USA > Iowa > Muscatine County > The History of Muscatine county, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c. > Part 70
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"The next spring after the land-sale they came, as was their custom, pre- pared for making sugar, but the whites had recently become proprietors of the soil, and did not feel like quietly submitting to their depredations upon the timber, and after full deliberation, determined that they would not suffer the Indians to make sugar here. The settlers, therefore, collected together with their arms and proceeded at once to the Indians' camps, where they found them very busy preparing for making sugar. The Indians were at once informed that the land now belonged to the white men-that their title had passed from them by treaty to the General Government, and by purchase to us. They, for a long time, pretended not to understand us, and affected ignorance of the object of our visit. This caused a long parley and considerable delay. The day was coming to a close, and we found that they expected a large accession to their numbers that evening. We therefore found it necessary to make some demonstration that would not only compel them to understand us, but convince them that we were in earnest. They had built fires in their old camps, which were covered with old dry bark, entirely useless as a protection from rain, it having curled up into rolls something like a window blind rolled up. The pieces of bark were directly over the fire where the supper was cooking. We went to one of these camps and directed the Indians to take everything that belonged to them out of the camp, telling them in their own language, as well as we were able, that we were going to burn their camp, at the same time taking a roll of bark from the top and throwing it in the fire. This seemed to con- vince them of our determination to force them to leave, and they at once, with our assistance, removed all their property out of danger. We were very care- ful not to molest or injure any property belonging to the Indians, but burned every vestige of the old camps, after which we caused them to pitch their tents in a part of the grove where there were no hard-maple trees, and late in the evening their friends came in but made no attempt to make sugar afterward.
" There was an old squaw with those whom we removed from the sugar camps, who, during our parley before burning the old camps, became very much excited, and was the only one among them who seemed to understand us, although we knew very well that all the men understood us from the first. This old woman, however, undertook to convince us that they had a right to make sugar here under treaty, and went to her tent and came out with a roll of
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dressed buckskin and commenced unrolling it, and to our surprise, in the center was a neatly written copy of Wayne's treaty, or as it is usually called, the . treaty of Greenville. This, no doubt, had been kept in her family from the time of the treaty in 1795. This manuscript, was white and pure, and looked as if it had not been written a week. No doubt her father, or, perhaps, hier husband, had been a warrior who had participated in the bloody conflicts of the days of " Mad Anthony," and who had been compelled to acknowledge the superiority of the whites over the dusky warriors of his doomed race.
" The Indians had, with great labor, dug out some troughs to hold the sugar-water, and had them on the ground ready for use, but the old woman before mentioned hearing some of us speak of them as being very good for the purpose for which they were intended, was determined they should not profit us, took an ax, and with a very clear Indian war-whoop, split them to pieces, and in a very taunting way requested us to burn them also.
"In 1838, the following additions were made to the settlement: George Van Horne, William Leffingwell, J. P. Van Hagen and Robert Stuart. The first mentioned is now living at Wapello, Iowa. Mr. Leffingwell having been a citizen of the city of Muscatine for many years, has very recently taken lis departure to that better land, where so many of the old settlers of this county have gone before. Mr. Stuart, after living here a number of years, and hold- ing some important offices in the county, removed to Cedar Falls, where he lived until his death, when his widow returned here, where she still resides, loved and respected by all who know her. The arrivals of 1839 were more numerous than any previous year. Valentine Bozarth, S. A. Bagley. Enos Barnes, James Van Horne, Jacob Springer, John G. Lane, A. B. Phillips and John Bennet, are some of those who are remembered as coming that year. The year 1840, the narrator does not remember but two who made a permanent settlement in this vicinity. There may have been others. perhaps were, but we can only bring to mind Egbert T. Smith and E. T. S. Schenck, who were both well and favorably known, and Mr. Schenck is now residing near Downey.
" Dudley B. Dustin was among those who lived here at this time, and will be remembered for his kindness of heart, as well as his many eccentricities and jokes. He could mimic any one to perfection ; and many a time, at our public gatherings, would set the crowd in a perfect roar of laughter, at the expense of some unlucky neighbor.
