USA > Iowa > Lee County > Story of Lee County, Iowa, Volume I > Part 34
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One of the greatest storms in the history of Lee County was the cyclone of July 4, 1876, which did considerable damage. Probably the greatest one instance of destruction wrought by this storm was the unroofing of St. Mary's Church at Fort Madison, and otherwise damaging the building.
ILLUSTRIOUS SONS
In the chapters devoted to literature, the bench and bar, and the medical profession, extended mention is made of a number of men
363
HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY
and women of Lee County who have won distinction in those pro- fessions. The county has likewise been well represented in politics and diplomatic affairs.
In national politics Samuel F. Miller served for many years as one of the judges of the Supreme Court. John N. Irwin, who was elected mayor of Keokuk in 1876, was appointed territorial gov- ernor of Idaho in 1883, by President Arthur; governor of Arizona in 1890, by President Harrison ; and on April 18, 1899, was appointed minister to Portugal by President McKinley. William W. Belknap served as secretary of war under President Grant, and George W. McCrary in the same office under President Hayes. John B. Howell, the veteran journalist, who was born in New Jersey, July 4, 1816, came to Lee County in the spring of 1849. He was editor of the Keokuk Gate City until 1870, when he was elected United States senator to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Hon. James W. Grimes of Burlington. In the lower house of Congress the First Iowa District was represented by Daniel F. Miller, from 1849 to 1851; by Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, from 1857 to 1863; by George W. McCrary, from 1869 to 1877, and by Samuel M. Clarke, from 1895 to 1899. Mr. Clarke was a son of Rev. Samuel Clarke, the Methodist minister who held the first quarterly meeting in Keokuk, and was associated with Mr. Howell for some time on the editorial staff and later as part owner of the Gate City. In 1906 Charles A. Kennedy of Montrose was elected congressman from the First Dis- trict, and was reelected at each succeeding election, still holding the office in 1914.
In the political affairs of the state, Ralph P. Lowe served as governor and judge of the Supreme Court; Joseph M. Beck and John F. Kinney also served upon the Supreme bench of the state. Jesse B. Browne, one of the pioneer lawyers, who came to Lee County in command of a company of Dragoons stationed at old Fort Des Moines, was the speaker of the house in the First State Legislature in 1846. William A. Hornish was state printer from January to May, 1853, when he resigned. Daniel S. Lee became adjutant-general on April 3, 1851, and served for four years. This office was also occu- pied by Noble Warwick, a Lee County man, from June 27, 1878, to the following August, when he resigned. James D. Eads was super- intendent of public instruction from 1854 to 1857. And Drs. J. A. Scroggs and Walton Bancroft, of Keokuk, each served for some time on the state board of health.
364
HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY
In all walks of life, whether as farmer, artisan, merchant, pro- fessional man or public official, the sons of Lee County have, as a rule, given to their calling their best endeavors and have left behind them reputations for character and ability that reflect credit upon themselves and the county in which they lived.
CHAPTER XXV
STATISTICAL REVIEW
POPULATION AND WEALTH-CHRONOLOGY-A SUMMARY OF PRINCIPAL EVENTS CONNECTED WITH THE HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY -- POST- SCRIPT.
More than a century has passed since Louis Honore Tesson, in 1796, established the first white man's domicile within the confines of what is now Lee County, and more than three-quarters of a century since the county was organized by the Territorial Legislature of Wis- consin in 1836. The growth in population, as shown by the United States since 1840, the first official census after the county was organized, is shown in the following table :
1840 6,093
1850 18,86I
1860 . 29,232
1870 37,210 1880 34,859
1 890
37,715
1 900
39,719
1910
36,702
From this table it will be seen that the greatest proportionate growth during any decade was from 1840 to 1850, when the increase in population was over two hundred per cent. Twice in the history of the county there has been a decline between the years of the census- once from 1870 to 1880 and again from 1900 to 1910. The decrease in population during these periods is due chiefly to the opening of new lands in other parts of the country, which offered inducements to men of moderate means to acquire homes. This change has effected all parts of the county about alike, as may be seen by a comparison of the last three official census reports relating to the population, given by townships, to wit:
365
366
HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY
Township
1890
1 900
1910
Cedar
835
827
863
Charleston
990
935
786
Denmark
817
717
674
Des Moines
1,061
1,004
799
Franklin
1,457
1,397
1,290
Green Bay
727
898
744
Harrison
835
735
614
Jackson
15,5II
16,243
15,446
Jefferson
894
796
607
Madison
7,901
9,278
8,900
Marion
980
861
746
Montrose
1,788
1,813
1,780
Pleasant Ridge
752
795
588
Van Buren
878
876
613
Washington
863
994
910
West Point
1,426
1,550
1,342
In the above table the cities of Keokuk and Fort Madison, and the incorporated towns, are included in the townships in which they are situated. Notwithstanding the decrease in population, the wealth of the county has not fallen off, but statistics concerning the various industries indicate a steady and substantial increase in the amount of capital invested and the value of the output of farms and factories, and more money was expended for schools and road buildings in 1913 than in any preceding year of the county's history.
