USA > Iowa > Muscatine County > The History of Muscatine county, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c. > Part 45
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Longfellow has invested the reception of the explorers by the Indians with a romantic and poetic halo which time cannot efface. In his "Song of Hia- watha " he describes the scene thus :
" Came a people From the distant land of Wabun ; From the farthest realms of morning Came the Black-Robe chief, the Prophet, He the Priest of prayer, the Pale-face, With his guides and his companions.
" And the noble Hiawatha, With his hands aloft extended, Held aloft in sign of welcome, Cried aloud and spake in this wise :
' Beautiful is the sun, O strangers, When you come so far to see us ! All our town in peace awaits you, All our doors stand open for you ; You shall enter all our wigwams, For the heart's right hand we give you.
Never blo med the earth so gayly, Never shone the sun so brightly, As to-day they shine and blossom When you come so far to see us.'
" And the Black-Robe chief made answer,
Stammered in his speech a little,
Speaking words yet unfamiliar :
' Peace be with you, Iliawasha, Peace be with you and your people,
Peace of prayer, and peace of pardon, Peace of Christ, and joy of Mary !'
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HISTORY OF MUSCATINE COUNTY.
" Then the generous Hiawatha Ledt the strangers to his wigwam, Seated them on skins of bison, Sented them on skins of ermine, Brought them food in bowls of bass-wood,
Water brought in b:rchen dippers,
And the calumet, the peace-pipe, Filled and lighted for their smoking.
All the old men of the village, All the warriors of the nation,
Came to bid the strangers welcome ;
' It is well,' they said, ' ( brother. That you came so far to see us.' "
In 1680, Hennepin, a Franciscan missionary, passed along the whole east- ern shore of Iowa, ascending the Mississippi from the Illinois River. He was the first explorer of the Mississippi above the Wisconsin River. Two years later, La Salle entered the Mississippi from the Illinois River, and passed down to the Gulf of Mexico. On the 9th of April, 1682, he unfurled the banner of the King of France at the mouth of the great river, and in the name of his sovereign took formal possession of the whole country watered by it, and by all the rivers that flow into it. In this act he named the country Louisiana, and the Mississippi, Colbert River, in honor of Louis XIV, and his distinguished minister of finance; names that Hennepin also used in his "Description of Louisiana," published at Paris, in 1683. Marquette, in his map, fulfilled his promise, and named the Mississippi Conception River, though his journal always speaks of it as the Mississippi.
For 130 years after its discovery, the territory now comprising the State of Iowa, remained under the dominion, first of France, and then of Spain. At only two points in Iowa are any traces left of the dominion of the Spaniard, viz., at Dubuque and Montrose.
Julien Dubuque was a native of Canada, and came to Prairie du Chien when a young man, and obtained permission of the Fox Indians about the year 1788, to work the mines surrounding the city that now bears his name. In 1795 the Spanish Governor, Carondelet, it is reported confirmed the privilege. Here Dubuque spent his life, engaged in mining and trade, until his death in 1810. No grant of land was made him, and a claim to a grant was decided adversely by the Supreme Court of the United States, in 1854.
Toward the close of the last century, Lewis Tesson (alias Honore), a Cana- dian, came down from Prairie du Chien to the head of the lower rapids, among the Sacs and Foxes, at their invitation, and established a trading-post. The Lieutenant Governor of Upper Louisiana (Zenon Trudeau), gave him permis- sion (St. Louis, March 30, 1799) to settle there, with the concessions of a suf- ficient space " .o make the establishment valuable and useful to the commerce of peltries, to watch the Indians, and keep them in the fidelity they owe to their Majesty." Ile lived there with his family for several years, surrounded his establishment with picket and rail fences, erected buildings and a trading-house, planted gardens, and an orchard of a hundred trees. Falling in debt at St. Louis, the whole property was seized (March 27, 1803), under the Spanish law, and sold at public sale at the door of the parish church, in St. Louis, at the conclusion of high mass, the people coming out in great number, after due notice given, in a high and intelligible voice by the public crier of the town, on three successive Sundays (May 1. 8 and 15, 1803). On the first Sunday, the only bid for the property was $25. On the second Sunday, $30 was bid. On the third Sunday, at the third and last adjudication, $100 was bid, and
Thomas that
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HISTORY OF MUSCATINE COUNTY.
subsequently $150, by Joseph Robidoux, Tesson's creditor, "which was repeated until 12 o'clock at noon ; and the public retiring, the said Robidoux demanded a deed of his bid. It was cried at 1 o'clock, at 2 o'clock, and at 3 o'clock, and no other persons presenting themselves, the said land and appurtenances were adjudged to him for the mentioned price of $150, which sum, having to receive himself, he gave no security."