" There are many incidents that might be related to illustrate the char- acters of those early pioneers, and the rough-and-tumble life led by men who were destined afterward to make their mark.
" If one was under the necessity of grinding buckwheat in a coffee-inill for breakfast, he would eat that breakfast with all the better appetite. If he should, after working all day, be compelled to take his rifle and shoot game for his next breakfast, the enjoyment of the sport would be none the less. If we had to go with an ox-team into Illinois for corn, and be gone a week at a time, our delight was the greater when we returned. All of these things the old settlers will very readily admit are not exaggerations.
"Wapsinonoc Township consisted of all of Muscatine County that lies west of the Cedar River. At that time, and for many years thereafter, and at our elections, all would assemble at one place and cast their votes ; and it would be interesting to give the number of votes each year, and not the increase of pop- ulation, had we the means to do so.
"At this time of excitement, in regard to the railroad bond question, a history of the west part of this county, and the important stand taken by the
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inhabitants of Wapsinonoc Township on the vote of the county to take stock, will not be devoid of interest.
" As before stated, our township consisted of all of this county west of Cedar River, when the road. now known as the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, first began to be talked about, and the company began to urge upon the people the necessity of taking stock; but the settlers were generally poor, and to raise any considerable amount by individual subscription, was soon found to be out of the question. Interested parties soon began to urge upon the authorities of the county the propriety of the county taking stock, and after some hesitation, the County Judge issued an order for a vote on the question of a tax for railroad purposes. At this election, the contest was warm and sharp- those who were in favor of the measure being extremely energetic, while those who opposed it did so with great warmth and energy; and this township was so united on the question, that there was but one vote in favor of the measure which has now become so odious, and has been so burdensome. Our township, therefore, became quite noted for its independence, and soon after gained the appellation of "The State of Wapsinonoc," which high distinction was brought about as follows :
" The next day after the election above mentioned, the narrator went to Mus- catine, and had hardly descended from his horse, when he was surrounded by the friends of the tax, who were jubilant over the success of their measure, and during a warm, but friendly discussion of the question, our old friend, William St. John, came up, and in a taunting way shook his finger at the narrator, saying :
". We have got you now ; what will you do next ?'
"' Well,' said the narrator, 'We will just call out the militia, that's what we'll do:' and from the idea of calling out the militia, on the railroad tax question, we got the name of the 'State of Wapsinonoc.'
"In the winter of 1837-38, a party of Indians were encamped near Mos- cow, some three or four of whom were in the village one evening, at a low drinking-house, or grocery, kept by a man whose name was Ross, who, in com- pany with some half-dozen other white men, got the Indians to perform the war-dance; and, in order to make the dancing and general hilarity go off lively, and that they might have an interesting time of it, they all, both red and white men, imbibed freely of the contents of a certain barrel that stood in one corner of the filthy shanty, marked " old whisky." Thus they kept up the dancing and drinking until they all became decidedly drunk; and the Indians, as is usual with them under like circumstances, became insolent and demanded more of the contents of the barrel, which they denominate, in their own language scutah oppo, which signifies fire-water; and, finally, the war of words culminated in a general row. It so happened that Poweshiek, who was chief of that particular band of Indians, had a brother who was one of the party in this quarrel ; and Ross and his friends wishing to get the Indians out of the shanty, undertook to force them to leave, and in the scuffle which ensued, Ross struck the chief's brother with a heavy stick of wood and felled him senseless to the ground, when the rest of the Indians became frightened and ran away. Ross now dragged the fallen brave outdoor and deliberately beat him with a heavy rail until his skull was broken and he was dead. The Indians were very much exasperated at this outrage and were determined on revenge, and we often saw them with their faces painted in token of their dis- pleasure, but were kept quiet by the assurance that Ross would be punished by the laws of the white man, and he was indicted for the murder, but owing to some
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trifling defect in the indictment, was again set at liberty. The Indians, how- ever, could not understand why a man whom every one acknowledged was guilty of a brutal murder, should be permitted to escape the just punishment of his crime, in consequence of the omission of a word or two in a manuscript paper which they could neither read nor understand. They therefore deter- mined to seek redress in their own way, and with the utmost contempt for the inefficient laws of the white man, the avenger of blood was put upon the trail of the bloody-handed Ross, who knew full well that if he did not flee the country, his doom was sealed. He therefore left as quietly as possible. The Indians being thus foiled in their attempts upon the life of the real aggressor, quietly awaited an opportunity to avenge their wrongs upon one of the same hated race, and it so happened that their victim was a Protestant Methodist minister, whose name was Oliver Atwood. Atwood, his wife and child, came to this country in the summer of 1837, from the northern part of Ohio. He was very destitute. but apparently willing to do any kind of work to support his family, and he did work faithfully through the week and on the Sabbath would preach for us. He was not very brilliant as an orator, or prepossessing in his appearance as a minister. but very quiet and harmless in his deportment, and, in justice I must say. that his sermons, viewed from a Methodist stand- point, had the merit of being extremely orthodox, for they were generally the identical sermons preached by the great Wesley himself, many years before.
