USA > Iowa > Polk County > The history of Polk County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., biographical sketches of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men > Part 55
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The condition of the county's real estate at this time appears from the following memorandum of settlement:
"The Board of County Commissioners having this day settled with Wil- liam Mckay, agent for the lot fund in Fort Des Moines, the said agent has
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HISTORY OF POLK COUNTY.
delivered to Lewis Whitten, the successor of William McKay as said agent, notes for town lots to the amount of two thousand two hundred and thirty: three dollars and fifty-nine cents, and there appearing to be in the hands of the said William McKay, the sum of forty-two dollars and forty-seven cents. it is therefore
Ordered, That William McKay pay the said amount of money to the said Lewis Whit- ten, and the said Mckay shall have a receipt for the amount of money aforesaid, as soon as said money is paid to said Whitten, which receipt will show between the said Mckay and the Board of Commissioners of Polk County a full and final settlement up to date. October 31, 1846.
The question of maintaining or disposing of the helpless poor was one early presented to the county authorities for disposal. The first reference to paupers is found in the county records of October 31, 1846 as follows:
Ordered, That a certain pauper child in the town of Fort Des Moines, of supposed Swedish parents, who have recently died in said town, be delivered to Samuel Kellogg of Polk county, Iowa.
FERRIES.
Whoever will take the trouble of examining a map of Polk county will readily see that the country is traversed by a number of large streams, which even at this day cannot be crossed during a greater portion of the year without the medium of bridges or some other appliance. The diffi- culty in crossing streams was even greater in early days than now, as it is a fact that there were at that time more freshets and a higher stage of water in the streams than now. It has already been seen that while the garrison was quartered at Fort Des Moines, and before many settlers had located in the county, there was much trouble experienced in crossing these streams. To obviate this difficulty, it has already been stated that various persons, in consideration of erecting temporary bridges, were permitted to take claims and locate in the then forbidden country.
A river is an essential condition for the prospective site of a city. So universally is this admitted, that there are few, if any, towns or cities of any importance in the world which are not located on the banks or near some stream of water. As a rule, all large cities are located near some large body of water.
The site of Fort Des Moines was selected on account of its contiguity to two noble streams, and the capital city owes much of its prosperity to this fact. The fact is so general as to warrant being laid down as a fundamental principle, that no great advantage of any kind is without its accompani- ment of a corresponding disadvantage. This is especially true of such ad- vantages as are termed natural advantages. Such is true of the natural ad- vantages afforded by all large streams of water, and the people of Polk county early learned that the principle applied to the Des Moines and Rac- coon rivers. The work of bridging these streams, accomplished in later 'years, has to a certain extent obviated the difficulty; but the toll-gatherer still remains, as a gentle though persis tent reminder of the fact that the channels of these rivers are deep, that the current is swift, and one is com- pelled to recognize, even at this late day, the fact that all great advantages have their accompanying disadvantages. These elegant and convenient bridges, however, did not exist in early times, nor could exist until the
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HISTORY OF POLK COUNTY.
county became well populated and the people had acquired sufficient wealth to have credit with the money-loaners of the nation. While the county was settling up and the people were accumulating wealth, the passage of these streams had to be made by means of other and cheaper appliances than bridges.
The first bridge across the Des Moines river in Polk county was not con- structed till 1856; it was at the junction with the river of Sycamore street, and was simply a pontoon bridge. In 1857 a trestle bridge was erected across the river at the junction of Market street; this washed away in 1859. It was reconstructed in 1861, and was again carried away.
The elegant and durable structures which are now in use are of compar- atively modern origin, they having not been erected till subsequent to 1860. What bridges there were across the Des Moines prior to that time were frail and unsafe structures, and could not be depended on. The same was true of the bridges across Raccoon river.
