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About the year 1837, a party from Clayton County, consisting
of Chancy S. Edson and William Grant, with their workmen, came
to the beautiful valley in which the town of Elgin is now
located, and commenced to build a mill on Otter Creek, near its
confluence with Turkey River; but, says Mr. Samuel Connor, "it
chanced to be on the Indian reservation, and, on complaint of
trespass by the Indians, the agent informed the parties that
they would have to decamp, which they immediately did, leaving
their timber on the banks, with the dam completed about halv way
across the "run." Soon after this, the Indians set
fire to the dam and shanty, and thus destroyed the first civil
work done in the county. Eleven years after this event, the
Indians were removed, and Mr. Samuel Connor, hearing that the
land had come into possession of the Government, and having lost
his wife, resolved to come to Iowa and make a new home.
Accordingly, in the Spring of 1848, in company with Thomas
Smith, Simeon B. Forbes and Jacob Ashby, he started on a tour of
investigation. Meantime, A. E. Wanzer had made a claim at the
mouth of Otter Creek, including Section 14, and had sent William
McElwee to watch it for him. In due time, the party reached the
house of Mr. Wanzer and were hospitably entertained. In the
course of conversation, they informed him that they desired to
settle, and asked him in regard to the surrounding country. In
answer, he proposed to go with them and show them his claim.
They accepted, and they all started for Pleasant Valley. Mr.
Connor was delighted with the prospect, immediately bought his
claim and started back to Wisconsin after his effects; Forbes
going to Section 15, west of Connor; Smith, to West Union
Township, and Ashby to Clayton County, where he died in May,
1878. Mr. Connor returned and commenced work July 6, 1848, and
erected a log house on the northeast one-quarter of the
southeast one-quarter of Section 14, being the first house in
the township. The same year, Connor and Forbes broke prairie on
Section 22. During the following Winter, Mr. Connor cut and
hauled timber for a saw-mill. In May, 1849, Mr. Benjamin Dimond
and family arrived, entered into partnership with Mr. Connor,
and together they erected the saw-mill on Otter Creek, a short
distance above the site the Clayton County party had chosen, and
completed it in August.
Connor & Dimond's mill was the first in the township, and
one of the first, if not the first, in Fayette County. It is
still standing and in operation, being now owned by C. Sneider,
and the machinery runs as smoothly as if it had been built but
yesterday. The first log sawed in this mill was for Jacob
Garber, from Clayton, who said he wanted some lumber for a "cow
hov'l," the only words of English he could speak. This mill
supplied the lumber for the mill at Clermont, and also furnished
parties on the Yellow River.
Shin Bone Valley
In 1849, Mr. Forbes wrote a letter to his brother-in-law,
William Wells, at "Knob Prairie." The answer was
returned, addressed to "Shin Bone Valley," and it is
said that the settlement was known by this name until the town
was laid out and called Elgin; but the name, probably, had a
deeper significance and an earlier origin. Long before this
region was occupied by white settlers, even before this tract
was ceded to the United States by the Sacs and Foxes, this
beautiful valley had been a favorite resort of the Indians, and
was known to trappers and traders as the "Sac Bottom."
A short distance above Connor & Dimond's mill, on the east
side of the Turkey River, on Sections 10 and 3, was an immense
Indian burial ground. Mr. Connor states that when he first came
to the country there were thousands of graves thickly dotting
the bottom in that locality. The Sacs had probably buried their
dead here for many years before they made way for the
Winnebagoes, and the latter continued the custom. The graves
were not very deep, and bones might be seen protruding from the
soil. It is very probably that the euphonious name "Shin
Bone Valley" may have been given to this locality in
consequence, as it was emphatically a "bone valley."
For years after the whites first occupied the country, the
Indians returned annually to "Sac Bottom" to visit the
"graves of their fathers," and to hold some kind of
memorial services there. On the west side of the river, opposite
this aboriginal cemetery, the savages had a dancing ground,
where they were wont to gather for their "pow-wows."
