USA > Iowa > Woodbury County > Sioux City > Past and present of Sioux City and Woodbury County, Iowa > Part 69
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A faithful few were stationed in the front
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rank ready for the opening sale, Mr. L. C. tee for the old Sioux City Company for the Sanborn, being one of these, an old New Hamp- part of the east half of section 29, duly ac- shire townsman of Horaee C. Bacon, who bid knowledged October 5th, and recorded October 8, 1858. in this land without opposition. The public temper would admit of no delay, and the same So it was nearly four years after the survey started, and three years after lots began to be sold before the title of the purchasers was per- fected. day, his wife joining, he executed a declara- tion of trust that he had entered the land with the money of the Sioux City Land & Ferry Company, and in trust for that company and its assigns, and that he would not sell or grant it to any person than this company and its as- signs.
This was duly recorded the next day, and at once, Mr. Bacon, as trustee, commenced making deeds to the partners for the lots set off to them in the division and to the purehasers who held the bonds from the company, and during that August and September conveyed most of the lots.
George W. Chamberlain had entered his northeast quarter of seetion 28, June 19, 1856, but the company had not entered its part, so no division of that had taken place.
After the lots had been mostly divided by Baeon some began to criticise the transaction, suggesting that the only plat filed was that of October 16, 1856, which was signed by no one, but aeknowledged by John K. Cook as agent. and trustee for the proprietors of Sioux City, and contemplated an entry under the state or national town site law. While this land was entered by Horaee C. Bacon and his trust de- clared in favor of the Sioux City Land & Ferry Company, and neither Bacon or his company had made or acknowledged any plat as required by law, the old one not complying with the law in other respects, it was deeided to make an entirely new plat conforming in most respects with the one already filed, and embracing all the land, complying with all legal requirements, Mr. Thomas J. Stone, as surveyor, revising and standing sponsor for the whole plat. This was signed and acknowledged by George W. Cham- berlain for his part, Horace C. Bacon for his half section, and by S. P. Yeomans as trus-
George W. Chamberlain soon got his deed to his share of the lots in the northwest quarter of section 28 and deeded to S. P. Yeomans, as trustee for the Sioux City Land & Ferry Com- pany, one-half the lots on his quarter section, giving that company again some undivided lots which they soon had to mortgage to pay the balance due Tootle & Jackson for the old ferry boat, which they had purchased. Lewis Burns and the owners of the saw mill and Milton Tootle finally got their lots on foreclosure.
But the Sioux City Land & Ferry Company, the powerful trust that had among its partners the two United States senators and ex-Iowa congressman, and two Pennsylvania congress- men, with friends in Congress and in the presi- dential chair, leading Iowa bankers, the county judge and the district judge, could not prevent the energetic young men from gathering about the edges and making additions to their town. This began early in 1856 and we will, in con- neetion with the history of the original eom- pany, describe briefly the other plats.
A syndicate of new comers, composed of A. W. Hubbard, Samnel H. Cassady, W. R. Hen- ry, W. H. Frame, W. B. Tredway, bought out the claim of Lonis D. Letellier to what is mid- dle Sioux City, and did business under the firm name of A. W. Hubbard & Co., each one hav- ing a speeifie interest, and filed their plat June 30, 1856, though they did not enter the land until later, when William R. Henry entered it and divided up the lots.
Joseph Lionat (Leonnais) entered Floyd City and filed a plat June 19, 1856.
Elie Bedard platted East Sioux City, May 14, 1856.
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Andrew M. Hunt and G. W. F. Sherwin August 7, 1856, filed a plat of Hunt & Sher- win Addition, which plat after many years was vacated, and is now part of Bine place, and the S. M. Marsh tract about the city reservoir, Table Addition, between Greenville and Morn- ingside was platted by Marshall F. Moore, November 8, 1856.
Central Sioux City was platted by Hiram Nelson, C. B. Rustin and Jacob Ruth June 8, 1857.
Holman's addition was platted May 17, 1857.
South Sioux City was laid out on the south half of section 34, where the stock yards are now located, and east into the bluffs was platted in 1857 by L. D. Letellier. Clement La- moreaux, Elie Bedard, W. W. Culver and H. D. Betts. This inelnded the mouth of the Floyd, where the bridge across that stream was, and joined East Sioux City, owned by the same syndicate. They put in a grist and saw mill at the month of the Floyd and started some stores there, and got some business men interested, but could not make it win.
