History of Iowa County, Wisconsin, Part 66

Author:
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 958

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In 1836, Lient. Magoon opened a large store of dry goods and groceries in the village of White Oak Springs. One mile east of the village, he long operated an ash furnace for smelting slag as well as mineral. His store in Monticello and his furnaces there he also operated at a remunerative profit. He sold out his store in White Oak Springs in 1837, closed his ash fur- nace, near by, in 18-10. and closed his store and furnaces in Monticello in 1842. Continued to reside on his large farin in Monticello, which he adorned with extensive improvements till

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HISTORY OF THE LEAD REGION.

1853, when he removed to Scales' Mound Township, Jo Daviess County, Ill., where he resided till his death, July 28, 1875, aged seventy-six.

Lieut. Richard H. Magoon, we here state, was a man of greatest energy and integrity in busi- ness; repeatedly, from 1829 to 1836, rode on horseback from his furnaces in Wisconsin, four hun- dred miles, to St. Louis, through storm and cold, swimming rivers, the saddle at night his pil-

low, and often the sky his only covering. His grave is in the cemetery at Darlington. He had his faults, but, looking back upon his forty-seven years all crowded with business in the mines, he could have made the honest boast, that, although cast amid the license of a new country, he never visited a gaming-table, never deserted a needy friend, never liked a negro, intensely despised the lazy. invincibly kept his word of honor-bright, and his contracts to others always at par with gold.

STILLMAN'S DEFEAT-KINGSTON'S NARRATIVE.

Soon after the appearance of Gov. Reynolds' order calling for troops, a force of nearly two thousand men had been assembled near the mouth of Rock River. Included in this force was a regiment of about four hundred men under Col. Stillman. Between Stillman's force and the band of Black Hawk was fought the first battle of the Sauk war, which affair resulted most disastrously to the whites. Three or four days after the battle, Stillman and his men came into Ottawa, Ill., and a more sorry looking set could not have been found. From the various, and, in some instances, conflicting accounts, gathered from the men, it appears the following are about the facts with regard to the battle of the " Sycamores."

About the middle of the afternoon, on the day of the battle, the regiment had halted for the purpose of encamping for the night. Nearly all the horses had been picketed out, turned loose or otherwise disposed of. The men were lazily engaged abont camp, some gathering wood, pitching tents, etc., and others drinking whisky, of which they had an abundance in camp, and to save time they knocked in the heads of the barrels containing it. But, suddenly, a great commotion arose ! Three Indians had made their appearance on the open prairie a short distance in advance. The cry was now raised, " Every man draw his rations of Sauks." Then the rush commenced ; the first man to mount his horse and give chase was the best fellow ; pell-mell was the order of march. This order, or rather disorder, continued for some distance, probably two or three miles. Two of the Indians were overtaken on the prairie and killed. At length, the rear of the army reached the Sycamore, a small stream on the outskirts of a grove of timber. Here they met the van in the same disgraceful order, in full retreat, and the whole body of Indians in hot pursuit. The whole direction of things had suddenly changed ; these men, who a few moments before were so anxious to pursue an enemy, were now more anxious to escape. Amid this confusion, Capt. Adams, with a company from Peoria, succeeded in crossing the creek, and took a position between the fugitives and the Indians. This position they held for some time against the whole force of the enemy, and no doubt saved the lives of many. This, however, was not accomplished without severe loss. Capt. Adams and about onc-fourth of his men were left dead on the field.

There was no longer any uncertainty. The Indians separated their force into small bands. and numerous reports of sudden attacks and massacres, some true and others false, came in from various surrounding points.

The evening of the day previous to the arrival of Stillman and his men at Ottawa, the Indian massacre occurred on Indian Creek, about fourteen miles distant from that place. It has been stated that all the whites present at the time of the massacre, except the two Misses Hall, taken prisoners, were killed. This statement is not correct. The first intelligence received at Ottawa of that event was brought in by a young man, a brother of the Misses Hall, who was present at the commencement of the attack, and who arrived at Ottawa about midnight ; but his mind was so much confused by the fright that he was unable to give any connected statement of the facts until the next day. From his statement, it appears that the wagons con- taining the furniture and effects of the families were not yet unladen when the Indians made the attack. In the morning of the same day on which the occurrence transpired, the three

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HISTORY OF THE LEAD REGION.