A gentleman from Winterset related to the writer recently an incident which occurred in early times, which illustrates the the unreliable character of the 'Coon river bridges. The gentleman was visiting Des Moines, on some professional business, during a period of high water. Having com- pleted his business, he got into the stage preparatory to making the return trip. The stage was full, inside and outside, and just before driving upon the old 'Coon river bridge, which spans the stream on the Winterset road, some one of the passengers called out that he had forgotten something of great importance, and upon his earnest solicitation the driver turned around and drove back to the hotel, and after the passenger in question had pro- cured the missing package, the stage again started on its journey. When it arrived near the bridge, at the identical spot where it had but a few mo- ments before turned about, there was a tremendous crash and the broken and disconnected timbers of the bridge floated away on the angry waters of the turbulent 'Coon.
It is not our intention at this place to relate remarkable incidents or hair- breadth escapes, wherein the passengers of an over-crowded stage coach were miraculously saved from a watery grave, and whose safety seemed to be due to a special interposition of Providence; neither is it our intention to write a history of Polk county bridges, but what has been related is simply prefatory to the giving of a brief account of another means of transit exclusively used in early days. We refer to ferries.
These ferries were under the direct control of the County Commissioners, who, in consideration of an annual fee, licensed certain persons to operate them. The County Commissioners, moreover, upon issuing said license, prescribed the rate of toll to be charged, and in other respects looked after the details of their management. Public policy dictated that the super- vision of the ferries should be rigid, for by their mismanagement commerce and travel would be materially interfered with, and in some cases entirely interrupted.
The first person regularly licensed as a ferryman was John B. Scott, who, on February 1st, was authorized to maintain a ferry across the Des Moines river, and also across the Raccoon river, at Fort Des Moines. The record is as follows:
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HISTORY OF POLK COUNTY.
Ordered, That John B. Scott be allowed to keep a ferry across Des Moines and Raccoon rivers at the junction of Raccoon and Des Moines rivers, one year, at Fort Des Moines, upon the following conditions, to-wit: The said Scott shall pay into the county treasury the sum of five dollars, and shall be allowed ferriage upon the following rates:
For crossing a footman over either river. 5 cents.
Crossing man and horse .. 121%
For crossing wagon and one span of horses, for each river. . . 3712
For crossing wagon and four horses, for each river. 50
66
For crossing loose cattle per head. 5
66
Hogs and sheep per head. 3
66
During the following April Edward Martin was licensed to keep a ferry. The following was the order of the Commissioners:
Ordered, That Edward Martin be allowed to keep a ferry across the Des Moines river at his residence, upon the following conditions, to-wit: The said Martin shall pay into the county treasury the sum of two dollars, and shall be allowed ferriage upon the following rates :
For crossing a footman. 5 cents.
For crossing a wagon and two horses .37 66
For man and horse. 15
66
Wagon and four horses 50
5 66 Loose cattle, each ..
4
All other animals, not expressed.
4
Numerous other ferries were licensed and operated in various parts of the county, which were of great service to the settlers of the county and emigrants passing through, and at the same time they were a source of some little revenue to the county and repaid the owners of them liberal rewards for the labor of operating them and the capital invested.
The most valuable franchise belonged to Mr. Scott, who, as has already been seen, was licensed to keep a ferry across the Des Moines and 'Coon rivers early in 1847, at the town of Fort Des Moines. This ferry was much patronized by the people of the county, and as Fort Des Moines was on the most popular through route from the old settled regions to the Far West, there was an immense emigration through here, and Mr. Scott was called upon to carry them across the rivers. During the California gold excite- ment especially was there an immense business. According to some facts already given, there were in a single day as many as two hundred and fifty teams, consisting of over six hundred and fifty horses and cattle, and as many persons, crossed the ferry at Fort Des Moines. As foreign travel was always charged full rate, it appears that Mr. Scott must have made consid- erable money in operating the ferry.
