USA > Missouri > Nodaway County > Past and present of Nodaway County, Missouri Volume I > Part 35
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Another class (and it seems with much logic) contends that these prices are the inevitable result of an increased population, which in all countries means high-priced lands. Only so many people can subsist off of an acre of land, and the days of cheap farm lands and, very likely, cheap meats is a thing of the past in the United States.
IOWA-MISSOURI STATE LINE DISPUTE.
What is sometimes known as the "State Line war," between Iowa and Missouri, involved the question of the correct geographical boundary line between the two states. It occurred in 1838 while both were yet territories and came about by reason of a misunderstanding of one clause in the act de- scribing the line. The immediate cause of the trouble was in the collection of taxes. It came near causing a civil war. The militia was called out and volunteers, the combined forces amounting to two thousand five hundred men. five hundred of whom actually were armed and encamped in Van Buren county. Iowa, ready to defend the territory. Missouri. officers attempted to collect taxes in Iowa (mistaking the line), and were arrested and placed in jail by the sheriffs of Iowa, after which the respective governors called out the troops, preparing for bloodshed. As understood by the people of Iowa. the territorial constitution intended that the boundary line should be on a direct line running due west from the rapids in the Des Moines river. above Keokuk, to a point on the Missouri river, but just where the line touched certain counties was not understood by the citizens of Missouri, who in many cases had settled on what proved to be Iowa soil. There they had made im-
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provements and built for themselves homes. It made a difference of a strip of land from about eight to ten miles in width across the entire state. Slaves were in some instances held on this strip and lowa was an abolition state from the earliest territorial days.
But before blood was shed over this question, three prominent men were sent from lowa to Missouri as envoys plenipotentiary, to effect, if possible, an adjustment. Upon their arrival in Missouri, they found the commissioners of Clarke county. Missouri, had already rescinded their order for the collec- tion of taxes and that the governor had dispatched a messenger to the gover- nor of Iowa, preparing to submit a test case to the United States supreme court. This offer was at first declined, but later a petition by both territories was submitted and finally resulted in a victory for lowa. The court ordered commissioners to survey the boundary line as it is now known and a series of iron mile posts were set the entire width of the state line. Thus, even that long ago, arbitration was more preferable than war and bloodshed.
As a bit of pleasantry growing out of this incident. Hon. C. C. Nourse. of Des Moines, many years later, wrote in the "Annals of Iowa." an histori- cal publication, as follows :
"If Missourians did not know where the rapids in the Des Moines river were located, that was not sufficient reason for killing them off with powder and lead : and if we did know a little more about history and geography than they did, we ought not be shot for our much learning."
CITY AND TOWN PLATS OF THE COUNTY.
The following is a brief record of the various town and city plats that have been surveyed and laid off within Nodaway county :
ARKOE-Situated on sections 15 and 22, of township 63. was platted by Scott K. Snively, January 17. 1878.
BRIDGEWATER-Platted on section 22, township 63. range 35. August 10. 1876, by James Elrod and Caleb Wilson.
BARNARD-On sections 14 and 15. of township 62. range 35. April 10. 1870, by the Barnard City Improvement Company.
BURLINGTON JUNCTION-Platted July 3. 1879. by William Davis and Charles D. Caldwell, on sections 9. 15 and 16 of township 65. range 37.
CLEVELAND-Platted May 16. 1879. by John H. Ware and James H. Herriff. situated in Nodaway township and is now a part of Burlington Junc- tion-that lying to the west of the main town.
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CONCEPTION-Platted in 1856 and replatted regularly in 1879, is situated on section 24. township 63 range 34. It was originally platted by Father J. D. Powers of the Catholic church, a representative of the land association of this church, as the founder. They came from Reading, Pennsylvania, with a colony.
CALLA-Platted January 21. 1882, by Thomas S. Wright, on section 6, township 63, range 34 (defunct).
CLYDE was platted upon the completion of the Wabash railroad through the county.
CLEARMONT-On section 25. township 66, range 37, and section 30, township 66, range 36, was platted by Stephen Call and F. McCauley, în the spring of 1857.
DAWSON-Platted by Duncan F. McCrea and William M. Walker, De- cember, 1879, on section 5. township 65. range 37.
ELMO-Platted on section 20, township 66, range. 37. sixteen acres and a fraction, by the Western Improvement Company, recorded December I, 1879.
