USA > Iowa > Keokuk County > The history of Keokuk County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c. : a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men > Part 33
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Among the Aboriginies whose swift feet roamed these western prairies, and whose facile canoes were borne toward the great Father of Waters, long before the white man claimed this goodly heritage, was a young Indian whose early life gave much promise of future greatness. At an early age he was elevated to the dignity of chief. He was a man of great personal courage, capable of more than ordinary physical endurance, and by reason of his eloquence held the first place in the council of his nation. Moreover he was the friend of our ancestors. His voice was always for peace, and his hand ever ready to defend the life and property of the white man when menaced by his savage followers, prompted by feelings of vengeance or cu- pidity; and this, too, when his judgment told him that the destiny of his own race was sealed by the coming of the pale face. He was the principal chief at the treaty which guaranteed to the white man a home within the limits of the county, the history of which we are about to narrate. During the Black Hawk difficulty his voice was for peace with the white man, and his influence contributed much to shorten the war. His name was Keokuk and as an honor to this chief the county bears his name.
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HISTORY OF KEOKUK COUNTY.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY.
The physical geography of Keokuk county is a topic which might be expanded into a book. Such a book from a competent author would afford a most interesting and profitable study for all students of natural history. In its physical features this county differs in many respects from any other section. Each and all of these features are found in other counties, but nowhere else are they similarly grouped and correlated, and in this respect they may properly be termed distinctive and characteristic. A productive soil, rich mines, numerous streams and extensive belts of timber, furnish a diversity of natural resource ample for the employment of every phase of human industry. The large and productive prairies yield sure and abun- dant returns for the investment of agricultural skill and labor; the grazier is attracted by sections of graceful undulations, where all kinds of grass grow in luxuriant abundance, near streams which furnish an inexhaustible supply of living water; stone quarries supplying sufficient material for all kinds of building purposes are of easy access; for fuel and mechanical uses there is a supply of coal and timber for all time to come. The aver- age elevation of the county is about 814 feet above the level of the sea, or about 375 feet above the low water mark in the Mississippi river at Keo- kuk. At a point in the northeastern part of the county, near the Wash- ington county line, the elevation above the level of the sea is 750 feet. Be- ginning at this point and thence west to the highest point the rise is very marked, being as much as 130 feet; from this point to the public square in Sigourney the descent is quite marked, the difference in elevation being 91 feet. The public square in Sigourney is a little over 800 feet above the level of the sea. From Sigourney to the head-waters of Steady run, in the south part of the county, the descent is gradual, the difference in ele- vation being about 75 feet. From these data it would appear that the gen- eral direction of the large streams should be eastward and the greater num- ber of tributaries should be southward; upon investigation this will be found to be the case.
The county is watered by the two branches of Skunk river, running in a general direction from west to east through the southern part of the county, and by South English river from west to east through the northern part of the county. These streams divide the county into six water-sheds, and their tributaries afford a most ample drainage to every part of the county. The banks of these streams abound with timber, rock, and in many places bituminous coal. The water-shed south of South Skunk is for the most part a rolling prairie, broken at intervals by small streams skirted with timber, presenting a landscape of surprising beauty, and a soil unsurpassed . in fertility.
The divide between the Skunk rivers, though not so inviting in appear- ance, possesses many advantages, not only in the richness of this alluvial soil, but in its abundant water power, its grazing lands, and its excellent timber and rock for building purposes.
The water-shed north of North Skunk is much the largest of water- sheds, and embraces about one-half the territory of the county. In its southern parts, bordering on the river, and for a few miles back, it is the most broken part of the county; but this apparent defect is more than compensated in the richness of its soil, its abundant timber, its superior quarries of sand and lime rock, and its exhaustless coal mines.
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HISTORY OF KEOKUK COUNTY.
