USA > Iowa > Poweshiek County > The History of Poweshiek County, Iowa : containing a history of the County, its cities, towns, &c.,. > Part 35
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"Notice had been circulated of this diplomatic interview, and quite a number of spectators attended, to witness the spectacle. The audience was given publicly, in the Mormon Temple, and the respective chiefs were at- tended by their suites, the prophet by the dignitaries of the church, and the Indian potentate by the high civil and military functionaries of his tribe, and the Gentiles were comfortably seated around as auditors.
" The prophet opened the conference in a set speech of some length, giv- ing Keokuk a brief history of the Children of Israel, as detailed in the Bible, and dwelt forcibly upon the history of the lost tribes, and that he, the prophet of God, held a divine commmission to gather them together, and lead them to a land 'flowing with milk and honey.' After the prophet closed his harangue, Keokuk 'waited for the words of his pale-faced brother to sink deep into his mind,' and, in making his reply, assumed the gravest attitude and most dignified demeanor. He would not controvert anything his brother had said about the lost and scattered condition of his race and people, and if his brother was commissioned by the Great Spirit
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to collect them together, and lead them to a new country, it was his duty to do so. But he wished to inquire about some particulars his brother had not named, that were of the highest importance to him and his people. The red man was not much used to milk, and he thought they would prefer streams of water; and in the country they now were, there was a good sup- ply of honey. The points they wished to inquire into were, whether the new government would pay large annuities, and whether there was plenty of whisky. Joe Smith saw at once that he had met his match, and that Keokuk was not the proper material with which to increase his army of dupes, and closed the interview in as amiable and pleasant a manner as pos- sible."
After the removal of the tribe west of the Mississippi River, Keokuk resided, till 1836, on a reservation of four hundred square miles, on the Iowa River, and his home was at a village bearing his name, situated on the right bank of the river. According to the treaty of 1836, the Indi- ans ceded to the United States Keokuk's reserve, and this illustrious chief removed further west, his headquarters being near Agency City, in Wapello county. While the headquarters of the tribe were located at Agency City, an attempt was made by the agents of the government to civilize them. Farms were opened up, and two mills were erected, one on Soap Creek, and one on Sugar Creek. A salaried agent was employed to superintend these farming operations. Keokuk had a large field improved and cultivated, but it is safe to presume that the chief himself did very little of the work. His farm was located on what was called, for many years, Keokuk's Prairie. The Indians did not make much progress in these farming operations, and, in the absence of their accustomed excitements, they became idle and dissipated.
Keokuk himself became badly dissipated, in the latter years of his life. Pathetic as was the condition of these savages at this time, it was but the legitimate result of the treatment which they had received. They were confined in a fixed location, and provided with annuities by the govern- ment, sufficient to meet their wants from year to year. They were in this manner prevented from making those extensive excursions, and embarking in those warlike pursuits, which, from time immemorial, had formed the chief avenues for the employment of those activites which, for centuries, had claimed the attention of the savage mind; and the sure and regular means of subsistance furnished by the government, took away from them the incentives for the employment of these activities, even had the means still existed. In addition to this, the Indian beheld his lands taken from him, and his tribe growing smaller year by year. Keokuk, as already inti-
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mated, was possessed of a highly imaginative intellect, and he doubtless forecast the future far enough to be thoroughly impressed with the thought that, in a few years, all these lands would pass into the possession of the white man, while his tribe and his name would be swept away by the flood which was ready to sweep in from the east. Keokuk saw all this, and, see- ing it, had neither the power nor inclination to prevent it. Take the best representative of the Anglo-Saxon race, and place him in similar circum- stances, and he would do no better. Shut in by restraint from all sides, relieved from all the anxieties comprehended in that practical question, " What shall we eat, and wherewithal shall we be clothed?" and deprived of all those incentives springing from and inspired by a lofty ambition and the best of us, with all our culture and habits of industry, would fall into idleness and dissipation; and our fall would be as great, if not as low, as was the fall of that unhappy people who formerly inhabited this country, and whose disappearance and gradual extinction we shall now be called upon to contemplate.
