The history of Dubuque County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., Part 39

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical
Number of Pages: 964

USA > Iowa > Dubuque County > The history of Dubuque County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc. > Part 39

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

A short time after the battle of Bad Axe, the family of Mr. Jordan, who maintained a ferry between Dunleith and Dubuque, heard cries of distress in a thicket adjoining their cabin, and, proceeding to ascertain the cause, found two Indian pappooses, one a male and the other a female, scarcely out of their swaddling clothes, lying among the leaves without protection or protectors. It is supposed they were thrown there by their mother in her flight, or else had wandered from the line of retreat pursued by the Indians, and, becoming lost, evidenced the fact that they still lived by frantic, if not pathetic, manifestations of grief. Both of the waifs were taken into the hospitable home of Mr. Jordan, whose wife determined to adopt the youthful squaw, and provide her with such means as were accessible at that period for a more enlightened experience than she would have enjoyed had she remained with her tribe. She grew to woman- hood under the care of her foster-parents, became educated, and, as " Indian Kate," is to-day recognized as one of the earlier settlers of Dubuque. Some years ago a bucolic Hiawatha laid his burden at the feet of this Minnehaha from real life ; she responded with "gentle look and accent," and told himn he was welcome; a season of courtship followed, culminating in marriage, and the twain are to-day among the prosperous residents of Grant County, Wis. Her brother was subsequently replevined by the tribe to which he belonged, thereby defrauding him of a more extended mention in future history.

During the latter portion of the summer of 1832, Thomas McCraney, with Hosea T. Camp and others, came to the mines with the intention of settling thereabouts, and began to make provision for the comfort of their families, who remained across the river until the preliminaries in that behalf had been dis- posed of.

To-day's visitor to Dubuque would hardly credit a description of the coun- try as it then appeared to the settler. The landscape now dotted with hand- some residences, beautiful gardens, expensive improvements and all that can, in the remotest degree, contribute to render life endurable, was an almost endless

344

HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY.

forest. The bluffs were the abiding-places of "God's first temples," and the bottom lands nurtured trees distributed at various points-which relieved the scene from monotony and added to the attraction of the surroundings. At the mouth of the hollow, now Dodge street, was to be seen the remains of the Indian cemetery-where the relics of barbaric life, once rejoicing in the flush of health and strength, were supported by the branches of the trees, grim and ghastly, a horrible spectacle even to those who first saw them, though inured to scenes of death and desolation. These were lowered from their resting-places and interred in the vicinity without the benedictions of a priest; and before many succeeding years the last vestiges of savage domination disappeared before the advance of universal improvement.

In the fall of the same year many of the settlers who had been driven off in 1830, returned, and took possession of their former claims. They built houses, and erected furnaces ; large quantities of lead were taken from the mines and prepared for market, and the industry and activity about the mines made them a noted place in this portion of Iowa. This was in the month of September; and among those who came was Hosea T. Camp and family, who settled in a log hut erected on the island. It is claimed by some that Mrs. Camp was the first white woman who ever settled in Iowa. But this is dis- puted by Mrs. Lawrence, at present residing on Bluff street, between Ninth and Tenth, who asserts that she came hither early in September, and passed the first night after her arrival in the cabin of Thomas McCraney, then in progress of building, on land to the rear of that on which now stands the Lorimier House, corner of Eighth and Bluff streets. Her statement is con- firmed by Mr. Jordan, the ferryman of those days, who admits that Mrs. Noble F. Dean, now Lawrence, was the pioneer white woman to be rowed across the river; in the light of which facts there can be no doubt but that the distinguished honor claimed by Mrs. L. belongs rightfully to her. At all events, the cabins of Camp and McCraney were among the earliest improve- ments made at that time. These were speedily followed, however, by the erection of huts near the Catfish by miners. They were of the rudest descrip- tion, finished without regard to any lines of architectural beauty, modest com- fort and protection from the weather being the only ends sought to be attained in their hasty construction. They doubtless served their purpose, for the enterprise of these public-spirited citizens was emulated by the late-comers, who accepted the plans upon which they had been built, without complaint or amendment, the object seeming to be to " get under cover " with the least possi- ble delay compatible with reasonable security from the rains of autumn and the coming frosts of winter.