GRAHAM-Platted August 18, 1878, on sections 2 and IT, township 62. range 37.
GUILFORD-Platted September 21. 1887. by Quintin Wilson, on section 21, township 62, range 34.
HOPKINS-Platted on section 1, township 66, range 35. in 1870-71.
LAMAR STATION-On the northwest corner of the southwest quarter of section 27, township 66, range 37, was platted January, 1871, by John M. Lamar.
MARYVILLE-"Second survey." so called, was platted by order of the county court. November 2. 1869. embracing all that portion east of Vine street, on the one side, and all north of Sixth street on the other. (See "City of Maryville" for original plattings. )
PICKERING-Was platted on section 9. township 65. range 35. by An- drew Royal, August 12. 1871.
PARNELL CITY-Platted by Parnell City Improvement Company, July 5. 1887.
NEW CONCEPTION-(Now known as Conception Junction ) was platted as a railroad town. by Claude N. Comstock, in August. 1895. on section 14, township 63. range 34.
QUITMAN-Was platted on section 9. township 26, range 37, by Robert R. Russell in 1856.
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ROSEBERRY-Was platted October 27, 1879, by the Western Improve- ment Company, on section 14, township 65, range 37.
RAVENWOOD (CITY)-Was platted by Peter Hawk, on section 13. town- ship 64, range 34, August 20, 1887.
SKIDMORE-Platted July 28. 1880, by M. Skidmore, on section 9, town- ship 63, range 37.
WILCOX-Was platted on section 32, township 65. range 36, by the Western Improvement Company, November 26. 1879.
The above are the original plattings of the county, but to the most of these townsites have been added may sub-divisions and additions.
CITY, TOWN AND VILLAGE IN CORPORATIONS.
At this date the incorporated places of Nodaway county are as follows : Maryville, fourth-class city ; Hopkins, fourth-class city : Burlington Junction, fourth-class city ; Skidmore, fourth-class city; Barnard, town; Clearmont, town; Clyde, town; Elmo, town; Graham, town; Guilford, town; Pickering, town ; Parnell City, town : Quitman, town ; Ravenwood, town : Arkoe, village ; New Conception, village.
"THE FORTY-NINERS -DISCOVERY OF GOLD.
Upon the discovery of gold in California, in 1848. the news spread to all parts of the United States with great rapidity, considering the slow means of transmitting mails in those days. The following year (1849) thousands of men from the "States" might have been seen wending their way to the golden strand of the Pactific coast in search of the precious metal. Excite- ment ran high. It became so universal that it was termed "the gold fever" and it was soon spreading its way to the faraway Atlantic, becoming a real fad or mania and carrying thousands off their feet. Newspapers were filled with glowing and much exaggerated statements. Men left home and farm and shop and firesides, to brave the dangers and difficulties of a western trip in high hopes that the time of their lives had come when gold could be picked up in nuggets, if perchance they could, in some way, get over the Rocky moun- tains or around the Cape by ship and finally land in California.
As an example of the high estimate placed on the gold find at Sutter's Mills in California, in 1848, and which was in reality the commencing of gold mining in this country, the St. Joseph Gazette of October, that year, had this to say :
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"An immense bed of gold, one hundred miles in extent. has been dis- covered in California, on American fork and Feather rivers, tributary of the Sacramento and Monterey. Mr. Colton, the alcalde of Monterey, states that the gold is found in the sands in grains resembling squirrel shot flattened out. Some grains weigh one ounce each. It is got by washing out the sand in any vessel, from a tea saucer to a warming pan. A single person can gather an ounce or two a day ; some even a hundred dollars worth. Two thousand whites and as many Indians are on the grounds. All the American settle- ments are deserted and farming is nearly suspended. The women only re- main in the settlements. Sailors and captains desert their ships, to go to the gold region, and laborers refuse ten dollars a day to work on the farms. Mr. Colton says : 'One man, who resides next door to me, gathered five hundred dollars worth in six days. He has one lump which weighs over one ounce. A trough, such as you feed pigs in. will bring in the gold region fifty dollars. Put a piece of sheet iron, punched full of holes on it and it will bring a hun- dred dollars. My friend, J. R., paid sixteen dollars for a little basket, and his companion gave twenty dollars for a teapot, all to wash gold out in.' More than twenty-eight thousand dollars worth had been collected. Governor Ma- son and his aide had gone to the district, which is five days journey from Monterey.
