Lee County Iowa Genealogy

1914 History Book
Chapter  VIII & IX
 

STORY OF LEE COUNTY IOWA
Under the Editorial Supervision of NELSON C. ROBERTS, Fort Madison DR. S. W. MOORHEAD, Keokuk
ILLUSTRATED VOLUME I CHICAGO S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1914

Excerpts from book, adding hundreds of names to the Lee Co. site
Sally Youngquist Oct 2008

CHAPTER VIII FORT MADISON LOCATION AND SURROUNDINGS — THE OLD MILITARY POST — DIFFERENT STATEMENTS REGARDING ITS ESTABLISHMENT — ITS CORRECT HISTORY — ITS DESTRUCTION AND ABANDONMENT — MONUMENT ON THE SITE — PETER WILLIAMS — THE KNAPPS — EARLY SETTLERS — FIRST TOWN PLAT — THE GOVERNMENT PLAT — TOWN INCORPORATED — BECOMES A CITY IN 1842 — LIST OF MAYORS — FIRE DEPARTMENT — WATER WORKS — PUBLIC LIGHTING — STREET RAILWAY — POST- OFFICE — COMMERCIAL CLUB — MISCELLANEOUS FACTS.

The City of Fort Madison, one of the seats of justice of Lee County, is pleasantly situated on the west bank of the Mississippi River, about twenty-five miles above the mouth of the Des Moines, on the site of the old fort erected early in the nineteenth century by the United States, from which the city takes its name. For many years the early history of the old military post was veiled in uncertainty and various statements have been made as to the time when and by whom it was established. No less an authority than Gardner's Dictionary of the United States Army states that "Fort Madison was erected by Lieutenant Pike in 1805, a few miles above St. Louis." The same authority also states that the fort was "evacuated and rebuilt in 1813.'' Rufus Blanchard, in his Discovery and Conquest of the Northwest, published in 1880, says: "The United States built Fort Madison in 1804, on the west bank of the Mississippi, opposite the Des Moines Rapids." Appleton's American Cyclopedia, under the title Fort Madison, says the town "derives its name from a fort erected in 1808, and named in honor of James Madison." The article on Fort Madison in Johnson's Cyclopedia is signed by the editor of the Fort Madison Plain Dealer and says the town occupies "the site of a fort built in 1808 and captured by the Indians in 1818." Old gazetteers describe Fort Madison as "A United States Military Post, on the west bank of the Mississippi River, about twelve miles above the Des Moines Rapids; the site of the present Town of Fort Madison, in Lee County, Iowa. Latitude, 40 36'; longitude, 14 15", W. Washington. From these statements the reader can see that early writers on the subject were widely at variance, both as to the exact location of the fort and the time when it was erected, as well as the name of the officer under whose direction it was built. It appears that one or another of these errors has been perpetuated in later historical publications, owing to the authority consulted, and some have maintained that the old fort was built by Zachary Taylor, while he was a lieu- tenant in the regular army. In July, 1897, an article prepared at the War Department in Washington was published in the Annals of Iowa, and purports to give the official history of the old fort. In order to understand how some of the errors above mentioned crept into the history of Fort Madison, it will be necessary to notice briefly some of the events that preceded and led up to its establishment. On March 9, 1804, the territory of Upper Louisiana was surrendered to the United States by France, under the treaty of April 30, 1803. The territory thus surrendered embraced the present states of Missouri and Iowa, and all the unexplored region north and west of those states included in the Louisiana Purchase. By an act of Congress, approved March 26, 1804, its name was changed to the "District of Louisiana," which was attached to the Territory of Indiana for all political purposes. In November of that year Gen. William H. Harrison concluded a treaty with the five leading chiefs of the Sac and Fox Indians, in which the United States agreed to protect these Indians in the possession of their lands west of the Mississippi. The date of this treaty no doubt led Blanchard to make the statement that the fort was erected in that year. The next year (1805) Lieut. Zebulon M. Pike was sent up the Mississippi on an* exploring expedition, with instructions to select a site for a military post "somewhere between St. Louis and Prairie des Chiens, and to obtain the consent of the Indians for its erection." In his journal, Pike says: "I have chosen three places for military establishments; the first on a hill about forty miles above the river, de Moyen Rapids on the west side of the river in about 41° 2' north latitude. The channel of the river runs on that shore; the hill is about sixty feet perpendicular, nearly level on the top." The war department article above referred to says: "There is ample evidence to show conclusively that this was the site on which Fort Madison was erected." The "ample evidence" is not given in the article, and some who have investigated the matter are inclined to the opinion that the site referred to in Pike's journal is where the City of Burlington now stands. There are good grounds for this belief, as the distance from the mouth of the Des Moines River mentioned by Pike corresponds more nearly to the location of Burlington than that of Fort Madison. The hill and the current as described by Pike also apply to Burlington, and the longitude, which was merely estimated by the explorer, likewise fits Burlington better, the forty- first parallel running about ten miles north of that city. However that may be, the selection of the site by Pike is doubtless responsible for Gardner's error in stating that the fort was built by him in 1805. The following report of Lieut. Alpha Kingsley to Gen. Henry Dearborn, then secretary of war, gives the correct history of the location and establishment of Fort Madison: "Garrison at Belle Vue, Near River Le Moyne, "22 November, 1808. "Sir: — Having received orders at Belle Fontaine, to move up the Mississippi River as far as the River Le Moine, with Captain Pinck- ney's Company under my command, and fix on a suitable situation for a fort, as nigh that place as possible — not finding any place nearer to that designation than this — I have accordingly fixed on it, which is about twenty-five miles above Le Moine. The season being so far advanced when I arrived here (26th September) that it was impossible to put up such buildings as were necessary to answer the object in view, I therefore thought it expedient to erect temporary houses for the winter. Having set a good picket around my camp, with bastions at right angles, I then commenced upon the factory, and other store houses, barracks, etc., all of which are small and done in a rough way, but will answer the purpose, they being nearly completed. I shall, by the first of next month, commence on building a small fort with three block houses, of hewed timber, so disposed as to have full command of each angle of the fort — a plan which I humbly submit. Having plenty of timber convenient, and that of the best quality, I am fully of the opinion that by June next I will have the fort ready for the reception of the troops. The expense of this work to the United States will be but a trifle, when put in completion (comparison) with the good effect that will result to the Government. "This situation is high, commands an extensive view of the river and adjacent country — also an excellent spring of water — and I believe there is no place on the river which will prove more healthy, and none more advantageous to the Indian trade. I shall prosecute the work of the fort with all possible expedition, and hope by spring to have it so far advanced that it will bid defiance to the evil-minded savage, and at the same time insure the respect and friendship of the  better disposed. With these sentiments at heart, having the public good in view, at the same time wishing to comply with my orders, which, though not pointed, leave me latitude, for which I have above premised, and fully expecting your approbation, I shall proceed to complete the work. "I am with high consideration, sir, your very obedient servant, "Alpha Kingsley, Lt., "1stU. S. Regt. Inft." Subsequent reports and correspondence of Lieutenant Kingsley show that during the winter the little garrison was occupied in the preparation of white oak logs, from twelve to eighteen inches in diameter, cut to a uniform length of fourteen feet, hewed on both sides and freed from bark. Early in the spring of 1809, as soon as the weather would permit, these logs were conveyed to the site of the fort and the work of erecting the block-houses was commenced. About this time Lieutenant Kingsley learned that the Indians were preparing to raid the frontier settlements and that the first blow would probably be struck at the garrison. Under date of April 19, 1809, he wrote to the war department as follows: "Upon receiving this information I made every possible exertion to erect block-houses and plant my pickets; this we did in two weeks (lying on our arms during the night), and took quarters in the new fort on the 14th inst. Being tolerably secure against an attack, we have been able to get a little rest, and are now making preparations for the safety and defense of this establishment." This letter was dated from "Fort Madison, near River Le Moin," and is the first official evidence of the application of that name to the new post. James Madison had just been inaugurated President of the United States on March 4, 1809, and the name was unquestionably adopted in his honor. The correspondence of the founder of the fort therefore shows that the site was selected by him in the fall of 1808; that temporary quarters were established there for the winter, and that the fort bearing the name of "Madison" was first occupied on April 14, 1809. The plan of the fort submitted by Kingsley on November 22, 1808, showed the factory building, or trading house, inside the stock- ade, but in his letter of April 19, 1809, he says: "The recent con- duct of the Indians has evinced to my mind that the thing is improper (except the warehouses), and, unless I receive contrary orders, shall build the retail store outside, say 100 yards distant. 