The Langworthy brothers put np a house, also, at the head of the hollow south of the present survey of Mineral street, which the survivors insist was the first house erected in Iowa. It was one story high, about sixteen feet square, built up against a huge rock that protruded from the hillside and fur- nished a foundation for the fireplace. The roof was covered with poles and sod, and answered the expectations of the builders in the quality of protection it afforded. This house remained standing intact until about eight years ago, one of the landmarks of the progressive city, when it was torn down to give place to needed improvements. But the fireplace and chimney can still be seen by the curious, and are evidences of the rude conveniences which the early pioneers were forced to accept or go without. It wasn't long after the miners began to gather on this side of the river, before the bluffs and hollows were generously besprinkled with huts, and the labor of digging for ore was carried

345

HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY.

on with industry, if devoid of the fullest complement of hoped-for and antici- pated success.

Their presence, and to render the product a marketable commodity, neces- sitated the building of smelting furnaces, of which there was not one in the immediate vicinity. To supply their absence, Thomas McCraney erected a furnace up the hollow, to the left of and opposite the Diamond House, while the Langworthys built a similar establishment adjoining their primitive dom- icile on Mineral street; and in these rude furnaces they commenced smelting. They were constructed with two fireplaces called "eyes," into which immense logs would be rolled, the superstructure of the pyre, so to speak, being com- posed of light wood. This would be ignited, and, when the flames had attained the required headway, the furnace would be fed with lead ore, which, melting, would run down into channels, or superficial ditches, cut in the ground for its reception. This manner of reducing the ore, however, was attended with great loss occasioned by waste, and in subsequent years the ashes and slag from the old furnaces were re-smelted with profit.

The Langworthy brothers, during the period of their temporary occupa- tion of the cabin and furnace in this year, obtained 300,000 pounds of ore ; but, the Indian treaty not yet being confirmed by the Government, orders were given to remove the miners from their claims, and they hauled their property to an island opposite what is now the foot of Twelfth street, near the west shore of the river, and erected rude huts in which to pass the winter by the side of their pile of lead, while the soldiers occupied their cabin at the mines, using the same as a military headquarters.

Mr. McCraney was no less unfortunate. He had selected as his portion of the territory all that part of the present city between Seventh, Thirteenth, Main streets and the top of the hill on Julian avenue. He, too, erected a house for living purposes, and a furnace, and with his family were occupants of the former when the soldiery made their appearance for the purpose of ejecting the settlers. The squad which visited Mr. McCraney's house was under the command of Lieut. Covington. Mrs. McCraney was sick, and, being unable to be moved at the immediate command, excited the chivalrous officer to that degree of fury that he began to raze the premises. While thus engaged, miners came on to the scene and demanded a cessation of hostilities, threaten- ing vengeance if he continued his work of demolition, and agreeing to remove the family should he restrain his "impetuous temper." A parley ensued, which resulted in Covington's agreeing to curb his impetuosity, when the invalid, with her family, was taken to the island and installed in a hut, where she remained until spring. It might here be stated that Mr. McCraney eluded the vigilance of the soldiers and worked his mines until Government restraint was removed.

One day, Milton McCraney was proceeding to the mines, accompanied by a pack-horse laden with supplies for the hands, when his course was watched by this same Covington, who followed in his wake, hoping to be rewarded for his diligence. Young McCraney, however, comprehended the situation, and, after leading his secret enemy a minuet through the woods, mysteriously disap- peared, leaving him to find the way to camp at his leisure. The weather was the opposite of genial, indeed, very frigid, the thermometer ranging in imme- mediate proximity to zero, and the trials that Covington encountered before he triumphed must have been of a character calculated to excite the emphatic in his composition at the expense of the mirthful.

346

HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY.

In the spring, Mr. McCraney sold his claim, with the furnace, to Peter A. Lorimier for 30,000 pounds of lead, worth at that time about $2.50 per hundred, realizing for his estate and appurtenances, now worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, a mere bagatelle of $750. The purchaser, in subsequent years, laid off a portion of the lands thus acquired into plats and lots, the greater part of which he sold for merely nominal considerations.

