USA > Iowa > Washington County > The history of Washington County, Iowa, its cities, towns, and c., a biographical directory of its citizens > Part 33
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Names are sometimes given to towns and countries by accident; some- times they originate in the childish caprice of some one individual, whose dictate, by reason of some real or imaginary superiority, is law. However, in this instance, the county and its chief city did not receive a name by ac- cident; neither did it originate in the childish caprice of one man, but the christening took place after mature deliberation and by general consent.
GEOGRAPHY.
Washington county is situated in the southeastern part of the State, its eastern boundary being about twenty-five miles from the Mississippi river, and its southern boundary about fifty miles from the State line of Mis- souri. The center of the county is in latitude 41 deg. and 25 min., being nearly the same as the city of New York, and in longitude 91 deg. and 55 min. west of Greenwich, and 14 deg. and 55 min. west of the National Capital. It is bounded on the north by Iowa and Johnson counties; on
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. HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY.
the east by Johnson and Louisa; on the south by Henry and Jefferson, and on the west by Keoknk. It comprises the congressional townships seventy-four, seventy-five, seventy-six, and seventy-seven, of ranges six, sev- en, eight, and nine, except that portion of seventy-seven of range six, which lies east of the Iowa river. Its superficial area is about 570 square miles. The civil townships are Crawford, Marion, Brighton, Clay, Dutch Creek, Franklin, Washington, Oregon, Highland, Jackson, Cedar, Seventy- six, Lime Creek, English River and Iowa. The following civil townships in their boundaries correspond with the boundaries of the congressional townships. Crawford, Oregon, Highland, Jackson, and Seventy-six. Lime Creek, English River, Iowa, Cedar, Dutch Creek, Washington and Marion are larger than their corresponding congressional townships. Clay, Brighton and Franklin are smaller. Washington is the largest and Clay the smallest township.
PHYSICAL FEATURES.
The surface is generally rolling prairie, the bluffs being mostly in the northern and southern portion of the county and the largest and flattest prairies being in the middle and eastern parts. The average elevation of the county is about 700 feet above the level of the sea, and about 260 feet above low water mark in the Mississippi river at Keokuk. The highest point in the county is in the northwestern part, which is about 750 feet above the level of the sea, and the lowest part is in the southeastern part, which is about 660 feet above the sea level, or 221 feet above low water mark in the Mississippi river at Keokuk. From these data it would seem that the general course of the streams should be in a southeast direction, which, upon investigation, will be found to be the case, except English riv- er, whose general course is nearly due east.
Iowa river .- This stream forms a part of the eastern boundary of the county and is one of the noblest rivers of the State. At some points the scenery is remarkably romantic, and furnishes along its upper course the best of water-power.
English river .- This stream enters the county in the northwest corner and flowing in an east direction empties into the Iowa river at the eastern boundary of Iowa township. It is shallow and the channel is narrow. It has a medium current and the bed is sandy without rock. The banks are low and consist of alluvial deposits, with neither stone nor gravel. On the . north side there are small tracts of bottom lands which are very desirable for agricultural purposes, as the stream seldom overflows its banks.
Skunk river .- The name comes from the Indian word Chicaqua, which means skunk, and should never have been translated. There is nothing romantic or 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 Keokuk county, about for miles west of the Washington county line. The general course of this stream is sontheast. The bed of this stream is 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
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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY.
mannfacture of flour and lumber. At some points the land. slopes gradu- ally 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 canght.
Crooked creek .- This stream, as its name indicates, has a very irregular course although its general direction is southeast. There was formerly considerable timber along the stream which has been constantly thinned ont for rails, Inmber and fuel. Owing to the timber and fertility of the soil, the country bordering upon this stream was the first to be settled and is now the most prosperons part of the county.
Long creek .- This stream has the same general direction as Crooked creek. It is not so large a stream, but its characteristics resemble those of the former. Settlements were made along this stream also at an early date for the same reasons.
Springs .- There are many good natural springs in various parts of the county, and good water is readily obtained in inexhanstible quantities by digging from fitteen to thirty feet.
Timber .- The county is about an average one in the State for timber, although, perhaps, not so well timbered as some of the adjoining counties. The heaviest bodies of timber are on Skunk river and Crooked creek. The timber throughout the county consists mainly of black and white oak, black walnut, shell-bark hickory, linden, ash, elm, white and sugar maple, hackberry, buckeye, sycamore and honey-locust.
Climate .- The climate is what is generally termed a healthy one, subject however to the sudden change from heat to cold. The winters, however, are as a general thing uniform although there seems to have been very marked modifications in the climate during the past few years, resulting, doubtless, from the changes which have taken place in the physiognomy of the country.
At one time it was asserted, with mneh confidence, that the climate of the Mississippi Valley was warmer than that of the Atlantic States in the same latitude, but this idea has long since been exploded by observations which have been made in both regious.