MADISON, GOVERNMENT POST
, 1808 This plan was followed and in May, 1809, he wrote: "As the commanding officer of this post, it would be pleasant to know how far I am to comply with the requisitions of the factory, inasmuch as, if the soldiery are drawn for the use of the factory in such numbers as to answer the expectations of the factor, it will be impossible to complete the fort this season." In response to this letter of inquiry he was informed that the soldiers were to build the factory, "receiving extra pay there for at the rate of ten cents per day and one gill of whiskey for each man, to be paid by the factory department." About this time Capt. Horatio Stark, of the First Infantry, then on duty at regimental headquarters, near Fort Adams, Mississippi, was ordered to proceed "with one corporal and seven privates, via St. Louis, to join and assume command of Captain Pinckney's company." He arrived at Fort Madison on August 24, 1809, and relieved Lieutenant Kingsley in the command of the fort. From statistical reports relating to the troops in the District of Louisiana on September 1, 1809, learned that the garrison at Fort Madison then consisted of First Lieut. Alpha Kingsley, Second Lieut. Nathaniel Pryor, one surgeon's mate, three sergeants, three corporals, two musicians and sixty privates of Captain Pinckney's company; Capt. Horatio Stark, one sergeant and eight privates of his company, making a total of eighty-one, exclusive of the seven persons connected with the factory department, who were subject to garrison duty in case of emergency. The Indians regarded the building of Fort Madison in their country as a violation of the treaty of 1804, and soon after it was completed an attempt was made to destroy it, but it was unsuccessful. No official report of this event is on file in the archives of the war department and the real facts cannot be learned. During the winter of 1811-12 and the summer following great anxiety prevailed regarding the designs of the Indians, whose attitude became constantly more threatening, making constant watchfulness on the part of the garrison a necessity. Small parties of whites were attacked and killed near the fort, but no attack upon the fort itself was made. Lieut.-Col. Daniel Bissell, commanding the troops in the District of Louisiana, wrote to the war department that Captain Stark had been directed to put Fort Madison in the best possible state of defense, and expressed his belief that, "if vigilance is used, there can be no danger of his not being able to defend the place against any number of Indians that may be brought against him. Notwithstanding this expression of confidence in Captain Stark's ability to hold the fort. Colonel Bissell, soon after writing the letter, sent Lieut. Barony Vasquez with twelve men to Fort Madison, "to assist the commanding officer of that post to put his work in the best possible state of defense." Shortly after the arrival of this reinforcement, Captain Stark took a small detachment and descended the river on special service, leaving the post under the command of Lieut. Thomas Hamilton. General Harrison's victory in the Battle of Tippecanoe, November 7, 1 8 1 1 , broke the backbone of the Tecumseh conspiracy and drove the Winnebago's from the Wabash Valley. This incident had the effect of inciting that tribe to adopt measures of retaliation and war parties were started in every direction, one of which was directed against Fort Madison. The wily Sac chief, Black Hawk, who had never been satisfied with the treaty of 1804 and the erection of Fort Madison in the Indian country, joined this Winnebago war party with several of his band and was active in the assault upon the fort on September 5, 1812. No official report of this attack has been found, but Niles' Register of October 31, 1812, gives the following account of the event, which was furnished for publication by one who was in the fort at the time: "On the 5th inst. at half past 5 P. M. this garrison was attacked by a party of the Winnebago's, the number not precisely known, but supposed to be upwards of two hundred. Fortunately there was only one soldier out of the garrison (John Cox) who fell a victim to the scalping knife. A constant firing on both sides was kept up until dark; early next morning they commenced again, and about 7 o'clock they set fire to a Mr. Graham's boat and loading, this man having arrived on the 4th; they also burnt two boats belonging to the public; soon after they began to throw fire on the block-houses that stood near the bank of the river, but not sufficiently near to command the space between them and the river ; syringes being made of gun barrels, the roofs were wet so as to prevent fire taking. During this time part of them killed the live stock, plundered and burnt Mr. Julian's houses, destroying the corn; and on the 7th they continued throwing fire on the block-houses and shot arrows in the roofs with matches tied to them. "The morning being calm, all their attempts to fire the block houses proved useless. In the evening they burnt Mr. McNabb's house and attempted the smith shop, and it was generally believed they were only waiting for a favorable wind to burn the factory, so that it might catch the garrison, which would have been the certain means of destroying us all; to prevent that, as the evening was very calm, the commanding officer, Thomas Hamilton, dispatched a soldier with fire to the factory, and in less than three hours that building was consumed without any danger to the garrison. During the day several Indians crept into an old stable and commenced shoot- ing out of it, but a shot from the cannon by Lieut. Barony Vasquez soon made their yellow jackets fly. "On the 8th we heard but little from them; several canoes were seen crossing the river, and on the 9th not an Indian was to be seen, nor was a gun fired. I am happy to say no lives were lost in the fort, one man was slightly wounded in the nose. The Indians must have had many killed, as several of them were seen to fall." This report has been quoted at length to show the conditions about Fort Madison at the time of the attack. From it the reader may see that there were a few houses about the fort — McNabb's and Julian's being burned — besides the factory building and smith shop. The loss of the factory department was considerable, as shown by a letter from the factor, John W. Johnson, to General Mason, superintendent of the Indian trade, under date of September 15, 1812, in which he tabulates the losses as follows: Sixty packs of peltries at $30 $1,800 One hundred and twenty bear skins 120 Other articles lost in the fire 250 Value of buildings destroyed 3>3°o Total $5,500 On the recommendation of Gen. Benjamin Howard, governor of the Missouri Territory, the war department wrote to Colonel Bissell on October 1, 1812, to withdraw the troops from Fort Madison and other points, with all army stores, provided Governor Howard should still advise such action. In his reply Colonel Bissell recommended that the posts be maintained until the following spring. Thus mat- ters stood until April 4, 1813, when Governor Howard wrote to Bissell, regarding the evacuation of the fort, as follows: "Had my opinion been taken before we were in hostility with the Indians, it certainly would have been in favor of its evacuation, but from a variety of considerations arising from existing circumstances, I deem the abandonment of it inadvisable. Were it to take place at this time the measure could be employed with great dexterity among the Indians by the British agents, as evidence of our inability to maintain  it, and would embolden those who are now hostile, and probably decide the wavering to take part against us. * * "The number of men now there and destined for the place, stated in your letter, is, in my opinion, entirely equal to its defense against any assault by Indians alone, if well supplied; but if a British force with artillery should cooperate, I fear it would be insufficient, unless the garrison is strengthened in a way not usual, nor necessary to repel attacks made by Indians." At that time the garrison consisted of about one hundred men of the First and Twenty-fourth Infantry, with Lieut. Thomas Hamilton in command. Acting upon the recommendations of Governor Howard, it was decided to maintain the fort until a more favorable opportunity for its abandonment presented itself. Twice during the month of July, 1813, the post was attacked by Indians, but in such small parties that they were easily repulsed. On July 18, 1813, two days after the second attack, Lieutenant Hamilton wrote to Colonel Bissell, giving an account of the assault and begging for certain supplies, if he should be expected to hold the fort. He closed his letter by saying: "I must repeat that I do expect to hear from you within one month, and when I do, I wish most cordially that it may be for the evacuation or removal of this garrison. If I do not hear from you by the 20th of August and the Indians continue to harass me in the manner they appear determined to do, I do not know but I shall take the responsibility on myself, that is, if they will permit me to go away. It is impossible for us to do duty long in the manner that I have adopted." This was the last official communication ever written from Fort Madison. The Indians, urged on by British agents, foremost among whom was the notorious Dixon, became daily more threatening and late in August began a regular siege. Reduced to the greatest extremity for want of ammunition and provisions, and seeing no disposition on the part of the authorities to relieve the situation, Lieu- tenant Hamilton decided to abandon the post and accept the consequences. By working under cover of night, a trench was dug from the southeast block-house to the river, where the boats belonging to the garrison lay. On the night of September 3, 1813, the garrison, moving noiselessly along this trench on their hands and knees and carrying the little remaining stock of provisions, their arms and a few valuables, gained the boats. They were fortunate enough to capture a large dugout belonging to the Indians. When all was in readiness, the torch was applied, the boats shot out upon the broad bosom of the Mississippi, and, although the Indians were encamped within easy gunshot of the fort, the movements of Hamilton and his men had been conducted with such secrecy that they were gone and the fort was inflames before the savages discovered what had taken place. Thus ended the history of Fort Madison as a military post — the first ever erected by order of the Government in what is now the State of Iowa. For many years after the destruction of the fort, one of the stone chimneys remained standing and the place became known to traders, trappers and travelers on the Mississippi as the "Lone Chimney." The Indians gave the site of the fort the name "Po-to-wo-nok," signifying the place of fire. One of the streets in the present City of Fort Madison is called Potowonok. The old fort stood near the southwest corner of the square bounded by Front, Second, Oak and Broadway streets. At the foot of Broadway, Jean Espy Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, erected a monument in the form of a chimney, called the "Lone Chimney Monument," to mark the site. It was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies on October 28, 1908, approximately a century after the fort was established by Lieu- tenant Kingsley. Where the fireplace would be in a real chimney is a tablet bearing the inscription: "Erected 1908 by Jean Espy Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution on site of Old Fort Madison Built 1808 Evacuated and Burned by Garrison 1813." For nineteen years after the abandonment of Fort Madison, the beautiful valley where it stood remained unoccupied by civilized man. In 1832 Peter Williams, whom Isaac R. Campbell describes as "a botanical mullein leaf doctor," built a log cabin on the bank of the Mississippi, four or five hundred yards below the ground once occupied by the fort. The region had not yet been opened to settle- ment and a detail of soldiers was sent down from Fort Armstrong (now Rock Island, Illinois) to remove the trespasser. Williams r cabin was torn down, the logs were thrown into the river, and he was taken to Nauvoo as a prisoner. There some of his friends interceded  for him and he was released, probably with the injunction: "Go and sin no more." The same year that Peter Williams was dispossessed, Gen. John H. Knapp, while on his way up the Mississippi River to Fort Snelling, learned from the steamboat captain that the site of Fort Madison was claimed by Augustus Horton, who lived on an island a few miles down the river. Knapp bought Horton's claim, took possession, and built a log cabin near the foot of Broadway, where he established an Indian supply store. After a short time he sold his stock of goods to Judge Cutler and spent the winter at a hotel kept by his cousin, Nathaniel Knapp, at Quincy, Illinois. General Knapp is credited by some authorities with being the first white man to effect a permanent establishment at Fort Madison. He was born at Goshen, New York, May 30, 179 1, and in his boyhood was apprenticed to a saddler. In the fall of 1814 he was a lieutenant for about three months in Captain Tuthil's company of New York militia and subsequently was commissioned brigadier-general of state militia. For some time he was engaged in coal and iron mining in the Tioga Field. In 1830 he made a trip via Buffalo and the Missis- sippi River to New Orleans, and it was while returning east that he decided to locate at Fort Madison. In the spring of 1833, accompanied by his cousin Nathaniel, he returned to his claim. When the United States, in June, 1833, acquired full title to the lands of the Black Hawk Purchase, Peter Williams returned and reoccupied his claim, erecting his cabin on the bank of the river, between the present Chestnut and Walnut streets. After a brief residence there he removed to the Des Moines River, where he died in 1835. Some time in 1833 Richard Chaney, who had previously located on the creek bearing his name opposite Keokuk, attracted by the settlement at Fort Madison, came up the river and made a claim on the upper part of the town site. He built his cabin near the mouth of the creek that empties into the Mississippi not far from the penitentiary. His claim included the old field that had been cultivated by the soldiers of the garrison twenty years before. Other early settlers were Aaron White and Zachariah Hawkins. In 1835 John H. Knapp built a hewed log house on the exact site of the old fort, one of the old chimneys of which he utilized for his residence, cleaned out the old well that had been used by the garrison, erected a new store building and sent for his family. On October 9, 1835, his wife, Harriet, two sons, John H., Jr., and Jonas S., and a daughter, Elizabeth, arrived. They were accompanied by a married daughter, Mrs. Joseph S. Douglass, her husband and two children. In June, 1835, John H. and Nathaniel Knapp employed Adolphus Allen to survey and lay out a town, the eastern limit of which is the present Oriental Street, and the western boundary was a short distance above Pine street. The boundaries, as given by Mr. Allen in his report, were as follows: "Commencing at low-water mark on the Mississippi River, due south of a red or Spanish oak tree standing on the bank of the river and running due north one-half mile; thence due east 1 12 rods, or thereabout; thence due south to low-water mark on said river; thence westerly, following the meandering of said river, by the said low-water mark, to the place of beginning." Between Front Street and the river were several fractional lots, on. one of which stood the store first built by General Knapp and sold to Judge Jacob Cutler. Not long after the Knapps had their town surveyed by Mr. Allen, Dr. John Cutler, a son of the judge, James D. Shaw and a Doctor Ferris bought the claim of Peter Williams and laid it out in lots, their plat adjoining that of the Knapps on the west. During the year 1836 there was a material increase in the population of the new town and a number of new buildings were erected. In this year General Knapp built a large frame house on the site of the old fort and opened it as a hotel under the name of the "Madison House." It had accommodations for about fifty guests and also had a large assembly room for conventions, etc. Nathaniel Knapp also built a frame hotel known as the "Washington House." Both these hotels did a prosperous business, as at that time there was a heavy tide of emigration westward and sometimes as many as one hundred wagons would be lined up On the Illinois side of the river, waiting to be ferried over. Among the patrons of General Knapp's store was Chief Black Hawk, whose son, Nes-se-as-suk, was about the age of John and Jonas Knapp. The three boys became playmates and the old chief would frequently gather them about him in front of the store and tell them stories of his hunting expeditions and his experiences in war. The Indians were generally good customers and rarely failed to pay their debts, though Black Hawk left an unpaid bill of some ten or twelve dollars at Judge Cutler's store. About the time the Madison House was built the First United States Dragoons constituted the garrison at Fort Des Moines, where Montrose now stands. Among the officers were James C. Parrott, afterward colonel of the Seventh Iowa Infantry in the Civil war, and Robert E. Lee, who became commander of the Confederate armies in that great internecine struggle. The officers of the dragoons made frequent visits to Fort Madison and were entertained by General Knapp at the Madison House. On the evening of January 2, 1837, General Knapp attended a reception and ball at the hotel. During the evening he contracted a slight cold, which developed into quinsy and he died two days later. His body was the first to be buried in the Fort Madison Cemetery. After his death the hotel was conducted for some time by his son-in-law, Joseph S. Douglass, when he died of typhoid fever. Mrs. Knapp then leased the building to Lorenzo Bullard, who remained in charge until 1845, when he removed to Wisconsin. The death of Nathaniel Knapp was more tragic. On July 13, 1837, accompanied by a friend named Doyle, he went to Bentonsport, in Van Buren County on some business connected with the court. Upon their arrival they registered at a hotel and engaged lodging, after which they went out in town. Later in the evening, another guest— Isaac Hendershott, of Burlington — arrived at the hotel and the landlord, assuming that Knapp and Doyle were out to "make a night of it," and the rooms all being taken, assigned Hendershott to the room engaged by the two Fort Madison men. Toward midnight Knapp and Doyle came in, took up a lighted candle and proceeded to their room to find the bed occupied. Knapp somewhat indignantly demanded to know what the occupant was doing in that bed, and, according to Hendershott's statement afterward, made a gesture as if to draw a weapon of some kind. Hendershott sprung from the bed, unsheathed a sword from the cane he carried and stabbed Knapp near the heart. The wounded man exclaimed, "Doyle, I'm a dead man," and sank to the floor, still holding the candle in his hand. He lived but a few minutes and in the excitement which followed Hendershott made his escape. The following spring a steamboat stopped at Fort Madison and some one recognized Hendershott as one of the passengers. The news spread rapidly and in a short time an infuriated crowd headed by Thomas Fulton, a relative of Knapp, boarded the boat and gave the assassin a terrible beating. At the next term of the District Court in Van Buren County, Hendershott appeared at Farmington, relying upon his theory of self defense to secure an acquittal, but upon learning that an indictment for murder had been returned by the grand jury, he hastily decamped and was never seen in Iowa afterward. With the death of John and Nathaniel Knapp, Fort Madison lost two of its most enterprising citizens, but the constant influx of settlers

