The Settling of Fremont County
by Bob Jenkins and Walter Farwell

Many current, and former residents, of Fremont County may have never heard of the term 'French Village' as it relates to Fremont County. I was included in that group of people until I came across the historical work done by the former Fremont County resident and historian Walter Farwell. His work and this information was very enlightening and explains in great detail how Fremont County was established and settled.

Prior to the 1830's the inhabitants of what is now Fremont County Iowa were Native Americans. When the Platte Purchase was completed in 1837 this area of Iowa and northwest Missouri was opened up to settlers. (The dispute over the location of border between Iowa and Missouri was not finalized until 1849 and is the subject for another topic.) In these early years the first non-native people to arrive in the Fremont County area were traders, trappers and farmers/settlers. Many were of French or French/Canadian descent.

There was no specific town site but rather the 'French Village' was the geographic area around the Nishnabotna River from Riverton all the way south into what is now Missouri and Atchison county. These first settlers established farm sites, built some of the first bridges in the county, built some of the first river ferry's, established trailways and conducted trade with other settlers and the Native Americans in the area. Some of these settlers also inter-married with the Native Americans in the area.

The people established a presence and opened the area to the other early farmers and settlers that were soon to follow. Below is a list of people that lived in and around the French Village area and who were some of the first non-native people to arrive and settle in what would become Fremont County and Atchison County Missouri. Bob Jenkins

Map of French Village and Surrounding Areas. Extending from Brenard’s Ferry northward to the Old French Bridge. French Village was bounded on the west by the Nishnabotana River. The easternmost limits seem to have been Louis Trudo’s farm on the eastern part of Wing’s Flats. His farm building still stands and probably are the only remaining evidence of this French settlement. They stand at the mouth of a little hollow in the bluffs among trees, about a quarter of a mile south of the Goldenrod.

When present day Hamburg is superimposed upon the map, it appears that only a small eastern part of the city limits extends beyond the old river bed into French Village.

Source: Bob Jenkins or Walter Farwell