"The sailors had gone for gold from the ships, and the soldiers from their camps, for the same purpose. The last vessel that left the coast was obliged to ship an entire new crew, and pay each fifty dollars per month. No one can be hired to dig gold for less than from sixteen to twenty dollars per day. Every man prefers to work on his own hook; he may make less than the wages offered, but he has a chance of making much more. There flour is worth thirty-two dollars per barrel ; fifteen pounds of Boston crackers in tin boxes, ten dollars a box ; a cotton shirt, ten dollars : boards, five hundred dol- lars per thousand feet. A carpenter can get one hundred dollars per day. Mr. L. paid for a cradle trough, twelve feet by three wide, to wash gold earth in, one hundred and fifty dollars ; less than a day's work to make it."
Instead of this fever dying out, it kept increasing. It was too late to cross the plains, but thousands of people from Missouri began their prepara- tions for starting the following spring, and among the number were many from Nodaway county. The chief topic of discussion about the pioneers' cabin homes in this county, the following winter, was "California gold dig- gins." At one time a majority of the able-bodied men of the county were seriously considering the project of starting in the spring for California. So great seemed the chances for success that but few could withstand the tempta- tion.
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When spring had come. the scenes here and all along the Missouri river were such as will never be witnessed again. Some of the wagons which made up the overland trains were drawn by cows ; other gold hunters went on foot and hauled their earthly effects in "hand carts." As a rule morals were left behind and disorder reined supreme all along the trail over the plains. There was one continual stream of wagons from east to west, as far as the eye could reach, moving steadily westward toward the setting sun and the land of gold. In this immense caravan might have been seen many men from Nod- away county. As they left, sadder farewells were never said. Many went west only to meet with hardship. disappointment and finally death in a wild. uncivilized land, far from home and family, once so dear to their hearts.
But a very small percentage of those who braved these dangers made a successful trip, and many lost all the property they had on earth. The per- sons who really made the most of this. America's first gold excitement, were those cooler headed men who remained at home and sold to the emigrants bound for the West, the provisions and produce which they raised on their fertile soil. This state of affairs continued unabated until in the summer of 1850, when a backset came, yet many trains were fitted out and crossed the "Great American desert." as the whole country from the waters of the Mis- souri to the Rocky mountains was called on the geographical maps of that period.
GOLD-SEEKERS FROM NODAWAY COUNTY.
It may not be without interest in this connection to give a list of the men who chanced their fate and fortune from Nodaway county during the gold excitement of the years between 1848 and 1851. There may have been many more whose names are now forgotten : Thomas Boulware, Boliver Byers. C. L. Burns, Wright Bailey, Randolph Byers, William Blackman. Gillain Bailey, J. C. Blackely. Thomas H. Brown, Mr. Barbour. William Curl. David Den- ning. Howard Davis, James W. Davis. Allen Groves, Dr. William Glaze. Thomas Groves, Squire Griffith. Joel Griffith, Hiram Groves, Isaac Groves, William Hanna, Gilford Henderson, Frank Hudson, Darius Hurlburt. Simeon Holland, Perry Holland, Isaac Hurlburt. William Jenkins, S. M. Jester, Hay- den Jackson, Jack Jenkins, Andrew Jenkins. Nicholas Kavanaugh, Harvey Kincade, Peter Love, Judge Charles Myers, Levi Martin, Henry Miller, James Pennington. Mr. Payne, Thomas Ray, James Ray. Henry Swearingen, Jr .. John Saunders, Jr .. Henry Swearingen, Sr., James H. Saunders, Joel Stowe. E. S. Stephenson and Benjamin Simms.
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Thousands of the overland emigrants in quest of gold crossed the Mis- souri at St. Joseph, White Cloud and other points, some even going as far as Nebraska City. They crossed in ferry boats, but after leaving the Missouri were compelled to ford and swim the many streams en route to the faroff coast. One of the largest companies that passed this way was the one called the California Emigration Company, composed of several hundred men from their homes to the distant gold fields. It often happened that the friends and neighbors would meet in great crowds to express regrets and good wishes as they set forth to an all unknown country.