This grant and sale constitute the oldest legal title to land in Iowa, and are the only acts. under the Spanish administration and law that have affected the disposition of any portion of its soil. They were confirmed by the United States, and sustained by the Supreme Court, against those holding under other claims, in 1852.
In 1803, the United States Government purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, for $15,000,000. In 1805, Lieut. Pike explored the Mississippi, under authority of the Government. In 1816, Lieut. Col. William Lawrence, with eight hundred men, built Fort Armstrong on Rock Island.
Trading-posts were established, by consent of both the Government and the Indians, at various points along the Mississippi, after the establishment of the fort on Rock Island. Among the earliest within the old county of Des Moines was one near the present site of Burlington. This was a branch of the Ameri- can Fur Company, and was under the management of John W. Johnson.
The Indian name for Flint Hills, or Burlington, as it is now called, was "Shok-ko-kon." As that subsequently became the capital of this region, being the first point in date of settlement, we quote a letter from Isaac R. Campbell, descriptive of a visit to that region in 1821. The statement concerning the first steamboat which ascended the Upper Mississippi is disputed. It is claimed, by one authority, that the first boat to pass above the Rapids of the Des Moines was the " Virginia." of Wheeling, which made the trip to Galena, in May, 1823. Still another authority declares that the " Mexico," for Fort Snelling, was the first. We give Mr. Campbell's letter in full, and do not assume the responsibility of affirming all his statements. The main purpose is to secure as full a descrip- tion of the original settlements as is possible. He wrote thus: "I first visited this locality in June, 1821, it being then a wilderness and inhabited by the Sac and Fox tribes of Indians. The first marks I observed indicating the proximity of the white man were at Puek-e-she-tuc, or 'Foot of Rapids,' now Keokuk. A log cabin had been erected here one year before this, under the supervision of Dr. Samuel C. Muir, a surgeon in the United States Army, located at Fort Edwards, now Warsaw, Ill. The next settlement, and probably the first made by a white man in this country, was six miles above, at Lemoliese, now San- dusky, a French trader occupying this post, being engaged in traffic with the natives ; his nearest neighbor, Blondeau, resided about one mile aboye. Monsieur Lemoliese had a very amiable lady for a wife, who was fond of dress. She frequently, to please him, arrayed her person in gown, bonnet and shoes, but could not be prevailed upon to continue the costume, as her native garb-the blanket and petticoat-were more congenial to her feelings and taste.
" At the head of the Rapids was Montrose, an Indian village. The chief's name, in English, was ' Cut Nose.' Below the creek running into the river, on the lower side of the Indian town, were the remains of a deserted trading-house, around which were growing a number of apple-trees.
"On the opposite side of the river (Nauvoo), was another village of the Sac tribe, Quash-quaw-me, chief. I have often heard it remarked that this digni- tary originally sold all the land embraced in the State of Illinois to the United States Government. The Nauvoo mansion, formerly the residence of the
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HISTORY OF MUSCATINE COUNTY.
prophet. Joseph Smith, occupies a portion of their grave-yard, where many a warrior's bones have long since moldered into dust.
"As we passed on up the river, the next place of attraction was old Fort Madison, ten miles above the head of the Rapids, situated on the west side, half a mile below a sand-bluff, arising almost perpendicularly from the water's edge. This fort was constructed by Col. Zachary Taylor, and named in honor of James Madison, President of the United States.
