The Toledo Chronicle
Toledo, Tama County, Iowa
July 1, 1875
MONTOUR!
Early History, Business Prospects, etc.
Montour is situated in Indian Village Township in the southwest part of Tama County, and on the east side of Indian Creek upon the elevated bench on the south side of the Iowa river. It is noted for its beauty, and being an important station for shipping stock and grain on the C. & N. W. R. R, this town should receive the notice in the CHRONICLE, which its situation demands.
After the Mexican war had closed, the South being so intensely pro slavery, as to be unsatisfactory to western emigrants, composed principally of poor but intelligent men; Iowa, although cold and desolate in winter, was beautiful in her June dress, and all through the summer of 1849, a large emigration crossed the Mississippi, and settled in the southern and central portions of the State. Des Moines was a town of about three hundred people; Newton, a very hamlet; Marietta and Marshalltown unborn; Iowa City, although the capital, did not number a thousand inhabitants.
Issac ASHER, the first settler of Tama County, made his home in Indian Village township, near the site of Indiantown in the fall of 1849. Robert and Anthony GILKERSON, settled near Chelsea, the next year- 1850.
ASHER was a hard working, industrious man, he built his cabin, broke the tough sod and made a rude bridge across Indian creek- and paddled a scow over the Iowa river, as all of our brave Hawkeye pioneers generally did, and commenced living with a patience and endurance, more commendable than the war heroes, of which history makes honorable mention.
When the Indians grew saucy and threatening in the spring of 1850, and a fort was built on timber creek by the distracted settlers of Marshall County, ASHER turned a deaf ear to his friends in that section, and quietly remained at home on his little farm, and his wife as brave as himself, stayed with him.
Among the early settlers of Indian Village township were Isaac BUTLER, Judge Eli DAILEY, William TAYLOR, Edwin TAPLIN and John GRAY.
N. L. OSBORN, of Buckingham township was a settler as early as 1851, Rezin REDMAN of Howard township, and Miron BLODGETT, of Indian Village, were prominent settlers about the same time.
In 1852, the county increasing rapidly in population and taxable property, the County Judge of Benton County, issued an order for an election to be held in Tama County and organize the same. Heretofore, the votes were counted for Benton, according to the old State law, that the few settlements west of an organized county, was counted as a part of it, and helped pay State, but not county tax.
This election for the organization of Tama was ordered to be held on the 1st Monday in August, 1852. Howard township electors were to meet at the house of Rezin REDMAN; Indian Village at the residence of Judge Eli DAILEY, a gentleman who had been County Judge in Indiana. Buckingham qualified electors at the house of N. L. OSBORN - these were the only townships organized at the time. The officers elected were John C. VERMILYE, now of Tama City, County Judge; Myron BLODGETT, Sheriff; John ROSS, Treasurer and Recorder; T. J. STALEY, Deputy Treasurer; W. DANIEL, Surveyor; Abner PHILLIPS, Prosecuting Attorney; D. D. APPELGATE, Clerk; Noah MYERS, School Fund Commissioner.
The total expenses for officers fees for the 1852 was $45.95.
This was the year of PIERCE'S election and the Democracy carried everything before them in the State, although at this time in Tama County, local affairs entered largely into the issues of the campaign.
On the Twentieth of October 1853, J. W. FERGUSON, of Timber Creek, Marshall Co., and R. B. OGDEN, of Montezuma, Powesheik Co., were appointed Commissioners to locate the county seat of Tama. After Looking at a point, known as Bruner's Mill, also at David F. BRUNER'S house, they concluded to locate the seat of government for the county, where the town of Toledo now stands, and after talking it over with farmers and others, baptized the town of the future - "Toledo".
The first lawsuit on record here, is that of an injunction and application for mandamus to restrain Noah MYERS from paying our school monies, Rezin REDMAN, plaintiff.
At the September term 1854 a divorce suit comes up between Jacob W. APPLEGATE and his wife Mary Ann. A man named IRVING sues the School Fund Commissioner.
In April 1854 an election was held upon "distraining" sheep and swine from running at large," which resulted in a majority for distraining. In April, 1854, Richland township was organized and an election held at the house of Alanson B. RICH.
The first probate case on record is that of the estate of Daniel F. HORTON, deceased, Nathaniel HORTON, and Mariette HORTON appointed Administrator and Administratix.