MADISON HOUSE IN 1878,  125 kept the growth of the town up to the expectations of its early inhabitants and in time the two founders were almost forgotten. Some questions arose as to the validity of the title to lots acquired under the Horton and Williams claims and on July 2, 1836, Congress passed an act providing for the platting of certain tracts of land in the Black Hawk Purchase into town sites. One of these tracts was the site of Fort Madison. A supplementary act, approved by President Jackson on March 3, 1837, named William W. Coriell, George Cubbage and M. M. McCarver as commissioners to resurvey the town. The original plat was accepted by the commissioners, with the exception of the fractional lots between Front Street and the river, which were made public property. The first sale of lots in the Government survey was made at the land office in Burlington, in the fall of 1838, but those who had purchased lots from the original founders of the town were protected by provisions of the law, the holders of the property receiving patents direct from the United States. Fort Madison was incorporated by an act of the Territorial Legislature of Wisconsin, approved on January 19, 1838. Section 1 of this act provided "That all that portion of territory which is included in a survey made by and under authority of the United States, and which is known and designated as the Town of Fort Madison, containing about six hundred and forty acres of land in the County of Lee, in said territory, be, and the same is hereby, constituted a town corporate and shall hereafter be known by the name or title of Fort Madison." Section 2 directed that an election for town officers be held on the first Monday in May, 1838, at which time Philip Viele was elected president; Robert Wyman, recorder; Herbert Morris, Joseph S. Kennie, Charles McDill, John D. Drake and Isaac Atlee, trustees. As no regular meeting place was provided for the board, the sessions of that body were held at such places as could be secured, chiefly at the Madison House and the offices of Daniel F. Miller and Volney Spaulding. At the town election in May, 1839, Peter Miller was chosen president and continued in that office by reelections until the Iowa Legislature, by the act of February 12, 1842, granted the town a new charter, which provided for the division of the town into three wards and the election of a mayor and six aldermen — two from each ward. The first election under the new charter was held on April 4, 1842, the three wards having been established by the old board of trustees on March 5, preceding. Isaac Atlee was elected mayor;  William B. Matthews and Henry E. Vrooman, aldermen from the first ward; Alexander Anderson and William Evans, aldermen from the second ward, and Josiah Cowles and Levi Leech, aldermen from the third ward. E. G. Wilson was the first recorder, or clerk, under the new charter, and Joel C. Walker was the first treasurer. Some years later the city was divided into four wards. Following is a list of the mayors of Fort Madison, with the year in which each entered upon the duties of the office : Isaac Atlee, 1842; Philip Viele, 1843 ; Thomas Hale, 1845 ; A. N. Deming, 1847; Wicklifr" Ketchel, 1848; Edward Johnstone, 1849; Philip Viele, 1850; Joel C. Parrott, 185 1 ; Joseph M. Beck, 1852; Joel C. Walker, 1853; J. H. Bacon, 1854; Philip Viele, 1855; Robert McFarland, 1856; R. W. Albright, 1857; Daniel F. Miller, 1858; Thomas S. Espy, 1859; Patrick Gilligan, i860 (served continuously by reelections until October, 1864, when he resigned and John A. Nunn was elected for the remainder of the term) ; Patrick Gilligan was elected again in 1865 an d J 866; T. L. Lawrence, 1867; Patrick Gilligan, 1868; Peter Miller, 1869; J. M. Casey, 1870; Henry Cattermole 1872; A. C. Roberts, 1873; A.J. Alley, 1876; Henry Schlemer, 1884 Otway Cutler, 1886; J. D. M. Hamilton, 1887; Samuel Atlee, 1893 J. A. Jordan, 1897; Samuel Atlee, 1899; Charles H. Finch, 1901 J. A. Jordan, 1903; Augustus P. Brown, 1905; Charles H. Finch, 1907; William L. Gerber, 1909 (died February 20, 1910, and August E. Johns elected to the vacancy) ; August E. Johns, 191 1 ; Augustus P. Brown, 1913. A few years ago a slight change was made in the city government. Instead of four wards, the city was divided into five, and the legisla- tive department of the municipal government was made to consist of two councilmen-at-large and one from each of the five wards. On September 1, 19 14, the city government was constituted as follows: Augustus P. Brown, mayor; A. S. Gaylord, city clerk; J. R. Frailey, solicitor; A. M. Lowrey, treasurer; Matt Thrasher, chief of police; William M. Decker, chief of the fire department; Ben J. Schulte, street commissioner; F. R. Smith, assessor; N. J. Bever and Harvey A. Skyles, councilmen-at-large; J. C. B. Myers, first ward; F. A. Woodmansee, second ward ; W. D. Masters, third ward ; H. D. Kern, fourth ward; John Oppenheimer, fifth ward.
 

CHAPTER !V
KEOKUK LOCATION AND INDIAN NAME — THE FIRST WHITE SETTLER — MOSPS STILLWELL — OTHER PIONEERS — AMERICAN FUR COMPANY — "RAT ROW" — HORSE RACING AS AN AMUSEMENT — ADOPTION OF THE NAME KEOKUK — PLATTING THE TOWN — SOME EARLY EVENTS — KEOKUK INCORPORATED— LIST OF MAYORS — WATERWORKS — FIRE DEPARTMENT — PUBLIC LIGHTING — STREET RAILWAY — THE POST- OFFICE — INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION — THE RIVER BRIDGE — MISCEL LANEOUS 'COMMENT.

