USA > Iowa > Polk County > Pioneers of Polk County, Iowa, and reminiscences of early days, Vol. I > Part 9
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In 1867, he retired from active participation in the business of the firm of Redhead & Wellslager, to devote his time to the develop- ment of his coal projects. He owned a large tract of land south of 'Coon River, near the south end of Seventh Street bridge. Per- sistent in the belief that stratified coal existed in this locality, he determined to test it on his own land, though Gibson and other old miners thought it doubtful. Machinery was purchased, and early in 1873, a prospecting drill was started, with a day and night crew. At the depth of seventy feet, three inferior veins of coal had been pierced, with a flint rock stubbornly resisting further progress of the drill. John advised abandonment of the whole business, but Wesley declared he would "go to China, or find coal." He asked John how much drill rod was left, and being told there was twenty feet, he ordered the work to proceed, saying if twenty feet of rod was not enough, he would add one hundred more. The work went on, the drill advancing but three inches per day, for four weeks, when the rock was penetrated, and the drill plunged through a strata of fine coal. It was late in the evening, and Wesley, elated with the discovery, went to Allen's house, routed him out of bed to make it known. Allen was so well pleased, he invested thirty-five thousand dollars in the company. A shaft was immediately put in, and, at the depth of one hundred and twenty-five feet, ninety feet below the bed of 'Coon River, a coal measure four feet and six inches thick was reached on the Second of June, and on the Third, a load of coal was delivered at Wesley's office, and thus was inaugu- rated one of the most valuable industries of the state.
John is still digging coal under about half of Polk County.
Wesley gradually purchased all shares of the company held by others, and, in 1874, became the sole owner.
In 1876, he sent samples of his "Black Diamonds," as he called them, to the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia, which were
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given high commendation in the award of merits, and greatly sur- prised the Eastern coal miners.
In May, 1880, James P. Clark, who had been his confidential clerk, joined him, and the name of the company was changed to Pioneer Coal Company.
Redhead was always a busy man, with a restless energy to do things, to develop some good industrial or social project. He did more than was expected, promoted business enterprises, and devel- oped one of the greatest and most valuable natural resources of the city and county.
In 1865, when the old State Bank of Iowa was reorganized under the National Banking Law, he became a stockholder and director. In 1876, its charter was surrendered.
He was always interested in agricultural affairs, and owned a good farm. When the Patrons of Husbandry and Granger craze became epidemic in the Western States, in September, 1870, he was instrumental in organizing, and was a charter member of Capital Grange, Number Five.
In 1872, he was one of the organizers of the Des Moines Scale Company, and was elected its treasurer. Its business was the manufacture of scales, windmills, and butter-workers, and so con- tinued to 1874, when the establishment was leased to William Dickerson.
In 1873, the State Printing Company was organized, to print auxiliary newspaper sheets, or what was known as "patent insides," for country newspapers. Redhead was one of the directors, and was elected Vice-President of the company.
In 1879, when a wide-spread effort was made to permanently locate the State Fair, in which several towns in the state were like- wise interested, Redhead was actively instrumental in securing it for Des Moines, and in furnishing some of the land on which it is located.
In 1885, he organized the Pioneer Hay Company, with a capital of sixty thousand dollars, its business being to purchase prairie land, bale prairie hay, and the breeding of fine cattle. Out of it has come the noted Redhead herd of Hereford cattle, known all over the country, and now owned by his son George.
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WESLEY REDHEAD
For several years Redhead was an active member of the Public School Board.
He was a man of strict integrity, honesty and fidelity to every trust imposed upon him.
Socially, he was affable, fond of society, a good mixer, and immensely popular. In the early days, there were no predatory barnstormers, amusement halls, nor concert troupes, and the people had to rely on their own resources for amusements. In Summer, picnics, parties, and out-of-door dances under trees; in Winter, sleigh-rides and dancing in the dining-rooms of the taverns, were frequent and enjoyable. The pleasant home of Mr. Redhead was a favorite meeting-place for young people, with whom he and his lovable wife were chummy friends. He was a charter member of Emanuel Consistory, A. A. S. R., Number Two.
Politically, Redhead was a Democrat, until 1865, when he became a Republican ; but he was not a politician- had no time to waste in the game. The Sixth Ward, however, pressed him into service in 1870 and 1871, as its Alderman, and he proved an effi- cient member.