North Sionx City was platted by Dr. Frank- lin Wixon May 14, 1857. Addison Cochran platted South Sioux City, South Division, July 31, 1857, next south to the stock yards.
C. B. Rustin & Co. Addition was platted May 10, 1857. This was a syndicate affair in which C. B. Rustin, Samuel H. Cassady, A. W. Hubbard and several non-residents were interested.
Meek's, Arthur's and Anderson's Addition was platted December 10, 1857, on the Floyd, where the upper end of the new Omaha rail- road yards are located.
Noxon's Addition of outlots was platted September 16, 1857, on the southeast quarter of section 9, being north of the northeastern part of what is now Pierce's Addition. His expectation of suburban homes in the outskirts of the town has not yet been realized.
Frederick A. Wilmans in 1858 platted what he called West Sioux City, without deseribing
the land, but naming the streets to correspond to what would now be Rose Hill and Higman's Addition.
Means & Kennedy, May 29, 1858, platted their addition ont toward Morningside.
Lots in these additions were sold, many to eastern parties, and about every man in the city in 1856 had an interest in some addition or was holding on to a piece of land which he hoped in the near future would be needed. Lots enough were platted in 1856 in Sioux City to satisfy the needs of a population of 200,000 or more, and much of this area remains yet un- ocenpied or but thinly settled.
In 1856 a German colony, residents of Du- buque, Iowa, with a view of finding some place where they could buy land cheap and plat it into lots and own their homes, was organized and a committee of four was sent to Sioux City to find such a place. These were George Kleffner, Henry Grimme, Henry Cordna and William Reinke. They bought the south 110 aeres of Austin Cole's claim, which is now Cole's addition to Sioux City, for $5,700, July 16, 1856, and they soon conveyed it to a cor- poration called the Missonri River Land Com- pany, the first three named trustees continuing to aet as trustees for the corporation in the division of the lots among the stockholders. Evidently the shares were $75 each, as the deeds were made in 1857 to a large number of individuals of four and one-half lots each on that consideration, some individuals taking more than one deed.
William Reinke came back in the fall of 1856 to represent the company and take pos- session of the land. He lived the subsequent winter in a shanty, nearly opposite Floyd Cem- (tery gate. The winter was a severe one, with deep snow, and he suffered great hardships from inability to get supplies.
In the spring of 1857 Mr. Reinke's family came out, also Henry Cordua and family and one or two other families. F. J. Lambert and
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family came at the same time, but did not be- proved by Orrin B. Smith, county judge, who long to the colony.
The panic of 1857 or some other cause stopped the migration of the colony, which otherwise must have had a marked influence on the growth of the town, as the few that did come in were prominent figures in our growth.
Mr. Reinke was a gunsmith and lived here till he died, a few years ago. His two daugh- ters are yet alive, Mrs. Caroline Groninger and Mrs. John Haner. Henry Cordua was killed by the Indians, but his family yet remain.
The platting of town sites outside of Sioux City began with W. B. Thompson's town of Floyd's Bluff, the plat of which was filed in the recorder's office in Pottawattamie county on or before July 18, 1853, when the county seat was located there, but no map or plat was ever filed in Woodbury county. The land had not then been entered. He evidently had sold some lots, but in that respect he did as nearly all oth- er town lot proprietors did in this new country, made a survey, had a map made of the pros- pective town, commenced to sell lots, and then waited to enter the land.
Sergeants Bluffs City, after Floyd's Bluff, was the next town plat staked out, and the first real town started, the survey and staking out preceding that of Sioux City by two or three months. The land for the town site was en- tered by Moses F. Shinn, of Council Bluffs, being at first platted about the width of forty acres, extending from where the main town now is west to the Missouri river. Moses F. Shinn conveyed to his associates, the propri- etors then being Moses F. Shinn, T. Elwood Clark, J. D. M. Crockwell, Samuel F. Watts and Leonard Bates. ,
It was surveyed by Samuel F. Watts, who certified to the survey November 20, 1854. It was acknowledged by the proprietors at dates from November 6 to November 28, 1854, Clark, Watts and Shinn acknowledging it at Council Bluffs, and Bates and Crockwell at Sergeants Bluffs. It was certified and ap-
ordered Lewis Cunningham to record it, but it was not recorded till August 14, 1855, and the identical plat was again recorded December 28, 1856, probably to cure some supposed defect.
