The History of Poweshiek County, Iowa : containing a history of the County, its cities, towns, &c.,., Part 31

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Des Moines : Union Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1004

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SEC. 13. The foregoing constitution shall be submitted to the electors of the State at the August election, in the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the several election districts in this State. The ballots at such election shall be written or printed as follows: Those in favor of the constitu- tion-"New Constitution-Yes." Those against the constitution, "New Con- stitution-No." The election shall be conducted in the same manner as the general elections of the State, and the poll-books shall be returned and can- vassed as provided in the twenty-fifth chapter of the Code; and abstracts shall be forwarded to the Secretary of State, which abstracts shall be can- vassed in the manner provided for the canvass of State officers. And if it shall appear that a majority of all the votes cast at such election for and against this constitution are in favor of the same, the Governor shall imme- diately issue his proclamation stating that fact, and such constitution shall be the constitution of the State of Iowa, and shall take effect from and after the publication of said proclamation.

SEC. 14. At the same election that this constitution is submitted to the people for its adoption or rejection, a proposition to amend the same by striking out the word "white," from the article on the "Right of Suffrage," shall be separately submitted to the electors of this State for adoption or rejection, in manner following, viz :

A separate ballot may be given by every person having a right to vote at said election, to be deposited in a separate box; and those given for the adoption of such proposition shall have the words, "Shall the word 'white' be stricken out of the article on the 'Right of Suffrage?'-Yes." And those given against the proposition shall have the words, "Shall the word ' white' be stricken out of the article on the 'Right of Suffrage?'-No." And if at said election the number of ballots cast in favor of said proposi- tion, shall be equal to a majority of those cast for and against this constitu- tion, then said word "white" shall be stricken from said article and be no part thereof.

SEC. 15. Until otherwise directed by law, the county of Mills shall be in and a part of the Sixth Judicial District of this State.

Done in convention at Iowa City, this fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, and of the independence of the United States of America, the eighty-first.

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF IOWA.

239

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names:

TIMOTHY DAY,

M. W. ROBINSON,

S. G. WINCHESTER,

LEWIS TODHUNTER,

DAVID BUNKER,

JOHN EDWARDS,

D. P. PALMER,

J. C. TRAER,

GEO. W. ELLS,

JAMES F. WILSON,

J. C. HALL,

AMOS HARRIS,

JOHN H. PETERS,

WM. H. WARREN,

H. W. GRAY,

ROBT. GOWER,

J. A. PARVIN,

H. D. GIBSON,

W. PENN CLARKE,

THOMAS SEELEY,

JERE. HOLLINGWORTH,

A. H. MARVIN,

WM. PATTERSON, D. W. PRICE,

J. H. EMERSON,

R. L. B. CLARKE,

ALPHEUS SCOTT,

JAMES A. YOUNG,

GEORGE GILLASPY,

EDWARD JOHNSTON.

FRANCIS SPRINGER, President.

ATTEST: TH. J. SAUNDERS, Secretary. E. N. BATES, Assistant Secretary.

D. H. SOLOMON,

JNO. T. CLARK, S. AYRES, HARVEY J. SKIFF,

THE PIONEER.

In the heart of the grand old forest, A thousand miles to the West, Where a stream gushed out from the hill side, They halted at last for rest. And the silence of ages listened To the axe-stroke loud and clear, Divining a kingly presence In the tread of the pioneer.

He formed of the prostrate beeches A home that was strong and good; The roof was of reeds from the streamlet, The chimney he built of wood. And there by the winter fireside, While the flame up the chimney roared, He spoke of the good time coming, When plenty should crown their board-

When the forest should fade like a vision, And over the hill-side and plain The orchard would spring in its beauty, And the fields of golden grain. And to-night he sits by the fireside In a mansion quaint and old, With his children's children around him, Ilaving reaped a thousand-fold.

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY.

CHAPTER I.

PREFATORY.