families of Hall, Pettigrew and Davis, had, upon warning received from Shabbona, a Pottawotamie chief, that " The Sauks were coming." fled to Ottawa, the nearest settlement. Davis was not at home at the time; but when he reached there a short time after the families had left, he followed them to Ottawa, where he arrived about the same time they reached that place. Ile at once declared his determination to take his family back home; and most unfortunately, and against the unanimous admonition of all the inhabitants, prevailed upon Hall and Pettigrew to accompany him with their families ; and they had only just arrived at Davis' house late in the afternoon, when the Indians came upon them. At the moment of attack, Davis and young Hall were in the blacksmith shop. Davis was fixing his gun, and. at the same time, had the barrel of the gun separate from the stock. When the alarm was given, he rushed out of the shop with the gun-barrel in his hands, and was immediately surrounded by the Indians. Young Hall ran to the creek, a few yards distant, jumped down the bank, and, taking the downward course of the stream, reached Ottawa the same night. The Misses Hall afterward said that Davis killed six Indians before he was finally overcome.

In the afternoon of the day following this massacre, a company of men from Ottawa, accompanied by some of Stillman's command, went to the scene of the murder, and the accounts they gave on their return of the appearance in and around the house was horrible in the extreme. Even little infants were literally cut to pieces ; and this, too, was done in the immediate presence, and, doubtless, with the sanction of Black Hawk himself.

HISTORY OF IOWA COUNTY.

CHAPTER 1.

INDIAN OCCUPANCY-DERIVATION OF THE NAME-NATURAL VEGETATION-WATER, SCENERY AND SOIL-COON BLUFF-A ROMANCE OF THE WISCONSIN-EDUCATING SLAVES-THE MYSTERIOUS CAVE-RECOVERY OF THE LOST CHILD.

INDIAN OCCUPANCY.

Iowa County is one of the brightest jewels that sparkle in the State coronet, with a luster undimmed by the searching struggles of threescore years. Conceived in the barren bleakness of a primeval mining country, and nurtured in the associations of nomadic savages, the primitive era lacked the advantages of more accessible centers ; but ever-changing time has overridden all obstacles and wrought a revolutionary scene in the condition of "Old Iowa." Wealthy in normal mineral riches, and with developed agricultural resources, a copious channel has been created for the ingress of commerce and the reflux of produce. Through the misty vista of sixty years, the progress of civilization has advanced with such rapid and unparalleled strides that the imagination is taxed to comprehend the remarkable transition. Familiar with the horo- scope of events, the early and still vigorous pioneer views, with retrospective glance, the invasion of metropolitan usages, and soliloquizes on the alteration that has been accomplished. Seventy years ago the Indian tepee, the handiwork of crude mechanism, and the curling vapor ascending from the isolated camp-fire, were the only signs indicating the presence of a transient and roving humanity. The soil was overrun with a rank growth of vegetation, and the rich, sue- culent grasses of the prairie flourished, and decayed and enriched the earth, whence thrived, in later years, luxuriant hoards of golden-sheafed grain. The howl of the coyote and prairie wolf, commingling with the curdling war-whoop of the aborigines, echoed throughout the land, and awoke the deathly silence of the wilderness.

The unrelenting, throbbing energy of the pioneer, seeking for fresh conquests, instigated him to subjugate the territory, and reclaim for his children a heritage tending to comfort, if not affluence. Commensurate language is lacking to describe, in adequate terms, the alternating influences that were invoked to achieve triumph and victory.

Environed by naturally treacherous and distrusted hordes of Indians, the original settlers went forth in pursuit of mineral with the rifle, an ever-faithful ally. While at work in the field, or plying the pick and gad in the mines, the glinting barrel of the flint-lock asserted itself in con- venient proximity, carefully primed, ready to send forth its leaden messengers of death on the manifestation of any hostility by their dreaded native foes.

But who were those men ? Where did they come from and just what did they do ? These are the principal questions to be solved, or, rather, discussed. It is not enough that we know what first brought the pioneer scions of civilization here, or that w . see in the present grand development of the country the natural product, by successive stages of growth, of their first adventurous steps and efforts in the wilderness.

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HISTORY OF IOWA COUNTY.

There is a certain deep charm. inseparable from age, in the vivid remembrance of the days of individual youth and ardor, thit clings to each person ; this being the case, what wonder is it that around those who pived the way, in the past, for the steps of infant commerce and agricult- ure in this portion of the State, there should linger such kindly admiration and affection as finds its chief delight in a desire to perpetuate their names and deeds ?