The following is extracted from a famous speech made by Col. S. W. Black, of Pittsburg, upon the eve of the above named company leaving Pitts- burg, Pennsylvania :
"My Friends :-- I have but a few words to say at parting. What I do say will come from the heart. I trust that whatever of good and truth I may de- liver, may reach your hearts. Before your return you will have seen no little of the world : what you see will be so much learned beyond what you know now. All the world is a gold digger-rather a gold scratcher-and if often happens that. in scratching too greedily. we bring away the skin of one an- other's faces-betimes the flesh of one another's bones.
"The farmer in the fields, the mechanic in the shop, the merchant in the store, and the lawyer in the pursuit he has chosen, choose their daily business for gold. Even the preacher does not work unpaid. This is all right, and according to the purpose of creation. Our Father has planted gold in the earth for the benefit of His children. To make it by merit is noble and de- serving of praise. To accumulate it with proper motives is meritorious. To lose it is mean and condemned of God.
"You are starting out upon a long journey. Allow me, then, to make a few suggestions, which may not, in the end. be worthless. You leave with- out a flag. Make a banner for yourselves and cling to it. Inscribe upon its folds Fraternity and Friendship. Let the same devotion inspire you that act- uates the soldier for the standard of his country. In all things be one. Or- ganize yourselves into companies, elect your officers, men of intelligence and nerve.
"I know that your messes have ardent spirits among their stores. They may be useful or harmful to the judgment with which they are used. In the life in which you are acting you will find occasional necessity for the use of stimulants. They are serviceable only when the system is prostrated by disease and exposure.
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"A kind-hearted friend has just requested me to say that if there are any of this expedition without Bibles, he will be happy now to furnish them. It does not become me. perhaps, to speak of a subject so grave and serious, yet I can say that this, the Book of Books, is the best companion you can take with you; it is a never failing reliance. The general prayer, is, and will be. that no evil befall you. nor any plague come nigh thee. Come back enriched. and make your riches a blessing to the destitute at home. Let your friends have no other cause of grief. other than at parting. Your incoming will be a day of bright and thrilling joy. The tear that stands still in the eye, will be replaced with diamonds. The red autumn of present sadness will pass away and in due season the glorious summer will succeed in bringing its golden harvest."
To gain some idea of the vast number of men who went West during the gold excitement days in California, we simply give the number who crossed the river at St. Joseph and other places from April 1 to June 15. 1849-two months and a half. The number of wagons crossing at that ferry port was one thousand five hundred and eight, and the number of men averaged four to the wagon, or about six thousand men. At Duncan's Ferry, four miles above St. Joseph, six hundred and eighty-five wagons crossed ; at Bontown, Savannah and other nearby ferries as far up as Council Bluffs, there were two thousand wagons more, making a total of four thousand one hundred and ninety-three wagons. Ten thousand persons had crossed at Independence. making a grand total of twenty-seven thousand. There were about eight mules or oxen to each wagon, making the total number thirty-seven thou- sand five hundred and forty-four mules and oxen.
It is safe to say that not one in ten made a fortune by going out over tlie continent on this mining expedition.
4
THEODORE L. ROBINSON
BIOGRAPHICAL.
JAMES BYRON ROBINSON.
Fealty to facts in the analyzation of the character of a citizen of the type of James Byron Robinson, the well known president of the Nodaway Valley Bank, one of the leaders in financial circles of this county, is all that is re- quired to make a biographical sketch interesting to those who have at heart the good name of the community, because it is the honorable reputation of the , man of standing and affairs, more than of any other consideration that gives character and stability to the body politic and makes the true glory of a city or state revered at home and respected abroad. In the broad light which things of report ever invite, the name of Robinson stands secure in Nodaway county, for the character of each member of this old and. well established family has been exemplary: and though of modest demeanor, with no ambi- tion to distinguish himself in public position or as a leader of men, the career of Mr. Robinson has been signally honorable and it may be studied with profit by the youth entering upon his life work, for he has attempted to bear aloft the worthy principles and precepts set by his father, long one of the prominent and influential men of this locality.
James B. Robinson was born in Maryville, Missouri, November 24, 1864. the son of Theodore L. and Rebecca J. (Ray) Robinson. Owing to the prominence of the father in Nodaway county for a period of over fifty years. his life record will be given in detail in the following paragraphs.