In 1850-1, the Indians returned in large numbers and held their
uncouth dances on the ground.
Some of the graves of the departed redskins were surrounded
with rude palings. One in particular, says Mr. Connor, had a
sort of a pole lodge erected over it, from the top of which
floated a white flag, and which was frequently visited by the
Indians, who kept the rude structure in repair for several
years. It had become noised about among the settlers that this
was the grave of the Chief "Whirling Thunder," and it
was supposed that many valuable articles were buried with him,
as he was "rich." Some sacrilegious scoundrels
attempted to do a little "grave snatching" on their
own account, and began to dig for plunder, but were frightened
off by a passerby. When the settlers discovered what had been
done, they repaired the injury as well as they could. Soon
afterward, two Indians visited the spot and discovered the
trespass, and went to the mill for an explanation. They were
told of the rumor that prevailed, that "Whirling Thunder"
was buried there, and that an attempt had been made by somebody
to rob his grave; also that the settlers had endeavored to
repair the injury. The Indians gravely replied that "Whirling
Thunder" was reposing on the bank of the Volga, and the
grave so ruthlessly disturbed, was that of a very aged medicine
woman over 90 long moons old, who had been held in great
veneration by the tribe, and when she died, the squaws had built
the enclosure as a mark of respect. But, said the Indian, who
appeared to be remarkably intelligent for his class, "I am
ashamed that white men, Christians, should try to rob Indian
graves."
Indian City
Mr. Connor states that in 1848, when he came to Sac Bottom,
the bank of the Turkey, where Elgin now stands, was for a long
distance lined with Indian wigwams as thick as they could stand,
and near them large heaps of fish bones. The river teemed with
fish, which the Indians caught in large numbers, and boiled in
large kettles obtained from the traders. When done, the contents
of the kettles would be poured into willow baskets to drain.
When sufficiently cool, these numerous "Lo" families
feasted on these boiled fish, and, too lazy to remove the bones,
heaped them up in the rear of their tepees.
Ancient Mounds
But aside from these evidences of occupation by Indians prior
to the advent of the pioneers of 1848-9, there are evidences
that this beautiful spot was inhabited ages before the Sacs and
Foxes, Iowas, Sioux and other North American Indian tribes. In a
wheatfield, as seen by the historian in 1878, between Lutra and
Elgin, on the south side of the street, is a large mound. Near
it, in a neighboring cornfield, is another, and in the immediate
vicinity are other smaller ones. The plow of the farmer has been
leveling these mounds for more than a quarter of a century, and
yet they are distinctly visible, rising several feet about the
surrounding surface. Mr. Connor states that in 1848, these
mounds were six or eight feet high. None of them have been
opened; but when they are, it is believed that they will be
found to be of the same character with the prehistoric mounds
that abound on both banks of the Mississippi Riber and its
tributaries, from its head waters to the level alluvial bottoms
of Louisiana.
In 1849, the new settlement was increased by the arrival of
Matthew Connor, John Conner, James B. Stephenson, George Rowley,
Rev. Joseph Forbes and others. Mr. Dimond had a horse, and Mr.
S. B. Forbes a cow, which were then the only animals of the kind
in the township. Matthew Conner built a log cabin on the site of
the future town of Elgin, and in it opened the first store. Log
houses were also erected by John Conner, B. Dimond, Stephenson
and Rowley.
The first crop of corn was raised this year, by John Conner.
During that year, Rev. Joseph Forbes held religious services
in the house of John Conner, and organized a Sabbath school,
which was probably the first Sabbath school in the county. Mr.
Forbes was one of the orators at the 4th of July celebration at
West Union that year.
As is found to be the case with most townships, there are no
early records in existence of the political acts of this
township. In the Spring of 1850, Townships 94 and 95, Range 7,
were created a civil township by the Commissioners of Clayton
County, and an election is said to have been held immediately
after the order, at the house of George Rowley. Charles Sawyer,
Matthew Conner and George Rowley were Judges of the election,
and George Rowley was elected Justice of the Peace for the
Pleasant Valley district, and Charles Sawyer for the Clermont
district.