" After leaving this old fort, on the second day we arrived, by keelboat, at Shok-ko-kon (Flint Hills), now Burlington, situated on the west side of the river, about twenty miles above. Here was a trading-post, occupant's name I have forgotten. and at the month of Flint Creek. or River, a short distance above. was located a Fox or Musquaka village. Its ruler and law-giver was the patriarch chief. Timed. Fifteen or twenty miles further up the river. on the east side, was Oquawka (Lower Yellow Banks). This point I did not visit. and will not attempt to give any account of its early history.
" I will now retrace my steps down the river, to the North Fabius, in Lewis County. Mo., eight miles west of Quincy, where I remained on a farm for four years. During this period. I had occasion to travel over Lee County more than once, and at one time in company with an Indian for my guide. I started for ' ('ut-Nose Village' ( Montrose), and on arriving at the Des Moines we found it swollen so much as to compel us to swim our cattle and construct a raft to cross our wagon and load. After being securely landed on the east bank of the river, after packing up. we pursued our journey, ascending the high lands above Grave-yard Bluff (Buena Vista), and following the divide between the Missis- sippi and Se-sa-paw-qua-sepo (Sugar Creek). Traveling east of north, we soon came in sight of a lone tree, stand upon the margin of the bluff, two miles southwest of our destination. This familiar landmark, to my guide, assured us we were traveling in the right direction. and by increasing our speed we were soon at our journey's end, completing the first trip made through Southern Iowa by wagon and ox-team.
" While residing at Commerce, Ill., where I located in 1825, I formed the acquaintance of Black Hawk, by agreeing with him to erect a stone wall for the sum of $8. around the remains of his daughter, buried near my house, and the compliance with this contract, upon my part, engendered a feeling of friendship for me which I reciprocated. It resulted, finally, in the strongest ties of friendship, and lasted until the day of his death. I have now many relics presented to me by him, which I hold sacred and dear-one memento in partic- ular-a buckskin purse, made and given to me by him, the day before his death.
" This renowned warrior possessed many sterling qualities, which could only be appreciated by those who knew him as intimately as myself. He never had but one wife, being opposed, personally, to the custom of polygamy. although never interfering with others of his tribe who approved and practiced this evil. His Met-a-mo (old woman) was a good housewife. The arrangement of the interior wigwam was systematic and clean, and the burnished camp-kettle her greatest pride.
" I tried hard to dissuade him from the war-path in 1831, but he persisted in his determination, and paid dearly for refusing to profit by my counsel. On his return after his captivity, he paid me a visit, acknowledged his error, and pledged me never again to refuse good advice, which he observed the remainder of his life. His days were ended (1838) on the east bank of the Des Moines River, at Stump Town, a point where the railroad diverges from the river below Iowaville, now Independent.
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HISTORY OF MUSCATINE COUNTY.
" Our commerce, from 1821 to 1832, did not increase in tonnage to any extent. I made several trips during this time on keelboats, from St. Louis to Galena, Ill. A number of these boats were owned by Capt. White, and navi- gated by him, as freighters, on the Upper Mississippi.
" Capt. James White informed me that his first voyage up the Mississippi was on the steamboat " Mandan," being forty days en route from New Orleans to the foot of the Rapids, which she attempted to ascend, but could get no higher than Filly Rock, on account of heavy draught and the want of a correct knowledge of the channel by the pilot. He informed me that the Indians, at several localities above St. Louis, were badly frightened, running in every direction when the boat first hove in sight. As they had never witnessed the like before, many of them thought this aquatic monster was the Man-i-tou-ke- suth (evil spirit or devil), coming to call them for a final reckoning. The next steamer that succeeded in ascending the Rapids was the " Pike," which, by many. has been considered the first steamboat that traversed the Upper Missis- sippi, which is correct so far as being the first to go above the Des Moines Rapids."
The last statement is open to discussion, as is almost every one relating to priority.
Capt. Clark, at one time Harbor-master at St. Louis, says that he com- manded the first steamer that ever ascended the Upper Mississippi. It was the " Mexico." and was laden with stores for Fort Snelling, and the trip was made in 1826 or 1827. The boat was a low-pressure steamer. In the vicinity of Prairie du Chien, the Winnebago Indians attacked the boat, and the assault was reported to Col. Snelling, who supplied the boat with muskets and two barges, to resist an attack on the return trip. The journey occupied three months. Upon descending the river, the Indians again made a savage onslaught, in forty canoes. A fierce fight ensued, and the crew was, at one time, reduced to only seven available men. The Indians ran out of ammunition. and so ended the fight. Subsequently. Gen. Cass. while in command of Fort Craw- ford, sent 1,600 soldiers to punish the Indians for this assault. Gen. Atkinson commanded the troops. He captured a large number of Indians, and executed eighteen of them, while others were retained as hostages.