"I will here state that he and his family and myself and family occu- pied the same cabin nearly all of one winter; and it used to be a source of considerable amusement to me to observe from what fountain he drew his inspiration, and the grave dignity with which he would proceed to edify us, with a learned discourse committed to memory from a very neatly-bound volume of Wesley's Sermons, which, with a Bible and hymn-book, constituted his library. I had noticed that he would be very intent upon the study of this volume, and sometimes would leave it on the table when he retired for the night, and being myself in the habit of rising first in the morning, I would occasionally take up this volume to read a few moments. I soon discovered that it would invariably open at the page where our preacher had been reading the evening before; and, of course, I was not slow to take a hint, and soon became so much of a prophet that I could repeat a part of the sermon three or four days before it was delivered, and unerringly predict the text beforehand.
" But, to proceed with our narrative. He had moved on a claim of his own in the spring, but having no improvement, he was unable to support his family by his labor at home, and consequently he had to seek employment elsewhere. The Indian traders were about that time engaged in building a new trading- post further up the lowa River, and he hired with them to assist in the work, and spent most of the summer away from home: but, in September, after notifying his wife of the time he that should return, started from the new trading- post, and arrived in safety at the old one, four miles south of where Iowa City now is. There he purchased some articles of clothing for his family, and a ham of meat, and started for home-a home he was destined never to reach alive.
" He doubtless walked briskly forward on the narrow trail, worn deep by the hard hoofs of the Indian ponies-joyfully anticipating a happy meeting soon (as he thought) to take place with the loved ones in a lonely cabin not far away on the verge of the prairie-thinking, no doubt, of the little comforts that his toil had provided for those so dear to him-enjoying in anticipation the glad welcome so soon to greet his ears-the fond caress of his little daughter-the
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evening meal-the quiet social hour with wife and child-not a living thing to interrupt or disturb his pleasing meditation save now and then the sudden flutter of the prairie chicken as it breaks cover near his feet. As he approaches the highlands on his route, he views with brightening eye the outlines of the grove of timber that adjoins his cabin. A thin column of smoke is to be seen rising just beyond the grove ; full well he knows who sits by the fire from whence it rises. He pauses in his walk, and for a moment contemplates the scene. The tall grass is slightly browned by the early frost, and waves gently in the autumnal breeze, like a vast field of wheat ready for the sickle. He turns his gaze backward on the path he so lately traveled, and notices, in the distance, a company on horse-back on his trail, and, without a thought of danger, again resumes his walk, but soon discovers that his pursuers are savages, painted for war, who advance rapidly with shouts and excited gestures. In order to avoid them, he leaves the beaten trail, but soon becomes aware that they are not so easily thrown off-on they come-he runs-but all in vain ; like an avalanche they come down upon their prey-a quick, sharp stroke of the tomahawk, a dexterous flourish of the sealping knife, and all is over with Oliver Atwood. That day wears slowly to a close, and the expected husband comes not, and so wears away the next, and the next, and no tidings from him. The wife finally can bear the suspense no longer, and she applies to the neighbors, and a mes- senger is sent to the old trading-house to inquire after him, and soon returned with the information that he had left that place for home a week before. The next day the settlement was aroused to search for the lost man, and soon his remains were found where he had fallen.