Wapello, the cotemporary of Keokuk, and the inferior chief, in whose honor a county was named, died before the Indians were removed from the State, and thus escaped the humiliation of the scene. He, like his supe- rior chief, was a fast friend of the white man, and wielded an immense influence with the individual members of his tribe. He presided over three tribes, in the vicinity of Fort Armstrong, during the time that fron- tier post was being erected. In 1829, he removed his village to Muscatine Swamp, and then to a place not far from the present county seat of Louisa county, which bears his name. Although he united in the treaty ceding the country to the whites, it was with the clear conviction that, in any event, his hunting grounds would be soon overrun by the pale faces.
Wapello, in common with Keokuk, Poweshiek, and all other distin- guished Indians, as far as known, was very fond of whisky, and especially in times of unexpected good fortune, or in days of gloom and misfortune, was he accustomed to become deeply intoxicated.
Mr. Scearcy, who yet resides in Keokuk county, and who was intimately acquainted with Wapello, relates the following:
" Between the Sioux, and the Sacs and Foxes, a bitter and deadly hatred existed. This enmity was carried to such a bitter extent that it caused the establishment, by the government, of the neutral ground, in the north part of the Territory, which was a strip of country about thirty miles in width, over which the tribes were not allowed to pass in order to slay each other. The love of revenge was so strongly marked in the Indian character that it was not to be suppressed by imaginary geographical lines, and consequently
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it was not a rare occurrence for a Sac or Fox Indian, or a Sioux, to bite the dust, as an atonement for real or imaginary wrongs. In this manner one of the sons of Wapello was cruelly cut down, from an ambush, in the year 1836. When the chief heard of the sad calamity he was on Skunk River, opposite the mouth of Crooked Creek. He immediately plunged into and swam across the stream. Upon arriving at a trading-post near by, he gave the best pony he had for a barrel of whisky, and setting it out, invited his people to partake, a very unwise practice which he doubtless borrowed from the white people who availed themselves of this medium in which to drown their sorrows."
Wapello died in Keokuk county during the month of March, 1844. As provided by the terms of the treaty, he had retired beyond the Red Rock line early in 1843, and at the time of his death was visiting the favorite places in the country which but a year previous he had relinquished. Mr. Romig, who for sometime resided near the place where Wapello died, delivered sometime since an address before a historical society, in which he gives the following pathetic account of the last days and death of the renowned chief. We give it not so much for its literary merit as for the important facts which it contains :
" As the swallow returns to the place where last she had built her nest, cruelly destroyed by the ruthless hands of some rude boy, or as a mother would return to the empty crib where once had reposed her innocent babe in the sweet embrace of sleep, and weep for the treasure she had once pos- sessed, so Wapello mourned for the hunting grounds he had been forced to leave behind, and longed to roam over the broad expanse again. It was in the month of March; heavy winter had begun to shed her mantle of snow; the sun peeped forth through the fleeting clouds; the woodchuck emerged from his subterranean retreat to greet the morning breeze, and all nature seemed to rejoice at the prospect of returning spring. The old chief felt the exhilarating influence of reviving nature and longed again for the sports of his youth. He accordingly assembled a party and started on a hunting excursion to the scenes of his former exploits. But alas! the poor old man was not long destined to mourn over his misfortunes. While traveling over the beautiful prairies, or encamped in the picturesque groves that he was once wont to call his own, disease fastened upon his vitals and the chief lay prostrate in his lodge. How long the burning fever raged and racked in his brain, or who it was that applied the cooling draught to his parched lips, tradition has failed to inform us; but this we may fairly presume: that his trusty followers were deeply distressed at the sufferings of their chief whom they loved, and administered all the comforts in their
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power to alleviate his sufferings, but all would not avail. Grim Death had crossed his path, touched an icy finger on his brow, and marked him for his own. Human efforts to save could avail nothing. Time passed, and with it the life of Wapello. The last word was spoken, the last wish ex- pressed, the last breath drawn, and his spirit took its flight. The passing breeze in Æolean notes chanted a requiem in the elm tops. The placid creek in its meandering course murmured in chorus over the dead. The squirrel came forth in the bright sunshine to frisk and chirp in frolicksome glee, and the timid fawn approached the brook and bathed her feet in the waters, but the old man heeded it not, for Manitou, his God, had called him home.