The Plan and Scope of this Work-The County, its Location and Name.

IN entering upon the work of compiling a history of Poweshiek county, we have not underestimated the difficulty and importance of the task. The importance of the work becomes more and more apparent as, in passing from county to county, we become more and more deeply impressed by the fact that there exists throughout the several counties of the State a deplor- able, if not a reprehensible ignorance of those events which form the staple of local history, in which consist the data for determining the ratio of ma- terial progress, and which form the sole basis for estimating the social, mental and moral conditions of the present. The difficulty of the task consists, to a large extent, in the fact that the events to be treated, while they have to do with the past, are so intimately interwoven with the pres- ent that they are a part of it. The writer of history, as a general thing, deals wholly with the affairs of past generations, and his aim is to pause when he arrives at that realm bounded by the memory of men now living. The whole field of our investigations lies inside that boundary line, as there are, doubtless, many who will peruse this work who have witnessed, and acted a part in the events which we shall attempt to narrate.

While there are a few who came to the county as early as 1843, and there continued to be new arrivals from time to time until the organization of the county in 1848, and notwithstanding the fact that more importance attaches to the first few than to the many who came subsequently, yet the history of a county properly dates from its organization; and taking the latter date as a beginning, there is a period of thirty-two years elapsed since then, and many who came at that time, or shortly after, still live here, and have been critical observers of passing events even as they will be critical readers of

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the following pages. And such, while they have grown prematurely old in body by reason of the hardships and privations incident upon a life of more than ordinary activity and trial, have not grown old in spirit. Each one of such knows the history of the county; and, be it said with due rev- erence for their hoary heads and bended forms, each one knows that history better than any one else. Such readers are very uncharitable critics; and a work of this kind absolutely accurate in all its details and particulars, were it within the scope of human possibility to make such a work, would undoubtedly be pronounced by many well-meaning and honest persons, faulty and untrustworthy. This results from the fact that thirty-two years, though not a long period in the history of the world, is a long time in the life of an individual. Events occurring at that length of time in the past we think we know perfectly well, when the fact is, we know them very im- perfectly. This is proved and illustrated by the reluctancy and hesitation manifested invariably by old settlers when called upon to give the details of some early transaction; the old settler usually hesitates before giving a date, and after having finally settled down upon the year and the month when a certain event occurred, will probably hunt you up in less than a day and request the privilege of correcting the date. In the meantime you have found another old settler who was an eye-witness of the act in ques- tion, and the date he will give you does not correspond with the first date nor the corrected date as given by the first old settler.

We have noticed the same uncertainty in regard to other details of a particular transaction; such, for instance, as an early election, whether Mr. Jones was the successful or the defeated candidate; and in regard to an altercation, whether Smith or Brown was the aggressor.

There is at this time living in an adjoining county a noble, old, grey- headed man, whose pioneer feet trod close in the tracks of the receding aborigines; he has held many offices of honor and trust, and although life has lost none of its charms, he would rather die than utter an untruthful word or commit a dishonorable deed. It appeared from the official record that at an early day he held the office of County Surveyor, and the fact having been made public in a work of this kind, he sought out the writer and informed him that the statement was incorrect; that not he, but a certain Mr. W. had been elected to the position named at the time men- tioned. He clung tenaciously to his position, and refused to recede from it even when the poll-book was produced confirming the statement of the writer. To this day the old gentleman firmly believes that Mr. W. and not himself was County Surveyor in 1849, although in addition to the evi- dence of the poll-book was the evidence of the county plat book, where

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were certified over his signature the surveys of at least three different towns.

There are some marked exceptions, but as a rule the memory of the old settler is not trustworthy; his ideas of the general outlines are usually comparatively correct, but no one who has the grace to put the proper es- timate upon his mental faculties when impaired by age and weakened by the many infirmities of years will trust it in the arbitrament of questions of particulars and details.