From Blodgett's Climatology of the United States we learn that the "early distinctions between the Atlantic States and the Mississippi Valley have been quite dropped as the progress of observation has shown them to be practically the same, or to differ only in unimportant partienlars. It is difficult to designate any important faet entitling them to any separate classification; they are both alike subject to great extremes; they both have strongly marked continental features at some seasons and decided tropical features at others and these influence the whole distriet similarly withont showing any line of separation. At a distance from the Gulf of Mexico, to remove the local effeet, the same peculiarities appcar which be- long to Fort Snelling, Montreal as well as to Albany, Baltimore and Rich- mond."
As this county is nearly on the saine parallel as Central Pennsylvania it is fair to presume that the climate is nearly identical, provided the above be
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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY.
true. Yet observation shows that there is a perceptible tendency to ex- tremes as we go further west, owing to the lakes and prairies probably, and shows that the spring and summer are decidedly warmer, and the winter colder here than in Pennsylvania. From the open country, the great sweep of the winds, and the force of the sun, the malaria from the rich prairies is counteracted and dispelled so that the climate here is as healthy as in any portion of the known world.
GEOLOGY.
The geological characteristics of the county are varied and form an in- teresting subject of study and investigation. In this progressive age, and owing to the present advanced stage of scientific research, the intelligent people of Washington county will not fail to be interested by a somewhat elaborate dissertation upon the subject of local geology as applied to the formation of their own lands, the constituents of their own soil, and the comparisons and contrasts which will be made with other and adjoining counties. In discussing this subject we draw not only upon facts of our own observation, but avail ourselves of the best authorities at our com- mand.
Alluvium .- The deposits strictly referable to this formation in Washing- ton county, are: the soil everywhere covering the surface, and narrow belts of alluvial bottom lands skirting the principal streams; these consist of ir- regularly stratified deposits of sand, gravel and decomposed vegetable mat- ter, the whole seldom exceeding ten or twelve feet in thickness. The reader will understand that the original surface of the land consisted of rock; portions of these rocks having been detatched by the action of the ele- ments, by chemical causes and the action of glaciers in pre-historic times were afterward transported by subsequent floods; this constitutes the soil and is alluvium or drift, according to its peculiar formation.
Drift Deposits .- The entire surface of the county is covered with a heavy deposit of drift material, presenting the usual characteristics of this formation, and consisting of irregularly stratified beds of sand, gravel and clay, with an average thickness of from forty to sixty feet. Along the bluffs of the Iowa river the upper portion of the bed presents the litholog- ical characteristics of the loess, but no fossils were found to determine the identy.
The drift of this region contains a greater amount of arenaceous or sandy material than is found in the same deposit farther south, which seems to have been derived from the decompositions of the sandstones and shales of the coal-measures in the immediate vicinity. The dark color of the soil is derived from the presence of coal, which doubtless existed here in former times, and still exists in large quantities immediately to the west. That peculiar quality of soil commonly called " hard pan," and which is found further south, is duc to the absence of arenaceous material composed of de- composed particles of lime instead of sandstone.
Ontlies of these sandstones and shales must have existed all over the northern part of the county previous to the drift period, and have been broken up and redeposited by drift agencies in beds of loose sand. Frag- ments of coal are quite common in this formation and have been derived from the coal seams previously existing, but are no evidence of workable coal seams in the vicinity at present.
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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY.
Coal-Measures .- Ontlies of rocks referable to the age of coal seem to originally have been spread over a considerable portion of the surface of the county but have, to a great extent, been broken up and carried away by the drift agencies. On the northeast quater of seetion 5, in township 74, range 8, eoal was obtained from one of these outlies and the only one yet found in the county that afforded a workable seam. This has long sinee been so far exhausted as no longer to afford satisfactory returns. Although borings have been made at several points in hope of striking a coal seam no eoal has been found. It is so very probable that it almost amounts to a cer- tainty that what eoal has been found was but a limited deposit occurring in depressions of the limestone and covering but a limited extent of terri- tory; what coal was found proved to be of a very inferior quality, and contained an amount of sulphurate of iron, which rendered it unfit for smelting purposes.
Ontlies of the quartzose sandstone forming the base of the coalmeas- nres of this region have been found in the vicinity of Wassonville, in the northwest part of the county, and on Davis creek and Goose creek in the northeast part of the county, sometimes resting upon the Burlington lime- stone and sometimes on the gritstones and arenaceous limestones of the Chemung gronp beneath.
Concretionary Limestone .- This formation underlies the whole of the southern portion of the county, outcropping along Skunk river and its branches, and along Crooked creek to a point about three miles south of Washington. It is here a rough, irregularly bedded white limestone, con- cretionary in its structure, with green marly seams and partings, the lower portion passing into a soft, shaly sandstone, which readily decomposes on being exposed to the atmosphere.