In January, 1833, as has already been intimated, troops again came to the surface under Lieut. George Wilson, brother of Judges T. S. and D. S. Wilson, with orders to drive the settlers off, and hold them in check from depredating upon the mines until the date specified in the Rock Island Treaty. Upon an examination into the merits of the move, Wilson declined to act, and resigned or was removed, the authority delegated to him being transferred to Covington, who succeeded in making himself an object of general dislike in consequence of the faithful manner in which he discharged the trust committed to his discre- tion. Most of the miners again retreated across the river ; about two hundred of them, with their families, settled upon the island, remaining until the restric- tion was removed, and a few remained in the mines, defying the authorities to intrude their presence.

Much feeling was exhibited by these latter, and, whenever an opportunity presented itself, they did not hesitate to manifest their disgust. One day a party of soldiers seized a wagon in charge of Thomas Boice, a miner, and indi- cated their intention of wrecking the running-gear. " What - do you pro- pose doing ? " was asked of the squad. "Black Hawk the ram-shackle," was the response. Thereupon, Boice seized his rifle, and, covering the advance of the persecutors, announced, in the expressive syntax peculiar to the age, gener- ation and attending circumstances, that if he didn't " haul off and leave the rig unharmed, he'd be blown into smithereens or flaxed quicker than Japhet did the sheep." The soldiers, desirous of avoiding so irreparable a calamity, " hauled off " in good order, and were preserved to fight another day.

The military seemed to delight in tormenting the settlers, who, at a distance from the actual scene of operations, were kept familiar with the vandal acts of the soldiers. These included the destruction of property of no use to them but of value to the owners, such as stealing the furnace logs for firewood, injur- ies to the furnaces and huts, and other uncalled-for levies.

Upon one occasion, a member of the J. L. Langworthy household noticed a party of soldiers, under the direction of an officer, taxing his pile of furnace logs, for tribute to the fireplace within the Langworthy house, appropriated to the occupation of the officers' mess.

"Can't you supply your wants at the wood-pile without burning our logs ?"

" I don't know whether we can or not."

" How long will it take you to find out ?"

" Until warm weather."

" Well, now, look here; we have spent time and money in laying by that crop, and I don't propose to submit to any such pillaging without protest."

" How will you prevent it? What good will your protest do ?"

" I will prevent your illegal conduct by arresting you for a violation of the law. If you think I can't take you prisoner, keep on, and that question will be settled without any unnecessary delay."

After a further exchange of compliments and a quarrel that terminated with words, the officer backed down from the position he assumed and retired without the furnace logs. Indeed, the absence of actual- encounters between the citizens and soldiers was a feature remarkable as it was commendable. The

347

HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY.

miners were restrained from attack through fear of the penalties imposed by law; the soldiers, by fear of the consequences to themselves, was trouble pre- cipitated through the provocation they daily offered.

The year 1832 was, as will be inferred, an eventful period in the history of the future city and county. The embarrassments incident to establishing a settle- ment were augmented by the trials to which the settlers were subjected by the military and collateral causes. It required the most uncompromising labor and diligence to acquire even a questionable title to the domain, and, when the pioneers congratulated themselves with the belief that the worst was over, they were made to realize that the worst had but commenced. To their persever- ance in the face of difficulties calculated to appall the most hopeful ; their apparent determination to conquer every obstacle, which they accomplished with a courage that finds its counterpart in the characters who flourished during the heroic age ; to their tenacity in behalf of right as against might are succeed- ing generations indebted for all the prosperity and freedom from the trials to which their ancestors were almost constantly victims.

The first stock of goods ever brought to Dubuque arrived during the fall of this year (1832), being procured at Galena and consigned to Noble F. Dean, whose wife, as will be remembered, was the first white female coming to the present city to remain. The invoice was made up of boots and shoes, hand- kerchiefs, cotton shirts, candles, razors and the usual complement of articles now known and designated as " Yankee notions." He had erected a hut, pre- vious to their arrival, near the Langworthy smelting-furnace, on Mineral street, and in that humble establishment dealt out his goods to purchasers, receiving pay therefor, when money could not be obtained, in ore and other negotiable securities.