" The question may be asked, how is it known that he was killed by Indians. To a frontiersman this could not long remain in doubt. There are many ways of judging of such things, that would be utterly unintelligible to a less practiced eye. But in this case, not only the signs at the place where he lay were perfectly intelligible to a hunter, but many other circumstances led to a certainty, not only that he was killed by the Indians, but pointed out the identical actors in the tragedy. It was well known that on the day that Atwood left the trading-post, five Indians passed through the settlement and went to Moscow, and while there, one of them said to a friend of Ross, 'Ross may come back now.' And, being urged to explain his reason, refused to do so. " The tragical event above related, of course, cast a gloom over our infant settlement. As has been said before, this had been an unusually unhealthy season. The men had all been sick, and were in a convalescent state-but little better physically than downright sickness, and in no condition to make a suc- cessful defense of themselves and families, should the Indians contemplate a more thorough vengeance, and of their intentions we could have no means of knowing, as they kept entirely aloof for some time. There was never, so far as the writer is aware, any systematic attempt made by the whites to bring the perpetrators to justice. It is true that at the first land-sale in the Territory, held in Dubuque, in the November following the murder, the citizens of this region met and appointed a committee to report the case to the Governor of the Territory, which committee made out a report of the case, with appropriate resolutions to accompany it, and forwarded the same, but so far as is now remembered it was never heard of in a more public way; the great difficulty was no doubt in getting at the facts with sufficient certainty to make a good case before the courts. We were very sure that we knew who had done the deed, from the facts before mentioned. We were very sure we knew just how many there were engaged in the aet, yet no one saw it, but we were very certain that the
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perpetrators were seen that day in our settlement; we knew they were at Mos- cow that day. and the writer of this fell in with them the next day, on their way back to their village-he knew nothing of the murder at that time-but remarked their singular actions and was unable to account for it until after- ward, when to him as well as others their behavior seemed the outcropping of a guilty conscience."
John D. Wolf and Mary Ann Bagley were the first residents of the town- ship who were married, but they obtained their marriage license at Muscatine, where the ceremony was performed. The first birth in the township occurred in the summer of 1837, about a quarter mile distant from the present West Liberty, when Louis, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Corns, saw the light of day.
The present township officers are as follows, viz .: George C. Shipman and James F. Schenck, Justices ; John Patterson and Nathan Reece, Constables : E. P. French, Clerk ; James Parks, Assessor ; William Henderson, John Pick- ering and Joseph Mountain, Trustees.
The press of West Liberty is mentioned in the chapter devoted to that topic.
WILTON.
Wilton is located at the junction of the C., R. I. & P. R. R. and the C. & S. W. R. R., two of the best roads in the West; is twenty-five miles west of Davenport, twelve miles north of Muscatine and thirty miles east of Iowa City. The railroad company own considerable ground in what is called the "Y," which is covered with buildings and side-tracks, the former consisting of a commodious depot, freight-building-containing the Trainmaster's and Dis- patcher's offices-blacksmith-shop, roundhouse, coalhouse, carpenter-shop and supply building. The side-tracks are numerous, and extend from the corpora- tion line on the east to that on the west, and are at nearly ail hours of the day and night occupied by trains "making up." The corporation extends one mile east and west, and one mile north and south. The streets are regularly laid out, are eighty feet wide, and generally bordered with elm and maple trees, which, in the summer season, give the town the appearance of being built in a grove. Many of these trees have attained the good size of twelve and four- teen inches in diameter, and, besides enhancing the beauty of the streets, afford magnificent shade, and homes for a great many forest birds, that in the early morn burden the air with their songs. On nearly all of the streets of the town may be found beautiful dwellings, and on Fifth street, five fine churches.
FIRST SETTLERS.