At a later period, probably early in the year 1852, the people of Fort Des Moines, led probably by some of the more enterprising merchants, agitated the question of buying of Mr. Scott his franchises, boats, and fixtures, and operating at the expense of the town the ferry, free for all the people of Polk and surrounding counties, who came here for the purpose of trading. The question was finally submitted to the Town Council, which body viewed it favorably, and decided to buy out Mr. Scott. The following paragraph, which appeared in the Des Moines Gazette early in the year 1852, speaks of the consummation of this measure.
"The Town Council has finally concluded a bargain with Mr. Scott for his boats, rights, and privileges in the ferries across the Des Moines and 'Coon rivers at this place. It is proposed, we understand, to run these ferries free of charge to the citizens of this and adjoining counties who visit this place
Hogs and sheep, each.
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HISTORY OF POLK COUNTY.
on business, and tax all foreign travel a small sum, say about one-half of the usual rates, to defray the expense of keeping boats, tackle, etc., in re- pair. It is contemplated to build a ferry house on this side of the river, that whosoever may be employed to attend the ferry shall have a comfort- able place to protect him from the inclement weather, and hence be de- prived of any excuse for leaving his post. This is a good idea, and will remove the cause of general complaint heretofore that persons had to 'holler' and wait a long while in the wet and cold for the ferryman, who had gone where he could be shielded from both. We hope to see the plan car- ried out."
Aside from the many ferries which were maintained across the larger streams where the principal roads intersected, there were many skiff ferries, operated by persons who resided near by, under an authority of the County Commissioners. There were also many accommodating and public spirited individuals residing in the vicinity of these streams who kept boats for their own private use, and frequently carried the sojourner across to the other side free of expense. As the county became more generally settled and the treasury would permit it, bridges begun to take the place of ferries. All the bridges in the vicinity of Des Moines, however, we believe were erected by corporation capital and are toll-bridges. A project is now discussed in which it is proposed for the county to purchase the bridges and make them free; this will doubtless be done at a time not far distant.
ROADS.
The first roads of which we have any knowledge were the Territorial roads. These roads were established by the enactment of the Territorial Legislature independent of the authority of the countries through which they passed, and in some instances these roads were located through certain regions of country before the said country was organized into counties. Roads of this character, leading to Fort Des Moines, were projected by the Territorial Legislature before Polk county was organized. When the country through which these roads extended was organized into counties these counties usually adopted such parts of the territorial roads as lay within their bounds, and made of them county roads. Among other Territorial roads in which the people of Polk county were interested was one leading from Clarksville, in Monroe county, by the way of Knoxville, to Fort Des Moines. The first action taken in reference to roads by the authorities of Polk county had to do with this aforesaid Territorial road. The action was taken in 1848, at the July term of the Board of County Commissioners, and was as follows:
Ordered, that the survey of a Territorial road leading from Clarksville, Monroe county, by way of the seat of justice of Marion county, to Raccoon Fork, Fort Des Moines, Polk county, so far as said road runs in this county, be and the same is hereby adopted and received by this Board. That George Leslie be and hereby is appointed Supervisor on said road, from the place where the same commences, at the east line of Polk county, to the place where it, the said road, crosses what is commonly known as the Upper or North river, thence, across said river, to a place where said road crosses the north line of township 77 north, of range 23 west: That Thomas Mclaughlin be and is appointed Supervisor on said road, from the place where the same crosses the north line of township 77 north, of range 23 west, to the place of its term, ination, at Fort Des Moines.
r:Ordered, that the road district of the said George Leslie, shall be included in the following boundaries, to wit: Commencing at the southeast corner of Polk county, thence, north along the east line of said county, to where said line strikes the Des Moines river, thence' up said
1.4 80 80℃
437
HISTORY OF POLK COUNTY.
river to the mouth of the Upper or North river, thence up said river to the place where the west line of Polk county crosses said river, thence east along the southi line of said county to the place of beginning. That the road district of the said Thomas Mclaughlin shall be in- cluded within the following boundaries, to wit: Commencing at the mouth of the Upper or North river, thence up the Des Moines river to the mouth of Raccoon river, thence up Rac- coon river to the place where the said river intersects the west line of Polk county, thence south on said line to the place where the said line intersects the Upper or North river, thence down said river to its mouth or the place of beginning.