Keokuk, the metropolis of Lee County, is beautifully situated upon the romantic and picturesque bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River at the foot of the Des Moines Rapids, in the southern part of Jackson Township and the extreme southeastern corner of the State of Iowa. This place was called by the Indians Puck-e-she- tuck, which some writers have interpreted as meaning "the foot of the rapids," but Francis Labiseur, who acted as interpreter in the negotiation of some of the early treaties, and who understood the language of the Sacs and Foxes, says its liberal meaning is "where the water runs still." The first habitation built by a white man within the present limits of the city was the log cabin erected by Dr. Samuel C. Muir in 1820. In an address before the Old Settlers' Association in 1875, Capt. James W. Campbell says this cabin "stood on the right hand corner of Main and Levee, as you ascend the street." Doctor Muir had been a surgeon in the United States army and was stationed at Fort Edwards. He married an Indian girl and when the government officials issued an order that all soldiers having Indian wives should abandon them, he resigned his position as surgeon. Circumstances then compelled him to practice medicine elsewhere, so he leased his claim at Puck-e-she-tuck to Otis Reynolds and John Culver, of St. Louis, who employed Moses Stillwell as their agent to open a trading house there. Stillwell, accompanied by his two brothers-in-law, Amos and Valencourt Van Ausdal, took possession in the spring of 1828. During the preceding winter he had visited the claim and erected two cabins, one of which, near the foot of Main Street, he occupied with his family — the first white family to take up a residence at the foot of the rapids on the Iowa side of the river. A little further up the hill he cleared a small patch of ground, where he raised some corn and potatoes in 1828. A short distance below the cabin he built a stone building about 15 by 40 feet, using the stone bluff for the back wall. This building was erected for a warehouse for Culver & Reynolds and was used until it was carried away by the great ice gorge in 1832. Margaret, a daughter of Moses Stillwell, born in 183 1, was the first white child to be born in what is now the City of Keokuk. Shortly after Mr. Stillwell established himself at the foot of the rapids, the American Fur Company erected a row of five houses at the junction of Blondeau and Levee streets and installed Russell Farnham as resident manager; Joshua Palean, Mark Aldrich and Edward Bushnell, clerks. Paul Bessette, John Shook and Baptiste Neddo came as trappers and hunters. The buildings of the American Fur Company were of hewed logs and for many years were known as "Rat Row." John Connolly, John Forsyth, James Thorn and John Tolman were employed by the company as itinerant peddlers and in the collection of furs. Andre Santamont also came with the company's employees and built his cabin not far from where the round- house of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad was afterward erected. He was the stepfather of Francis Labiseur, the interpreter above mentioned. The lease of Reynolds & Culver expired in 1830, when Doctor Muir again took possession of his claim and formed a partnership with Isaac R. Campbell, the firm succeeding to the business established by Moses Stillwell. Doctor Muir died of cholera in 1832 and at the breaking out of the Black Hawk war in that year the American Fur Company sold "Rat Row" to Isaac R. Campbell and abandoned the field, leaving Mr. Campbell and thirty-four employees as the entire male population. Fears of an Indian attack were entertained, and at the suggestion of Maj. Jenifer T. Spriggs, who had come to survey the half-breed tract, a stockade was built around Mr. Camp- bell's establishment and a small blockhouse was constructed. The men were organized into a military company, with Major Spriggs in command. Mr. Campbell was elected lieutenant and commissary and wrote to the commandant at St. Louis for a supply of arms and ammunition. The company was furnished with a small swivel gun,  thirty-four muskets and 500 rounds of ammunition, but no attack was made. Among the white men in Keokuk at this period were William McBride, Thomas W. Taylor, John Gaines, William Price and Alexander Hood, all of whom came in the year 1831. In an article on "Recollections of the Early Settlement," written by Isaac R. Campbell and published in the Annals of Iowa for July, 1867, the writer says: "Horse racing was a great source of amusement to us; in this sport our red friends were ever ready to participate, and at times lost on the result every article they possessed on earth. Keokuk and Pash-e-pe-ho, chiefs of the Sac tribe, were more passionately fond of this amusement than any of their contemporaries. And when amusements of this kind ceased to be entertaining, we called upon our pugilists, Hood McBride and Price, to enliven the scene by a friendly exhibition of their prowess, by knocking down and dragging out a few of the disinterested spectators. We had no prize belt to award the victor, as the science and courtesies of the ring had not then arrived at the perfection they have since. Before this era, civil law, of course, was unknown, and our salutary mode of punishment for crime was by prohibiting the criminal from the use of intoxicating liquors, this being the greatest punishment we could inflict." For a number of years after the first settlement was made at the foot of the rapids the place was known by various names, such as Puck-e-she-tuck, the Point, Foot of the Rapids, etc. There seems to be some difference of opinion as to when the name "Keokuk" was first adopted. Dr. Isaac Galland says: "July 4, 1829, was celebrated on a steamboat lying at the foot of what is now Main Street. It was at this meeting, presided over by Col. George Davenport, that the name Keokuk was given to the place." This statement was made in a letter written by Doctor Galland a few years before his death. Isaac R. Campbell says that "up to the year 1835, the settlement at the foot of the rapids had been without a distinctive name. * It was finally proposed by a number of steamboat men, while detained here lighting over the rapids, that it should commemorate the name of the peace chief of the Sac tribe. From this time the name Keokuk was adopted, and, in 1837, I sold my potato patch enclosure to Dr. Isaac Galland, agent of the New York Land Company, and, under his supervision, a city in embryo was formally inaugurated and recorded as 'Keokuk.' " Whether the name was adopted in 1829 or not until some years later, the authorities above quoted agree that the honor of its selection belongs to steamboat men. In the spring of 1837 Dr. Isaac Galland, agent of the New York Land Company, assisted by David W. Kilbourne, laid out the original town plat, which was filed for record in October, 1840. In his inaugural address as mayor of Keokuk, delivered on April 10, 1855, Mr. Kilbourne said: "When the square mile upon which Keokuk is located was laid off into streets, lots and blocks, in 1837, the main portion of it was a dense forest; and where Main Street now is, so thick was the timber and underbrush, that it was difficult to make the survey. Then a few log cabins on the river bank, which had been erected and used for Indian trading houses, composed all the improvements. Then the homes of Keokuk and Black Hawk were near, and the graves of many of the tribes were prominent objects upon the bluffs within our town site, over which now stand the houses of she-mo-ko (the white man)." In June, 1837, occurred the first public sale of lots in the new Town of Keokuk. It had been advertised far and wide and was largely attended. A steamboat was chartered at St. Louis and brought up a large number of prospective buyers. At that time the only buildings were a few scattering cabins — probably three or four — and the old trading house called "Rat Row." Hotel accommodations were not to be had for love or money, and the passengers occupied their state rooms on the boat as bed rooms during the sale. Although the number of lots sold at this sale was not as great as had been anticipated, the projectors of the town found consolation in the fact that one corner lot sold for $1,500, an indication that Keokuk's future was to be one great prosperity. Shortly after this sale the old Muir property was purchased by L. B. Fleak, who opened a boat store on the levee, bought two barges and engaged in the lightering business over the rapids. In 1839 Moses Gray built the old "Keokuk House," a frame structure, three stories in height, built of split lumber and roofed with clapboards. It was 26 by 44 feet and had partitions made of green cottonwood boards. Verily, in this building the "walls had ears," but such was Keokuk's first hotel. Mr. Fleak rented the house and opened it as a hotel, but soon after that certain creditors of Dr. Isaac Galland, who had bought the building of Gray, secured a judgment against him and the house was sold. It was bid in for the St. Louis creditors by Mr. Fleak for the amount of the judgment ($800), and not long afterward he bought the hotel for $640. A large addition to the hotel was built two years later. Prince de Joinville and his retinue were guests at this hotel soon after the addition was completed.

STREET SCENE, KEOKUK SOME EARLY EVENTS
The death of Doctor Muir, in 1832, was the first to occur in Keokuk. Moses Stillwell died in 1834, in the cabin he had built some years before near the foot of High Street, and John Gaines, the first justice or notary, died on April 21, 1839. During the days of trading houses, the Indians brought in large quantities of elk, deer, wolf, beaver, otter, raccoon, mink and muskrat skins to trade for blankets, knives, trinkets and whisky. Valencourt Van Ausdal used to tell of some of the sprees the red men would have when they brought their peltries into the trading post. Said he: "They were excessively fond of whisky, but not much in the habit of drinking to excess unless by prearrangement to get on a 'big drunk,' when a certain number were appointed to stay sober and protect the drunken ones from doing harm to themselves or others. Their favorite places for having their 'big drunks' were at what is now known as the mouth of Bloody Run and on the bank of the Mississippi, where Anschutz's brewery now stands. During these sprees the days and nights were made hideous with the howls and war-whoops of the Indian bacchanalians." The first school in Keokuk was taught in 1833 by Jesse Creighton, in a little log cabin that had been erected by John Forsyth, a short distance below and a little farther back from the river than the buildings of the American Fur Company. Mr. Creighton was also a shoemaker and when not hearing classes would repair such shoes as the settlers brought to him. The first church edifice was erected in 1838; the first murder occurred in 1839, when Edward Riley killed Barney F. Barron. He received a two years' sentence in the penitentiary. In 1846 George C. Anderson established a private bank — the first institution of that character in Lee County.

THE TOWN INCORPORATED
 For several years after the first settlers came the growth of Keokuk was slow, owing chiefly to the uncertainty of land titles in the half-breed tract. In July, 1841, the population was estimated at one hundred and fifty. Five years later it was 500, and in 1847 it was estimated at one thousand one hundred and twenty. On February 23, 1847, the governor of Wisconsin Territory approved an act of the Legislature providing for the incorporation of Keokuk. The town was incorporated under this act on December 13, 1847, when three wards were established. The First Ward included "all that part of the city lying between the Mississippi River and Second Street, bounded on the southwest by a line drawn from the river to the center of Second Street, between and parallel with, and at equal distances from, Main and Johnson Streets." The Second Ward embraced "that part of the city lying between the river and the center of Second Street, bounded on the northeast by the line aforesaid," and the Third Ward included all the remainder of the city. The voting places were established at the Rapids Hotel, the American House and the office of I. G. Wickersham, in the three wards respectively, and the first municipal election was ordered for the first Monday in January, 1848. The officers elected at that time were as follows: William A. Clark, mayor; James Mackley and William C. Reed, aldermen from the First Ward; William Holliday and Herman Bassett, from the Second Ward; and John W. Ogden and John M. Houston, from the Third Ward. Mayor Clark, who ran as a whig, received 175 votes, and his opponent, E. C. Stone, received 87 votes. The new government was inaugurated on January 10, 1848, just one week after the election, when the council elected A. V. Putnam, clerk; L. E. H. Houghton, assessor, and D. Murray, marshal, collector and treasurer. At the second meeting, on January 17, 1848, the council passed the first ordinance, entitled "An ordinance relative to the clerk of the council of the City of Keokuk." Other acts of the council at this session were the granting of a privilege to S. Haight & Company to maintain a wharf boat at the foot of Main Street; fixing the tax levy for city purposes at 37^ cents on each $100 worth of property; and renting a room from L. E. H. Houghton at $4.00 per month for a mayor's office. Following is a list of the mayors of Keokuk, with the year in which each entered upon the duties of the office, each one serving until his successor was elected and qualified: William A. Clark, from January 10 to April 17, 1848; Justin Millard, April, 1848; Uriah Raplee, April, 1849 (resigned in September following his election and John A. Graham was elected to fill the vacancy) ; John A. Graham, 1850; B. S. Merriam, 1852; David W. Kilbourne, 1855; Samuel R. Curtis, 1856; Hawkins Taylor, 1857; H. W. Sample, 1858; William Leighton, 1859; William Patterson, i860; J. J. Brice, 1861; R. P. Creel, 1862; George B. Smyth, 1863; J. M. Hiatt, 1864: William Patterson, 1865; William Timberman, 1867; John A. Mc- Dowell, 1868; A. J. Wilkinson, 1869; William Timberman, 1870; Henry W. Rothert, 1871; Daniel F. Miller, Sr., 1873; Edmund Jaeger, 1874; J orm N. Irwin, 1876; James B. Paul, 1879; James N. Welsh, 1880; Lewis Hosmer, 1881; David J. Ayers, 1882; George D. Rand, 1883; Edmund Jaeger, 1884; James C. Davis, 1885; John N. Irwin, 1887; John E. Craig, 1889; S. W. Moorhead, 1893; Felix T. Hughes, 1895; J. L. Root, 1897; James F. Daugherty, 1899; Theodore A. Craig, 1901 ; Andrew J. Dimond, 1903; James Cameron, 1905; W. E. Strimback, 1907; Charles Off, 1909. In 1 9 10 the city adopted the commission form of government. Joshua F. Elder was elected mayor, and F. T. F. Schmidt and Thomas P. Gray, councilmen. In 191 2 Mayor Elder and Council- man Gray were reelected and T. J. Hickey was chosen as the successor of Councilman Schmidt. The officers elected in 1914 were: S. W. Moorhead, mayor; Joseph A. M. Collins and F. T. F. Schmidt, councilmen.