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THE ARRIVAL OF THE WHITE MAN.
A period is now reached in the history of this section that is more local in its character. When once the foot of the white man has trodden upon new soil, there is no power strong enough to turn back the tide of immigration. It is the fate of barbarous peoples to give way before the superior races. As is shown in the General History which precedes this portion of the work, the portion of Iowa in which Muscatine County is located was included in the first cession of lands from the Indians, known as the "Black Hawk Purchase." The war inaugurated by the noted Brave, which resulted so disastrously to the red men, opened up castern Iowa to the whites. The fame of the newly-purchased territory spread rapidly throughout the East, and men who felt a desire to improve their condition in life by beginning anew in an undeveloped country were persuaded to venture over the imaginary boundary into the lands thus acquired, even before the limit placed on the Indian occupancy had expired. There was the usual eagerness to be first, which is always manifested by pioneers.
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HISTORY OF MUSCATINE COUNTY.
It so chanced that, in 1829, while yet the Indians were in undisputed pos- session of this region, two white men were employed to work upon the trading-post buildings at Flint Hills. These men, Simpson S. White and Amzi Doolittle. foresaw the inevitable transfer of the lands to the Government, at no very distant day, and were shrewd enough to explore the country adjacent to the post. As soon as they had investigated the matter, they made selections and patiently awaited the time when they could elaim the same. Nor had they many years to wait, for, in 1832, the purchase of lands was made. In the fall of that year, a company of some score or more made a preliminary exploration of the region adjoining Flint Hills. White and Doolittle then laid claim to the site of Burlington, and David Tothero staked out a farm about three miles from that point, but back from the river. These men built cabins, and disregarded the provisions of the treaty with the Indians, which stipulated that no settlements should be made prior to June 1, 1833.
In February, 1833, twelve or fifteen families moved into the Purchase, near Flint Hills. In the spring of that year, Jefferson Davis, then a Lieutenant in the army, stationed at Rock Island, with a squad of men, drove the invading settlers from their claims, burned the few cabins and destroyed the improve- ments. Most of the settlers retired no further than the head of the island. just below Burlington, and on the 1st of June returned to their claims. Thus began the settlement of Southern Iowa.
In 1833. Capt. Benjamin W. Clark established a claim to the lands where Buffalo now stands, in Scott County. Clark was the first settler there, and instituted a ferry between his place and a point opposite. This was the first ferry between Burlington and Dubuque. In 1836, Clark laid out the town of Buffalo.
SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY.
INTRODUCTORY.
Less than half a century has elapsed since the first cabin was erected in Muscatine County, and many of the settlers who came during the first decade of its existence still live to tell of the events of those days. But even now, at this comparatively early period, some conflicts of statement occur. It is a recognized fact that witnesses of the same scene will not relate the occurrence exactly alike if called upon to do so. Like the blind men of the East in the fable, who attempted to describe the elephant by feeling of him, each tells part of the story aright, while each differs from the others through some mistaken sense of the whole subject. Besides, memory at best is treacherous, and inei- dents are oftentimes confused with more recent matters, until men are willing to state positively as truth what others are equally ready to pronounce erroneous. It is, therefore. impossible for a writer to satisfy all who contribute to his fund of information. In the preparation of these pages one rule above all others has been adhered to, and that is to give authorities for statements in dispute, and to express opinions only on the side of the preponderance of evidence. Facts are given as such when substantiated by unquestionable records ; reminiscences are related on the strength of reliable recitals, and mooted questions are presented with the differing opinions of those who raise the doubt.