Theodore L. Robinson was born in Callaway county, Missouri, Febru- ary 8. 1833. the son of Daniel and Martha Robinson. He was born of poor parents and nis mother died when he was between three and four years old and soon afterwards his father placed him and his two little brothers with their grandmother and went to Texas, never returning to Missouri. His father re-married in Texas and by this marriage had three children. He died there, and Theodore, then hardly more than a boy, learning of the desti- tute circunstances of his stepmother and her children, drove from St. Joseph. Missouri. to Houston, Texas. with a team and brought them back to Missouri and cared for them as long as he could. When eleven years old Theodore L. Robinson came with his grandfather's family to Buchanan county. locating near St. Joseph. where the grandfather pre-empted land : but owing to sickness and being unable to do farm work, young Theodore.
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when twelve years old, went to St. Joseph and secured work in the old Madi son House, at that time one of the leading hotels of that city. Later he ac. cepted a position with John Curd, a pioneer and a prominent merchant, for whom he worked for five years at a salary of sixty dollars per year, about enough to clothe him. During that time he attended school only six months. In the spring of 1849 he, like many other youths of this part of the country, started for the gold fields of California, Mr. Curd having equipped him with a small lot of cheap goods and a team. He "spliced" teams with another young man and they drove oxen across the plains. After many hardships he reached the coast, got very little for his goods, but he was fairly successful in mining and remained there until 1855, when he returned to St. Joseph, in- tending to go back to the gold fields; but finding that his father and elder brother had died in Texas, his younger brother having died in 1844, he in- vested the little money he had in a two-horse team which he drove from St. Joseph to Houston, Texas, and brought the family to St. Joseph, where, after trying for more than a year to support them, he found he could not do so on a salary. Mr. Curd furnished a stock of goods and located him in Mary- ville in 1857. from which time until his death, May 28, 1894, he was contin- uously in business here, being actively engaged for a greater number of con- secutive years than any other man in Nodaway county. In 1873 he became connected with the Nodaway Valley Bank and for several years he was in partnership with the late James B. Prather in this bank, Mr. Robinson, how'- ever, always having charge of it. Upon the death of Mr. Prather, he took his son, James B. Robinson, who had been in the bank as bookkeeper and as- sistant cashier, into partnership with him. During his last sickness, and on April 7. 1894, the bank was incorporated, and has been ably managed by the son. James B. Robinson, to the present time. In fact, before his death, with that perception and clearness characteristic of the man, he made final dispo- sition of his vast business affairs and very large estate, with a precision, care- ' fulness and foresight that corroborates the estimate always placed on him by the community as a far-seeing and eminently safe and successful business man. No man had in larger measure the confidence of the community. He was always plain, candid, wide-awake, unassuming and attended to his duties assiduously. Self-possessed, even-tempered, no one, whatever the provoca- tion or aggravation, ever saw him in a passion. Notwithstanding his great wealth, and his very busy career, he always had time to grant a consultation or to give advice to even the humblest citizen, if advice was sought, and when that was sought and heeded, the party, almost invariably, if not entirely so. profited thereby. So that while successfully managing his own large busi- ness interests. he was a great help to many others. He was truly the architect
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of his own fortune, having commenced life without means and achieving his success by overcoming obstacles to which less determined and less clear- sighted men would have yielded.
As a citizen Theodore L. Robinson always manifested a great interest in all that had a tendency to promote the interests of the county. In educa- tional affairs he was especially prominent. He was a member of the public school board and its treasurer for twenty years consecutively, and to no one man does the city of Maryville owe more for the high standard which her public schools has reached. He was one of the first to engage in the Mary- ville Seminary enterprise, though that was technically under the control of another church than his own, and he always stood by it. He would have been successful in any line of human effort. He had that energy, application, self-reliance and comprehensive grasp of details which insure success. He acted largely on the idea that if care be taken of the little things, larger affairs will. to quite an extent, take care of themselves. His life affords many lessons of great value to young men especially. A large volume could be written on the generous side of his nature and disposition and added to his great worth as an active business man and an honorable, useful citizen. No true history of the growth and development of Maryville or of Nodaway county would leave out as a potent individual factor the name of Theodore L. Robinson. He left an estate valued at three hundred thousand dollars, besides thirty-five thousand dollars life insurance. All this he made unaided, starting with nothing, and he made it, too, in an honest manner, as all those who know him best will attest, his relations with his fellow-men always being straight- forward. His home, one of the most attractive and imposing in the city. has always been a place of hospitality and good cheer. Shortly before his death he became a member of the Christian church, but from his youth up he had been a man of exemplary character, against whom no word of reproach could have been uttered.
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