Religiously, he was a Methodist, and a substantial pillar of that church.
August Seventh, 1904.
JUDGE BYRON RICE
JUDGE BYRON RICE
T HOUGH not one of the earliest settlers here, Byron Rice, who came in September, 1849, may be recorded the father of Des Moines, as a civil compact ; for, prior to 1849, the county and the town were comparatively unorganized. It was the forma- tive period. Schools were supported by subscriptions, and in the country the teachers "boarded 'round." Schoolhouses were made of logs by the people of a neighborhood, who, upon a given day, would bring logs together and build the house. A fund would be raised by subscription, and a teacher employed, whose compensa- tion was fixed by circumstances and conditions. If a married per- son, potatoes, corn, family supplies-even rails would be accepted ; for, in 1846, a contract was made with a rural teacher wherein he was to teach Spelling, Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic three months for a dollar and a half per scholar, provided twenty schol- ars were signed, or a total of thirty dollars (whether for each month or the full term, the contract does not say). The citizens agreed to furnish a suitable house and board the teacher. The salary could be "paid in rails at the customary price."
Until 1849, all schools in Polk County were subscription schools -and at The Fort were held in barrack log buildings left by the soldiers, under rude and uncomfortable conditions. Father Bird was the first to get under his own roof. Miss Davis, who occupied one of the larger buildings, had to move out whenever the Honor- able, the District Court, came, or there was some important public meeting to be held.
In 1849, was organized the first Public School District of Fort Des Moines, and Byron Rice was elected teacher. He was a young man, about twenty-three years old, a newly fledged lawyer, of pre- possessing appearance, and bearing an impress of sterling qualities. Moreover, he was out of a job. The school opened for the Fall and Winter term in the Methodist Church, a 24x30 foot frame
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structure on Fifth Street, where the Iowa Loan and Trust Building now is.
After a few weeks, the school was removed to the partly fin- ished Court House, standing on the site of the Union Depot. There were no outside doors; the inside doors, rough boards made by car- penters ; walls unplastered. The room was heated with a box stove at one end, and an old cook stove, abandoned by the soldiers, at the other end. He always said he got along very well. He had the faculty to adapt himself to circumstances, as afterward was fully disclosed. He continued teaching during the following Summer, when he determined to practice law, that being his profession.
For the next term of school, in 1850, one Charles L. Anderson was an applicant to succeed him. November Twenty-fifth, the School Director, "Sammy" Gray, who plastered the first frame house in the town (Doctor Grimmel's), and William W. Jones, a farmer, on the north town limit (all the Jones hereabout had a "W" in their middle name-George W., John W., and William W., etc.), held a meeting to test his qualifications. Madison Young, a thor- oughly educated man, somewhat unique, was secretary of the board. Jones declined to take part in the examination, and requested the appointment of Lewis Whitten, a former subscription school teacher, and Byron Rice to make the examination, Rice to quiz in Mathematics. Then they rested, and Anderson was put through his stunts. Whereupon the board, with all due appreciation of the dignity of their office, prepared the report of their doings, and directed Madison to place it on record, to-wit:
"The undersigned Board of Directors of the School District Number Five, Des Moines Township, in Polk County, State of Iowa, have this day examined Charles L. Anderson, a school teacher employed by them, and find him qualified in point of talent and learning to teach school in said district.
"SAMUEL GRAY, "W. W. JONES, "Directors.
"FORT DES MOINES, NOVEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH, 1850."
To the report Madison affixed the following addenda, for rea- sons known best to himself :
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"The Secretary will further state that Lewis Whitten, acting as examiner in place of W. W. Jones, treasurer, came to the con- clusion that Charles L. Anderson, teacher, as aforesaid, was incom- petent to teach school in point of learning and ability, but made no written report upon the subject.
"Byron Rice, examiner in Arithmetic, asked Charles L. Ander- son, teacher, as aforesaid, why he multiplied the numerators together in multiplication of Vulgar Fractions. Mr. Anderson was unable to tell. Mr. Rice further asked Mr. Anderson why he inverted the divisor in division of Vulgar Fractions. Mr. Ander- son was unable to tell. Mr. Rice gave Mr. Anderson some sums to do in Complex Fractions. Mr. Anderson remarked that they were of no earthly use, or practical benefit, and if scholars should bring arithmetics to his school that had Complex Fractions in, he should order them to tear such Fractions out of their books.