The sum of ninety-seven dollars was appropriated for the purpose of opening up the road just described. It will strike the reader that this was a small sum for so long a road, and Mr. Leslie and Mr. Mclaughlin had very large districts to supervise, but it must be remembered that ninety- seven dollars was a large sum when the Polk county treasury was in its infancy, and so sparsely was the country settled that the road districts were necessarily large, else that important dignitary called a road supervisor would have none but himself to supervise.
The first county road projected by the County Commissioners was one from Fort Des Moines to Elk Rapids, now in Boone county, by way of John Saylor's house and the houses of Conrad Stutzman, George Beebe and Andrew Grosclose. The first official action in reference to this public highway was taken by the Board of County Commissioners, in November, 1847, and was as follows:
Ordered, That Conrad Stutzman, John McLane and Andrew Grosclose be, and they are hereby, appointed Commissioners to locate and establish a county road, beginning at the ford of the Des Moines River, near the house of Wm. H. Meacham, thence on the nearest and best route to the house of John Saylor, thence to the house of Conrad Stutzman, thence to the house of George Beebe, thence to the house of Andrew Grosclose, thence in a northwestern direction toward the rapids of Des Moines river, in Boone county, till it reaches the county line between Boone county and Polk county; and the said John McLane shall act as surveyor to locate the said road. Said Commissioners, or a majority of them, shall meet at the house of Mr. H. Meacham, on or before the 22d day of November, 1847, or within five days thereafter, and proceed to lay out said road agreeably to the laws now in force, authorizing the location of county roads.
: This road, as designated in the foregoing order, was about twenty miles in length and was in a very direct line to Polk City. The road, with some important changes, is still kept up, and is, without doubt, one of the most important highways in the county.
In the course of time roads were located south and southwest from Des Moines, leading toward Indianola and Winterset. West and northwest to- ward Adel and Penoach in Dallas county. The road leading east toward Iowa City, and northeast toward Marshalltown were probably surveyed and partially improved at a still earlier time. It would be interesting to the writer, and profitable to the reader, to follow out from the earliest time the different roads successively as they were authorized and surveyed. Such a narrative, given in its proper logical and chronological order, together with all the details of petitions and remonstrances, would afford as good a history of the county as could be written. Such a narrative would contain the pames of all the leading citizens of the county, in which the reader would be asked to follow the ordinarily peaceful settlers, from their quiet homes to the county seat, and hear them testify before the courts in numerous cases of litigation, growing out of road difficulties. The records pertaining to the road matters of the county are very full and exceedingly numerous, and as this subject would necessarily require at least one hundred pages
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HISTORY OF POLK COUNTY.
of this book to be treated properly, it is deemed best, after having thus briefly alluded to the two first roads located in 1847, to leave the matter without further discussion.
CIVIL TOWNSHIPS.
In another place allusion has been made to the congressional townships; some pains were taken to clearly show what a congressional township is, when these townships were formed and how numbered.
We now come to the discussion of the civil townships of the county. It will be proper to state that civil townships have no connection whatever with the congressional townships, except incidentally in some cases where the boundaries of the latter coincide with those of the former. The civil townships, as the county settled up, were formed from time to time by or- der of the County Commissioners, or their successors in office, and their object is, as is frequently expressed in the preamble of the order for their organization, for election, revenue and judicial purposes; they hold the same relation to the county, as the county does to the State, and as the State does to the United States. The congressional townships are always of the same size, can never be changed as to location or name, may be partly in one county and partly in another county, and their only object and sole use is in describing and identifying the various divisions and subdivisions of land.