FIRE DEPARTMENT In the spring of 1 8 q6 Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 was or- ganized with Benjamin F. Dodson as president; D. B. Smith, secre- tary; and John B. Knight, treasurer. The first truck foreman was L. L. O'Connor. This was the first organized fire company of which there is anv authentic record.  The Young America Fire Company was organized on October 9, 1856, at a meeting held in Burrows Hall, presided over by John A. McDowell, who afterward served as mayor of the city. In this company were several men who afterward became men of national reputation. Among them may be mentioned Samuel R. Curtis, who served as mayor of the city, a member of Congress, and as a general in the Union army in the Civil war; William W. Belknap, who was secretary of war in the cabinet of President Grant; Hugh W. Sample, who was elected mayor of Keokuk in 1858, and the Confederate Gen- eral Winder, then a young lawyer of Keokuk, who went south, joined the secession movement and became notorious as the superintendent of Libby Prison, at Richmond, Virginia. The first president of the company was R. H. Magruder, who, with Curtis, Belknap, Sample and McDowell, took active steps to supply the company with hand engines and other fire-fighting ap- paratus. Two engines were purchased — the "Gallery," built by Rogers & Son, of Baltimore, Maryland, and the "Honneyman," which was built in Boston, Massachusetts. The Gallery, after be- ing used a few years, was dismantled and sold as old metal, but the Honneyman continued in use for about a quarter of a century. The Columbia hose reel, purchased at the same time as the two engines, was afterward remodeled and change to a one-horse truck. In i860 the Rolla Fire Company was organized. The early meetings of this company were held in the blacksmith shop of Chris Smith, who was one of the members and made a large triangle, which served the company in place of a bell. Union Fire Company No. 3 was organized in 1861, with George T. Higgins, afterward sheriff, W. B. Miller, William Landers, Jacob Speck and Donald Robinson among the active members. The first steam engine was purchased by the city in the spring of 1866. It was manufactured by the Amoskeag Works, of Amos- keag, New Hampshire, and was called the "Young America," for the company to which it was assigned.* Prior to that time the old hand engine Honneyman had been in the hands of this company, but when the steamer arrived and was placed in commission, the Honneyman was turned over to the Rollas. After the great fire of July 4, 1870, it was decided to buy a second steamer and a Silsby engine, manufactured at Seneca Falls, New York, was purchased. It was christened the "Rolla" and went to the Rolla Fire Company, the old Honneyman being sold to the Town of West Point. Vol I— 1 146 HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY In October, 1878, the paid fire department was organized and engines, hose reels, hook and ladder truck, etc., were placed under the control of the city. In 1914 the department consisted of four stations, and the apparatus of two steam engines, one chemical engine, one hook and ladder truck and four hose reels, manned by an efficient force of men.

PUBLIC LIGHTING On Friday evening, January 4, 1856, the streets of Keokuk were lighted by gas for the first time. The original founders of the Keokuk Gas Company were William Herrick and Edward Kilbourne, who built a plant and laid mains in the fall of 1855. These two gen- tlemen and Charles B. Foote filed articles of incorporation for the Keokuk Gas Light and Coke Company on December 20, 1855, with Edward Kilbourne as the first president and Josiah Davis as the first secretary. The capital stock provided for in the articles of incorporation was $100,000, enough of which was paid up to put the works in good condition. In 1865 Daniel Mooar acquired a controlling interest in the gas works and a few years later a reorganization took place, Mr. Mooar being elected president; R. H. Wyman, vice president, and H. R. Miller, secretary and superintendent. Under this management substantial improvements were made and the mains extended. In 1900 the works were transferred to the Keokuk Gas and Electric Com- pany. Electric lights were introduced into Keokuk by the Badger Elec- tric Company, which was incorporated on March 2, 1885, by S. S. Badger, of Chicago, A. J. McCrary and Charles J. Smith, of Keo- kuk. A plant was established on Third Street, between Johnson and Exchange, with a capacity of sixty arc lights of 2,000 candle power each, most of which were installed for street lighting, though a few were placed in stores, etc. After about seven years the holdings of the company were transferred to the Fort Wayne Electric Company, of Fort Wayne, Indiana. In the meantime a small incandescent plant had been established by J. C. Hubinger for his personal benefit. Being unable to secure gas from the gas company for lighting his residence, he drilled an artesian well and utilized the water to operate a small electric gen- erator, sufficient to furnish incandescent lights for his house. Some of his neighbors were afterward placed on the circuit and the plant was enlarged. After the Fort Wayne company took over the Badger interests, the old Thompson-Houston equipment was replaced by Wood machines and other improvements were made, after which the entire plant was sold to Mr. Hubinger. Both the gas works and the electric light plant are now controlled by the Stone & Webster Syndi- cate, which also operates the power plant at the big Keokuk dam.

STREET RAILWAY The Keokuk Street Railway Company was organized early in the year 1882, with James H. Anderson as president, practically all the stock being held by local capitalists. Work was immediately commenced on two lines. The first began at the corner of Main and Fourteenth streets, thence east on Main to Fifth Street, and down Fifth to B Street in Reid's addition. The other line started at the railroad station, thence via Main to Sixth Street, on Sixth Street to Morgan, on Morgan to Eleventh, on Eleventh to Seymour, and on Seymour to Rand Park. Subsequently a line was built on Fourteenth Street from Rand Park to Main Street, so as to form a loop. Mules and horses furnished the motive power until 1892, when the local company sold out to the Hubbell Syndicate, of Des Moines, which converted the plant into an electric railway system. The Main Street line was extended west to Nineteenth Street, on which car barns were built, and a little later the line on Nineteenth Street was extended to Oakland Cemetery. The Des Moines company sold out to J. C. Hubinger and others, and for a time it was operated in con- nection with the electric light plant. After one or two other changes in ownership the railway passed into the hands of the Stone & Web- ster Syndicate, which has put on new cars and otherwise greatly improved the service.

THE POSTOFFICE The first person to act as postmaster at Keokuk was John Gaines, though he was never regularly appointed. The first mails were car- ried by Robert McBride from St. Francisville, Missouri, on horse- back, or from Warsaw, Illinois, in a skiff, and Mr. Gaines under- took the work of distributing letters and other mail matter to the proper persons. On June 24, 1841, L. B. Fleak was appointed postmaster and held the position for about three years. In speaking some years afterward of his experiences as postmaster, Mr. Fleak said: 148 HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY "The postoffice was first kept in the Keokuk House. When I rented out the hotel in 1843, I moved the office to the corner of First and Johnson streets, and afterward to a building midway between First Street and the levee on Johnson Street. During the time 1 kept it at the latter place, my store was robbed, but the mail matter was not molested. There was $22,000 belonging to the United States lying in an old pine desk in the store room when the robbery took place. It had been handed to me by Major Stewart, army paymaster, for safekeeping and I had gone home and forgotten it. When we caught the burglar, I asked him why he did not open the desk and take the money. He said he did lift the cover, but thought no one would be fool enough to leave money in such a place." When Mr. Fleak resigned, in the summer of 1844, W. S. Mc- Gavic and J. C. Ainsworth were applicants for the place, but through the influence of Henry J. Campbell and others the appointment went to Adam Hine, a river man, who was hardly ever at Keokuk. He appointed John B. Russell his deputy and some years later Mr. Hine said that all he knew about being postmaster was that he was called upon to make good a shortage of several hundred dollars, when his successor took possession of the office and checked up the business. This shortage was attributed solely to careless methods of keeping accounts. On March 16, 1887, ground was broken for the present postoffice building at the corner of Seventh and Blondeau streets and about two years later the new building was opened to the public. It is a sub- stantial structure of stone and brick, two stories high, the main floor being devoted to the handling and distribution of mails and the second story to the United States Court. In the tower is a clock which marks the time and strikes the hours. In 19 14 the Keokuk postoffice em- ployed, besides the postmaster and assistant postmaster, fourteen city carriers, three substitute carriers, two rural carriers, twelve clerks and three janitors. The annual receipts of the office, in round num- bers, amount to $83,000. INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION On January 22, 1906, the Keokuk Commercial Club was organ- ized "for the purpose of fostering the splendid industries now flour- ishing and to encourage additional manufacturing enterprises that may wish to locate in the city." In January, 191 1, the club was succeeded by the Keokuk Indus- trial Association, with C. R. Joy as president and A. D. Ayres as St. Joseph 'a Hospital. Federal Court House and Post Office. Keokuk Public Library. VIEWS OF KEOKUK High School and United Presbyterian Church. Y. M. C. A. Building. secretary. Soon after the association was organized, it inaugurated a "clean up" campaign, under the auspices of the committee on parks, playgrounds and general improvements. Later in the year, through the advertising agency of N. W. Ayer & Son, of Philadelphia, Penn- sylvania, the association expended about eleven thousand dollars in advertising the advantages of the city in some of the leading maga- zines of the country. In the spring of 191 2, John Nolen, an experi- enced landscape architect of Cambridge, Massachusetts, was em- ployed by the association to present plans for the beautification of the city. His work was completed in the fall of 1913 and his plans have been adopted by the mayor and city commissioners. Another publicity campaign was conducted in the summer of 1913, when an especially trained man was engaged to supervise the work of advertising. Articles on Keokuk appeared in newspapers throughout the civilized world, and thousands of window display cards, bearing photographic views of Keokuk and the great power house, were distributed among merchants of the United States, Canada, England, Germany, France, Austria, China and Japan. During the year over one hundred specially prepared articles relating to the power plant were printed in magazines. Sixty-six acres of land on the extension of Main Street were pur- chased by the association in the summer of 1913 as a location for new factories, the sum of $17,000 being appropriated from the treasury for that purpose. This ground has been platted as an industrial dis- trict. The association has also given considerable attention to the entertainment of conventions; the improvement of the river front; the construction of the boulevard from Keokuk to Montrose; the ad- justment of freight rates between Keokuk and all points east and west, and in the movement to build a new bridge across the Mississippi it has played a conspicuous part. The officers of the association in 1914 were as follows: C. R. Joy, president; J. A. Kiedaisch, first vice president; C. F. McFar- land, second vice president; J. F. Elder, secretary; Ira W. Wills, treasurer. The board of directors was then composed of the above officers and A. D. Ayres, T. A. Craig, L. A. Hamill, A. Hollings- worth, Stephen Irwin, J. T. McCarthy, C. A. McNamara, L. F. Rollins, Jacob Schouten and G. S. Tucker. THE RIVER BRIDGE The Keokuk & Hamilton Mississippi Bridge Company was in- corporated in January, 1866, for the purpose of constructing a rail- 150 HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY way and wagon bridge across the Mississippi to connect the two cities. A ferry had been established here in 1850, but the progress of the times made a number of public spirited citizens feel that some more adequate means of communication were necessary. A pre- liminary survey for the bridge was made in the spring of 1867, from which plans were made and submitted to the city authorities of Keokuk, and on May 25, 1868, the mayor approved an ordinance granting the bridge company a right of way across the levee. Final plans and estimates were then prepared by T. C. Curtis, and on De- cember 6, 1868, the contract for the construction of the bridge was let to the Keystone Bridge Company, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for $850,000. This bridge is 2,192 feet in length and twenty feet wide in the clear. On either side of the railroad track is a passage way for ve- hicles, and on the outside of the superstructure are the sidewalks for foot passengers. At the time the bridge was completed it had the longest draw span on the Mississippi River. On April 19, 1871, the first locomotive crossed over the bridge, drawing two coaches filled with. the officers of the bridge company and invited guests. The building of this bridge secured to Keokuk a large trade from Illinois. Plans for a new bridge have recently been prepared by Ralph Modjeska and his assistants, to be built upon the abutments of the old bridge. In the new structure there are to be two decks — the upper one for vehicles and pedestrians and the lower for railroad trains. The approach on the Keokuk side will be in the form of a viaduct, which will run out on First Street, between Main and Blondeau, making the new bridge much more easy of access than the old one. This viaduct will be about seven hundred feet in length. MISCELLANEOUS On January 24, 1848, the governor approved an act of the Iowa Legislature providing that two terms of the District Court of Lee County should be held annually at Keokuk. By the act of January 8, 1857, a branch of the recorder's office was established at Keokuk, and this was soon followed by branches of the other county offices. In 1859 tne county bought the old Medical College building for a courthouse, and since that time all the county business pertaining to the six southern townships has been transacted at Keokuk. Besides the public utilities mentioned in this chapter, the city has an excellent system of sewers, one large storm sewer beginning at Rand Park and running to the Mississippi, and into this great trunk