English river .- This stream enters the county near the northwest corner, flows a little south of east till it reaches a point about midway across the county; from there its course is north of east, and leaves the county near the northeast corner. It is shallow, and the channel narrow. It has a medium current and the bed is sandy without rock. The banks are low, and consist of alluvial deposit, with neither stone nor gravel. On the north side there are some small tracts of bottom land of more than ordinary fertility. These are especially desirable, as the stream seldom overflows its banks. There are no bridges of import- ance, as the stream can be safely forded at all seasons of the year.
Skunk river .- The name comes from the Indian word Checauqua, which means skunk, and should never have been translated. There is noth- ing romantic nor poetical about the name, but those who think lightly of this river on account of the name, should remember that the garden city of the West derives its origin from no better source. Chicago and Chicaqua are slightly different pronunciations of an Indian word, that means the same thing. This stream is formed by the junction of two streams, designated by the names North and South Skunk, the point of confluence being in the county, about four miles from the county line. The south fork is much the larger, with this exception the streams are very similar. Their general course is eastward, the south fork being nearly directly so, while the north fork makes a considerable bend toward the north, near the center of the county. The heads of these streams are sandy, and rock is found in some places. The current is in the main very sluggish, though in certain places the fall is sufficient to afford splendid water power, which has been utilized by the establishment of mills for the manufacture of flour and lumber. At some points the land slopes gradually away from the stream, thus permitting large portions of the bottom to be overflowed during rainy seasons, and making travel across the country difficult or impossible, where there are no good roads and bridges. At other places there are rocky bluffs, which preclude the possibility of an overflow at any season of the year. These streams are properly renowned for the fish which they contain, it being no unusual thing to catch fish weighing from fifteen to twenty pounds, while there are instances in which fish weighing as much as fifty pounds have been caught. North Skunk has numerous tributaries entering it from the north. Some of the principal ones alone will be mentioned. Clear creek, so called on account of the transparency of its waters; German creek, so named after the nationality of the early settlers of this territory; Bridge creek, which received its name from the fact that it was almost im- possible to cross it at any point without the medium of a bridge; Smith creek, so named after the Smith family which early settled there; Cedar creek and Coal creek, so named from the physical structure of the soil, and natural scenery. Most of these streams are characterized by lively cur- rents, sandy bottoms and some stone. The tributaries of South Skunk enter from the south. They are not as numerous and important as the others, the following four being all worthy of mention: Richland creek, so named from the first town of the county; Rock creek, which received its name from the abundance of rock along its banks; Steady run, which received its name from the gait which it travels; and Sugar creek, which was desig- nated on account of the sugar maples originally found along its banks.
Prairies .- Over four-fifths of the surface of the county originally con- sisted of prairie lands, with the exception of an extensive level tract in the
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HISTORY OF KEOKUK COUNTY.
eastern part of the county, which would be improved by draining, also large tracts in the northwest and southeast portions of the county. The prairies are rolling and the natural drainage is abundantly sufficient to carry off the surplus water, even in the wettest seasons. There are no swamps or sloughs of any importance. These prairies are covered with a light, loamy soil of great richness, and a remarkable capacity of with- standing both drouth and an excessive amount of rain. At a depth of about four feet there is a substratum of yellow clay. There are scarcely any boulders, and scarcely any stone except in the quarries, which do not interfere with cultivation.
Timber .- About fifteen per cent of the county was originally timber; much of this has been cut off for fuel, and in the manufacture of native lumber. The timber which has been destroyed in this manner has been more than replaced by the rearing of artificial groves. In the cultivation of trees it has been found that soft and hard maple, elm and cottonwood flourish with great luxuriance, and groves of remarkable beauty and impos- ing grandeur, are now found in various parts of the county.
Stone .- With the exceptions of the north part of the county there is an abundant supply of building stone. Some of the quarries contain lime- stone, and others sandstone. At an early date these quarries were renowned, and we find some of them located on a rough plat made by Bernhart Henn, of the United States Land Office, as early as 1852. Many perm- anent improvements of other counties have had their beginnings at some Keokuk county stone quarry.
