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COLUMBUS CITY TOWNSHIP comprises the greater part of township 75 north, of range 5 west, together with part of township 74 north, of range 5 west, a part of township 74 north, of range 4 west, and a part of township 75 north, of range 4 west. The township comprises some of the best land and finest farms in the county. The first white settler was G. Barstow Williams, who yet resides in the township. He came in the spring of 1836 from Montgomery County, Ind., and on his arrival camped about thirteen miles west of Wapello, upon the farm where he now resides. This was on the 4th day of July, 1836. At this time the Indians, who were of the Musquaukee, Fox and Sac tribes, were still in possession of the country, over 100 of them being encamped within a mile of the cabin erected by Mr. Williams. During the following winter Mr. Williams and his brother Zebina made rails and cleared a portion of the land. The winter was a severe one, the snow, which was about two feet deep, lying upon the ground for over three months. “More than a month elapsed at a time,” says Mr. Williams, “that we never saw a white man, our only companions being wild beasts and wild Indians. At two different times the Indians broke into our cabins and stole our provisions and part of our clothes, leaving us nothing to eat. We had to walk twenty-five miles in our shirt sleeves to renew our supplies. The second time they took everything but some meal, which escaped their notice. Upon this we lived for two weeks. At one time we left our camp and went several miles to erect a couple of claim cabins, taking with us only a small piece of bread and meat, about enough for one meal. We worked until night, and then crawled into an open cabin, scraped away the snow, which was about as deep there as anywhere else, threw down a couple of old quilts, slept until midnight, then got up and went about a mile , and erected a claim cabin by daylight. That morning it commenced raining. We had nothing for our breakfast, but continued our work until the afternoon, when we started for our camp. Arriving at Long Creek, we found it had become so swollen with the rain that we could not cross. Drenched with rain, with no food or fire, we crept into a cabin and slept that night. The next morning, after felling some trees, we succeeded in crossing the creek, and reached our camp about 10 o’clock. Thus, by dint of hard labor, having nothing upon which to depend but our hands, we gained a foothold in Iowa. In the spring our friends, who had spent the winter in Burlington, came back, and then commenced the work of improvement under all the disadvantages incident to . . .
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. . . a new country, such as going forty miles to mill with an ox-team, grating our corn, or going without bread as some did for several weeks at a time, and living principally upon squash and potatoes.”
The experience of Mr. Williams will serve as an illustration of the hardships of pioneer life in Louisa County. One by one others began to come into the township, and in due time it was settled by an enterprising people, improvements were made, the old log cabin gave place to the more modern dwelling, and Columbus City Township took rank with the best in the county or State.
Clark Hall, son of James H. Hall, was the first white child born in the township.
At the present time there are within the limits of the township three villages, while two prospective ones are numbered with the past.
Columbus City Township was organized by order of the Board of County Commissioners in 1840. The first election was held on the old town site of Columbus City, about one-fourth of a mile east of the present site of the village. Hon. A. C. Dodge, Democrat, received nineteen votes, and Alfred Rich, Whig, received eighteen votes for Member of Congress. John Reed and William Woodside were elected Justices of the Peace. They each served but a short time, Mr. Woodside dying in 1842, and Mr. Reed in 1843. The first election held after the establishment of the State Government was in a building owned by Samuel Bell, in the town of Columbus City, Oct. 26, 1846. At this election the entire State and county ticket was voted for, and the total number of votes cast was 134. The township then embraced what is now Columbus City, Marshall, Elm Grove and Union Townships. Each party had its candidates. The Whigs had for State Senator Francis Springer, and for the House of Representatives Wright Williams. The Democrats had for Senator Dr. John Bell, and for Representative Joseph L. Durbin. The Whig ticket was elected in the county, and the Democratic ticket in the State, at this election. On the 7th day of November, 1848, the people of Iowa voted for President and Vice President of the United States for the first time. The election was held in an old hotel building, on lot 8, block 9, which has since been destroyed by fire. Gen. Taylor, the Whig candidate, had 110 votes, and Gen. Cass, Democrat, fifty-two votes; Martin Van Buren, the Free-Soil candidate, had thirty-two votes.
The first post-office in the township was established at Columbus City, in that portion called the old town, in 1843, and H. R. Thomas was appointed Postmaster. The mail was received from Hope Farm, now Cairo, once a week, when Long Creek would admit of it. This continued until 1848, when a weekly mail route from Burlington to Iowa City was established, which served the people of this section for several years.
In 1854 a daily mail route from Muscatine to Washington was established, and carried in hacks. In 1857 four-horse coaches were used from Fredonia, then the terminus of the Mississippi & Missouri Railroad, now the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, to Washington, which continued until October, 1858, when the road was completed to the latter city. A daily line of hacks from Burlington to Muscatine passed through Wapello direct to Clifton, and were continued until the completion of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Minnesota Railroad to Columbus Junction, in March, 1870. The township is now supplied with the best mail facilities, having several daily mails each way over the two lines of railroads which pass through the township.
Zion Church, of Columbus City Township, a Welsh Congregational Church, was organized Jan. 15, 1846, at the house of John Griffith, with a membership of eighteen. The first house of worship was an old barn, which was fitted up for church purposes and used until 1864. The present house of worship was erected in 1887, at a cost of $1,856, besides the labor contributed by its members. The church is in a very prosperous condition, spiritually and otherwise, with a present membership of ninety-two. Its Sunday-school is in a flourishing condition.
Bethel Church, Welsh Calvanistic, was organized in May, 1879, by Rev. Richard Hughes, with twelve members. It has now a membership of forty, with a neat house of worship, erected in 1884, at a cost of $1,500. Mr. Hughes has been the pastor of the church since its organization, and has served it in a faithful manner. Its Sunday-school has an average attendance of thirty pupils. Both church and school are prosperous.