The stranger who goes into a county possessed of none of the informa- tion which those have after years of residence, works at a great disadvan- tage in many respects. At first he knows not whom to consult, or where to find the custodians of important records. However, he possesses one great advantage which more than makes up for this: he enters upon his work with an unbiased mind; he has no friends to reward, and no enemies to punish; his mind is not preoccupied and prejudiced by reports which may have incidentally come into his possession while transacting the ordi- nary affairs of business; and when in addition to this he is a person whose business it is to collect statements and weigh facts of history, he is much better qualified for the task, and to discriminate between statements, seem- ingly of equal weight, than those who either immediately or remotely are interested parties and whose regular employment lies in other fields of in- dustry. This is true, even though the former be a total stranger and the latter have become familiar with men and things by many years of inter- course and acquaintanceship. He is best judge and best juror who is totally unacquainted with both plaintiff and defendant, and he is best qualified to arbitrate between conflicting facts of history who comes to the task with- out that bias which is the price one must pay for acquaintanceship and fa- miliarity. The best history of France was written by an Englishman, and the most authentic account of American institutions was written by a Frenchman, and it remained for an American to write the only authentic history of the Dutch Republic.

The American people are much given to reading, but the kind of read- ing is such that in regard to a large proportion of them it may be truth- fully said that " truth is stranger than fiction." Especially is this the case with respect to those facts of local history belonging to their own imme- diate county and neighborhood. This is, perhaps, not so much the fault of the people as a neglect on the part of the book publishers. Books, as a rule, are made to sell, and in order that a book may have a large sale its matter must be of such general character as to be applicable to general, rather than special, conditions-to Nation and State, rather than to county and town-

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ship. Thus it is, that no histories heretofore published pertain to matters of county and neighborhood affairs, for such books, in order to have a sale over a large extent of territory, must necessarily be very voluminous, and contain much matter of no interest to the reader. This fault, however, be- longs not wholly to the book publisher; it lies partly at the doors of the people, themselves. Things are regarded great in proportion as they are far off; distance invariably lends enchantment, and like a lens of wonder- ful powers of refraction, makes events important in proportion as they are far away. The fact is illustrated by the thousands who annually leave America for a journey through Europe. The inconvenience, the expense and the danger of an ocean voyage, are cheerfully endured by the tourist in order that he may view the mountains and rivers of Germany and Italy, while loftier peaks, larger rivers and broader plains at home conspire to make American scenery grander and more magnificent by far than European scenery, and the thousands who cross the Atlantic to view the Rhine know nothing of their own grand Mississippi, the Father of Waters; they become ecstatic over the prospect from the Alps, while their own homes are in the shadow of the Cordilleras. It is the same with great men as with great events and grand scenery; the great man is usually in the distance, and now, as eighteen hundred years ago, is it true that "A prophet is not with- out honor, except in his own country." The same is true of books. For many years subsequent to the settlement of America no book was ever re- garded as worth reading which had not been published in London or Edin- burgh. In more recent times no book could be sold which was not pub- lished in New York or Boston. Owing to the enterprise of Western au- thors, and intrepidity of certain Western publishers, the fact has been dem- onstrated in recent times that a book worth reading may be written and printed west of the Alleghany Mountains, and people are beginning to realize that right in their own State, and in their own county are to be found material for the making of books, the reading of which will afford more interest and profit than those books which are concerned with times and places more remote.

The plan and scope of this work, briefly stated, are as follows:

A synopsis of the history of the State and the Northwest, which is as brief as could well be, and contains nothing except what is absolutely neces- sary for a proper understanding of the circumstances and conditions bear- ing upon the settlement of the county.

The history of the county proper: first its features, in which will be briefly described therivers, soils, timbers, prairies and topography of the county ; then a number of pages devoted to the subject of Indians and Indian affairs.

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HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY.

