THE
MAKING OF IOWA
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PREFACE
My object in writing this book, "The Making of Iowa," is not to give a history of the State, but only a narration calculated to keep alive the memory of those pioneers whose achievements and wisdom laid the foundation for our institutions. There is great danger that the stirring events of later years will obscure if not obliterate the record which these hardy men made under our Territorial government and in the formative years of our Statehood. An account of "The Making of Iowa," in the early stages of her growth and development will interest the children and induce them to read history, both for the pleasure it will give them and the information it will impart.
The record has been followed in regular order through the earliest days to the times preceding the Civil War. The history of that eventful period is still fresh in the public mind. Here I have dealt with the past and with the deeds of men who served the State well in their day and have long since passed to their reward. Besides, the history of Iowa is rich in Indian names. Black Hawk, Keokuk, Mahaska and Wapello still live in the names of Iowa counties and towns. The land for which these brave chiefs contended is ours to-day, but they had many noble traits and their memory is part of the inheritance of the State.
In compiling this book, I have had the assistance of my younger son, Edwin L. Sabin. He took upon himself the task of looking up the material and selecting that which seemed appropriate. The arrangement is due to his skill and literary ability. It is with pride that I place his name on the title page as joint author. Thanks are also due to Hon. Charles Aldrich, custodian of the Iowa Historical Department, for valuable aid in choice of material and for suggestions in reference to illustrations. He has very kindly placed at our disposal many of the cuts which adorn the "Annals of Iowa," of which he is the able author.
The illustrations of prairie chickens and wild turkeys are from a series of drawings by Edwin Sheppard, in Elliot's "Gallinaceous Game Birds of North America," published by Francis P. Harper.
If the work commends itself to the children in our schools, and especially if it leads them to place a higher value upon the privileges of citizenship in a free state, the aims of the author will be fully achieved.
HENRY SABIN