"Byron Rice refused to make any report.
"Madison Young, Secretary, examined Charles L. Anderson in Reading, Writing, Spelling, Arithmetic and English Grammar, and came to the conclusion that Charles L. Anderson did not pos- sess sufficient knowledge in Reading, Arithmetic and English Grammar to teach the same, and was incompetent to teach a public school.
"MADISON YOUNG, "Secretary. "NOVEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH, 1850."
Whether or not Anderson taught the school, the record does not show, but, as on the Twenty-fifth of March, the treasurer, Jones, paid him twenty-five dollars, the presumption is he did. What became of the Fractions, I have been unable to learn from the rec- ords or any of the scholars.
It was quite common in those early days for a man to get places he was not entitled to. Hoyt Sherman learned that when he got the majority vote for Sheriff, and D. B. Spaulding got the office. So, also, W. W. Williamson, who was elected Judge of the District Court, and even received his commission, but the noted, if not notorious, McFarland got the place.
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It was the accepted unwritten law, up to 1856, that only Demo- crats could hold public office in Polk County, and Barlow Granger, "Dan" Finch, "Ben" Bryant et al saw that the law was enforced.
In 1850, Rice formed a law partnership with J. E. Jewett. His first case in court was to defend a man charged with a misde- meanor, which, in law, covers a multitude of offenses-in fact, anything not specifically named in the statute. His opposing law- yer was John M. Perry, the Prosecuting Attorney, who blew into the town in the Spring of 1848-a very good lawyer, but egotistical, pompous and overbearing. Rice was tall, slender, dressed in good taste, and pleasing in manners. Perry had sized him up, and said to bystanders one day that he would have some fun with "that young man from New York when the case came on; there was nothing of him; a young upstart." Soon after the trial began, Perry commenced having his "fun" by insolence and bulldozing, which he carried so far as to call Rice a liar. No sooner was the word spoken than he lay sprawling on the floor. The act so pleased several people that they presented Rice with substantial tokens of their approval, and declared he should have Perry's place as Prose- cuting Attorney, and at the next August election they made good. He was elected. Perry steered clear of Rice afterward. A year later he went to California, became a drunken sot, died in an alley, and was buried a pauper.
In November, following the election, S. R. Burbridge, who was County Judge, died, and, in accordance with the statutes, the Prose- cuting Attorney became the County Judge until the next election.
The County Judge was the ruling power of the county ; his judg- ment, whether wise or otherwise, was final; there was no appeal from it. He was an autocrat with unlimited possibilities and great responsibility. He issued and refused marriage licenses, levied taxes, ordered bridges and roads built, organized counties and towns, built court houses and jails. It was inevitable that he must be one having the most implicit trust and confidence of the people, and such was the fact, for from the first to last of them, in 1861, when the system was abolished, they were men of good judgment, strict integrity, and some of them had knotty problems to solve.
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The Judge brought to his office a well-trained mind, a system of order and exactness in business transactions, and was at once a busy man, straightening out the tangled affairs consequent upon the incapacity or carelessness of others, and also to devise measures to meet the progress of events and rapid changing of conditions. The records of the county for the first two or three years were utterly unintelligible-often contradictory. With the aid of Hoyt Sherman, then County Clerk, order was brought out of chaos.
In 1851, the people concluded The Fort had become big enough to go alone, and they asked the Judge for the privileges of a cor- poration. He thereupon, on the Twenty-second of September, ordered a special election "For" or "Against" incorporation.
"For" received every vote but one. Who the negative alien was never transpired. On the Twenty-seventh, he ordered another elec- tion for the selection of three persons to prepare a Town Charter. Judge Casady, Lamp. Sherman and Father Bird were chosen. October Eleventh, they reported to the Judge a charter and bounda- ries of the town. Another election was immediately ordered on the adoption of the charter. It received every vote, and continued in force until 1862, when the Legislature, by special Act, incorporated the town. It can therefore fairly be said that the Judge was the father of the town. What would the people to-day think of four city elections in one month ?