The first marriage license issued by the County Clerk was to Myron BLODGETT and Sarah CRONK, solemnized by Judge VERMILYE at his residence in Toledo, August 1st, 1853. The parties to matrimonial felicity lived in Indian Village.
Col. Isaac BUTLER of Indian Village township was quite an enterprising man, and as all the travel which came up from Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, and the eastern counties of Iowa, westward to Marietta, Albion and Marshalltown passed through Indian Village, he conceived the idea of laying out a town.
EDWIN RUGGLES, Now a wealthy merchant of Montour, built in the spring of 1854, a log store near DAILEY'S house, bringing his goods from Rockford, Illinois, by wagon, over 200 miles. The old strap iron rail was not then laid from Galena to Chicago, the Rock Island and Council Bluffs Railroad was only talked of, and the Ranmshorn railroad from Dubuque to Keokuk, had been laughed about, and written up; but not a railroad in the States of Illinois or Iowa in actual running order. No one can guess the vexations attendant on bringing goods into Central Iowa, over the miry sloughs without bridges, roads in their native mud and grass, it was almost impossible to make but a short distance in a day. Then the taverns were hotels for bed-bugs, mice, snakes, and other varmints; in fact, traveling was a bore, even in fine weather. Mr. RUGGLES spent his Fourth of July in Marshalltown, attending the old Marshall House ball at Dr. CHILDS'.
In the spring of 1855 there was quite an emigration to the county and the 1st of August of that year Mr. BUTLER and Butlerville recorded, and William TAYLOR having bought out DAILEY'S farm had an addition put on the plat, called Indiantown on the records and that name seemed to cling to the whole, although the post office was BUTLERVILLE.
Gold was the circulating medium and lots of it found its way into the pockets of Iowa merchants, until the crash or 1857.
Continued on July 8, 1875
Montour!
Continued from Last week
Dr. Doe, the first physician of Indiantown we believe, built a little seven-by-nine store and had a few goods for sale.
Mr. RUGGLES moved down his store in 1864, and commenced business in the same building with Dr. DOE, or rather in an addition to that structure. Mr. HELM built a little house, in September 1864.
John W. NIMAN was appointed Deputy Postmaster and remained in that position until the next year, in September, when he commenced selling groceries in Orford, and built up a good trade, persons coming from a long distance, to trade with him, Iuka now Tama City, had a little business, but not until the next year, did it begin to build up rapidly.
Mr. NIMAN was soon appointed postmaster in the place of Dr. DOE, who resigned after two months experience with the mail bags at Orford station. In 1865, Mr. NIMAN was appointed Notary Public, afterwards elected Mayor. Mr. NIMAN is still in the grocery, in the Postoffice, and has always been identified with the interests of the town. He is a prominent member of the M. E. Church, and a staunch Republican.
The first store in Orford or Montour was one brought from Indiantown by Dr. DOE, who, wishing railroad communication with the world, found that the rail would not come to him, so, he went to the railroad. Edwin RUGGLES, quite as enterprising moved his frame store, and plumbed it down by Dr. DOE, thus competition commenced her perfect work.
Rev. Mr. WORTZ preached a sermon at Edwin TAPIA'S barn, one pleasant Sabbath day, the congregation uniting in singing old Coronation with a good deal of spirit. But the most devoted minister in this moral vineyard, was Rev. Mr. STUART, who pioneered over bad road, to preach the gospel, who went through hardships, and want enough to shame some of our velvet footed preachers into more effort, than reading rose colored essays, and making fashionable parochial calls.
Daniel HEMPEY built the first residence in the new village, while several houses from Indiantown added dignity and comfort to the place, by being rolled in upon wheels.
C. J. STEVENS having moved his effects to Orford or Montour, went into the lumber trade and agricultural machinery so that the town in the spring of 1865, had seven houses all told. In April, trains did not stop without flaggings, the train men throwing off the mail, as it passed through.
Soon after, Mr. BARTLETT repaired over the old stores of Mr. RUGGLES and Dr. DOE, and turned the buildings into a hotel, the merchants erecting new places of business.
Amos ROUSE and Miss Alice FINCH made a sensation, by getting married this summer, and placing their names into history, as the first wedded couple in Orford.To be continued.