The plans, hopes and expectations of its promoters are shown in the provisions made for the steamboat and ferry landings preserved at the river front and the numerous parks mapped on the plat.
Jefferson Park was set apart for ornamental grounds under control of the city perpetually. Van Buren and Harrison Parks for pleasure and ornamental grounds. Washington Park for ornamental grounds under the control of the county. Monroe Park for a hall and for park purposes, under control of the Masonic fraternity. Adams Park in the same way for the use of the Odd Fellows. Madison Park for a college and Jackson Park for a female academy.
Later, July 14, 1857, a larger plat, includ- ing this land and other ground north and south of this original piece, was acknowledged by the owners, making nearly three times as much more than the original plat; this was recorded July 10, 1858, and on this map the name of the owner was placed on every lot, evidently to make of record other plats that had been made. It included the lands of other owners. East and west across the south part of the plat a line of railroad was marked with a passenger station at the east end and a freight depot at the west, near the river bank. The levee was given for a perpetual ferry landing for the Ser- geants Bluffs and Dakota City Ferry Com- pany.
Smithland no doubt was surveyed and a map made of it at an early day, but the plat was not recorded till September 23, 1856.
The town of Correctionville was surveyed September 25, 1855, on the southeast quarter, section 34, and southwest quarter, section 35, township 89, range 42, but it only shows nine blocks of eight lots each, occupying only a small
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portion of the half seetion described. It was beds and constituted the office, dance hall, and not recorded until May 26, 1856.
George W. Chamberlain, Hiram Nelson, Francis Chapel, Samuel Ruth, and Charles B. Austin, and Horace C. Bacon of the firm of Hen, Williams, Cook & Company were the proprietors. For a long time it was a mere paper town, and did not materialize for several years. As will be seen by the names, the promoters were young men of the early crop of Sioux City boomers.
The town site fever was an epidemic in those early days and the country for a hundred miles around was dotted with paper towns, many that never went on record, and most of them outside of Woodbury county, but promot- ed from here. Across the river in Nebraska were Covington, Pacifie City, Dakota City, Oneadi, St. Johns, Logan, then Ponca and Ionia in Dixon county, St. Helena, St. James, Opochee, Niobrara and Wacapoma.
It can not be determined with exact certainty just how many buildings there were in Sionx City when the year 1856 began. There were those heretofore spoken of as belonging to the original settlers as follows :- Joseph Leonnais' original house, the one L. T. Letellier built in Middle Sioux City, Eli Bedard's in East Sioux City, Hiram Nelson's in Central Sioux City, Joseph Leonnais' claim house in Floyds City, Galleneaux' at the Floyd crossing, a shanty at Greenville, Richard E. Rowe's claim shanty, occupied by Henry Angie, across the Floyd east of the new Omaha railroad shops, and Dod- son's shanty above Rowe's. Also the log house which Austin Cole built on his elaim in north part of Cole's Addition, which still stands en- closed as part of Fred A. Bishop's residence at or near his greenhouses. There were probably other claim shanties farther out.
The business center was along Pearl and Douglas streets. Joseph Leonnais' old house had expanded into a hotel and was then kept by the Benner Brothers, and called the Ter- rifie. The main room contained three double
everything else needed. The Claim Club was organized there. John Hagy and wife soon after bought out this hotel and much improved its reputation and condition.
The Severe Hotel, conducted by Austin Cole, was located at the northwest corner of Donglas and Third streets, where the Merchants Ilotel now is.
Another new log hotel, kept by Abraham Kniss, stood at the northeast corner of Pearl and Fourth streets.
The United States Land Office stood opposite on the northwest corner of Fourth anl Pearl, and Horace C. Bacon had a log building for a bank at the southwest corner of Third and Pearl.
Charles Sangster had a sort of trading post or general store and saloon at the foot of Dong- las street. White and Coplan kept a general store in a tent. These constituted the great metropolis when the spring of 1856 opened and the great immigration began. This was the result of one year's work in the new town.
The agitation for the removal of the county seat to Sioux City culminated early in 1856. The petition of S. P. Yeomans, George Weare and forty-nine others was on March 3 pre- sented to the county judge, asking for this re- moval of the county seat to Sioux City.