While the Judge was in the corporating business, he laid out and organized the counties of Hardin and Story, as his jurisdiction extended over all territory north and west, except Boone and Dallas counties.
In 1853, the people were clamorous for railroads. Despairing of getting any relief through the River Navigation Company, they turned to railroads. The air was full of projects; the state was gridironed with roads-on paper-some of them so tortuous as to be dubbed the "Ram's Horn," the "Sheep's Leg," etc. The Chicago and Galena Road had reached Galena. Of the several projects, the Lyons and Iowa Central Air Line, to be connected with the Galena, thence, via Lyons, Maquoketa, Iowa City, and Des Moines, to the Missouri River, seemed to be the most feasible and promising.
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Yielding to the public sentiment, Judge Rice ordered an election, at which it was voted to subscribe one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to aid in building this road, but the Judge was "from Mis- souri"-he refused to issue any bonds until there was something to show for them. The road never got beyond the paper stage.
In the meantime, the Mississippi and Missouri Road was started from Davenport, to go to Missouri River by a route offering the best inducements. Strong effort was made to have the subscription to the Air Line Road transferred to this road. Judge Rice refused to sanction it, but later, under Judge Napier, who succeeded Rice, three hundred thousand dollars was voted by Polk County. Several other counties also voted aid and issued bonds, for the road was impecunious and clamorous for money, but Napier refused to issue bonds. The road got as far as Iowa City, became bankrupt, and was sold to the Chicago and Rock Island. Despairing of ever get- ting the road, Napier ordered an election, at which the subscription was rescinded, and Polk County-though it finally got the road- escaped the troubles and expensive litigation with counties which issued bonds, in which not a mile of road was built. For many years after, their Boards of Supervisors were hauled before the Federal Court here, fined and ordered to prison for contempt of court in refusing to levy a tax to pay the judgments on the bonds. They finally had to do it.
In 1855, the Judge resigned, and, with A. Newton, Wiley C. Burton, and Lovell White, built the Exchange Block, corner of Third and Walnut streets, the first brick business building erected in the town. The first floor was occupied by stores, and two banks, one of which was Greene, Weare and Rice. The upper floors were occupied with the United States Land Office, the River Improve- ment Company, Justice of the Peace, lawyers, etc. It was the cen- ter of business for several years. The Register was published there several years, and there James S. Clarkson was born into the liter- ary world as "Ret."
In 1859, the Judge retired from the banking business and resumed the practice of law with "Dan" Finch, continuing to the Fall of 1876, when he retired from active business.
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His last official act was the appointment of Doctor D. V. Cole, County Liquor Agent, under the prohibitory law, authorizing the sale of intoxicating liquors only by the County Agent.
Politically, the Judge was a Democrat of the conservative type. He was not a place-seeker, was public-spirited, and active in sup- port of educational and civic advancement. Socially, he was popu- lar. After his marriage, he built a fine house on Locust Street, west of where the Equitable Building is, where, with his jolly, good wife as hostess, social functions were frequent. Hoyt Sherman's house was at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Walnut Street, where the Utica Block now is. There were no other buildings in that sec- tion. There were few, if any, concerts or public amusements, hence the young folks had to amuse themselves. There was generally some social scheme brewing at Hoyt Sherman's, or "Dan" Finch's. It would be a dance, a picnic, a "surprise" on somebody in the country, or a serenade of the whole neighborhood, with most excru- ciating harmonies, the usual reward being a cabbage, a bunch of onions or wilted posies pitched out of an upper window, and received with exuberant thankfulness. In either event, there was more real, satisfying enjoyment than is had to-day, so say the old "girls," with a ringing laugh, as they tell it.
In the State House location fight, the Judge was a West Sider, and subscribed five hundred dollars to the "war fund."
He went to his final rest in 1897.
August Fourteenth, 1904.
PARMELEE'S MILL
T HE person who goes though the country on the railroads diverging from the city, and sees the fine farm houses and their pleasing environments, has no conception of the trials and privations which encompassed their beginning. As a rule, the pioneers located their claims near rivers and creeks. The clothing they wore, a small quantity of flour, meal, bacon, potatoes (the "eyes" to be saved for planting), salt, tea, coffee, a few dishes, an axe, a few tools, was all they had on arrival.