"Although it is a matter of regret that we are not in possession of his last words and other particulars connected with his death, let us endeavor to be content in knowing that Wapello died sometime during the month of March in the year 1844, in Keokuk county, on Rock Creek, in Jackson township, on the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 21, township 74, range 11, where a mound still marks the spot; and with knowing that his remains were conveyed by Samuel Hardesty, now of Lancaster town- ship, Keokuk county, accompanied by twenty-two Indians and three squaws, to the Indian burial-ground at Agency City, where sleep the Indian Agent, General Street, and a number of the Sac and Fox tribe, and where our informant left the remains to await the arrival of Keokuk and other distinguished chiefs who were expected to be present at the burial."
Keokuk, Poweshiek, Appanoose and many other chiefs and warriors were present at the interment, which took place in the evening of the same day that the body arrived at the agency. The usual Indian ceremonies preceded the burial, after which the remains were interred by the side of General Street, which was in accordance with the chieftan's oft-repeated request to be buried by the side of his honest pale-faced friend.
In 1845 Keokuk led his tribe west of the Missouri River, and located upon a reservation now comprised in the boundaries of the State of Kan- sas. What must have been the emotions which swelled the heart of this renowned savage when he turned his back for the last time on the bark- covered huts of his Iowa village! To him it was not going West to grow up with the country, but to lose himself and his tribe in oblivion and national annihilation. The fact that no remnant of his once powerful and populous tribe remains is sad to contemplate. Keokuk returned no more; he lived but three years after leaving the Territory of Iowa, and we have no facts at our command in reference to his career at the new home west of the Missouri. The Keokuk Register, of June 15, 1848, contained the fol-
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lowing notice of his death, together with some additional sketches of his life:
" The St. Louis New Era announces the death of this celebrated Indian chief. Poison was administered to him by one of his tribe, from the effects of which he died. The Indian was apprehended, confessed his guilt, and was shot.
"Keokuk leaves a son of some prominence, but there is little probability of his succeeding to the same station, as he is not looked upon by the tribe as inheriting the disposition and principles of his father."
We close this sketch by appending an extract from a letter recently writ- ten by Judge J. M. Casey, of Fort Madison, to Hon. S. A. James, of Sigourney :
" While Keokuk was not a Lee county man, I have often seen him here. He was an individual of distinguished mark; once seen would always be remembered. It was not necessary to be told that he was a chief; you would at once recognize him as such, and stop to admire his grand deport- ment. I was quite young when I last saw him, but I yet remember his appearance and every lineament of his face as well as if it had been yester- day, and this impression was left upon every person who saw him, whether old or young. It is hard for us to realize that an Indian could be so great a man. But it is a candid fact, admitted by all the early settlers who knew him, that Keokuk possessed, in a prominent degree, the elements of great- ness."
Poweshiek, a chief of the Fox Indians, who lived on Skunk River, either in, or not far from the southwest corner of the county which bears his name, was tall, heavily built, of rough cast of features and was character- ized by a disposition full of exactness and arrogance. When, in accord- ance with the treaty of 1842, he left this region of country for the last time, he went south and encamped, temporarily, near the Missouri border. This was during the winter of 1845 and '46. His village, which consisted of about forty lodges, was located on Grand River near the settlements of northern Missouri. A difficulty soon arose between the Missourian and the Indian, and there was every reason to believe that the trouble would terminate in bloodshed. When the report of the difficulty came to Fort Des Moines, three persons, Dr. Campbell, J. B. Scott and Hamilton Thrift, who had been intimately acquainted with Poweshiek, desirous of prevent- ing bloodshed, mounted their horses and proceeded to the Indian encamp- ment. Everything in and about the Indian village had a warlike appear- ance. Mr. Scott sought an early interview with Poweshiek, and spoke to him as follows:
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" My friends and myself have traveled through the snow a long distance to help you out of this trouble. We are your friends. If you persist in your purpose of making war on the whites, many of your squaws and pap- pooses, as well as your braves, will be butchered. The remainder will be driven out into the cold and the snow to perish on the prairies. It would be better now for you to break up your lodges and go in peace to your res- ervation in Kansas, which the government has provided for you."