The lower part of the bed is well exposed in the south bluff of Skunk river, one mile north of Brighton. The ash-colored sandy layers of this bed represent the massive magnesian portion of the formation at points farther south which forms, in counties farther sonth, so valuable a material for heavy masonry, and is here rendered entirely worthless for economic purposes by the changes which have taken place in its lithological charac- ter. The limestone forming the upper portion of this formation is usu- ally too concretionary in its structure to afford good building stone, but at some points it becomes more regularly bedded and is sufficiently massive to be a tolerably good building stone.
Fossils are not as abundant in this rock in Washington county as at points farther south.
Geode Beds .- The blne argillaceons marlites of the geode bed outcrop- ping the bed of Skunk river form the lowest rock exposed in the bed of the river. It affords no material of economical value.
Keokuk Limestone .- No rocks have been seen in the county that could be positively identified with the Keokuk limestone; but as the rocks above and below are found in situ, this formation may also exist, though proba- bly so much redneed in thickness as to be easily concealed beneath the su- perincumbent drift materials.
Burlington Limestone .- This well-marked subdivision is exposed at several localities in the county, and although it is only found from four to twelve inches in thickness, and thins out altogether before reaching the north line of the county, it nevertheless presents its usual well marked lithological and palæontological characteristics. The first exposure of the
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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY.
rock seen in the county was on Crooked creek, three iniles northwest ot Washington, at McMillen's quarries. The limestone in the above section is thin-bedded, the strata varying in thickness from three to six feet. It is a light gray limestone with some brownish layers, and scarcely differs in its characteristics from the same beds where more fully developed in Illi- nois and Missonri.
At the quarries on Goose creek, section 20, township 76, range 6, the limestone is seven feet thick and presents nearly the same lithological char- acteristics as at McMillan's quarries.
In the vicinity of Wassonville, as well as at Hawthorn quarry on Davis creek, section 31, township 77, range 6, the limestone has thinned out to a thickness of from four to six feet, and has finally disappeared in a northerly direction. This is the same limestone which, forty miles above St. Louis, in the bluffs of the Mississippi, is about two hundred feet thick.
The gritstones, near Wassonville, bear a close resemblance to their equivalent at Burlington. The rock splits in all directions on being ex- posed to the action of the atmosphere, which renders it worthless for build- ing purposes.
ECONOMIC GEOLOGY.
Coal .- Washington county is but poorly supplied with coal, the re- sources being confined, so far as at present known, to the local outlies be- fore mentioned in Brighton township; these have long since been exhausted. Although the shales and sandstones belonging to the coal-measures are found in several localities in the county, they have nowhere else afforded a workable coal seam, and from the fact that rocks older than the coal-meas- ure are everywhere exposed it is probable that no extensive deposits of coal are to be found anywhere within the limits of the county. A local outlie may occur anywhere above the limestone and its presence can only be determined by boring from the highest level in the county down into the limestone which everywhere underlies the coal in this region. The fact that these ontlies seldom afford a coal seam more than two or three feet in thickness, and the coal being of an inferior quality, is not encouraging to those who feel disposed to invest money in prospecting for coal.
Building Stone .- In the southern portion of the county the concretionary limestone is the only rock exposed that can be made available for building material, and from its uneven bedding on concretionary structure is not well adapted for this purpose. However, at some points along Skunk river the quarries afford good material for rough walls. The central parts of the county are supplied with a good building stone from the Burling- ton limestone, which outcrops along Crooked creek and several points north of Washington, as well as on Goose creek and Davis creek in the north part of the county. The best building stone is obtained in the north part of the county from the brown limestone of the Chemung group, which is sufficiently massive to afford material for heavy masonry. This rock outcrops along English river and on Davis creek and Goose creek.
Quick-lime .- The central and southern portions of the county are sup- plied with an inexhaustible supply of material for quick-lime from the concretionary and Burlington limestone, which underlies this whole rc- gion. The former is by far the best rock for this purpose and is the purest limestone.
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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY.
Brick .- Sand and elay suitable for brick are found in the drift deposits of all parts of the county; the clay may be obtained immediately below the subsoil, and sand from the lower portion of the same deposit, or along the beds of streams. These, in connection with the limestone above men- tioned, will always afford an abundance of cheap building material. Rapid as has been the settlement of the county, and numerous, as the present in- dications are, that the population will become, this building material will never become exhausted, the quality of it only becoming better as the de- posits became more extensively worked. The importance of this material cannot be overestimated, nor its value too highly prized. Nothing is of so much importance among the material resources of a rapidly developing country as cheap building material.