Mineral paint .-- Eight miles southwest of the county seat is an extensive deposit of clay, which is likely to prove a very fine quality of mineral paint. The deposit covers an area of about thirty acres, is sixteen feet be neath the surface, and the layer is about one foot in thickness. The clay was found while prospecting for lead, and from certain indications it would seem that the mine or bank had been marked in early days, probably by the Indians, who here procured the material from which was prepared the paint so extensively used by the Aborigines. There are some six or seven distinct colors, and a building which was painted some years ago, with a mixture of these colors, reveals the colors in a remarkable state of preser- vation. There are also indications that lead exist in the same locality.
ยท Coal .- In the report of the Geological Survey, published in 1870, we find the following statement: "Although Keokuk county lies quite within the limits of the coal field, as defined upon the geological mnap, it is not probable that it will ever take rank among the more important coal coun- ties of Iowa. This statement should not be understood to imply that no important deposits of coal exists within its limits, because it is a well known fact, that some good mines are already opened there. The county, however, lies near the eastern border of the field, where the coal formation would naturally be expected to be thinner, besides which, the sub-carboniferous limestone is so exposed along the valley of Skunk river as to show that there cannot be in many places, any considerable development of coal meas- ure strata between the limestone and the drift above. Of course no coal need be sought for beneath that limestone."
This paragraph scarcely does the coal interest of the county justice; no detailed examination of the county had been made at the time, and recent investigation goes to show that while Keokuk county does not rank as the first of the coal producing counties, nevertheless, it is destined to develop
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HISTORY OF KEOKUK COUNTY.
a supply of this important mineral, which in the quantity and quality of the material will far exceed the most sanguine expectations of the original prospectors. Extensive mines have already been opened, and are now be- ing operated at three or four localities in various parts of the county, and these lack but the important item of suitable means of transportation, to make coal mining one of the leading industries of this section.
Springs .- A glance at any good county map, will readily convince any- one that the county is well watered. But aside from the net work of streams which traverse the county in every direction, there are innumerable springs which flow the year round, and an inexhaustible supply of water may be produced anywhere by digging or boring a distance of twenty or thirty feet.
Sand .- Sand for building purposes can readily be procured along any of the streams, and an excellent quality is found in some parts, which is now being ntilized in the manufacture of an excellent quality of glass. We shall treat of this very important branch of industry further on
Geological formation .- This county is situated partly in the sub-car- boniferous grant, and partly in the middle and lower coal-measures. A line running from the northwestern part of the county diagonally across, cutting off nearly two-thirds of the county, would form a tolerably accurate boundary between the two; the southwestern part belongs to the latter. The middle and lower coal-measures, are not very distinct from each other. They both contain coal, the thickest being in the lower. They are des- cribed as being made up of beds of sandstone, shales and clay, with rarely a thin bed of limestone. The beds of coal lie between these beds of rock, just as if they were also beds of rock. There is usually a bed of shale im- mediately beneath the coal and clay, immediately under the shale. The sub-carboniferous group, in which a little more than one-third of the county lies is explained, after a manner, by reference to the definition of the term, sub-carboniferous, meaning below or under the coal. It consists of limestone of a greyish color, and is characterized by the presence of a peculiar class of fossils found therein.
Climate .- The first two winters following the settlement of the western part of the county were remarkably mild, and favored the rapid develop- ment of the country. The winter of 1848-9 was a winter of deep snow. The climate of the county has always been regarded as uncommonly healthy, the prevalence of ague, that scourge of all new countries, being chiefly confined to the territory bordering on the larger streams. There have been seasons in which crops have suffered from an excessive amount of rain, and also times when they have been cut short by drouth; also seasons which have been attended by an unusual amount of sickness, but the people of this county have, doubtless, suffered as little from these calamities as in any other section of the State. There have been instances in which certain portions of the county have been peculiarly afflicted. Such will be men- tioned under the appropriate head, at another place. Some of the older set- tlers think that there has been a marked change in the climate in the past quarter of a century, and this is probably the case, resulting from the marked change which has taken place in the physiognomy of the country.