The history of Poweshiek county cannot be written without frequent allu- sions to that unfortunate race of people who originally owned the soil, and who, from the first settlement of the county even to the present time, make occasional visits to the hunting grounds and burial places of their fore- fathers. A chapter on the Indian affairs of the country will be given, not only because it comes within the legitimate scope of the work, but also be- canse nothing in the whole realm of literature is more fascinating to the common average reader than narratives of this kind, and although this chapter will doubtless contain many things old, as well as new, there are few of our patrons who would desire to have it omitted. We shall then speak of the first settlers, treating of them as accurately, definitely and fully as warranted by the facts at our disposal; giving the date when each one came to the county, from what State or country, and where now located if still living. In connection with the few first settlers we shall aim to speak of many leading citizens who have come more recently, and in connection with each township history will be found a biographical directory, the value which will increase with years. Pioneer times will then be described and incidents related showing the trials and triumphs of the pioneer settler. Then county organization, political affairs, newspapers, railroads, schools, etc. Finally a soldier's record, and a history of cities, towns and townships in detail.

The compiler of a history of the county has a task which may seem to be comparatively easy, and the facts which come within the legitimate scope of the work may appear commonplace when compared with national events; the narration of the peaceful events attending the conquests of in- dustry as " Westward the course of empire takes its way," may seem tame when compared with the account of battles and sieges. Nevertheless, the faithful gathering and the truthful narration of facts bearing upon the early settlement of this county, and the dangers, hardship and privations endured by the early pioneers in advancing the standards of civilization, is a work of no small magnitude, and the facts thus narrated are such as may well challenge the admiration and arouse the sympathy of the reader, though they have nothing to do with feats of arms. The narratives as given may not be characterized by that rhetorical grace which furnishes the crowning glory of a ten-cent novel, nevertheless, the writer hopes to make himself understood, and he believes that the facts themselves, without coloring or word-painting, will be of sufficient interest to entertain, amuse and profit the general reader.

Over a score and a half of years have passed away since the first white settlement was made within the bounds of the territory now known as Poweshiek county.

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HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY.

It is less than half of a century since the uncivilized aborigines roamed the prairies wild and free, unfettered by the restraint of common or stau- tory law, and uncircumscribed by township boundaries and county lines. The transformation which has taken place in the physiognomy of the country alone is beyond the comprehension of the finite mind; luxuriant groves where there was the wide stretching prairie; cultivated fields where was the primeval forest; orchards, vineyards and gardens where waved the tall prairie grass. So marked has been the change in the physiognomy of the country that there has been a decided change in the climatology. The elements themselves seem to have taken notice of the great change and have governed themselves accordingly. While the annual rain-fall and the mean annual temperature remain the same in quantity, they are now en- tirely different in quality, and although imperceptible and independent of man's will, they have nevertheless come under the same civilizing power which has changed the wilderness into a fruitful land.

The great change which has taken place in the development of the ma- terial resources of the country is more noticeable, as man can more readily discern the changes that take place by detail in his own circumscribed field of activity than he can those grand revolutions in the uncircumscribed do- main of nature. The changes that have occurred in social, intellectual and moral conditions are still more marked, mind being more swift to act on mind than on matter.

These changes can be best estimated by the institution of a brief con- trast:

Then, the material resources of the country consisted simply in the streams of water which quenched the thirst of the aborigine, wherein was found the fish which he ate, and upon which floated his frail canoe; the forest where he procured his fuel, material for the construction of his rude weapons, and which sheltered the game that afforded him a meagre and uncertain sustenance. Such were the material resources made available to the owner of the soil. The social condition of the people was scarcely more advanced than is that of certain orders of the lower animals whose social attainments are comprehended in the ability to unite for mutual offense and defense. In intellect and morals there was a people somewhat above the brute, but on the lowest round of the ladder.