The old chief was at first unwilling to accept this advice, and his princi- pal reason in not doing so was that his conduct would be construed into an exhibition of cowardice. He, however, finally concluded to accept the prof- fered advice, and in a short time removed beyond the Missouri River.
THE NEUTRAL STRIP.
Reference has already been made to the fact, that from time immemor- ial a deadly feud existed between the Sac and Fox Indians on the one part, and the Sioux on the other part. These were the two principal tribes in- habiting the State in early days, and the hatred they had for each other frequently embroiled them, as well as numerous lesser tribes in long and bloody wars.
In order to put an end to these sanguinary contests, and stop the effusion of blood, the United States government tendered its services as a meditator between the two hostile tribes. As a result of the first negotiations, it was agreed in August, 1825, that the government should run a line between the two tribes, and thus erect an imaginary barrier between the respective territory of the hostile tribes. After a trial of nearly five years, it was found that the untutored mind of the red man was unable to discern an imaginary boundary. The Sacs and Foxes from the south, in pursuing game northward, were frequently borne beyond the boundary line, and they were sure to have a fight with their jealous neighbors before they returned. The same was often true of the Sioux. The idea was then conceived by the agents of the government of setting aside a strip of neutral territory, between the two tribes, of sufficient width to effectually separate the com- batants, on which neither tribe should be allowed to hunt or encamp.
A treaty was accordingly made with the Sac and Fox Indians in July, 1830, whereby the latter ceded to the government a strip of country twenty miles in width, lying immediately south of the line designated in the treaty of August, 1825, and extending from the Mississippi to the Des Moines rivers. At the same time a treaty was made with the Sioux, whereby the latter ceded the government a strip of country twenty miles in width lying immediately north of the line designated in the treaty of August, 1825,
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and extending from the Mississippi to the Des Moines rivers. By the pro- visions of these treaties the United States came into possession of a strip of country forty miles wide and extending from the Mississippi to the Des Moines rivers, upon which it was unlawful for either Sac and Fox or Souix to hunt. This strip was known as. the "Neutral Ground." Certain of the inferior and peaceable tribes, as the Pottawattamies for instance, were per- mitted to remain on the Neutral Ground.
The neutral strip extended south nearly as far as the north line of Pow- eshiek county, and it was in this neutral territory that the early settlers found the Pottawattamie Indians in great numbers. The numerous maple groves were especially a favorite resort for them during the spring of the year, and after the Indians left the country the settlers used their applian- ces for hoarding and gathering the sap in continuing the business. The sugar troughs were made of the bark of elm trees, and so well constructed were they, that they lasted for a number of years. During the winter of 1846-7, some five hundred of the Indians encamped at Elk Rapids, a point on the Des Moines River, some twenty miles north of Des Moines, and although several white men had settled in that vicinity at that time, none of them were molested by the Indians. Their chief was an old man by the name of Chemisne; by the early settlers, however, he was known by the name of Johnny Green.
It was not only at Elk Rapids that Johnny Greene and his band were known, but throughout the whole of central Iowa. They were peaceable Indians, and apparently on good terms with the Sac and Fox Indians as well as the whites. Not so with the Sioux, who lived further north; they were treacherous, cruel and relentless.
THE LOTT AFFAIR AND THE SPIRIT LAKE MASSACRE.
During the winter of 1846-7 an incident occurred in Webster county which threw all the settlers of the Des Moines Valley as far south as Fort Des Moines into a fever of excitement.
