Iowa History
Project
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FORT MADISON-IOWA'S FIRST FORT
FORT BELLE VUE
Lieutenant Kingsley did not choose the site which
Pike had said would be good for a fort. He chose a place just above the
Des Moines River Rapids and called it "Belle Vue, near Le Moine."
The site was not a good one. It had a bluff just back of it and
deep ravines near it. When the Indians wanted to attack the place they
could hide in the ravines. They could also shoot burning arrows from the
bluff and set fire to the buildings of the fort.
The first fort had three blockhouses, a factory,
and a storehouse. The word "factory" then meant a trading
place. All the buildings had a high fence of pickets, called a palisade,
around them.
To build the fort called for hard work. The
building had to be made out of logs. The soldiers worked all winter to
cut the logs. Since they had no horses the soldiers themselves had to
haul the logs on small sleds.
THE INDIANS
The Indians said that the land west of the
Mississippi River belonged to them and that they did not want a fort built on
it. They said they were willing to have a trading post built.
Kingsley told them that he was going to build a post but the Indians did
not believe him. The Red Men said soldiers would not be sent for that
purpose. One of the Indians who objected was Chief Black Hawk. He
was encouraged to do so by British traders along the Mississippi, who did much
to stir up the Indians against the Americans. The Indians said they
preferred to trade with the British because their goods were better than the
Americans' goods.
Some of the soldiers at the fort did not know much
about Indians because they had never lived near them. The Red Men knew
this and enjoyed playing tricks on the soldiers. Once, while the soldiers
were working and had put down their guns, the Indians came along and stole the
firearms. Then they gave a war-whoop. The soldiers were frightened
and ran for their guns. The Indians laughed and then gave the guns back
to the soldiers.
At another time the Indians intended to play a
trick on the soldiers and then kill them all. They had their weapons
hidden under their blankets and asked to come inside the fort to dance for the
soldiers. After they were all inside, they thought, they could surprise the
soldiers. A friendly Indian, however, spoiled their plans by telling a
soldier about the scheme. When the gate to the fort was swung open the
Indians saw a cannon aimed at them. Their trick had failed.
FORT MADISON
The soldiers finished the blockhouses and stockade
by spring and moved into the fort on April 14, 1809. The name was changed
from Fort Belle Vue to Fort Madison, in honor of the new President, James
Madison. The present city of Fort Madison is located on the site of this
first fort. The State Penitentiary stands but a few blocks from where the
fort was located.
Lieutenant Kingsley, who built the fort, was
succeeded as commander in August, 1809, by Captain Horatio Stark. During
the two years after the arrival of Captain Stark, the Indians made no more
trouble for the soldiers. Captain Stark was later called away and
Lieutenant Thomas Hamilton was put in command.
MORE INDIAN TROUBLE
In November, 1811, a great battle, known as the
Battle of Timmecanoe, was fought in Indiana in which the Indians were defeated.
Some Winnebago, Sac, and Fox Indians had taken part in the battle.
When they returned to the Mississippi they wanted revenge. In
September, 1812, while the United States was at war with England, two hundred
or more of the Red Men surrounded the fort. They burned some outlying
buildings, killed live stock, and shot burning arrows onto the roofs of the
fort buildings. After five days the Indians gave up the attack and left.
In the fall of 1813, warriors from the same tribes
attacked again. The situation became so bad that Lieutenant Hamilton and
his men had to do an unusual thing to escape. They dug a trench to the
river and succeeded in getting away to their boats at night without the Indians
knowing about it. The soldiers took with them most of the few supplies
which they had left and the last man out set fire to the fort. When the
Indians saw what had happened the soldiers were safe on the river.
REMAINS OF THE FORT
A tall chimney remained for some years to show
where the first fort on Iowa land had stood. The Indians called the place
"Potowonock," meaning, the place of fires. Travelers on the
Mississippi spoke of it as "Lone Chimney." If you go to the
city of Fort Madison today you will find a marker on the site of old Fort Madison.
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