Now, the material resources of the country include in their number the soil, with every useful and ornamental product known to the temperate zone; the forest, with every species of manufacture, useful and ornamental, known to the civilized world. The water in the streams, and the currents of the air above us are alike trained to do man's bidding, while from the

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depths of the earth beneath our feet is brought forth the hidden wealth which was hoarded by the turmoil of the ages. Cities, with their inhabi- tants by the thousand, while in the city, village and country the lofty spires of churches and school-houses are evidences of the social, moral and intellectual condition.

All this change has been brought about by the incoming of a new peo- ple from the far off east, and that, too, within the space of a score and a half years. History furnishes no parallel to the rapid development of this country; it has been a chain, whose links were ever recurring surprises, and among the surprised there are none more so than those whose throb- bing brains have planned, and whose busy feet have executed the work.

Almost a century ago a friend of America, although an Englishman, in language almost prophetic, wrote:

"Westward the course of empire takes its way; The four first acts already past, A fifth shall close the drama with the day; Time's noblest offspring is the last."

The settlement of the new world alluded to by the writer has, as a whole, fully met the conditions of that prophecy, but not till the past quarter of a century did the onward march of empire culminate in the settlement of central Iowa. With the exception of a few mining towns in the gold re- gions of California and the silver districts of Colorado, nothing has been like it before, and it will not be exceeded in time to come.

This has not been an accident. All kinds of material development fol- low well established and recognized law, and in nothing does this fact re- veal itself more than in the settlement of a country. Whoever has made it his business to study the "Great Northwest " as it has unfolded itself in history during the last quarter of a century, has doubtless met with ever recurring surprises. The story of its unparalleled growth and almost phe- nomenal development has been so often repeated that it has become a com- monplace platitude; but a careful study of the country will suggest ques- tions which have thus far not been answered, and cannot be. Why, for instance, have some sections filled up so rapidly, and certain cities sprung up as if by magic, while others, seemingly no less favored by nature, are still in the first stages of development? These questions cannot, in all cases, be answered; but whoever has studied the matter carefully cannot fail to have discovered a law of growth which is as unvarying as any law of nature. The two leading factors in the problem of municipal growth are location and character of first settlers. The location of Poweshiek county was most favorable; and what is true of Poweshiek county is true

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of the whole State. Almost surrounded, as it is, by two of the most re- nowned water-courses of the world, one will readily see that it possessed advantages enjoyed by no other State in the Union.

These conditions, so favorable to the past and future development of the country, are well illustrated by an ingenious little poem entitled, "Two Ancient Misses," written by a gentleman who has won a wide-spread repu- tation at the bar and whose name, were we at liberty to give it, would be familiar to most of the people of Poweshiek county. We quote it as it well illustrates our point and is of sufficient merit to be preserved :

"I know two ancient misses Who ever onward go, From a cool and rigid northern clime, Through a land of wheat and corn and wine, To the southern sea where the fig and the lime And the golden orange grow.

"In graceful curves they wind about Upon their long and lonely route, Among the beauteous hills; They never cease their ownward step, Though day and night they're dripping wet, And oft with the sleet and snow beset, And sometimes with the chills.

"The one is a romping, dark brunette, As fickle and gay as any coquette ; She glides along by the western plains, And changes her bed every time it rains; Witching as any dark-eyed houri, This romping, wild brunette Missouri.

"The other is placid, mild and fair, With a gentle, sylph-like, quiet air. And a voice as sweet as a soft guitar; She moves along the meadows and parks Where naiads play Æolian harps- Nor ever goes by fits and starts- No fickle coquette of the city, But gentle, constant Mississippi.

"I love the wild and dark brunette Because she is a gay coquette; Her, too, I love of quiet air, Because she's gentle, true and fair. The land of my birth, on the east and the west, Embraced by these is doubly blest- 'Tis hard to tell which I love best."

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It is an account of the favored and prospered region thus embraced which we design in the following pages to write.

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The History of Poweshiek County, Iowa : containing a history of the County, its cities, towns, &c.,., Part 31

Author: Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Des Moines : Union Historical Co. Number of Pages: 1004

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Des Moines : Union Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1004