A man named Henry Lott had settled at the mouth of Boone River, in what is now Webster county. His house was in range of the Sioux Indi- ans, whose chief's name was Sim-au-e-dotah. By some accident, or from wounds received in battle, or on account of some natural deformity, we know not, he had no thumb or forefinger on his right hand; on account of this deformity he was known as Old Chief Three Fingers. Lott had pro- vided himself with a small quantity of goods and a barrel of whisky, ex- pecting to drive a prosperous trade with the old chief and his band, and buy their robes and furs for little or nothing. The first visit the chief
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made him he was accompanied by six braves of his band, all painted and armed for the war-path. He informed Lott that he was an intruder; that he had settled on the Sioux hunting grounds, and warned him to leave be- fore a certain time. The time having arrived, the Indians appeared, and, finding Lott still remaining, they commenced an indiscriminate destruction of property. They robbed his beehives, shot his horses, cattle and hogs full of arrows, so that many of them died; threatened and abused his family, and drove him and his son from the house more scared than hurt. Two small girls, daughters of Lott, fled to the timber, and Mrs. Lott covered a small child, the youngest of the family, under a feather bed, and then, after contending with the savages till her strength was exhausted, was com- pelled to submit to all the indignities which they chose to heap upon her.
One of the most remarkable circumstances of the whole affair is the fact that, although the Indians were in and around the house for nearly an en- tire day, the little fellow hidden under the feather bed, not once moved or uttered a cry.
When Lott and his son reached the Boone River bluff's they looked back toward the house, which was plainly in view, and as they thought they saw the Indians tomahawking the family and heard the screams of the wife and children, they, having no arms, concluded to make their way rapidly toward the settlements, and sometime during the same night they reached Pea's Point, where some white people had begun improvements. The story they told astounded everybody.
John Pea, one of the earliest settlers of Boone county, and for whom Pea's Point was named, proposed an immediate expedition to take ven- geance on Sim-au-e-do-tah, but some of the more prudent of the people thought best to dispatch a messenger to Elk Rapids, near the border of Polk county, for the purpose of securing more reinforcements. Lott him- self proceeded on this mission and when he arrived there he found Chemisne, a Pottawattamie chief, with whom he was acquainted. This Indian was. known to the early white settlers by the name of Johnny Greene, and was encamped there with several hundred of his tribe. Upon hearing Lott's story he immediately called a council of his braves, wherein it was deter- mined that the chief should accompany the white men with twenty-six of his warriors. After several pow-wows they painted themselves in the most hideous manner, and, mounting their ponies, set off for Pea's Point to join the expedition.
The settlers around Pea's Point, fearing that the Sioux might follow Lott and his son and fall upon the settlement and murder all, had assembled at the house of John M. Crooks for better safety and defense, and were on the lookout for Indians.
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Lott, with several white men and the Pottawattamies, were rapidly ad- vancing across the prairie toward Crook's house, the Indians in the front yelling, as is their custom when starting on the war-path and not in the vicinity of danger. The settlers, supposing them to be Sioux coming to at- tack them, prepared for action, each singling out his Indian, and were upon the point of firing, when they recognized Lott and other white men and were happily disappointed to find them all friends.
John Pea and six other white men accompanied Lott and his followers to the mouth of Boone River, and found that the family had not been butchered as Lott had represented, but one of the boys, a lad about twelve years old, in order to escape from the Indians, had undertaken to reach the settle- ments by following down the river on the ice, a distance of twenty miles. The Sioux had robbed the family of everything except the barrel of whisky, which Lott had hidden. The family was in a deplorable condition.
After making an unsuccessful scout, the Pottawattamies returned to camp, Lott rewarding their services by giving them all the whisky they could carry home with them, they refusing to drink any till they returned from the expedition. They filled their cups and powder-horns with the grateful beverage and in that way carried it back to Elk Rapids, where, on their arrival, they had a rousing spree.
This incident, while it resulted in no actual harm to the settlers, of the Des Moines Valley except the Lott family, nevertheles had the effect to deter many from settling in the county the ensuing spring and summer.
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