In October, 1850, Fayette County having been organized,
Pleasant Valley Township was created by the Fayette
Commissioners, composed of Township 94, Range 7, and the
northeast quarter of Township 93, Range 7. Election was ordered
on the third Monday of November, at the house of Joseph Forbes;
and Joseph Forbes, John Conner and Simeon B. Forbes were
appointed Judges of Election, but no records of this meeting can
be found. Prior to this, at the election in July, when the
county was organized, Pleasant Valley Township was a part of
West Union Precinct. At the November election, John Conner was
elected Justice of the Peace, and Simeon B. Forbes, Matthew
Conner and J. B. Stephenson, Trustees.
The first white child was Melvina Dimond, born July 22, 1850.
The first wedding was that of John Johnson and Miss Rowley in
1851; the hymenial knot was securely tied by John Conner,
Justice of the Peace. Second marriage was Samuel Conner and
Marrilla Howard, Feb. 4, 1852, by Rev. Mr. Briggs, a Methodist
preacher.
The first settler to cross the mysterious river that
separates time and eternity was Matthew Conner, who died in
April, 1852. First death was an infant daughter of James Kinyon,
in July, 1851.
The first Methodist Circuit preacher to visit the little
settlement at the mouth of Otter Creek was Rev. Mr. Cameron, who
preached in the house of Samuel Conner in 1851.
George Gay opened a store in the new settlement in 1851.
Elgin Laid Out
In the Fall and Winter of 1851-52, a town was laid out on
Section 14 by Samuel Conner and others. M. V. Burdick was the
surveyor. Mr. Burdick solicited the honor of christening the new
town, which was granted, and he gave it the name of Elgin, in
honor, it is said, of Elgin, Ill., his native town. "Shin
Bone Valley" was buried and nearly forgotten, only to be
resurrected by the historian and recorded in its proper place
among innumerable other "things of the past."
The town plat was not recorded, however, until March, 1855.
Samuel Conner, Marilla Conner, Benjamin Dimond, Mary J. Dimond,
Thomas Armstrong and Olivia Armstrong appear of record as
proprietors. M. V. Burdic, acting surveyor when they were laid
out, certifies to Blocks 1, 2, 3, and 4, and Winslow Stearns,
County Surveyor, certifies to Blocks 5 and 6, July 4, 1854. The
plat was filed for record February 20, 1855. The first or
original plat, however, as made by Mr. Burdick, was filed for
record March 9, 1854, by order of Thomas Woodle, Judge. Samuel
Conner was sole proprietor.
In April, 1852, Messrs. Dimond & Conner commenced
building a grist-mill, in which the first corn was ground in
December, 1853. The mill was completed in 1854. Soon afterward,
the proprietors added to it a building for carding machine,
which was put in operation by Eden E. Rhodes, who carded the
first wool in Fayette County in 1854. The flouring-mill is now
owned by P. Dowse & Co.
In 1852, Samuel Conner built the first large frame building,
the first hotel, on southeast quarter of northeast quarter of
Section 14, Lot 15, Block 1, of the original survey of Elgin.
The post office was established in 1852. Benjamin Dimond,
Postmaster. The first church was commenced in 1855; completed
and dedicated in the Fall of 1857.
Mr. Isaac Kline built a saw-mill on Otter Creek, about two
miles above Elgin, in 1854, probably. It has since been
converted into a flouring-mill, and is owned by Mr. Farr and
others. Thomas Alvey built a saw-mill in 1856, on Otter Creek,
in Section 29. This has also been converted into a
flouring-mill, and is still owned by Mr. Alvey.