The first move was to get shelter. Often this was a rude cabin made of hoop poles, or a bark hut. A log cabin necessitated delay until men enough could be gathered for a "raising." The log walls up, there was not a board for roof, floor, table, shelf, seat or door. These must be supplied with the means at hand. Poles thatched with bark for the roof, a puncheon floor, or no floor at all, hoop- pole chairs with hickory bark seats, bedsteads of four stakes and poles with Linn bark interlaced, greased paper windows, doors framed from Walnut logs, put together with wooden pins, a wooden latch and wooden hinges, a rude fireplace of cobble-stones, with a split stick and mud chimney.
A shelter provided, poor at the best against storms and Winter cold, the next demand was for food. Few had plenty, some were scant. None could be had until a crop was made, and that was corn. Meanwhile, the supplies gave out, and mills a long distance off, the nearest necessitating a journey of seventy-five or a hundred miles, over bottomless roads, swollen, bridgeless streams.
Peter Newcomer, who settled near the river, below Barlow Granger's place, often had to go one hundred and forty miles to mill, and wait several days. G. B. Clark, who was one of the first Grand Jury in Polk County, had a claim near Newcomer's. He started on horseback to go to a neighbor's across the river, which
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was high, to get a sack of corn. Several hours after, the horse, saddle and sack were found, near the river, but the man, never.
Elijah Canfield, for many years one of the most prominent citi- zens of Camp Township, and his family, were all sick with malarial fever. Two died, and he was the only one able to attend the burial. The flour and meal were nearly gone." He started for Oskaloosa, leaving the sick in dire condition and nearly destitute of anything for bread making. While absent, he was sick ; there were no mails, no tidings of him; the family became alarmed; the care of the farm devolved upon the debilitated wife; for want of care the cows became dry, thus cutting off an important food supply; and when he returned the family was in a deplorable condition.
Riley Thompson, on Four Mile, said he was often obliged to go to Oskaloosa for meal and flour, it sometimes taking two weeks from farm work. This made double work for the wife and mother of small children. The truck patch must be watched against prowl- ing Indians; the meat house against wolves, which came out of the timber, often peering in at the windows or pointing their noses through the chinkings of the cabin ; the cows had to be hunted from their distant wanderings in the brush or tall grass.
G. W. Hickman, who lived up at Beaver Creek, and who built a saw mill, I think in 1848, told me a few days ago at the Old Set- tlers' picnic, that sometimes, in bad weather, roads bad, streams swollen, there would not be any flour or meal in the house, and he had to go to Oskaloosa for something to make bread of, as Par- melee's mill had not begun even to grind corn. Sometimes he had to wait at the mill all day. If he got his grist ready at dusk, he traveled all night to get home to his hungry family.
Referring to Beaver Creek reminds me that the Indian name of it should have been retained. It was spoken as if written Ah-mah- qua, short accent on the second syllable. It was derived from the beaver. It is regretful that the Indian names of rivers and locali- ties were not generally perpetuated.
Flour and meal often was scarce at The Fort, and some of the pioneers who are with us yet, and living pretty high, probably remember days when they were glad to get pounded corn or corn- meal bread. Said one to me, a few days ago: "I had been accus- tomed down East to the good things of life. I thought I could not
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endure the cracked corn, or corn-meal bread, bacon, dried apples and dried peaches, but 'hunger is the best sauce,' you know. We got used to it. We had to. Sometimes, for a change, I would run over to Mr. James Sherman's and 'get a bit.' I asked her one day how she got such good things to eat. 'Oh,' she said, 'Jim gets them somehow; I don't know.' Jim was one of the merchants of the town ; a brother of Hoyt."
Isaac Cooper, well known to everybody here ten years ago, once had to go to Oskaloosa for corn meal. The rivers were swollen, and he floated his corn across them on logs. He had to stop several days at the mill, sleeping in his wagon.
In 1847, Parmelee's mill, on Middle River, about ten miles from The Fort, began grinding corn. For many years, it was the only milling point for all Central Iowa.
John D. Parmelee came here in March, 1843, as a fur trader, and in May following, came soldiers for the garrison, Captain Allen commanding. He was an uncle of B. F. Allen, the well- known banker, who was induced to come here through the influence of his uncle.
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