More than fifty years have rolled along since any permanent settlement was made here, from which to derive accurate data ; and when a half-century more shall have added its impene- trable obscurity to the present darkness, nothing will exist to convey a conception of what the beginning was, except the few lines traced by the pen of the faithful historian; and then. and not till then, will this work be fairly estimated or appreciated.

DERIVATION OF THE NAME.

The county derives its name from the powerful, and, at one time, invincible tribe of Iowa Indians, whose hunting-grounds engrossed the territory which has since proved the foundation of several States. On the invasion of the whites, these lands were usurped by the bellig- erent Saes and Foxes, who, in turn, were displaced by the Winnebagoes, and, they, subse- quently, by the white settlers, who gradually progressed westward, enticed by the hope of gain, until they held the soil in presumptuous mastery, to the total exclusion of the " noble red man." When organized as a county, under the Territorial Government of Michigan, in 1829, Iowa County aggregated within its jurisdiction, the present counties of Dane, Green, Grant, La Fayette, and a part of Rock, thus embracing almost one-half of that part of Wisconsin, which lies south of the Wisconsin River. As the country grew in population, the demand for more complete centralization induced the Legislature at various sessions to divide Iowa by setting off at differ- ent times the adjoining counties, until finally, on the secession of La Fayette, Iowa County was reduced to its present proportions. It is bounded on the north by the Wisconsin River and Sauk and Richland Counties ; on the south by La Fayette ; on the west by Grant; and on the east by Dane County. In conformation, Iowa County is nearly square, being in length and breadth thirty by about twenty-five miles, comprising Towns 4, 5. 6, 7 and 8 north, and Ranges 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 east, of the Fourth Principal Meridian, equal in area to twenty-one Government townships of thirty-six sections each, with a surplus of ten sections.

In general contour, Iowa County is highly diversified, varying in character from pre- cipitous bluff and desolate sandy barrens, to rich rolling prairies. The land is divided by numerous ridges and valleys, which intersect at all angles, producing an ever-varying landscape that enchants the traveler and breaks the tiresome monotony of a prairie scene. In the northern part, within a distance of two or three miles from the Wisconsin River, the land is level and sandy. Further on, high rocky bluff's present themselves, through which numerous streams flow to the north. North of the main ridge, the limestone is succeeded by the underlying sandstone, which, owing to the abrading force of streams, is broken into cliffs of a grand and pietur- esque appearance. The dividing ridge is a remarkable feature of this country. Commencing at Madison, this ridge enters the county at Blue Mounds in a direct line, then trends to the southwest for fifteen miles, until it reaches Dodgeville, the county seat, where it resumes its westerly course passing on through Grant County in a wavering line, and finally terminating at the bluffs on the Mississippi. This divide maintains an elevation of 600 feet above Lake Michigan, and is seldom more than 700 feet high, except at the Blue Mounds, where it gradually rises east and west for several miles, until it attains an altitude at the West Mound of 1,151 feet. The south sideof the dividing ridge is a gently undulating slope, well watered by the numerous tributaries of the Pecatonica. The superficial formation is singularly level, abrupt cliffs or steep ravines being exceptional; never being found in the immediate neighborhood of the water-shed, but rather confined to the small lateral branches.

The southerly portion of the country is very irregular, and presents numerous ravines and ridges which sometimes rise above the level of the surrounding prairie. This section is interspersed with second-growth timber, which relieves the view, and promises an abundant supply of fuel for

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HISTORY OF IOWA COUNTY.

smelting and other purposes for years to come. This is a rich mineral range, from which is mined three-fourths of the ore shipped from the county. Smelting furnaces are located at accessible points, principally Linden, Highland, Mineral Point and Dodgeville; but, when compared with the earlier resources of the territory, the mining industry presents a sadly decayed appear- ance. The recent increase of railroad freights has further augmented the depression, which bids fair to continue until the operations of an opposition line create rivalry and stimulate the man- agers to reduce freights to a basis which will recompense them, and at the same time enable the producers to realize a compensation for their outlay.

Extending across the county, from cast to west, is an arable belt of beautiful prairie land. The outline is varied, being narrow at the northeast limit, and gradually increasing in width toward the opposite extreme, where the prairie expands and covers nearly two-thirds of the county. Groves and refreshing springs of cool water are plentiful, and tend to enhance the otherwise naturally picturesque scenery.

NATURAL VEGETATION.