Soil .- The soil of Washington county is well adapted to farming and stock-raising. The soil is a rich alluvial, containing a large proportion of sand; the subsoil is chiefly sand. On account of this peculiarity of the soil, notwithstanding the; evenness of the surface in many parts, it is ca- pable of withstanding much moisture, since the soil, as well as subsoil, is porons, and water sinks through very readily; for the same reason the crops can withstand more drouth than where the soil is " hard pan," as the moist- ure from below is freely brought back by the process of evaporation. As a grain-growing country the county has no superior in the State. Wheat, oats, rye and barley are all raised with success. All kinds of grasses grow luxuriantly, and thus is stock-raising made an easy and profitable business. Horses, hogs and cattle have been largely produced for a number of years. Sheep, at times, are neglected, as, at times, they are unprofitable; then again, as the demand for wool and fatted animals increases and prices ad- vance, there is a general disposition to go into the sheep-raising business and every farmer becomes possessed of a few, while others have from one hundred to a thousand head. Those who stick to sheep-raising find that, on the average, the business is as profitable as any other kind.
The soil seems to be especially well adapted to fruit of all kinds. For many years after the first settlement of the county it was shown that, owing to the severity of the winters and the lateness of the spring, fruit could not be cultivated with profit. Experience, however, has shown that apples, cherries, pears and all kinds of small fruit are cultivated in this county with more than usual success. This is especially true of apples, more of which are produced than are consumed in the county. Considera- ble sorghum, for the production of which the soil is peculiarly well adapted, is produced, a new impetus having been given to the production of the eane by the success which has attended recent experiments in this branch of industry.
INDIANS AND INDIAN AFFAIRS.
It has been the custom of the general government in dealing with the Indians west of the Mississippi river to treat them as independent nations.
In these negotiations with the aborigines of Iowa the authorities, at vari- ons times, entered into treaties with the Sioux, in the north, and with the Sacs and Foxes, in the south, the government purchasing the land from the Indians just as Louisiana was purchased from France. The land now com- prised within the limits of Washington county was a part of three distinct purchases, made at three different times. The Black Hawk purchase was ac-
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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY.
quired by means of the first treaty made with the Sac and Fox Indians in reference to Iowa lands. This treaty was made September 1, 1832, and in- cluded a portion of country bounded as follows: Beginning on the Mis- sissippi river, where the northern boundary line of the lands owned by said Indians strikes said river, thence up or westward on said line fifty miles, thence in a right line to the Red Cedar river, forty miles from the Mississippi river, thence in a right line to the northern part of the State of Missouri, at a point fifty miles from the Mississippi river, thence by the said boundary line to the Mississippi river, and thence np the Mississippi river to the place of beginning. The western boundary line was a very ir- regular one as it followed the same general direction as the Mississippi river. It ran a little west of the present location of Washington; and its general direction was a little west of south.
The second purchase was made in 1837, October 21, and included the rc- maining portion of the present county of Washington, with the exception of a small portion in the northwestern corner. The western boundary of the Black Hawk purchase being a very irregular line, the treaty of 1837 was designed for the purpose of straightening said boundary line. By this treaty the Indians ceded a tract of country west and adjoining the Black Hawk purchase, containing one million two hundred and fifty thousand acres. Upon survey, however, the number of acres proved insufficient to make a straight line, as was originally intended. The Indians stipulated to remove within one year, except from Keokuk's village, which they were allowed to occupy five months longer.
The last treaty made with the Sac and Fox Indians comprehended all the rest of their lands in the State, and included a small portion of the northwestern part of the present county of Wash- ington. This treaty was made at Agency City, in the present limits of Wapello county, and was concluded October 11, 1842, proclamation of its ratification having been made March 23, 1843, and pos- session was given to all that part lying east of Red Rock, now in Marion county, on May 1, 1843. The last date, therefore, is the period when the whole of Washington county was thrown open to white settlement.
The principal chief in this treaty was Keokuk. S. A, James, of an ad- joining county, heard this chief make a speech on that occasion, which he pronounces an unusually eloquent address. He says, that in his opinion, " the former standing of Keokuk as an Indian orator and chieftain, as a dignified gentleman and a fine specimen of physical development, was not in the least overrated." During the Black Hawk trouble his voice was for peace with the white man, and his influence added much to shorten that war. As an honor to this chief, and owing to his influence in bringing about that treaty, a neighboring county was called Keokuk.
Until the conclusion of the Black Hawk treaty the Indians held undis- puted sway in Iowa. Few, if any, white people in those days ventured as far west as this, and the country was comparatively unknown, except as re- ports were brought to the frontier by roving bands of Indians, intent on barter In the main the Indians subsisted upon the wild animals then inhabiting this country. Occasional patches of Indian corn were cultivated, which furnished them scanty food during a portion of the year; but wild turkeys, pheasants, deer, fish and muskrats formed the chief articles of diet.
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