The first saloon that ever found an abiding place in Dubuque, materialized during the same year. It was established on what was afterward known as " Bush Island." The proprietor responded to the name of Sam Morris, and was by no means a coy or gentle Ganymede. He is represented to have been a character infallible in his judgment regarding the quality of his stock, in which he indulged a confidence limited only by the demand, as he apprehended it, and, with other peculiarities of an original and comical type, he attracted no inconsiderable number of topers to his bar. He remained in Dubuque for some time, but finally disappeared and was last heard of plying his vocation at Beetown, Wis.

During the winter of 1832-33, this grocery comprised the business portion of the settlement.

Prominent among those who came to Dubuque for settlement in 1832, were Thomas McCraney, wife and family ; J. Parker, I. E. Wooten, O. Smith and wife, Thomas Kelly, P. Quigley and family, J. Daugherty, Indian Kate, J. L. Langworthy, Lucius H. Langworthy, W. Thompson, William Carver, Leroy Jackson, J. O'Regan, E. Langworthy, L. W. Carter, Woodbury Massey, John Cunningham, J. Mckenzie, J. A. Langton, Robert Waller, George Snowdon, John James, a number of ladies who afterward married, and many others whose names have been forgotten even by those with whom they were associated. But they were men, all cast in the heroic mould from which come conquerors ; men who suffer persecutions for conscience' sake, and die in defense of their opinions. The troubles and disappointments they were obliged to endure, fell on persons of every condition-men and women, the young, the old, the infirm and helpless. But the weaker the party, the more did his spirit rise to survive the present and vindicate, in the future, a policy he recommended. That policy

348

HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY.

has, since the days of its birth, been adopted with results which are before the people of Iowa; and, of all the illustrious men who have contributed to the welfare and prosperity of the State, none have been brought in review before the eyes of posterity more justly entitled to homage and profound veneration than those who began the development of Dubuque County.

When Thomas Kelly first came to the mines to "make " his claim on what is now recognized as " Kelly's Bluff," named for himself, a locality well known to every one familiar with Dubuque, adjoining the old Catholic cemetery on Third street hill. Here he toiled early and late, until military orders compelled him to flee to the island, where he remained until the revocation of that authority, when he returned and recommenced his labors. He was a man, it is said, who came hither from Ireland among the early emigrants, seeking in America the consolations of liberty and pursuit of happiness denied him at home, start- ing for the West directly upon landing. At a time when it seemed impossible to check the commission of crime and lawlessness, as at subsequent periods, he denied himself associates, confining his attention directly to the work in hand, that of "digging for ore." At a time when the Sabbath was regarded as a general holiday, when the sound of the church bell was never heard, and the bowie-knife and pistol supplanted the breviary and prayer-book, Kelly continued at his task, unmindful of the not unfrequently tragic events occur- ring about him. This was in time noticed, and the causes of his retirement were subjects of speculation among the settlers, and others more immediately identified with him in pursuit of wealth. Some referred to him as the victim of an unrequited love across the blue waters of the Atlantic, who, ambitious of forgetfulness of his woes, had buried himself in the mines, hoping, by such means, to attain so desirable a consummation. Others regarded him as an eccentric and disagreeable neighbor, without a touch of that fellow-feeling in his composition which makes the whole world kin. Many considered him a harmless lunatic ; but his industry and parsimony elicited the conclusion that, if so, there was a method in his madness that enabled him daily to add to his accumulations. All consented to his self-imposed solitude, and refrained from impertinent intrusion or inquiry.

At length it was noised about that Kelly had discovered a " lead" incom- parably richer than any previously known. "There was millions in it," to appropriate a familiar aphorism. It was the "biggest" that the annals of mining had, up to that time, recounted. He kept his own counsel, however, but casual inquiries and inquisitive examinations tended to confirm the truth of the rumor, when he became an object of pronounced interest and well-defined envy. Thereafter he was resolved into greater secrecy ; his life assumed that of a her- mit, in which a miserly disposition, comparatively latent theretofore, was the most prominent feature to be observed. It is said that his mine was inclosed in a cave, into which he was accustomed to go and watch the sources of his wealth with that delight born of avarice and covetousness. While respected, he was avoided, and the possession of inexhaustible resources failed to attract familiar companionship.