An early traveler, speaking of the verdure of the Wisconsin prairies, describes the flowering plants that decorated the surface, as follows: "The flowers of the prairies are various and beautiful. The blue, yellow, white and purple chrysanthemum are common ; a yellow flower, waving and drooping like an ostrich feather, is also generally found. Some varieties resembling the prince's feather are common ; delicate snow-drops, violets and diamond sparks that . love the ground,' form the carpet, whence springs the plumed stem of many colors, intermingled with the 'masonic' or mineral plant, and the compass or resin plant, or the prairie sunflower. The mineral plant bears a bluish-purple flower, and is remarkable for the qualities attributed to its growth by the miners. It is said to indicate the presence of mineral. It sometimes spreads in spots over a large surface of ground, obscuring all but the grass beneath it ; here the miners will dig with almost a certainty of striking on a lead mine. Sometimes the range of a flower's growth is in the shape of a straight or curved or an irregular line, indicating the range of the crevice mineral in the strata beneath; these indications are believed in, and relied upon by many of the miners. If this be true, and the plant actually points out the location of the mineral (galena), then, as I have observed, no one can say where mineral cannot be found, for this flowering plant is the most common in the country, and yet, as its growth on different parts of the prairie is so irregular in quantity and in direction, there may be something in the peculiarity of soil cover- ing mineral which produces this plant ; it is called by the miners ' masonic,' perhaps, in derision, for it discloses the secret of the mine.

" The rosin or turpentine weed, or compass plant, deserves some notice. I have called it the prairie sunflower, from the mere resemblance to the flower, so called, with us, except that the flowers and seeds are much smaller; the largest one I saw was about four inches in diameter, exclusive of the surrounding yellow leaves. The stem of this plant rises to the height of five or six feet, and, when broken in any part, it exudes a white resinous fluid, which, on being exposed to the atmosphere, acquires a gummy consistency, and tastes and smells of resin. But the strange peculiarity of the plant is that its leaves invariably point north and south. In the writ- ings of Dr. Atwater, who has visited some parts of this country, I remember that he has noticed this flower, remarked its peculiarities and has given its botanical name as belonging to the hei- anthus tribe. The leaves are very large and firm and stiff, those nearest the root are largest, some of them about eighteen inches long and about one foot wide, palmnated and deeply indented. From the root, the leaves start out from the stem, on two sides only, at irregular distances, yet generally opposite each other, and these leaves invariably have a north-and-south direction. It is called the compass plant, for the Indians, in absence of trees on the vast prairies, could at all times find a guide in the leaves of the prairie sunflower ; and its resinous qualities might render it a good substitute for pine knots in giving light. Horses and cattle eat this plant with avidity, bite at it in traveling over the prairie and seek it out from amidst the hay in the stable. It is remarkable that the wild indigo always accompanies this plant.

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IHISTORY OF IOWA COUNTY.

" A remarkable and beautiful feature in the decorations of the prairies, is, that the summer flowers, after having for a season displayed their gorgeous variety, and turned up their faces to receive the glowing beams of the sun, as soon as autumn puts on her sober brown, and the airs of heaven breathe more mildly, droop, die, and instantly give place to a new galaxy of fine and beautiful flowers; particularly all the varieties of the chrysanthemum, and a splendid droop- ing bush of flowers that looks as if it was covered with snow-flakes. The autumn flowers are more delicate and less flaring than those of summer."

WATER, SCENERY AND SOIL.

In the early history of the county, flowing streams were more numerous, as shown by the maps of carly surveys, and the streams now extant exhibit a marked diminution in volume. when comparatively treated. Many springs, which formerly furnished an apparently inexhaust- ible supply of water, are now dry. and are replaced by wells, sunk to a lower stratum. The sight of deserted mills. in some districts of the county, is quite common, owing to a former abundance of water receding, or going out. compelling the involuntary abandonment of an im- poverished mill privilege. In many instances, this circumstance has led to the re-opening and profitable working of mines, which were relinquished on account of the surrounding water in- sinnating itself into the crevices. This absorption is chiefly attributable to the broader expanse of country now under cultivation, which conduces to more rapid evaporation. The action of settlers in denuding the land of wood and forests has contributed toward the depletion of the rivers and minor branches.