As becomes the character of this work, which will hereafter form the stand- ard of historic fact in this county, more care has been given to the obtaining and compilation of data than in any previous work. Several brief sketches have been published, which were more or less accurate, but none of them agree
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HISTORY OF MUSCATINE COUNTY.
fully with the information gathered by the writer and given in order here. All possible sources of knowledge bearing upon the history of the county have been sought after, and liberal use, with ample credit, has been made of them.
No effort has been made to please all, for such an attempt would prove futile ; but a decided effort has been put forth to make this an accurate work of future reference, a readable work for present enjoyment, and a standard work of the history of Muscatine County.
" Had we realized in those early days," remarked one of the pioneers to the writer, " that we were making history, a detailed record of events would have been transcripted from week to week. But what incentive had we for such a task ? There were no startling incidents in our daily lives. Many of us came here supposing this would prove to be but a temporary abiding-place. It was a struggle for existence. For one of us to have predicted the development of Muscatine County to its present condition within the life-time of our little company, would have been ample ground for writing him down as either a silly dreamer or a positive lunatic. We began on so small a scale that the idea of preserving our movements in the form of a record never entered our minds. Had we the same experience to go through with again, we would profit by our mistakes of the past, and be able to produce reliable data for the historians who should come after us."
Fortunately for the purposes of history, there still live within accessible range of the writer many of the first settlers, and from them the unwritten part of the history of Muscatine County is gathered.
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The history of a county is usually little more than the compilation of imper- fect records, partial traditions and vague legends. Very few of the counties have preserved with proper care the archives of the earliest days of their exist- ence. Society was crude, and men were unsuited by experience to places of official responsibility. No one thought that the careless transcripts of primary meetings would one day form the staple of history. The duty of scribe was irk- some to the pioneers, when necessity compelled some written evidence of organ- izing transactions ; and brief, indeed, were the minutes of almost every public assembly.
History is but a record of the present when time has made it the past. Each act in one's life may be a topic of importance in the pages yet to be written. Nothing is too trivial or uninteresting in the routine affairs of those who mingle with public men to be unworthy of a place in the diary of the local recorder of events. Some minor matter may serve to corroborate and affirm the time and method of a far mightier occurrence.
The history of Muscatine County, however, differs from the general rule in this important particular. Instead of being dependent upon crippled records or unstable traditions, the story is composed of original statements, gathered expressly for this work, from those principal participants in the thrilling scenes of the past who still live within the county in the enjoyment of the blessings which accrue from lives of enterprising industry.
Muscatine County is yet in its infancy, so far as years are concerned ; but by its prosperity it holds a commanding place among the counties of the State. The brevity of its political life is not only favorable to the historian, affording him ample opportunities for communion with the original pioneers, but it is also significant in a material sense, inasmuch as it foreshadows a grander devel- opment of its inexhaustible resources within the life-time of those who are now partaking of the fruits of their labors here. If but a generation, estimated by the popular standard, is required to redeem the wilderness from a primeval
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state, clothe the prairies with richest crops and dot them with modern dwelling- houses, may we not reasonably anticipate a far more rapid advancement toward wealth during the quarter of a century yet to come ?
Those who entered upon the work of converting the wild lands into civil- ized abodes, began with no other assistance than strong hands and stout hearts. The patient ox, the sharp ax, the primitive hoe, the cradle and the scythe were man's only dependence. Mechanic art was then in its swaddling-clothes. Cum- bersome mechanism had been applied to the planting and harvesting of crops, but those who favored the innovation on time-honored customs were tabooed and looked upon with pitiful astonishment.
But more than all else, the pioneers who made the first bold strokes for homes in the lovely land of Iowa were poor. almost without exception. Had there been unlimited numbers of improved appliances for agriculture at their very doors, they could not have availed themselves of the opportunities, from lack of means. And therein lies the pith and marrow of the credit due the noble vanguards of the West. From nothing but that which nature lavishly supplied, they builded strong and well. They labored with the energy of heroes, and deserve the reward of veterans.
But half a century has passed since the Indians exercised high dominion over these broad prairies and shady groves. Here their feasts were celebrated, their lodges established, their councils held, their dead buried, and, within that time, also, the painted bands of warriors have disappeared on their forced march westward, while the setting sun-typical of the waning glory of their race-threw grotesque shadows of their trains on the crude farms of the venture- some white man.
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