USA > Iowa > Henry County > The history of Henry county, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c. > Part 37
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Again, were the prairies formerly covered by forest trees, we should probably now find some remains of them buried beneath the soil, or other indications of their having existed .. Such is not the case, for the occurrence of fragments of wood beneath the prairie surface is quite rare. And when they are found, it is in such position as to show that they had been removed to. some distance from the place of their growth.
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HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
It has been maintained by some that the want of sufficient moisture in the air or soil was the cause of the absence of forests in the North west ; and it is indeed true that the prairie region does continue westward, and become merged in the arid plains which extend along the base of the Rocky Mountains, where the extreme dryness is undoubtedly the principal obstacle to the growth of anything but a few shrubs peculiarly adapted to the conditions of climate and soil which prevail in that region. This, however, cannot be the case in the region of the Mississippi and near Lake Michigan, where the prairies occupy so large a surface, since the results of meteorological observations show no lack of moisture in that district, the annual precipitating being fully equal to what it is in the well-wooded country farther east in the same latitude Besides, the growth of forest trees is rich and abundant all through the prairie region under certain conditions of soil and position, showing that their range is not limited by any general climatological cause.
Taking into consideration all the circumstances under which the peculiar vegetation of the prairie occurs, we are disposed to consider the nature of the soil as the prime cause of the absence of forests, and the predominance of grasses over the widely-extended region. And although chemical composition may not be without influence in bringing about this result, which is a subject for further investigation, and one worthy of careful examination, yet we conceive that the extreme fineness of the particles of which the prairie soil is composed is probably the principal reason why it is better adapted to the growth of its peculiar vegetation than to the development of forests.
It cannot fail to strike the careful observer that where the prairies occupy the surface, the soil and superficial 'material have been so finely comminuted as to be almost in a state of ac impalpable powder. This is due, partially, to the peculiar nature of the underlying rocks and the facility with which they undergo complete decomposition, and partly to the mechanical causes which have acted during and since the accumulation of the sedimentary matter from the prairie soil.
If we go to the thickly-wooded regions, like those of the northern peninsula of Michigan, and examine those portions of the surface which have not been invaded by the forest, we shall observe that the beds of ancient lakes which have been filled up by the slowest possible accumu- lation of detrital matter and are now perfectly dry, remain as natural prairies and are not trespassed upon by the surrounding woods. We can conceive of no other reason for this than the extreme fineness of the soil which occupies these basins, and which is the natural result of the slow and quiet mode in which they have been filled up. The sides of these depressions, which were lakes, slope very gradually upward, and being covered with a thick growth of vege- tation, the material brought into them must have been thus caused. Consequently, when the former lake has become entirely filled up and raised above the level of overflow, we find it cov- ered with a most luxuriant crop of grass, forming the natural meadows from which the first settlers are supplied with their first stock of fodder.
Applying these facts to the case of the prairies of larger dimensions farther south, we infer, on what seems to be reasonable grounds, that the whole region now occupied by the prairies of the Northwest was once an immense lake, in whose basin sediment of almost impalpable fineness gradually accumulated ; that this basin was drained by the elevation of the whole region. but, at first, so slowly that the finer particles of the deposit were not washed away, but allowed to remain where they were originally deposited.
After the more elevated portions of the former basin had been laid bare, the drainage becoming concentrated into comparatively narrow channels, the current thus produced, aided, perhaps, by a more rapid rise of the region, acquired sufficient velocity to wear down through the finer material on the surface, wash away a portion of it altogether, and mix the rest so effectually with the underlying drift materials, or with ahraded fragments of the rocks in places as to give rise to a different character of soil in the valleys from that of the elevated land. The valley soil being much less homogeneous in composition and containing a larger proportion of course materials than that of the uplands, seems to have been adapted to the growth of forest vegetation; and in consequence of this we find such localities covered with an abundant growth of timber.
Wherever there has been a variation from the usual conditions of soil, on the prairie or in the river bottom, there is a corresponding change in the character of the vegetation. Thus on the prairie we sometimes meet with ridges of coarse material, apparently deposits of drift, on which, from some local cause, there never has been un accumulation of fine sediment. In such localities we invariably find a growth of timber. This is the origin of the groves scattered over the prairies, for whose isolated position and peculiar circumstances of growth we are unable to account in any other way.