The principal stream is the Wisconsin River, which forms the northern boundary line. That section of the county is irrigated by numerous brooks and rivulets, which, rising on the northern side of the dividing ridge, drain more than half the county. They derive their origin from springs, and, after threading a sinnous course, unite and discharge their volume into the Wisconsin River. The principal streams on the north are Blue Mounds, Mill Mudenwood, Bean's Marsh, James' Branch and Otter Creeks. South of the divide, the county is well drained and watered by count- less branches of the Pecatonica, which spring forth on the fruitful southern plateau, and. descend- ing into La Fayette County, unite in the waters of the main stream. These rivulets are known as West and East Pecatonica, Sylvester's Creek, Zimmer's Creek, Spensley's Branch, Peddler's Creek, Bird's Branch, Rock Creek, Dodge's Branch, and the East and West Branches.

Along the banks of the Wisconsin, the scene is strikingly bold and panoramic in appear- ance, and, from any standpoint, a splendid prospect of prairie, forest and bluff. is opened to the gaze. The soft, friable sandstone, in many places. has been indented into eavernous recesses by the action of the waves and weather ; these openings at times assumne multiform shapes, as the crumbling rocks decay with the ravages of time, and, in several instances, legends of romantic interest have been woven around the most interesting spots. One of these local sketches, of unusual interest, is given in a separate chapter. The tale in question is written under the caption of " Coon Bluffs," and relates to scenes and incidents that transpired in the vicinity of Arena. at a period when that country was only sparsely settled. A few miles below Ilelena, on the Wisconsin, is a place called the Fallen Rocks, where the river has undermined the strata, and dislodged from the bluff a mass of sandstone thirty feet high and two hundred feet long, which now obstructs the river.

The soil is a rich, black loam, with good subsoil of clay, and agricultural operations are con- ducted successfully, under very desirable circumstances, except in the bottom lands of the Wis- consin, where the soil is sandy and unfit for cultivation. The rocky prominences are well wooded with white oak, quaking ash, maple, walnut, and a variety of timber, which furnishes, almost at the door of the farmer, a cheap fuel, unequaled for quality, and unlimited in quantity.

COON BLUFF *- A ROMANCE OF THE WISCONSIN.

There is something extremely bewitching about the black eyes of a pretty little girl, spark- ling under a coronal of raven ringlets : and how beautiful is a clear morning in July, as the

*Abridged from the original, by Dr. W. Il. Brisbane.

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HISTORY OF IOWA COUNTY.

bright sky plays upon the crystal waters of the fast-flowing Wisconsin ! The roses and dande- lions that ornately glitter along the banks of the noble stream tempt those black eyes from the playful little flock by the low, white schoolhouse.

The school bell rings, and Mrs. Barrister's little pupils rush to their places, ready to answer the roll-call.

But Wizena's name meets no response. And at dinner time her place was vacant at the table.

Wizena was an amiable child-eight years old-the pride of her parents, and the favorite of the village. Everything was in commotion when the neighbors understood that she had dis- appeared. All night, all the men and boys of the neighborhood were going in all directions with torches, in search of the lost one : but all they could find was a beautiful bonqnet, tied very neatly with a blue ribbon, that Wizena had about her person the morning before. This was found on the bank of the river, opposite the foot of Cedar Island, near the remains of a recent Indian camp. It was at once concluded that the Indians had captured her, and great was the indignation that burst forth against the whole Indian race at this discovery. Measures were immediately taken to follow in pursuit. Four men, with loaded guns and other arms, took a skiff, and pulled rapidly down the river, searching carefully all the islands. Four others crossed the river, and examined diligently all along the bank on that side, while four more kept down on the south bank. George Ashmore and John Adams, who both had recently been going to the same school with Wizena, took horses and rode down to Helena, Wyoming, English Prairie and as far as Muscoda. But no tidings could be obtained of the lost one, nor had any Indians been seen passing down the river at any of these points. The only thing that had been seen going down was a skiff, with two white men in it, who appeared to be hunters. The river being very low at that time, no rafts were passing. "May not these hunters have seen the In- dians, if not the girl ?" was asked. Mr. Jones, a man of generous spirit, very readily undertook to try and find these hunters. Mr. Belezer, the father of Wizena, supplied him with ready money to procure fresh horses, and in twenty hours he had overhauled the men at Prairie du Chien. They told him they had met some Indians about Arena, with a little girl with her face painted in Indian style, who wore a bonnet and frock.

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History of Iowa County, Wisconsin, Part 66

Author: Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Western Historical Company Number of Pages: 958

Author:
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 958