CHAPTER X TOWNS AND VILLAGES SPECULATION IN EARLY DAYS — NUMEROUS TOWNS PROJECTED — LIST OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES IN LEE COUNTY — HISTORICAL SKETCH OF EACH — PRESENT DAY POSTOFFICES

Scattered « over Lee County are a number of towns and villages, some of which are business centers of considerable importance, while others are merely small railroad stations, neighborhood trading points or postoffices for a given district. In the early days of Lee County's history there seems to have been a sort of mania for laying off towns,, the principal object having been the sale of lots to new comers. Hawkins Taylor, one of Lee County's pioneers, in an article published in the Annals of Iowa for October, 1870, says: "Speculation was running high in the spring of 1836, and everybody we met had a town plat. There were then more towns in what is now Lee County than there are now, if a paper plat constituted a town; and every man tfn lL :B nad a town had a map of the county marked out to suit his town as a county seat." Not all the towns referred to by Mr. Taylor could secure the county seat. In spite of that fact, however, some of them have survived, others have disappeared entirely from the map, and it is quite probable that none of them has come up to the hopes and expectations of the founders. From a careful examination of old plat-books, atlases and newspaper files, the following list of towns that are or have been in Lee County has been compiled: Ambrosia, Argyle, Ballinger, Beck, Belfast, Benbow Siding, Big Mound, Bricker, Buena Vista, Bullard, Camargo, Charleston, Connable, Cottonwood, Courtright, Croton, Denmark, Donnellson, Dover, Franklin, Galland, Hinsdale, Houghton, Jeffersonville, Jollyville, Ketchum Switch, La Crew, Leesburgh, Macuta, Melrose, Mertensville, Montrose, Mooar, Mount Clara, Mount Hamill, Nashville, New Boston, Nixon Station,. Overton, Pilot Grove, Primrose, Russellville, Saint Paul, Sandusky, Sand Prairie, Sawyer, Shopton, South Augusta, South Franklin, Summit Siding, Summitville, Tuscarora, Viele, Vincennes, Walanva,, Warren, Wescott and Wever.  In this list there are a few instances of two names applying to the same place. For illustration: "Courtright ,, and "Mount Hamill" refer to same village, the former being used by the founders of the town and the latter by the post office department. "Vincennes" and "Sand Prairie" likewise refer to the same place. Galland was formerly known as Nashville, both of which names appear in the list. Many of these towns have no special history, but such facts as the writer could gather concerning them are given below. The figures showing the population are taken from Polk's Iowa Gazetteer for 1914.

AMBROSIA The old Town of Ambrosia was situated about three miles west of Montrose. In its early days a general store and blacksmith shop were located there, and when Ambrosia Township was erected by the county commissioners in 1841 it was ordered that the first election should be held "at the Town of Ambrosia." After the railroad was constructed up the bank of the Mississippi River, missing the town, the business interests removed elsewhere, the post office was discontinued, and about all that is left to perpetuate the name is the public school known as the "Ambrosia District."

ARGYLE The Village of Argyle is situated in Des Moines Township, on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, fifteen miles southwest of Fort Madison. It has grown up since the railroad was built through that part of the county, has three general stores, a flour and feed mill, express, telegraph and telephone service, a money order postoffice and a population of fifty.

BALLINGER Ballinger is a small station on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad in the southeast corner of Montrose Township. It was established after the railroad was built and takes its name from one of the pioneer families in that locality. It has no business interests of importance. BECK Two miles south of Viele, on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, is the little station of Beck, or Beck's Siding, but the place has no history except that a siding was put in here by the railroad company for the convenience of local shippers and was named for the owner of the land upon which it is situated. BELFAST This town is located in the northwestern part of Des Moines Township, on the Des Moines River and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, and had a population of 90 in 1914. It has a money order postoffice, a general store and is a shipping point for a considerable territory.

BENBOW SIDING On the Fort Madison & Ottumwa Division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, a short distance northwest of Sawyer, is a shipping station called Benbow Siding. It has never been officially platted as a town and the name does not even appear on the time tables of the railroad company.

BIG MOUND the old Village of Big Mound is situated in the western part of Cedar Township, about one mile from the Van Buren County line. It takes its name from a knoll in the vicinity and in its early days was a trading point of some importance. After the Keokuk & Mount Pleasant Division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad was built, the business was diverted to Mount Hamill, or Court- right, and Big Mound is little more than a memory. BRICKER Bricker is a little station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad nine miles southwest of Fort Madison, in Jefferson Town- ship. It has no history nor no business interests of importance.

BUENA VISTA Three miles west of Keokuk, in the southern part of Jackson Township, is the little hamlet of Buena Vista, a flag station on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, though the railroad company does not keep an agent there. Mail is delivered to the few inhabitants through the Keokuk postoffice.

BULLARD Bullard, or Bullard's Station, is situated in the northeastern part of Jefferson Township, on the Burlington & St. Louis Division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, five miles from Fort Madison. Mail is received by rural delivery from Montrose.

CAMARGO Among the early settlers of Des Moines Township was Samuel Hearn, who established a ferry across the Des Moines River, not far from the present hamlet of Hinsdale. A settlement grew up about the ferry and in time a postoffice was established there under the name of Camargo. Both ferry and postoffice were ultimately discontinued and the site of the village is now farming land.

CHARLESTON The Town of Charleston was laid off by George Berry on September 23, 1848, for Jacob Hufford, and the plat was filed in the office of the county recorder on June 1, 1849. The original plat shows forty-eight small and three large lots, with Hackberry, Main and Elm streets running north and south, and First, Second, Third and Fourth streets running east and west. It is located nearly in the center of the township of the same name, on the Keokuk & Mount Pleasant Division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, eighteen miles from Keokuk. In early days Charleston was a popular place for holding conventions, on account of its central location, and at the special election held in August, 1845, the town received forty-one votes for county seat. At that time Charleston was in the zenith of its glory. Failing to secure the county seat, the town has kept on in the "even tenor of its way," and is now a trading point for a large agricultural district. Its estimated population in 1914 was sixty-five. It has three churches, a public school, a money order postoffice with one rural route, express and telegraph offices, telephone connections, a hotel, a general store, and does considerable shipping.

CONNABLE Twelve miles northwest of Keokuk, on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, is the little flag station of Connable, so called from the owner of the land at the time the station was established. It is merely a shipping point and has no commercial interests of consequence.

COTTONWOOD This is a station on the Fort Madison & Ottumwa Division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, twenty-three miles from Fort Madison. It is located near the line dividing sections 10 and ii in Cedar Township, not far from the site of the old Village of Russellville, has a general store, a money order postoffice, telephone connections, a Methodist Episcopal Church, and in 1914 the popu- lation was estimated at twenty-five.

CROTON The original plat of Croton was filed in the county recorder's office on jWy 3, 1849, by Lewis Coon. It shows twelve blocks ot eight lots each. Subsequently six similar blocks were added, making a total of 144 lots. Croton is situated in the southwestern part of Van Buren Township, on the Des Moines River and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, twenty-six miles northwest of Keokuk. It has Adventist, Baptist and Methodist Episcopal churches, a money order postoffice, telephone connection, express office, a public school and an estimated population of one hundred.

DENMARK The Town of Denmark is situated near the center of Denmark Township, seven miles north of Fort Madison. Sawyer is the near- est railroad station. Denmark was laid out by Timothy Fox, Curtis Shedd, Lewis Epps and W. Brown and the plat was filed for record on January 17, 1840. It has two general stores, a private banking house, harness and wagon repair shops, a hotel, an independent telephone exchange, an academy, in connection with which is conducted a library, Baptist and Congregational churches, and in 1914 the population was estimated at two hundred.