The condition of things in the river valleys themselves seems to add to the plausibility of this theory. In the district which we have more particularly examined, we have found that where rivers have worn deep and comparatively narrow valleys, bordered by precipitous bluffa, there is almost always a growth of forest; but where the valley widens out, the bluffs become less conspicuous, indicating a less rapid erosion and currents of diminished strength ; there decomposition takes place under circumstances favorable to the accumulation of prairie soil, and the result has been the formation of the bottom prairie, which becomes so important a feature of the valleys of the Mississippi and Missouri below the limits of Iowa. Where these bottom
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HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
prairies have become, by any change in the course of the river currents, covered with coarser materials, a growth of forest trees may be observed springing up, and indicating by their rapid development a congenial soil.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY.
Continuing our consideration of the material formation of Henry County, we naturally pass from the geologic description to a brief notice of its super- ficial character. The region is far enough removed from the Mississippi River to partake of the nature of prairie lands, but is diversified with such unevenness of surface as always accompanies well-watered and well-wooded sections.
Nature was lavish of her gifts upon this lovely portion of Iowa. She bestowed upon it fertility of soil, abundance and purity of water, large quarries of building-stone, excellent strata of coal in the western townships, vast beds of brick-clay, areas of timber that are far beyond the requirements of man ; and, above all else, a salubrious climate, where the farmer, the tradesman and the capitalist cannot only pursue his respective vocation, but can also do so with pleasure and immunity from malarious danger, without fear of an epidemic to to destroy health or of a tornado to ruin his property.
Henry County is divided into twelve civil, as it is into an equal number of Congressional, townships. The form is different from many of the counties of the State, and is symmetric and agreeable to the eye, as viewed in the form of a map. The townships are arranged in tiers of three east and west, thus mak- ing the total dimensions twenty-four miles north and south by eighteen miles east and west.
Beginning at the northeast township, the civil divisions are named as fol- lows, and described according to surveyor's numbers of town and range:
Scott Township, Town 73 north, Range 5 west.
Wayne Township, Town 73 north, Range 6 west. Jefferson Township, Town 73 north, Range 7 west. Canaan Township, Town 72 north, Range 5 west. Marion Township, Town 72 north, Range 6 west. Trenton Township, Town 72 north, Range 7 west. New London Township, Town 71 north, Range 5 west. Center Township, Town 71 north, Range 6 west. Tippecanoe Township, Town 71 north, Range 7 west. Baltimore Township, Town 70 north, Range 5 west. Jackson Township, Town 70 north, Range 6 west. Salem Township, Town 70 north, Range 7 west.
The county is bounded on the north by Louisa County for six miles and by Washington County for twelve miles; on the east by Louisa County for six miles and by Des Moines County for eighteen miles ; on the south by Lee County, except for about two miles on the extreme southeast corner, where the Skunk River forms the boundary between Lee and Des Moines Counties ; and on the west by Van Buren County for six miles and Jefferson County for eight- een miles.
Without making allowance for fractional townships on the north correction line, and accepting the average as nearly regular, the superficial area of the county is about 276,480 acres.
The surface of the country is all that the farmer can desire. It is just suf- ficiently undulating to afford ample drainage, but is not hilly. In certain locali- ties, near the larger streams, the elevations rise to an altitude which might be termed bluffy by prairie farmers, but to those settlers who came from the Eastern States, the rolling lands of Iowa are a desirable compromise between the rocky
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peaks of Eastern New York, Pennsylvania and New England, and the monot- onous stretches of the Far-West prairie regions.
This may, of course, be termed a prairie region; but it is that most delight- ful of varieties which is denominated diversified prairie. Along the streams there are bottom-lands of considerable width and inexhaustible fertility ; but the major portion of the land is high and well drained, waving backward from the river-beds in a grand panorama of richly-cultivated farms, interspersed with belts of native forest timber.