A remonstrance to this removal was signed by T. E. Clark, J. D. M. Crockwell and others, and the matter was submitted to the voters of the county at the election held April 7, 1856. It was the first hotly contested election in the county. Sergeants Bluffs City had not given up its hopes of becoming the chief town of the county and had able, energetic men, and the advantage of possession.
The polling place was there, but the town- ship trustees elected the year before were di- vided in their choice. J. Clark lived at Ser- geants Bluffs City, M. Townsley at his farm about half way between that and Sioux City, and ITiram Nelson, Townsley's son-in-law,
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lived at Sioux City. H. D. Clark, the town- one quarter section under the pre-emption laws ship clerk, also lived at Sioux City. The re- sult of the vote was as follows:
For. Against.
Sergeants Bluffs township .. 70 45
Little Sioux Township. 10 26
Total . 80 71
A majority of nine in favor of removal. It is said the people of Sergeants Bluffs, feeling sore over their defeat, were unkind enough to insinuate that many illegal votes were cast in favor of Sioux City, enough to have changed the result, that fresh arrivals not here long enough to vote, minors, unnaturalized French- men and half-bloods had voted.
Of course, the enthusiastic young men who had carried the election and had reaped the re- ward of their victory indignantly denied the charge.
There were many arrivals of new men that spring ; all wanted land near Sioux City and were not satisfied with town lots. Most of them had a little money, which they wished to use to the best advantage. The settlers of the previous years were making claims to all the land they possibly could, making some slight improvements to notify prospective buyers of their claims, till the one who wanted it could get the money to enter it, or sell his right to someone else. Some persons would have fifteen or twenty claims.
Under the pre-emption laws of the United States a man could hold by settlement 160 acres of land and no more. The United States Homestead Law had not then been enacted. These new men were threatening to take the claims of others under the pre-emption laws, and trouble was likely to ensue. In eastern Iowa, under the same conditions, claim clubs had been organized, so here, all thought, it would be best to regulate the matter, and a meeting was called at the Terrific House and a claim club, with officers, organized. Each member of the association was entitled to take
and hold another quarter section as a claim which he might enter from the government or sell, thus giving to each man a right to half a section, and they agreed to protect each other in this right, with force, if necessary. They knew, of course, that 160 acres was all any one could hold by settlement under the laws of the United States, but the right to the other 160 was a right resting on their elub law, and an outsider violated it at his peril.
The principal men in the town site company, Dr. Cook and Horace C. Bacon, were members of this club. An illustration of the recognition of this right was in George W. Chamberlain claiming the north half of section 28, part of the town site. There soon came a time when the club was called on to act, and it has its place in the history of Sioux City as the "Angie War."
Richard E. Rowe, a single man, had a claim to the southwest quarter, section 22, range 89, township 49, lying both sides of the Floyd, just east of the new Omaha Railroad shops, and had on it a log house on the east side of the Floyd. He said he had given Henry Angie, a part blood Indian, and his family a right to occupy this house during the previous winter of 1855 and 1856.
Angie was bright enough to understand that Rowe had not bought or pre-empted the land, and that he as an occupant and settler on it might perhaps pre-empt it, and refused to va- cate it at Rowe's request. So the latter called on the Claim Club to help him get possession. It was not a time nor an occasion to resort to the courts. Angie was notified that he must vacate or take the consequences. He con- sulted his French and Indian friends, of whom there was a goodly number then living along the Sioux and on the Floyd and below, as well as some in Sioux City, and he decided to hold on.
Many versions of this affair have been pub- lished, some of these taken from rumor and tra-
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didtion. In some of these accounts love, poison ported that a party of eight or ten Frenehmen and death are introduced as elements of the had come marmed to Sangster's saloon to quench their thirst, possibly thinking there was to be no fight. This was a fatal error for Angie's army. Captain Bacon immediately ordered Joseph W. Stevens and four others to surround the saloon and hold those men there while the rest of the party made an attack on the house, as it would be of great advantage to divide the enemy. So Mr. Stevens, with his party, stationed themselves at the saloon, Mr. H. D. Clark being one of the party. story. Rowe himself was well and alive at the time and his poisoning, insanity and death oe- curred subsequently. We have recently inter- viewed two participants in that war, Joseph W. Stevens, now of Correctionville, and Herman D. Clark, of New Haven, Conn., and have an older interview with Horace C. Bacon, who was captain of the Claim Club forces, and our account of it is largely based on these inter- views, besides the account of it written by Angie's daughters, which is added to this ac- count.
