hawk county, Iowa, and then to Greene county. He was with this survey- ing party in 1852 and 1853, and being a single man probably did not reside on a farm of his own, but made his headquarters at Townsley's in 1854, so might be entitled to claim 1852 as his year of settlement, and was identified with the county for several years and then for many years resided across the river in Dakota county,
Nebraska, moving to Sioux City and marrying for his second wife the widow of Dr. J. D. M. Crockwell, a pioneer of 1854. They now reside in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Leonard Bates was county treasurer and recorder in 1834, but was not present at the first election in August, 1853, being probably out with a sur- veying party.
Hiram Nelson came in 1853 and was in the county early enough to vote at the first election and take the office of treasurer and recorder. He was then a single man and made his home with Angust Traversie, and later with Judge Townsley. He afterward married Julia Townsley, a daughter of the county judge. When Sioux City was started he took a claim on the southwest quarter, section 27, township 89, range 47, entered it and platted it as Central Sioux City. He probably had a shanty on this land in 1854, as there was one standing there then. He afterward went to Washington Ter- ritory and died there.
One George L. Gilbert signed the bond of Hiram Nelson as county treasurer August 30, 1853, and must have been here then, but prob- ably did not remain long.
Joseph P. Babbitt was the first clerk of the courts, but did not remain long in the county. He may have been here temporarily, but is not spoken of later.
We have traced the white settlement at the west end of the county down through 1853 and incidentally followed some of the French to a later period, and will now take up the east end of the county down to that time.
The settlement in the vicinity of Smithland was along the Little Sioux and was almost as early as that of the west end of the county. The pioneers were mostly Mormons, some of those of that faith who had not followed Brig- ham Young to Utah, or were apostates from the polygamists, coming here from about Kanes- ville, Iowa.
Curtis Lamb left this latter place in Janu- ary, 1851, on an exploring expedition and came
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up the Missouri to the mouth of the Little Sioux, then up that stream to a point above the present town of Smithland about two miles, where he selected a place for home and re- turned to Kanesville, got his family effects to- gether, and with his wife and four children made the journey to his new home, arriving there May 5, 1851.
He found on reaching the present site of Smithland that William Maxwell and W. S. White had reached there and settled two weeks before. They were all three Mormons, and probably acquaintances. They all built houses and commenced to cultivate land. We will give right here some further account of Mr. Lamb.
He was one of the organizers of the county, attended the first election and, as he expressed it, Thomas L. Griffey and Marshall Townsley came up from Council Bluffs to help organize the county and, agreeing to become citizens, were given an office apiece.
Mr. Lamb, after Sioux City was organized, kept a hotel, then the Pacific House, in 1857, but returned to his home on the Little Sioux and lived there many years. He removed to Plainview, Nebraska, and is still living with his wife at Grundy Center, Iowa, was eighty- five years old in November, 1903. They had twelve children.
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