Along about 1847 or 1848, he loaded about $15,000 worth of ore on a barge and shipped it to New York by way of New Orleans, accompanying the venture himself. The freight was landed on a vessel at the Crescent City, and the same cleared for its destination, the cargo of Kelly being insured for about $10,000. While in the Gulf, the craft was wrecked, the consignment lost, and a demand made on the companies which had written policies of insurance, for an adjustment.

349

HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY.

Arriving in New York and bearing rather a discouraged appearence regard- ing his make-up, etc., he first concluded his business with the insurance com- pany, when he proceeded to a barber-shop for renovating purposes.

One of Kelly's idiosyncrasies was the belief that he was pursued by the Masonic Fraternity for some fancied grievance they had sustained at his hands, with homicidal intents. When he placed himself under the control of the ton- sorial artist this thought must have been uppermost ; for, when one side of his face had been relieved of its twenty days' growth of beard, he heard some one (as he afterward related) exclaim, "That's Tom Kelly ;" and, concluding the Masonic villain still pursued him, he leaped from the chair, and, snatching his coat and hat, disappeared through a side door, to the astonishment of all who witnessed his exit.

While in this city his strange appearance and peculiarity of conduct attracted frequent comment importing his insanity. One day, quietly walking along a street of that city, he was followed by a crowd of boys who insisted upon annoy- ing him, notwithstanding his efforts to avoid them. Finally, while endeavor- ing to board a wagon to escape, the gamins took hold of him. and, being attacked, he drew a pistol and discharged the same into the crowd with fatal effect, the victim being a stranger who had intervened to protect his tormentors in their assault.

Kelly was arrested, and, after the usual preliminaries incident thereto and a brief sojourn in the penitentiary at Albany, he was confined in the asylum at Utica. A curator was appointed by the courts of Dubuque County to admin- ister his estate, and the man, as also his peculiarities and misfortunes, became as a tale that is told.

His experiences during restraint are not of record, but the impression pre- vails that they were not such as influence the recovery of a mind diseased.

Some time during the fall of 1854, the citizens of Dubuque were astonished at the re-appearance of Kelly in their midst, and inquiry elicited the informa- tion that he had succeeded in escaping the vigilance of the guards attached to the Bicetre at Utica, and, by circuitous wanderings, traveling at night and remaining under cover during the day, he had been enabled to make his way to the city of his adoption.

He wasted no time, however, in proffered explanation, but immediately resumed work in the mine, idle during his absence, at which he remained several years, when, on May 15, 1869, death closed a career as checkered as it had been eventful ; his remains rest to-day beneath the turf at Linwood, where a monu- ment records his name and virtues.

After the funeral, search was made for the wealth he was supposed to have stored away, and $10,000 were found, carefully tucked beneath the grass-plat of his yard, which, with his realty appraised at $8,468, was distributed among the surviving relatives. But it is believed that this is but a tithe of his posses- sions ; he never deposited any in bank, and the conclusion is indulged by those familiar with his habits and parsimony, that on some future day miners who may re-work the leads discovered and labored in by Kelly will be rewarded by a " find" of wealth, the exact locality of which at present is beyond the realms of conjecture.

Reference has already been made to the military occupation of the mines, as also the adjacent territory, during the winter and spring of 1833; the hard- ships encountered by the settlers in consequence, and other facts appertaining thereto. On the 1st of June of that year, the soldiers were withdrawn ; the superintendence of the mines was placed under the charge of John P. Shelden,

350

HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY.

who proceeded to grant permits to the miners and licenses to smelters. Large accessions were made to the population, and a miniature village, composed of sheds and tents, with all the concomitants of newly developed mines, such as saloons, gambling-houses, etc., sprang up in the midst of the forests and hollows. The population was composed of all grades and conditions of men. Soldiers whose terms of service had expired ; volunteers who had been in at the death of the Black Hawk war; emigrants from across the sea ; miners, middlemen, gamblers, outlaws and outcasts came hither to improve or increase their fortunes, and, taking the tide at its flood, hoped to attain glory and financial responsibility.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

The history of Dubuque County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., Part 39

Author: Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Number of Pages: 964

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical
Number of Pages: 964