MATHEMATICAL GEOGRAPHY.
Keokuk county is situated in the southeastern part of the State, it being in the third tier of counties, numbering from the south, and also from the
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HISTORY OF KEOKUK COUNTY.
east boundary of the State. The center of the county is in latitude forty- one degrees and twenty-five minutes, being nearly the same as New York city, and in longitude ninety-two degrees and ten minutes west of Green- wich, and fifteen degrees and ten minutes west of the National Capital. It is bounded on the north by Poweshiek and Iowa counties; on the east by Washington; on the south by Jefferson and Wapello; on the west by Mahaska. It is twenty-four miles square, and were the original surveys strictly accurate, it would contain 368,640 square acres of surface. In sub- sequent surveys, when the county was subdivided into townships, and these again into sections, it was found that there remained fractional quarters. The exact area of the county is not far from 370,000 acres. The congres- sional townships are sixteen in number, and there is a correspond- ing number of civil townships. The congressional townships are 74, 75, 76 and 77 north; ranges 10, 11, 12 and 13 west. The civil townships are Richland, Jackson, Steady Run, Benton, Warren, Lancaster, Clear Creek, Lafayette, German, Sigourney, Van Buren, Washington, Prairie, Adams, English River and Liberty. This arrange- ment of civil townships is the one adopted in 1847, there having been others previously made, of which we shall speak when we treat of the county organization. The boundaries of the following civil townships cor- respond with the congressional townships: Richland, Clear Creek, La- fayette, Liberty, English River, Adams, Prairie and Washington. The area of each is about 23,500 acres. The following, while in the main they follow the congressional boundaries, are somewhat smaller, Jackson con- taining about 20,990; Steady Run, 19,900; Warren, 19,950; Sigourney, 12,650; Van Buren, 19,680. Three townships are larger than the corres- ponding congressional township. . They are Benton, containing about 25,900 acres; Lancaster, 26,275; German, 35,280. It will be seen, by reference to the map, that in this location of the townships the commis- sioners followed natural boundaries to a large extent. From the foregoing figures it will be seen that German township is the largest and Sigourney the smallest, the former being nearly three times as large as the latter.
INDIANS AND INDIAN AFFAIRS.
Until the year 1837 the Indians held undisputed possession of the ter- ritory now included in Keokuk county. The Indians who dwelt in this particular locality were the Sac and Fox tribe. They held unquestioned sway across the western boundary of the Black Hawk purchase, westward to the Missouri river, and northward to the neutral territory which divided them from the Sioux. The eastern boundary was fifty miles this side of the Mississippi river and neutral ground, stretched east and west near where the Illinois Central railroad now extends. These Indians had no right to invade the territory ceded to the government at the time of the Black Hawk purchase, and it was certain death to be caught in the territory of the Sioux, and extremely hazardous to venture upon the neutral ground. Few if any white people in those days ventured as far west as this, and the country was comparatively unknown except as reports were brought to the frontier by roving bands of Indians intent on barter. In the main the In- dians subsisted upon the wild animals then inhabiting this country. Oc- casional patches of Indian corn were cultivated, which furnished them scanty food during a portion of the year; but wild turkeys, pheasants, deer,
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HISTORY OF KEOKUK COUNTY.