The scenery from many an elevation throughout the county is worthy of the pencil of an artist. Could the peaceful pastoral scenes be transferred by skillful limner to canvas and hung upon the walls of some metropolitan gallery, the critic and connoisseur would pause with delight to do honor to the vision. The grandeur of the mountain ranges which so enchanted Bierstadt, it is true, is not to be discovered in this State; nor does the solemn stateliness of the forest, which Bryant loved so dearly, awe the observer with its sublimity. Nature seems to have wearied in her creation of the marvelous and here rested her senses with a far more peaceful scene. The native groves allured the timid deer, nor offered them alarm hy sudden change of view from pastoral to weird. The open lands, as though fresh from the hands of trained floriculturists, bloomed with perpetual flowers, and the eye was gladdened with the quiet. beauty and harmony of the scene.
It needed no vivid imagination on the part of those who saw this region at its earliest settlement to persuade them of their entrance upon the land of Ca- naan. There was an atmosphere of semi-civilization pervading all things, which inspired one with a belief that this was once the home of industrious peoples who had, from some unknown cause, suddenly retired from the spot, leaving their richly-tilled farms to become half wild again from lack of atten- tion. The pioneers were not poetic, as a general thing; but there is. scarcely one of them to-day who does not speak of the entrancing specta- cle offered ont heir arrival here. It seemed to them that the bountiful hand of Nature had been opened with such prodigality and generosity that no alternative was left them but to accept the invitation to remain and partake of the feast.
The soil of the uplands is deep and rich, composed of such elements as are required for the production of all cereals, vegetables and grasses peculiar or possible to be cultivated in this latitude. The fallacy that a perennial sod cannot be grown in this climate has been fully exposed. The native grasses and the infinite varieties of the floral tribe become extinct, without cultivation, in the course of time; but where a more speedy process of extermination is desired, the ordinary methods of cultivation will soon place a sod over the rich bottom-lands or hillocks that will afford the amplest pasturage for flocks and herds. This subject is more fully treated in another chapter.
The county is amply watered. The principal stream which flows through it is the Skunk River. It enters on Section 19, Trenton Township, passes through no less than thirty-seven sections in its meandering course southeast, and finally leaves the county on the line between Sections 34 and 35, Baltimore Township. The lesser streams are innumerable, chief among them being Crooked, Sugar, Mud, Linn, Brandywine, Little Potomac, Big (with several branches) Wolf, Big Cedar, Brush and other creeks. The western and southern townships are the most rugged.
There are 44,178 acres of native timber, 312 acres of planted timber, and 218,998 rods of planted hedge in the county.
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The county is well adapted to fruit-growing, especially the hardier varieties; but it naturally requires care and attention to succeed in this branch of hus- bandry. The agricultural statistics show that this is one of the foremost counties in general fertility.
PRIMORDIAL MAN.
The little span of time which compasses the existence of white men west of the great river, or the longer but still insignificant period which dates the arrival of the Indian tribes upon these plains, appears so meager when com- pared with the geologic æons we have this moment thought of-a thought sug- gested by the opening chapter-that we seek for a more consistent gradation of events. The desired link is found in the record of a now unknown race, which have left no further evidences of life behind than those which serve to excite curiosity and speculation, but which, at the same time, baffle the profoundest archeologist and leave but the dust of theory in the hand of him who would produce the solid manifestation of fact.
The remains of those whom scientists term "Mound-Builders" are found in great abundance along the shores of the Mississippi River and its larger tributa- ries. "This State is rich in relics. The Iowa and Cedar Rivers, in the more northern portion, and the Des Moines in the southern, are marked with many mounds. From these tumuli are taken bits of human skeletons, fragments of pottery, arrow-heads, stone implements of the chase or for domestic uses, and even inscribed tablets on which are traced characters of a mystic nature.
It is not strange that the valley of Skunk River should also bear evidences of the presence of the Mound-Builders; but it is scarcely probable that any very celebrated mounds will ever be found there. The stream is not large enough to warrant such a belief. Near Salem, a mound was recently investigated, and several human skeletons were found, but in such a remarkable state of preser- vation as to raise grave doubts of their antiquity. Probably they were the remains of early Indian tribes. Pieces of pottery have been found that are, unquestionably, of a more remote period. These relics are now in the museum of the Ladies' Library Association, in Mount Pleasant.