The first man to erect a cabin within the present limits of Wilton was Mr. Christian Marolf. who came in July, 1849. and erected, of logs, a small house opposite the German Lutheran Church. The house still remains, and Mr. Marolf survives, and domiciles beneath its roof. Mr. M. entered the land on which he made his home, the east line of which is the street past the church. At this time he could only see one other house, that being the cabin of Mr. Stearns, just west of town, on the south side of the Moscow road, and now the property of the estate of J. L. Reed, deceased. He says that for several years he made hay where now stands the business part of Wilton, and that herds of deer crossed over the same ground, on their way from Mud Creek to Sugar Creek.
Mr. Christian Marolf was soon followed by Mr. Ben Maurer and Peter Marolf, in 1850-51, who also obtained land near by-Mr. Ben Maurer, that
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which now comprises North Wilton ; Mr. J. P. Marolf, that which is now Marolf's Addition. North Wilton is not, at present, within the corporate limits.
On the 19th day of May, 1849, two entries of land were made by Henry Strohm and Benjamin Kauffman, which comprised the lands now within the corporate limits of Wilton, excepting Marolf's Addition. Mr. Strohm entered the eighty acres now south of the railroad, and Mr. Kauffman the eighty acres north, or what is now Butterfield's Addition to Wilton.
In the month of July, 1853, Mr. Franklin Butterfield purchased of Mr. B. C. Kauffman the north fractional half of the southwest quarter and south fractional half of the northwest quarter of Section 6, in Township 78, Range 1 west, containing 2053 acres, at $2 per acre.
The M. & M. R. R., now the C., R. I. & P. R. R., had been located through this place prior to this purchase. In August, 1854, Messrs. Green & Stone, bankers at Muscatine, and owners of considerable stock in the M. & M. R. R., called upon Mr. Butterfield and proposed to buy the whole or a part of Mr. Butterfield's interest in the land; the secret of this desire being the agitation of a branch road from this point to Muscatine, and they desired an interest in the Junction. Mr. Butterfield considered their proposition, and decided to sell a one-fifth interest in the whole, at $10 per acre, provided they bought forty acres of Mr. Marolf, which is now the railroad "Y," and that portion of the town west, which they did, at $10 per acre. Mr. Butterfield now induced Green & Stone to take a two-fifths interest in the land south of the railroad, and relinquish that north of the railroad, which they readily did, as it brought their interest nearer to their purchase from Marolf.
In September, 1854, Butterfield and Green & Stone platted out the origi- nal town on Green & Stone's forty acres and the land lying south of the rail- road, which plat was recorded October 22, 1855 (the year following). Then arose the question of a name, and as it is a matter of no little moment to pro- vide an appropriate name for a town to endure for ages, a name that would command respect and admiration abroad, the founders of the town found it no easy task to decide. One was in favor of an Indian name; but the stock was all appropriated. Another suggested Cedar Junction ; but that was inappro- priate, and suggestive of a small railroad station ; while Mr. Butterfield warmly advocated the name WILTON,-the name of his native town in Maine. It was finally decided that Mr. Butterfield should present six names, and that Messrs. Green & Stone should select one of these as the future name. Of the six names, Wilton and Glendale were two, and, after duc consideration, Glen- dale was chosen, and for nearly a year the town went by that name. But before the plat was recorded Messrs. Green & Stone reconsidered their choice, and Wilton was permanently chosen and so recorded.
In 1854, Mr. Butterfield sold the first lot to Mr. Henry S. Giesler, it being Lot 3, Block 43, opposite Dow's elevator, for $40.
Working on the road was all that was done this year, and with the advent of the graders, sprung up a number of small shanties.
In July or August, 1855, Mr. Giesler built the first house, the lower front rooms of which were occupied by a stock of dry goods and groceries, owned and shipped from Seymore, Conn., by Tuthill & Hull, which firm name was the first to appear on a sign in front of a door. The firm of Rider & Sanford were their agents, who first went to Muscatine with the stock, with the intention of operating a permanent store at that place ; but soon after, as we have stated, shipped the goods to Wilton. Rider & Sanford afterward bought out the
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