Lutra Laid Out
When the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Minnesota Railroad
was laid out, the engineers found it impracticable to locate it
to Elgin, and established the line about half a mmile west of
the town. Here Mr. Conner donated depot grounds, and also the
right of way for a mile, and a small town was surveyed in
August, 1871, by F. S. Palmer, and by him named Lutra. The
proprietors were Samuel Conner, Marilla Conner, B. Dimond, Mary
J. Dimond, Joseph Baldwin and Betsey Baldwin; and the plat was
filed for record November 10, 1871. Work on the railroad
commenced in the Fall of 1871, and was completed to Lutra from
the north in September, 1872, but the depot was not built until
1875. Mr. Conner made an addition to Lutra in 1873. The first
store on the town plat of Lutra was a small wooden building
erected in 1871. The handsome brick block of stores was built by
Borne & Conner, James Cook, Daniel Gates and others, in
1873-74.
A steam saw-mill and stave factory was built near the north
end of the railroad bridge in 1873, by Peter Nicklaus, a very
ingenious and energetic man.
In 1870, Messrs. Dimond, Conner & Co. erected a new
flouring mill on Otter Creek, about three-fourths of a mile
above the old saw-mill.
The two towns of Elgin and Lutra are beautifully located in
the Valley of the Turkey River, near the mouth of Otter Creek -
a lovely spot, nestling among the timber-crowned bluffs, a
perfect gem of beauty.
Practically, Elgin and Lutra are but one town, although there
is some rivalry existing between them. The business is being
gradually and inevitably drawn to the new town, however, and
Elgin has discovered, as many other Western towns have done,
that railroads are town destroyers as well as town builders.
The geolgist will find a rich field in this valley. In the
bed of Otter Creek, below the old saw-mill, the rock formations
have been exposed, and are wonderfully rich in fossils, not only
of shells, but of other forms of life that once flourished only
to be preserved in stone. Mr. Conner states that a few years
ago, he discovered in a block of limestone a perfect fish,
petrified, of course, but every part perfectly preserved.
Schools
The first school in the township was taught by Mary A.
Howard, in the house built by Matthew Conner, in 1851. In 1852,
a school house was built on Section 22, to accommodate all the
settlers, by John and Madison Phillips, in which, in the same
year, Adelaide Simars taught the first school.
In 1855, a frame school house was built on the town plat of
Elgin, by George Pratt, in which John Arbuckle was the first
teacher. In 1860, this building was sold and removed to give
place to a brick school house, which was erected in that year by
Lewis Thomas, and school was first taught in it by David
Whitley. In 1875, for the purpose of providing educational
privileges for the children of Elgin and Lutra under one roof, a
large and commodious brick school house was erected on what is
called the "half-way ground" between the two towns.
The building was built by Mr. Thoma, and cost about $8,000.
Religious
Wesleyan Methodist Church -
The first minister of this denomination at Elgin was Rev. Joseph
Forbes, who preached his first sermon in John Conner's house in
1849, and organized a Sabbath school, and probably a class,
during that year. Among the earliest members, says Mr. Fox, were
Samuel Conner, John Conner, James Conner, Matthew Conner, Joseph
Forbes and others. The church was re-organized about 1857, under
the ministrations of Revs. C. F. Hawley and J. E. Gould, who
held a protracted meeting and awakened an interest, and
organized a church with thirty-five members. George Pratt was
class leader. Rev. Mr. Gould remained as Pastor about two years,
and was succeeded by Rev. Joel Grinnell, who ministered to the
church about two years, and then it was without a Pastor until
February, 1868, when the society was again re-organized by Rev.
Samuel Smith, with a membership of about thirty persons.
In September, 1873, the society commenced building a church
edifice in Lutra, which was completed in February, 1874, at a
cost of $1,500, and dedicated early in March by Rev. Adam
Crooks, of Syracuse, New York, under the pastorate of Rev. W. S.
May. Rev. James A Preston was Pastor in 1877, succeeded by Rev.
George Allen in 1878.
Present active membership, about thirty. Many of the old
members have removed to other places, but still retain their
membership here.
Methodist Episcopal Church -
This church was first organized in 1853, in charge of Rev. Mr.