The Claim Club called a meeting, elected Horace C. Bacon to command the company, and fixed the time for taking possession of the claim. The company consisted of sixty-four men, so Mr. Bacon said, with rifles and shot guns. Angie, aware of the proposed attack, called upon his French friends, who assembled at his house. Their commander was a large, fine looking fellow. Wild Kirke was one of the Frenchmen. J. W. Stevens was sent by Captain Bacon as a scout or spy to watch the Angie house and report the disposition of the forces of the enemy. Stevens was an old Cali- fornian and had come to Sioux City through Bacon's influence. IIe concealed himself in the timber, in the ravine and on the bluff west of the Floyd, overlooking the scene; several Frenchmen from over on the Sioux passed near him on their way to AAngie's.
Stevens said that he stayed and watched a long time and came back and reported that there were about forty Frenchmen assembled about the house. It was found the attacking force would have to have a boat to cross them over the Floyd, and this delayed them some- what till one was procured and hauled over. The forces at the proper time were ferried over at a point just north of where Martens Mill now stands, in a bend of the Floyd.
After dinner the forces were ready to start on their march, but about this time it was re-
The Frenchmen took some time to reinforce their courage with the ardent, but finally were ready to start for the seat of war, when they found the door of the saloon closed and guard- ed. The first one to show his face was con- fronted by Mr. Stevens with a revolver and ordered to remain inside. Finding themselves unarmed and surrounded, they remained pris- oners till later in the day, when the war was over.
The rest of the Americans went toward Angie's house and were ferried over the Floyd in their boat. On their way over they captured one of the Frenchmen, Henry Goulet, and took him along with them. Either by design or accident, a gun was fired from the cabin and wounded Marshall F. Moore slightly in one knee. The captured Frenchmen was sent for- ward with a demand for unconditional sur- render in ten minutes or an attack would be made. This messenger, with the enemy behind him, and the danger of being shot by the oceu- pants of the house before him, sped on in his mission, and was finally admitted to the house. Angie, after noon, thinking the seare was over, had gone away from the house, but got news of the force on the march and returned to his home just before Captain Bacon and his com- pany reached there. He had barricaded the door, ready for an attack, and was disposed to fight.
The attacking party made a flank movement so as to get out of line from a direct fire from
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the window, approached the house and pre- pared a battering ram to demolish the door. Some one from the outside fired a pistol through the window and, it is said, inflicted a slight sealp wound on one of the children.
Negotiations commeneed through the door and a sort of truce was deelared. The leaders of the French party came out and Angie finally coneluded to surrender his elaim for $100, which was paid him.
Possibly, had not the French and Indian forces been seattered by the desire for a fresh drink, and the American attaek had not been delayed in getting transportation over the Floyd, there might have been serious blood- shed.
Presumably about every able-bodied Amer- ican was in the attacking party and all sorts of stories have been told about it.
Learning that Harriett Angie, a erippled daughter of Henry Angie, and Mrs. Charles Brazo, another daughter, were still living at Santee Agency, Mr. John H. Charles last year wrote to them for an account of this event, and they sent it to him, and by his permission we here give their full communieation, which eon- tains some other interesting historieal matters. It is as follows :
REMINISCENCES OF MISS HARRIETT ANGIE AND HER SISTER, MRS. VICTORIA BRAZO.
"War Eagle was a Minnesota Indian, who grew up on the Minnesota river. When a young man he came west to the James river and often visited Fort Pierre, then the most prom- inent trading post in Dakota.
When William Dickson built the trading post known as Fort Vermillion, which was about 1830, War Eagle made that his head- quarters. Fort Vermillion was in the bend of the Missouri, above where Elk Point now is.
Bruguier eame to Fort Vermillion as elerk for Dickson. While there he beeame the son- in-law of War Eagle. After Diekson was killed Bruguier left Fort Vermillion, moving around
to different points. It was in 1849 that he settled permanently at the mouth of the Big Sioux and built his establishment at the place where the park now is. It was in 1849 when Bruguier settled at the mouth of the Big Sioux that War Eagle and his clan made that his headquarters, although he had hunted over that region for twenty years.
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