We have already shown that as early as the summer of 1846, Polk county was subdivided into four election precincts; the election precinct has been in the history of every county of the State the forerunner of the civil town- ship, and in designating the first election precincts of a county, the author- ities, as it were, lay the foundations of the civil townships. The precinct and the civil townships however, differ materially. The difference may be well illustrated by saying that the precinct sustains the same relation to the civil township as the Territory does to the State. So long as a certain definite portion of country is under the special supervision of the President of the United States, who appoints its judges and Governor, it is called a Territory; when it becomes a State it chooses its own executive officers. So with the precinct whose road supervisors, magistrates and judges of elec- tion are appointed by the Board of County Commissioners, but when the precinct becomes a civil township it elects its own road supervisors, magis- trates and judges of election. There are some, doubtless, who will regard the foregoing exemplification a work of supererogation, as it is presumed that every schoolboy and girl fully understands the matter. The writer, however, has good reason to believe that there are many old boys and girls as well as young ones to whom this elaboration of the subject will be ac- ceptable.
Civil townships were first organized in Polk county in February 1867, and the first election of township officers was held in the following April. Prior to that time all such officers in the county as justices of the peace, constables, road supervisors, judges and clerks of election, were appointed by the Board of County Commissioners. The townships into which the county was at first subdivided were six in number and were known by the names respectively of Richland, Camp, Skunk, Madison, Des Moines and Lynn.
Richland township was all of congressional township 77 north, range 23 west, and that part of congressional township 77 north, of range 22 west,
439
HISTORY OF POLK COUNTY.
which lies south on the south side of the Des Moines river. This town- ship now constitutes Richland, Allen and Palmyra townships of Warren county, it having been detached from Polk county in 1852 by special act of the State Legislature. The house of Thomas Reese was designated as the place for holding elections, and James White, E. W. Fouts and Henry R. Jones were appointed judges of election. These judges of course served for but one election, at which time and ever subsequently the people of each ship have chosen their own election judges.
Camp township was all of townships 78 and 79, range 22, and that part of township 77, range 22, which lay north of the Des Moines river. This township comprised the territory which now composes Camp and Beaver townships. The house of Patrick Kelley was designated as the place for holding elections, and William S. Wallace, Creth Renfro and Holiday Wiley were appointed judges.
Skunk township, township 80, range 22, and township 81, range 22, town- ship 80, range 23, and township 81, range 23. This township comprised the territory which now composes Franklin, Washington, Elkhart and Douglas townships. The house of Henry Birge was designated as the place of holding elections, and Benjamin Bryant, Ezekiel Jennings and Henry Birge were appointed judges.
Madison township was township 80, range 24, township 18, range 24, township 80, range 25 and township 81 range 25. This township comprised the territory which at present composes Crocker, Lincoln, Madison and Jefferson townships. The house of George Beebe was designated as the place for holding elections, and Conrad Stutzman, Henry Everly and David Marts were appointed judges.
Des Moines township was township 78, range 23, township 79, range 23, township 78, range 24, township 79, range 24, township 78, range 25, and township 79, range 25. This township comprised all the territory which now composes Saylor, Valley, Walnut, Bloomfield, Webster, Des Moines, Lee, Grant, Allen, Four Mile, Delaware, and part of Clay. Fort Des Moines was designated as the place of holding elections, and Thomas H. Napier, William H. Meacham and L. D. Winchester were appointed judges.
Lynn township was township 77, range 25, and township 77, range 24. This township comprised the territory which now composes the townships of Lynn and Greenfield in Warren county, they having been detached from Polk county in 1852. The house of James Hart was designated as the place for holding elections, and Joseph Young, Samuel Crow and William Hurst were appointed judges.
In July, 1847, a new precinct by the name of Boone was constituted, con- sisting of the territory comprised within the present limits of Boone county together with all the unorganized territory north and west. The following was the order:
Ordered, That the county of Boone and the country north and west of said county of Boone, which is by law attached to the county of Polk for revenue, election and judicial pur- poses, be and the same is hereby set off into and shall constitute a separate precinct by the name of Boone, and the place of holding elections in said precinct shall be at the house of John Pea in said precinct.
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