Cameron. The absence of records renders it impossible to recall
the names of the first members, but Elder ___ Newton, Eli Elrod,
Charles W. Cooley, ____ Hosmer were among them. In 1854, Elder
Newton, Mr. Elrod and a few others agitated the project of
building a church, but the society was hardly strong enough to
build it alone. Samuel Conner donated a town lot, upon which he
placed the building, and members of other denominations residing
in the township assisted in the work.
The work of building was commenced in 1855, and the house was
completed and dedicated in 1857, during the pastorate of Rev. F.
C. Mather. The church continued to be occupied by the society
until June, 1878, when it was sold to members of the German
Lutheran Church, who are about organizing a society in Elgin,
and the Methodists now worship in the United Brethren Church.
When the church was organized, Rev. Mr. Cameron was preacher
in charge, succeeded by Rev. Mr. Newton. In 1857, Rev. E.
Skinner was Presiding Elder, and Rev. F. C. Mather, Pastor,
succeeded by Revs John Fassett, William Cobb, W. E. McCormick,
Rufus Ricker, Isaac Newton, B. F. Taylor, ___ Knickerbocker,
_____ Garretson, William Black, P. E. Miller, ____ Ward and F.
E. Brush, its present Pastor, successively.
United Brethren - Rev. Mr.
Richardson, circuit preacher, organized a class of eighteen
members of this sect in 1870; among the members remembered, for
no records are accessible, were Mr. and Mrs. James Kingen, Mr.
and Mrs. G. S. Klock, Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Doane, Mrs. Cornelia
Owens, Mrs. Mary Stahl, Mrs. Mary Ann Martindale and Mrs.
Gilmore. In 1872, the work of building a church was commenced,
with J. Kingen, G. S. Klock, Cyrus Hazlett, G. Martindale and R.
Barnum as Building Committee. The building was completed, and
was dedicated by Rev. Mr. Kephart, December 7, 1873. Elder Drury
succeeded Mr. Richardson, and Revs. Israel Shafer, Harvey,
Fothergill, Laughlin and Hicks have occupied the pulpit in turn.
The present pastor is Rev. Mr. Zebriskie.
I. O. OF O. F.
Elgin Lodge, No. 290, was instituted September 18, 1874, by
Dr. W. A. Chase, D. G. M., with the following charter members,
viz.: D. W. Redfield, J. A. Gruver, S. R. Graham, O. P. Miller,
E. R. Carpenter, H. C. Mead and J. P. Marsh. The four officers
installed were D. W. Redfield, N. G.; E. R. Carpenter, V. G.; H.
C. Mead, Recording Secretary; and O. P. Miller, Treasurer.
The officers for first term, 1878, are: S. R. Graham, N. G.;
G. S. Klock, V. G.; E. R. Carpenter, R. S.; J. A. Gruver, P. S.;
J. C. Cooley, Treasurer.
A. O. of U. W.
Elgin Lodge, No. 82, was instituted August 17, 1876, by W. H.
Burford, D. G. M. W. Charter members - O. P. Miller, G. S.
Klock, E. Enos, H. C. Hammond, L. B. Mattoon, W. W. Gardner, W.
R. Given, E. R. Carpenter, J. A. Hoagland, J. C. Cooley, A. A.
Kumpf, J. G. Shafer, P. Dowse, Jr., Henry Klock, F. D. Lepper,
C. T. Schmid, P. Nicklaus, G. A. Stoehr, Lewis Thomas and B.
Schori.
The first officers were: O. P. Miller, M. W.; E. R.
Carpenter, P. M. W.; W. W. Gardner, G. F.; C. T. Schmid, O.; H.
C. Hammond, Recorder; J. A. Hoagland, F.; L. B. Mattoon, G.; P.
Nicklaus, Receiver.
Officers, 1878: - C. T. Schmid, M. W.; P. Dowse, Jr., P. M.
W.; A. Kumpf, G. F.; J. W. Callender, O.; D. Watenpaugh,
Recorder; O. P. Miller, F.; G. S. Klock, Receiver; J. G. Shafer,
Guide.
Present membership, twenty-nine.
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