CHRONOLOGY
In the foregoing chapters a conscientious effort has been made to show the progress of Lee County along industrial, educational, pro- fessional and religious lines, as well as her part in the military and political affairs of the state and nation. As a fitting conclusion to this work, the following list of the principal events leading up to the settlement and organization of the county, or having some bearing upon its more recent history, has been compiled for ready reference. At first glance, some of these events may seem remotely connected with the county's story, but each one wielded an influence in shaping its destiny.
June 21, 1673. Marquette and Joliet landed near Montrose, on their voyage down the Mississippi, and were the first white men to set foot upon Iowa soil.
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HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY
, 1796. Louis Honore Tesson settled where the Town of Montrose now stands, on a grant of land given him by the Spanish Government of Louisiana.
April 30, 1803. Treaty of Paris, by which Napoleon transferred the French Province of Louisiana to the United States. The present State of Iowa was included in the territory thus acquired.
October 31, 1803. Congress passed an act authorizing the Presi- dent to take possession of the region purchased from France and establish a temporary government therein.
October 1, 1804. Louisiana divided into the Territory of Orleans and District of Louisiana. That part of the new purchase now com- prising the State of Iowa was by this act made subject to the Terri- tory of Indiana.
January 11, 1805. Territory of Michigan established by act of Congress. Later in the year Lieut. Zebulon M. Pike passed up the Mississippi River, on an exploring expedition to its headwaters, and on August 21st held a council with the Indians about where Montrose is now situated.
Illinois. , 1807. Iowa made a part of the Territory of September, 1808. Fort Madison established by Lieutenant Kingsley.
, 1812. Territory of Missouri established and Iowa included in the new territory.
September 3, 1813. Fort Madison evacuated and burned.
September 13, 1815. Treaty of peace with the Sac and Fox Indians of Iowa concluded at Portage des Sioux.
, 1820. Dr. Samuel C. Muir built the first house in Keokuk. In this year Lemoliese and Blondeau, French traders, established posts on the Mississippi River in Lee County.
August 4, 1824. The Half-Breed Tract, embracing the southern half of the present County of Lee, established by treaty with the Sacs and Foxes.
July 15, 1830. Treaty establishing the "Neutral Ground" be- tween the Sacs and Foxes on the south and the Sioux Indians on the north.
, 1832. Capt. James White made a claim and built a house on the site of the present Town of Montrose.
August 2, 1832. Last battle of the Black Hawk war, in which the Indians were defeated.
September 21, 1832. A treaty concluded at Davenport, Iowa, by which the Sacs and Foxes ceded to the United States the strip
ยท
368
HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY
forty miles wide across Eastern Iowa known as the "Black Hawk Purchase."
June 1, 1833. Title to the lands of the Black Hawk Purchase becomes fully vested in the United States. In this year the first post- office in Iowa was established at Dubuque.
June 28, 1834. President Jackson approved the act attaching Iowa to the Territory of Michigan.
September, 1834. The Legislature of Michigan created two counties-Dubuque and Des Moines-in what is now the State of Iowa. Lee County was a part of Des Moines.
, 1834. In this year Fort Des Moines was established by Lieutenant Crosman, where the Town of Montrose is now situated.
April 20, 1836. President Jackson approved the act of Congress creating the Territory of Wisconsin, which included all the present State of Iowa, the act to take effect on July 4, 1836.
May 11, 1836. The Dubuque Visitor, the first newspaper ever published in Iowa, made its appearance, with John King as editor.
December 7, 1836. Lee County established by an act of the Wis- consin Legislature.
March 27, 1837. First term of the District Court in Lee County began, with Judge David Irvin presiding.
April 3, 1837. First election for county officers in Lee County.
April 17, 1837. First meeting of the board of county supervisors held in Fort Madison.
January 19, 1838. Special act passed by the Wisconsin Legis- lature for the incorporation of the Town of Fort Madison.
May 7, 1838. First election for president and board of trustees of Fort Madison-Philip Viele elected president.
October 3, 1838. Chief Black Hawk died.