fish and muskrats formed the chief articles of diet. This was prior to the year 1837. In this year a new treaty was made whereby the Indians ceded additional territory westward. This new territory ceded included a small portion of this county. Nearly all of what is now Richland township and small portions of Clear Creek, Jackson and Lafayette were included in it. As soon as this treaty went into effect the whites rushed in and the Indians
were compelled to retire further west. It was in October, 1837, that the red man first parted with his title to certain lands now comprised in the limits of Keokuk county, and the white man first obtained the right to gain a permanent foothold. By far the larger part of the county, however, remained in the hands of the Indians. It was not till October, 1842, that the original possessors of this soil parted with their right to occupy it, and turned their unwilling steps to the far off and unknown regions west of the Missouri. This last treaty was made at the government agency, now Agency City, in Wapello county. S. A. James, Esq., of Sigourney, was present at this treaty, and gives a very graphic description of the affair. The delib- erations, he says, lasted about a week. A number of chiefs were present,
the principal of whom were Keokuk. Appanoose, Poweshiek and Panassa. The commissioner on behalf of the United States was the Hon. John Chambers, of Iowa Territory. The question of reservations was the most perplexing one to dispose of. The commissioner had been instructed not to grant any reservation, and the Indians had come to the council fully deter- mined to exact a reservation in the interests of certain heirs of Gen. J. M. Street, for whom they always manifested the greatest reverence, and in whom they had the utmost confidence, growing out of his honorable and liberal dealings with them while acting as government agent. It appears that on the death of Gen. Street, in 1840, his family procured an air-tight coffin, intending to remove the body to Prairie du Chien, where some of his relatives had been previously buried. The chief's thereupon held a council and remonstrated, offering any part of their country which might be cho- sen for a burying ground, and adding that if their wishes were complied with, they would give to the widow of Gen. Street a section of land, and a half section to each of her children. Accordingly Gen Street's remains were interred near the Agency, and no reference was made to the land promise until the time of the treaty. On the evening of the second day of the treaty, council one of the government officials came to Gen. Street's son, Win. B. Street, now of Oskaloosa, at that time employed at the Agency, and said: "I do not think we will succeed in making a treaty be- cause the chiefs demand the reservation of one section for Gen. Street's widow, and a half section for each of her ten children, and also a half sec- tion for each of Smart's children, who were half breeds." Mr. Street held a conversation with several of the chiefs, telling them he did not care for any reservation, and as his brothers and sisters were in another territory he thought they would not be particular in having the Indians carry out their contract. Keokuk and some others reluctantly consented, but old Powe- shiek remonstrated and insisted upon the reservations first demanded. Mr. Street portrayed the results which would follow a failure of the treaty, and again remarked that he did not care for the land. " What, do you decline the gift?" said the indignant old chief-for refusing a gift was regarded as a great insult among the Indians. Mr. Street says that Poweshiek re- fused to speak to him for six months thereafter, when one day Poweshiek,
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HISTORY OF KEOKUK COUNTY.
being very merry under the influence of whisky, Street presented him with a pony, and thereafter they were again good friends.
At last the Indians agreed to take a reservation of one section to be given Mrs. Street. The commissioner would not consent. Then old Keokuk arose and made a speech. Mr. James heard this speech and the impression which Keokuk made upon his auditors is graphically portrayed in an arti- cle from the pen of Mr. James, which appeared some time ago in the local papers, an extract of which will be found in the life of Keokuk, farther on. Among other things, the speaker said, pointing to the place where Gen. Street was buried: "There lies the body of our father, the best white man that ever lived, and the best friend we ever had, and without this reserva- tion, this land shall never be sold while a single one of our tribe remains."
On the next day Governor Chambers agreed to the reservation of one sec- tion and directed the Indians to make a choice. They selected that upon which the Agency buildings were situated and including General Street's grave. The government had spent some $4,000 in improving this section and the commissioner was loth to part with the land and its improvements. The Indians then proposed to pay for the improvements, which they finally did, paying therefor the sum of $2,500. Thus was effected a treaty by the provisions of which the white man acquired a right to settle a tract of land comprising the greater portion of lowa, and in which is included the greater portion of Keokuk county. In consideration of the land thus ceded the Indians were to receive $800,000 on good State stocks upon which the gov- ernment guaranteed the payment of five per cent interest per annum. In the words of the treaty, they "ceded to the United States all their lands west of the Mississippi river to which they had any claim or title." It was stipulated that they were to be removed from the country at the expiration of three years, and all who remained after that were to remove at their own expense. Part of them were removed to Kansas in the fall of 1845, and the remainder in the spring of 1846.
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