Numerous investigations along the Des Moines, in Wapello and Van Buren Counties, have been made by Mr. Samuel B. Evans, of the Ottumwa Democrat and Times, a gentleman of considerable experience in archaeological matters. He has in his museum two skulls which were found near Keosauqua, and which are worthy of careful inspection by scientific men. Those craniums conform very nearly to the noted Neanderthal, or Cave, skull of Prussia, and will be described in the forthcoming report of the Smithsonian Institution, by the pen of Mr. Evans.
This region will continue to excite the curiosity of investigators, and will richly repay them for elaborate work. The trouble thus far has resulted solely from the hurried and inexperienced nature of the research made. Skilled men should make this section the theater of proper labor, and devote ample time and money to the purpose in hand.
Mr. Evans recently opened a large mound near Eldon, in which, according to Mr. James Jordan, a reliable authority in such matters, the Iowa Indians slain by Pashapaho and Black Hawk, in the first battle of the latter, were buried. The exact date of this massacre-for it was nothing else-is not obtainable ; but it was during Black Hawk's boyhood, since he was allowed to
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appear in war-paint at fifteen years of age, and ever after vigorously followed the war-path. Taking the date of his birth, 1775, and giving ample time for him to win the confidence of Pashapaho, it could not have been later than 1795 when the Iowaville struggle occurred. We give these figures on the strength of the facts set forth in the Indian history which follows this chapter, and is relia- ble, and not on the authority of the Indian records in the State History which precedes this section. We have been able to correct several popular errors in that compilation.
We find, therefore, that the mound opened by Mr. Evans must have been from eighty-three to eighty-five years old. It was found that the earth was as loose and easily removed as though it had been thrown up but a few years. And herein lies the distinguishing feature between a genuine Mound-Builder's tumulus and an Indian place of burial : the mound is as compact and difficult of removal as though it had been standing from the beginning of time. It is much more compact than the mold upon which it stands ; for the real mound is not an excavation filled up, but is a foreign structure laid upon the virgin earth. Centuries of time alone could have given such solidity to the mounds, as is shown by the looseness of the Iowa burial-heap.
There are usually found strata of ashes, cinders and charcoal in the real mounds, if they chance to be places of sepulture. There are three classes of mounds, be it understood : those of burial, those of sacrifice and those of obser- vation. All do not contain relics, but all are equally compact in formation.
Future researches may disclose more satisfactory evidences of the presence of this singular race in Henry County.
INDIAN OCCUPANCY.
Human improvement, rushing through civilization, crushes in its march all who cannot grapple to its car. This law is as inexorable as fate. "You col- onize the land of the savage with the Anglo-Saxon," says Stephen Montague ; " you civilize that portion of the earth ; but is the savage civilized ? He is- exterminated ! You accumulate machinery, you increase the total of wealth, but what becomes of the labor you displace ? One generation is sacrificed to the next. You diffuse knowledge, and the world seems to grow brighter ; but Discontent at Poverty replaces Ignorance, happy with its crust. Every improvement, every advancement of civilization, injures some to benefit others, and either cherishes the want of to-day or prepares the revolution of to-morrow."
It is, as it were, but yesterday since the lovely plains of Henry County were the theater of a mournful scene. The displaced red man, for whom no longer existed room in this region, solemnly chanted his farewell dirge over the grave of his fallen brother, gathered about his own form the tattered fragments of a once distinctive garb and moved slowly from the home so dear to him. The years are few in number since the sorrowful cortege passed onward toward the setting sun, in that march of fate which is destined to end in extermination ere the boundaries of the land are reached. Mournfully he beheld, growing fainter and dimmer as he progressed, the groves and plains and hillocks that were once the pride of his heart-the lands which he had been taught to claim as his own. Sadly he journeyed on, leaving behind him the scenes of victory, the places of defeat. All was gone. There remained but a dim recollection of traditionary great- ness, and before him stretched the gloom of an uncertain future. As the land-
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scape faded from his lingering gaze, the wretched outcast from among men realized that his life-act was completed. In the gathering darkness of the east, he felt, rather than saw, the all-enveloping gloom. Even that phantom, Hope, which so cheers the blighted hearts of men in times of woe, refused to follow the decaying fragment of a race whose course was run, and faded in the twilight, while yet the exile cast his last longing look behind.