November, 1838. First sale of Government lands in the 'Black Hawk Purchase conducted at Burlington. A large number of Lee County settlers attended the sale.
January 25, 1839. Governor Lucas approved the act of the Iowa Legislature locating the penitentiary at Fort Madison.
March 9, 1840. The commissioners appointed by the Legislature to locate the permanent seat of justice of Lee County reported in favor of Franklin.
February 12, 1842. The Legislature of Iowa passed an act grant- ing the Town of Fort Madison a new charter.
April 4, 1842. Isaac R. Atlee elected the first mayor of Fort Madison.
369
HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY
September 8-10, 1842. First agricultural fair in Lee County held near Keokuk.
March 20, 1843. The county seat of Lee County located at West Point by a board of three commissioners appointed by the Legis- lature.
June 27, 1844. Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet, killed while a prisoner in the jail at Carthage, Illinois. The event created great excitement in Lee County.
August 4, 1845. An election held to decide the county seat ques- tion. Fort Madison made the permanent seat of Government by a decisive majority.
-, 1846. First bank in Lee County opened at Keokuk by George C. Anderson.
December 28, 1846. Iowa admitted into the Union as a state.
December 13, 1847. Keokuk incorporated and the incorporation was approved on February 23, 1848.
January 3, 1848. First election for city officers in Keokuk. Wil- liam A. Clark elected mayor.
April 1, 1855. Two hundred Mormons from England and Wales reached Keokuk on their way to Salt Lake. Two hundred more arrived ten days later. They remained in camp for several days at Keokuk before starting on their journey across the plains.
, 1857. The cities of Keokuk and Fort Madison con- nected by a line of railway.
April 17, 1861. The first "war meeting" in Lee County held in Keokuk.
April 18, 1861. A large and enthusiastic "war meeting" at Fort Madison.
May 14, 1861. The First Iowa Regiment mustered into the United States service at Keokuk for three months. Lee County was represented in four companies of this regiment.
August 5, 1861. Battle of Athens, Missouri, near the Iowa border. Some Iowa men were engaged.
February 20, 1868. The first artesian water in Lee County struck at Keokuk in a well drilled by Joseph Kurtz at his brewery on the plank road.
July 4, 1870. A fire in Keokuk destroyed several buildings at the corner of Fourth and Blondeau streets.
January, 1871. First railroad completed across the state to Coun- cil Bluffs.
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HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY
January 14, 1871. One of the greatest snow storms that ever occurred in Iowa. The snow drifted to the depth of six or eight feet in places and travel was impeded for several days.
April 13, 1871. Lee County Old Settlers' Association organized. Annual reunions have been held since that date.
April 19, 1871. The first railroad train crossed the Mississippi River on the bridge at Keokuk.
July 4, 1881. Corner-stone of the Keokuk Public Library laid by the Grand Master of Iowa Masons.
December 7, 1887. The first train of cars crossed the Mississippi on the bridge at Fort Madison.
February 27, 1888. Commencement of the big strike on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad lines.
August 28, 1890. First electric street car appeared in Keokuk. , 1893. The Cattermole Memorial Library in Fort Madison opened to the public.
1895. Electric street cars introduced in Fort Madison. The street railway in Fort Madison was completed in July, 1887, and cars were drawn by mules until 1895.
May 17, 1898. The Fiftieth Iowa Infantry mustered into the United States service at Des Moines for the Spanish-American war. Lee County was represented in Companies A, F and L.
October 1, 1907. President Roosevelt visited Keokuk.
November 5, 1912. Presidential election. Woodrow Wilson, the democratic candidate, carried Lee County by 1,662 plurality.
August 25-28, 1913. The big dam across the Mississippi River at Keokuk formally opened with a big celebration. Thousands of people came to witness the ceremonies.
June 1, 1914. The new postoffice building at Fort Madison opened to the public.
POSTSCRIPT-IN LIEU OF A PREFACE
In bidding the reader good-by, the editors and publishers of this
1 work desire to say that every effort has been made to give to the people of Lee County an authentic and comprehensive history- authentic, because so far as possible the officials' records have been used as sources of information, and comprehensive, because, it is believed, no important event in the county's history has been neg- lected.
The work has been one involving great care and labor and much of the credit is due to old residents for their ready and willing
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HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY
cooperation in the collection of data regarding events of by-gone years.
The editors and members of the Advisory Board take this oppor- tunity to express their obligations to the county officials and their assistants, and especially to thank the librarians of the Cattermole Memorial Library at Fort Madison and the Keokuk Public Library, for their uniform courtesies while the work was in course of prep- aration.
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