DONNELLSON Early in the spring of 1 88 1 the Town of Donnellson was surveyed by H. A. Summers, county surveyor, for Esten A. Donnell and others and the plat was filed in the office of the county recorder on May 21, 1 88 1. Since that time Borland's, Abel's, Frank's and Trump's additions have been made to the original plat, the last named in June, 1905. Donnellson is situated in the southwest corner of Franklin Township, at the junction of the Keokuk & Mount Pleasant and the Burlington & Carrollton divisions of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. It has two banks, an electric plant, a flour mill, several stores, a good public school building, a weekly newspaper, German Evangelical, Methodist Episcopal, Mennonite and Presbyterian churches, a money order postoffice with four rural routes, and a number of pleasant residences. According to the United States census for 1910 the population at that time was 337. It is one of the Incorporated towns of Lee County.

DOVER No official plat of the old Town of Dover is available, so that its early history cannot be given with certainty. It is local in the southeast quarter of section 8, in the northwestern part of Franklin Township and in 1914 consisted of a general store and a few dwell- ings. A postoffice was once maintained here, but it has been discontinued and the few inhabitants now receive mail by rural delivery from the postoffice at Donnellson.

FRANKLIN The Town of Franklin (also called Franklin Centre in early days) owes its origin to the commissioners, James L. Scott and S. C. Reed, who selected the site as the place for the county seat of Lee County, an account of which is given in the chapter on "Settlement and Organization." The town was laid off by order of the county com- missioners on March 21, 1840, and was for a time the seat of justice of the county. Franklin is situated in the eastern part of Franklin Township, on the Burlington & Carrollton Division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, twelve miles west of Fort Madison. It is incorporated and in 1910 reported a population of 138. It has two general stores, a furniture and undertaking establishment, a money order postoffice, telephone connections, a hotel, and is a ship- ping point for the surrounding country.

GALLAND When this village was first laid out it was called Nashville. The first settler here was Dr. Isaac Galland, in 1829, after whom the postoffice was named when it was established some years later. The first schoolhouse in the State of Iowa was built at Galland — or Nashville, as it was then called — in 1830. Galland is situated in the southeastern part of the Township of Montrose, on the Mississippi River and the Burlington & St. Louis Division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, three miles down the river from Montrose. It was at one time a trading point of some importance, but its glory has departed, the postoffice has been discontinued, and the few inhabitants now receive mail by rural delivery from Montrose.

HINSDALE This is a small station on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Rail- road m the southwestern part of Des Moines Township, seventeen miles northwest of Keokuk. It has no special history.

HOUGHTON Houghton is situated in the eastern part of Cedar Township, on the Keokuk & Mount Pleasant Division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, thirty-three miles from Keokuk and twenty-two from Fort Madison. It has two general stores, a money order post- office, telegraph and express offices and about fifty inhabitants.

JEFFERSONVILLE On January 27, 1870, William Crosley filed in the county recorder's office the plat of town called Jeffersonville, which had been laid out for him by William H. Morrison, deputy surveyor, in June, 1867. The plat showed sixteen lots in the northwest quarter of section 16, near the junction of the Burlington & St. Louis and Burling- ton & Carrollton divisions of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway System. Subsequently the plat of Viele, just north of the junction, was surveyed and Jeffersonville passed into history.

JOLLYVILLE In May, 1856, F. M. Jolly employed Samuel W. Sears, then county surveyor, to lay off a town on his farm in the southeast quarter of section 7, township 68, range 3, about three-fourths of a mile from the present railroad station of Wever. The original plat showed six large and twenty-four small lots, which were all sold, and Jolly- . ville was a thriving little place until Wever sprang up on the railroad, when the business interests all removed to the new town.

KETCHUM SWITCH It is hardly appropriate to classify this place as a town, as it is merely a siding on the Burlington & Carrollton division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, about two miles west of the Town of Warren and was placed there by the railroad company for the convenience of a few shippers in that locality.

LA CREW La Crew is a station on the Keokuk & Mount Pleasant Division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, in the northwest corner of Franklin Township, near the Marion Township line. It was laid off by James A. Davis, county surveyor, November 1, 1881, for J. and W. Bonnell and J. W. Powell, and the plat was filed for record on May 22, 1882. It is twenty-eight miles from Keokuk and eighteen from Fort Madison, has two general stores, a hotel, express and telegraph service, telephone connections, etc. A postoffice was formerly maintained here, but it has been discontinued and a rural route from West Point now supplies mail daily.

LEESBURGH Hawkins Taylor, in the article referred to in the opening of this chapter, says Leesburgh was laid off by William Skinner some time prior to the spring of 1836, and that it was located a few miles south of Franklin. No official plat of the town can be found and nothing can be learned of its history further than the above meager statement of Mr. Taylor. It was evidently one of the "paper towns" which were so common in early days when speculation was rife.

MACUTA This is the first station southwest of Fort Madison on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. It is six miles from Fort Madison, in Jefferson Township.

MELROSE The original plat of Melrose, which was filed on November 20, 1857, shows thirty-six blocks of twelve lots each, located in section 1, township 65, range 6, in the northwestern part of Jackson Township. No railroad ever came to the town, which failed to fulfill the expectations of its founders, and the plat was subsequently vacated with the exception of a few lots upon which dwellings had been erected.

MESSINGERVILLE On August 29, 1855, L. E. H. Houghton, B. Smith and F. W. Billigman filed with the county recorder a plat of the Town of Mes- singerville, located in the northwest quarter of section 24, township 65, range 5. Messingerville is now practically a part of the City of Keokuk.

MERTENSVILLE On the Fort Madison & Ottumwa division of the Chicago, Bur- lington & Quincy Railroad, twenty-one miles from Fort Madison, is the little station of Mertensville. It is in the extreme northwest corner of Marion Township, not far from the Henry County line, and has no commercial importance aside from its shipping interests.

MONTROSE The incorporated Town of Montrose is situated in the township of the same name, on the Mississippi River about midway between Fort Madison and Keokuk, on the Burlington & St. Louis division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. It is a town of more than ordinary historic interest, as it marks the site of the first white man's settlement in what is now Lee County. An account of this settlement will be found in the history of Montrose Township.  The first attempt to lay off a town here was in 1836, which fact was communicated to the war department by Lieutenant-Colonel Mason, then in command of the garrison at Fort Des Moines. Later in the year the fort was abandoned and the plat of the town was completed by David W. Kilbourne, of Keokuk, who gave it the name of Montrose. No official plat was filed, however, until April 5, 1854. Oren Baldwin, then deputy county surveyor, who made the plat, states in his report that the survey was made at the request of Edward and Virginia C. Brooks, Francis E. Billon, Dabney C. and Walter J. Riddick; that it included the tract of 640 acres — part of the old Spanish grant to Louis Honore Tesson — as well as the Town of Montrose, and that it was completed on May 8, 1853. Montrose was incorporated in 1857. Dr. J. M. Anderson was chosen the first mayor at a town election held on June 1, 1857; Washington Galland was elected recorder, and E. J. Hamlet, Gowen Hamilton, B. F. Anderson and George Purcell, councilmen. At that time, and for a number of years afterward, Montrose was an impor- tant river town, on account of its being located just above the head of the rapids, where cargoes were unloaded and carried over the rapids in lighters, except in times of high water, when the large steamers could pass over the rapids without difficulty. The com- pletion of the Government Canal in 1877 put an end to the lighter- ing business. David W. and Edward Kilbourne opened the first store in 1839, but were succeeded by Chittenden & McGavic. A large saw-mill was one of the early industries. About the time the canal was opened to traffic, this mill was operated by the firm of Wells, Felt & Spauld- ing and cut over fifty thousand feet of lumber daily. It also had machinery for making shingles, lath and fence pickets and a planing mill for dressing lumber. In 1910, according to the United States census, the population of Montrose was 708. The town has Catholic, Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian and Latter Day Saints churches, a fine public school building, a weekly newspaper, an opera house, and is connected with Nauvoo, Illinois, by a steam ferry. The principal business interests are three general stores, a hardware store, a drug store, the Standard Garden Tool Company, a button blank factory, large nurseries, coal and lumber yards, three groceries and a bank. The town also has an international money order postoffice and lodges of the principal fraternal orders. Several fine orchards, truck farms and vineyards are in the immediate vicinity, the products of which are taken by a canning factory in the town.

MOOAR Shortly after the Keokuk & Mount Pleasant division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad was completed, the little station of Mooar was established six miles north of Keokuk and was named for the owner of the land on which it is situated. It has never grown to any considerable proportions.

MOUNT CLARA This is also a station on the Keokuk & Mount Pleasant division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy system of railroads. It is situated twelve miles from Keokuk, near the northwest corner of Montrose Township, and is a shipping point for a rich agricultural district.

MOUNT HAMILL It is not often that a small town is honored by having three names, but such is the case with this one. The original plat was made by James A. Davis, county surveyor, for A. L. Courtright and R. A. Jarrett and it was filed under the name of "Courtright 1 ' on July 5, 1 88 1. When the postoffice was established there it was given the name of "Mount Hamill, 11 and as a station on the Keokuk & Mount Pleasant division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad the name appears on the time tables as "Hamill. 1 ' In the survey made by Doctor Davis, the plat of the town shows fifteen blocks of eighteen lots each, but only four of the blocks were at that time sub- divided. Mount Hamill is situated in the southeastern part of Cedar Township, thirty miles from Keokuk, by rail, and about twenty-three miles from Fort Madison. According to Polk's Gazetteer, the population was 200 in 1914. It has a bank, an automobile garage, Chris- tian, Congregational and Methodist Episcopal churches, general stores, an agricultural implement house, telephone and telegraph service, a fine public school building v etc., and is the trading and shipping point for a populous farming community.

NEW BOSTON The first plat of New Boston was made by Oren Baldwin and it was filed in the office of the county recorder on July 28, 1855. The town is located in the southeast corner of Charleston Township and is a station on the Keokuk & Mount Pleasant division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad sixteen miles northwest of Keokuk. It has a money order postoffice, a general store, and is a shipping point of some importance. The population in 1914 was 75. It is connected with the surrounding towns by telephone. NIXON STATION In the southeast corner of Charleston Township, only a short distance from New Boston, is Nixon Station, at the junction of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and the Koekuk & Mount Pleasant railroads. Aside from its importance as the crossing of two lines of railway, it has no commercial interests worthy of mention.

OVERTON Among the early settlers of Marion Township were Elias and James Overton, who settled in section 22, in the southern part of the township. When the Fort Madison & Northwestern Railroad — the narrow-gauge — was commenced in the early '70s, Mr. Overton laid off a town on his farm, about a mile and a half southwest of the present Village of St. Paul, and gave it the name of Overton. Trains stopped there regularly for a time, but after the road was made a standard-gauge and became the Fort Madison & Ottumwa division of the Burlington system the station was discontinued and the Town of Overton passed out of existence.