There still live many persons who witnessed the strange sight of a remnant of a race of men departing forever from their early homes, and such will, doubtless, be disposed to sneer at the pen which finds a source of melancholy in the contemplation of this event. But worthy hands have written lines of living power upon the theme ; nor can the harsh character of fact denude the subject of a glamour which poetry and romance have cast around the dusky victim and his fate. There is a grandeur in the record of the race which the stern force of truth is powerless to dispel.
THE SACS AND FOXES.
The tribes of the Sacs and Foxes once held dominion over the entire terri- tory now included in the limits of this State. The region composing the county of Henry was never the scene of events which have become historic, but its fertile prairies and fine groves were for years the favorite hunting-grounds of the savages. To omit all mention of the red man from these pages would be a grave error, for once the land was held, by right of conquest or peace- ful interchange of privileges, as sacred to the aborigines. In the far-off time, the spectacle presented by the child of nature was different from that which greeted the vanguard of civilization. Those men who were compelled to meet the groveling band which had survived the first shock of defeat, saw only the ruin which the strong had wrought upon the weak. The native power had fled ; a subjugated race was subsisting in its helplessness upon the bounty of its con- querors. There was no spot on earth left for them. Foot by foot their mighty possessions were taken from them, not in the din and whirl of battle, but by the humiliating processes of peace. Here, at last, they stood, with bowed heads, meekly awaiting the decree which should compel them to resume their endless march. Behind them was the tradition of their strength ; before them, annihilation of their clans. Even their warlike instincts were dwarfed in the presence of their masters. Had they disputed titles with the whites, the mem- ories clustering about them now would be far different. But that resort to arms, that defiant struggle to the end, that disappearance in dramatic furor- all was denied them. Had they been other in nature than they were, this placid surrender to fate would seem less pitiful. Once fierce and bloody, then subdued, their stolid acceptance of destiny carried with it a mournful air that will be breathed through history's pages while our race shall live.
The Indian is the embodiment of the dramatic, and when the curtain is rung down upon a scene so spiritless and tame as this of which we write, the admiration which is his due is turned to pity. The actual spectators of the drama find it impossible to forget the sordid character of the players, it is true ; but at so short a remove of time as this which has already elapsed since this county was the theater of the play, a shade of romance is imparted and the events become absorbing in their interest.
KEOKUK, THE ORATOR CHIEFTAIN.
Among the noted chiefs of later years, Keokuk held a foremost place. He was the grand sachem of the Sacs and Foxes, the chief pre-eminent over all
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the tribes. He was of commanding presence, but given rather to the pleasures of the chase than the dangers of the battle-field. Still, he was not deficient in personal bravery, and held his place with firmness both by reason of his ability to lead on all occasions and his wonderful eloquence as a speaker.
From a sketch of Keokuk, published in the "Annals of Iowa," 1865, by Uriah Biggs, one of the pioneers of Van Buren, the following interesting extracts are made :
" Keokuk is deserving of a prominent page in the history of the country, and a truthful history of his life would be read and cherished as a memento of one of nature's noblemen. As an orator, he was entitled to rank with the most gifted of his race. In person, he was tall and of portly bearing, and in his public speeches he displayed a commanding attitude and graceful gestures. He spoke rapidly, but his enunciation was clear and distinct and very forcible, culling his figures from the stores of nature, and basing his arguments in skill- ful logic. He maintained in good faith the stipulations of treaties with the United States and with the neighboring tribes. He loved peace and the social amenities of life, and was fond of displaying those agreeable traits of character in ceremonious visits to neighboring chiefs, in which he observed the most punctilious etiquette and dignified decorum. He possessed a ready insight into the motives of others, and was not easily misled by sophistry or beguiled by flattery ; and in the field of wit, he was no mean champion. It is not my purpose to write a history of his life, but I will give one anecdote in illustration of these traits of his character.
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