PILOT GROVE On March 20, 1858, George Berry, then deputy county surveyor, laid off the Town of Pilot Grove near the center of section 10, town- ship 69, range 6, for Stephen Townsend, Wesley Harrison and others, and the plat was filed for record on April 16, 1858. It shows 166 lots and a large public square. Pilot Grove is a station on the Fort Madison & Ottumwa division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, seventeen miles northwest of Fort Madison. It has a postoffice, a bank, a general store, telegraph and express offices, tele- phone connections, and ships considerable quantities of live stock, etc. According to the Iowa Gazetteer for 1914, the population was then eighty-five.

PRIMROSE On February 28, 1848, George W. Perkins and James H. Wash- burn laid out the Town of Primrose on the west side of section 23, in Harrison Township. The plat was filed in the office of the county recorder on April 21, 1850. In November, 1878, Levi and Lucretia Davis laid out an addition of fifty-four lots. Primrose is eighteen miles west of Fort Madison and about two and a half miles north of Warren, which is the nearest railroad station. It has a general store, a public school building, Lutheran, Methodist Episcopal and Presbyterian churches, a money order postoffice, and a population of 150.

RUSSELLVILLE This town was surveyed and platted by James Hanks on March 11, 1858, for David Doan. The original plat shows twenty lots. Russellville has also been called Doantown, after the proprietor. It is situated in the northern part of Cedar Township. SAINT PAUL Concerning this town Polk's Iowa Gazetteer for 1914 says: "St. Paul. A discontinued postoffice one and one-half miles from St. Paul station on the C. B. & Q. R. R., in Marion Township, Lee County, sixteen miles west of Fort Madison, the judicial seat, and six from West Point the nearest banking point, whence it has rural delivery." Saint Paul was laid off by George Berry on the last day of April, 1866, and the plat was filed for record on the 25th of the following September. It shows sixteen large lots — 177 by 390 feet — and a public square 400 by 420 feet. A Catholic church was built here at an early day and at one time Saint Paul was a trading point of some importance. There is still considerable business done there.

SANDUSKY Five miles north of Keokuk on the Burlington & St. Louis divi- sion of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, is the little Village of Sandusky. It occupies the site of the old trading post established by the Frenchman, Lemoliese, in 1820. A postoffice was established here at an early date, but after the inauguration of the rural delivery system it was discontinued and mail is now supplied 166 HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY through the office at Montrose. A general store and a canning factory are the principal business interests of Sandusky. SAWYER Sawyer is a small station on the Fort Madison & Ottumwa divi- sion of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, six miles north of Fort Madison. It is the outgrowth of the railroad and has no important business enterprises.

SHOPTON Strictly speaking, Shopton is a part of the City of Fort Madison. It is so named on account of its being the location of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad shops, two miles from the passenger station of the city.

SOUTH AUGUSTA Directly across the Skunk River from the Town of Augusta, in Des Moines County, is the Town of South Augusta. It is situated in the northeastern part of Denmark Township and was laid off by George Berry on April 19, 1843. The history of the town does not differ materially from that of other country villages.

SOUTH FRANKLIN When the Burlington & Carrollton division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway System was built through Franklin Township it missed the Town of Franklin, passing about two miles south. On August 22, 1872, P. H. Smyth laid off a town on the railroad, directly south of old Franklin, and gave it the name of South Franklin. The plat of Mr. Smyth's town shows 108 lots. Several business concerns moved from Franklin to the new town on account of the advantages offered by the railroad. SUGAR CREEK On the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, seven miles west of Keokuk, in Jackson Township, is the little station of Sugar Creek, which takes its name from the stream near which it is located. No official plat of the town can be found and, aside from its railroad connections, it has no history nor business importance.

SUMMIT SIDING In the northwestern part of Washington Township, on the Fort Madison & Ottumwa division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, is Summit Siding, a small station established there by the railroad company for the convenience of shippers in the immediate vicinity. No town has grown up about the siding.

SUMMITVILLE The old Town of Summitville is situated in the southwestern part of Montrose Township. It is a station on the Keokuk & Mount Pleasant division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, eight miles north of Keokuk and twenty miles from Fort Madison. It has a general store, a money order postoffice, Christian and United Presbyterian churches, a public school building, and in 1914 had an estimated population of one hundred.

TUSCARORA This town was laid off by Stephen and John B. Perkins and James Douglas about 1838, on Perkins' Prairie, in the southern part of what is now Marion Township and on the road running from Fort Madison to Salem. It was one of the towns projected for speculative purposes and in the public library at Fort Madison is one of the advertisements, in the form of a poster issued by the pro- prietors, announcing the sale of lots, in what was to be the metropolis of Lee County. Tuscarora failed to meet the anticipations of the founders, however, and in time disappeared from the map entirely.

VIELE Viele is situated in the northern part of Jefferson Township, six miles southwest of Fort Madison, at the junction of the Burlington & St. Louis and the Burlington & Carrollton divisions of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway System. It has a general store, ex- press and telegraph offices, telephone connections and some minor business interests. The postoffice formerly maintained here has been  discontinued and rural delivery from Montrose now supplies daily mail to the inhabitants.

VINCENNES The railroad name of this village is Sand Prairie. It is situated on the Des Moines River and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, in the southern part of Des Moines Township, fifteen miles northwest of Keokuk. It has a general store, a feed mill, tele- graph and express offices, telephone connections, a money order postoffice, a public school, and in 1914 had an estimated population of one hundred and fifty. Vincennes is one of the best shipping points between Keokuk and Farmington.

WALANVA One of the early towns of Lee County was Walanva, which was laid off by Samuel Sears in section 18, township 69, range 7, in the western part of Cedar Township and not far from the Van Buren County line. The original plat shows a town of some pretensions, but Walanva never came up to the hopes of the founders and after some years the plat was vacated.

WARREN Warren is a station on the Burlington & Carrollton division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, located in the southern part of Harrison Township, seventeen miles by rail from Fort Madi- son. The plat was filed for record on May 1, 1876. It has grown up since the railroad was built and is the principal shipping point for a rich agricultural district in Harrison and Van Buren town- ships. A postoffice was once maintained here, but it has been discontinued and rural delivery from Donnellson supplies the inhabitants with mail daily.

WESCOTT Five miles north of Fort Madison, on the Burlington & St. Louis division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway System, is the little station of Wescott. No official plat of the place was ever recorded and it has no business enterprises of consequence.

WEST POINT In the year 1834 a man named Whitaker laid claim to the site of the present Town of West Point. The next year he sold his inter- ests to John L. Howell and John L. Cotton, who in turn sold to Abraham Hunsicker. Mr. Hunsicker laid off a public square with one tier of lots surrounding it, and Mr. Cotton built a log house near the northwest corner of the square and opened a store. This was the first business enterprise and the place was known as "Cotton Town." During the year 1835 and early  1836 a few log cabins were erected. In May, 1836, William Patterson, A. H. Walker, Green Carey and Hawkins Taylor purchased Mr. Hunsicker's claim, procured a patent for the land and on June 11, 1840, laid off the Town of West Point. In an article written by Mr. Taylor for the "Annals of Iowa," he gives many interesting facts concerning the early history of West Point, a few of which are here reproduced: "John L. Cotton had the only store. The house was about twelve by sixteen feet, of peeled hickory logs, split side in, rough boards nailed over the cracks and no ceiling. His stock in trade was one barrel of 'red eye,' said to be of approved quality; about a dozen pieces of calico and as many more pieces of domestics; a few fancy articles, tea, coffee and tobacco, all amounting in value to perhaps two hundred dollars. "Within a few days after our purchase, my associates returned to Illinois, leaving me to put up a frame house for each of us, 18 by 32 feet, one story high. I had not a foot of plank to use in any of them; the studding were rails straightened; the siding split boards, and the floor puncheons. The front doors and window-sash were brought round from Pittsburgh and bought at Fort Madison. "On the 10th of September, 1836, the proprietors of West Point made a sale of lots, after pretty full advertisement. The proprietors were all temperance men, and one or two of them were elders in the old blue-stocking Presbyterian Church. They had set apart a liberal plat of ground to their late minister, who was coming to settle there, and they had arranged to build a meeting-house and organize a church. To be a 'hard-shell' Baptist was then respectable with the settlers; to be a Campbellite was passable; and to be a Methodist could be tolerated; but they felt that it was asking rather too much for anyone to come among them and propagate temperance and blue-stocking Presbyterianism. It was strongly whispered that this was a bad lot to settle in a new country — in fact, it was whispered pretty loudly. The proprietors were very anxious to have their sale  a success. They were all Kentuckians, and, at that time, had seen but few Yankees; still, they had picked up some Yankee ideas, and, as nearly all the settlers were from the South, they concluded to make, on the day of sale, a regular old-fashioned barbecue. No sooner was this known than the hard-shells themselves softened and offers from all quarters were made to take charge of the roasting department of the barbecue, and the worst of enemies became friends. Both the sale and the barbecue were a grand success; plenty to eat for all and well cooked, no one intoxicated, everything cheerful and pleasant. The sale amounted to about twenty-three hundred dollars. 1 ' Not long after this sale, the people of West Point began a fight to secure the county seat. The contest was kept up until 1843, when a commission composed of Thomas O. Wamsley, I. N. Selby and Stephen Gearhart, appointed by the Legislature, selected West Point as the most suitable location for the judicial seat of Lee County. For a brief period there was rejoicing among the West Pointers, and then another act was passed, authorizing an election at which the people could decide the location for themselves. In that election Fort Madison won and some of the citizens of West Point suffered pecuniary losses in consequence. But the town held on and in time regained much of its former prosperity. The West Point of 19 14 is one of the thriving towns of Lee County. It is incorporated, has a bank, a canning factory, a cigar factory, a weekly newspaper, several well-stocked mercantile estab- lishments, a good public school building, an international money order postoffice with five rural routes, Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian and Catholic churches and a number of handsome resi- dences. Being located on the Fort Madison & Ottumwa division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway System, in the center of a rich farming country in West Point Township, and only eleven miles from Fort Madison, it is an important trading and shipping point. The West Point District Agricultural Society has held annual fairs at West Point for nearly half a century. According to the United States census for 1910 the population of the town was then 570.

WEVER In July, 1 891, Elisha Cook surveyed and platted the Town of Wever for William and Louisa Blakslee, George W. and Clara Tucker, and others, and the plat, showing eight blocks of four lots each, was filed with the county recorder on December 18, 1891. The town is the outgrowth of the building of the railroad which is now the Burlington & St. Louis division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy System. It is located in the central part of Green Bay Town- ship, eight miles by rail from Fort Madison, and is the commercial center of Green Bay and a large part of Washington and Denmark townships. Wever has a savings bank, three general stores, a money order postoffice with two rural routes, a public school, a grain ele- vator and some minor business concerns, and in 1914 had an estimated population of one hundred.

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