Mills County, Iowa

Silver City Community History
1879 - 1979
THE SETTLING OF INGRAHAM TOWNSHIP & SILVER CITY

Ida L. Flanagan = (ILF)
Henry Harrison Huffaker = (HHH)

Although Mills County was organized on the first Monday in August of 1851, there were no records of townships until March 1, 1853 when West Liberty, Plattville, Rawles, Council Bluffs and Silver Creek were recorded. Just when Ingraham township, a part of Silver Creek township, was formed is not known. However, as early as 1845, it was entirely unoccupied. But in 1846, a flood of colonists came in. These were the Mormons, 50.000 strong, driven from Nauvoo. The journey of the Mormons across unsettled southwestern Iowa was full of hazards and hardships. They finally spread out over southwest Iowa and Nebraska across the Missouri River. The largest settlement was at Omaha, or Florence, Nebraska, with several smaller settlements in Iowa. (ILF)

One of these settlements was Cutler on the banks of Silver Creek at a place known as Rock Ford Crossing. This settlement was not grouped together but was along the creek banks from about one mile south of what is now Silver City, extending three or four miles south. It was named for the leader and was quite extensive, having a number of log houses, log meeting house and school house, stores, carpenter and blacksmith shops. JLF) A mill and “sash saw” were built on the banks of Prairie Creek, a mile southeast of Silver City. (HHH)

Part of Cutler was in Ingraham Township and was considered the first settlement. The Mormons stayed several years while they worked at raising crops, preparing to move on to what is now Salt Lake City, Utah, and reorganization. During this time, they elected Brigham Young their leader and they went into polygamy. (ILF) Israel Huffaker came with them from Nauvoo. He was a bishop and one of the apostles of the church. He was much opposed to Brigham Young and polygamy, and thus he left them at Omaha and came down into Ingraham Township near the Cutler settlement and took many acres of land. Several Mormon families stayed in this part of southwestern Iowa. Israel Huffaker went buck to his home in Bureau County, Illinois and sent his son. Henry Harrison Huffaker, an elder in the church, to Iowa to take care of his land. (ILF)

The settlement of Ingraham Township progressed very slowly. This was due partly to the belief that the best land was the wooded areas along streams because the prairies were sterile. Soon after the departure of the Mormons, a few “Gentiles” (non-Mormons) came into the community. They too generally shunned the open Prairie in selecting their homes-shelter, an abundance of fuel and accessibility to water being considered all important. (ILF)

One such family was Erastus F. Landon and his family. They settled on land two and one-half miles south of the present Silver City. Mr. Landon moved one of the Mormon log cabins up about one-fourth mile west of Silver Creek and built other rooms onto it for his family home. Erastus F. Landon was my grandfather, and that log room remained part of the house until my father had the logs removed when I was 12 years old. (ILF)

Council Bluffs was the chief trading point and thither resorted the settlers to exchange their products for the supplies he was compelled to have, and as might be supposed, the prices he was forced to accept were quite low. Livestock found their way to market “on the hoof” in those days. For years a long trail of bones marked the spot where one unlucky man had attempted to drive a large herd of hogs to “The Bluffs” on a hot summer day. (HHH) A number of English and German families came into the community. Many of their descendants still live here. There were few roads and transportation was by stagecoach. One of the stagecoach trails had several stops in Ingraham Township, one being a building standing catercorner with the world which later was used as a barn on the Tom Parker farm. Another stop was a tavern and a blacksmith shop. Both stood on the land now owned by George Marshall. Two rooms in the Marshall house are part of the old tavern; and, as they work the land, they still find evidence of the blacksmith shop. (ILF)

A little later an inn was built on the trail. This inn later became the home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Plumer and later still the home of their daughter, Maude, and her husband, A. J. Burgoin. This house still stands today, preserved by the Burgoins, with evidence of the old inn in the bell system and painted numbers on the doors. My grandfather, Erastus Landon, helped to build this old inn. Many besides myself can remember the oldtimers talking about the trail, tavern, blacksmith shop and inn. (ILF)

The constant passing of the great caravans of “Prairie Schooners” conveying the westward bound emigrants, furnished the chief sensation of the settlement, causing many a settler, discouraged with slow gains and unpromising outlook, to sell his possessions and to join the never-ending procession. The outbreak of the Civil War caused others who wished to avoid being entangled in the strife to seek new homes across the plains of Nebraska and the mountains of Colorado. This was the condition of the township by the year 1863, when eighteen men constituted the voting population. But with the close of the war and resumption of the building of railroads across the state, a new era began and more people moved in. (HHH)

Among these were Lewis W. Huffaker and his brother, Miles E. Huffaker, cousins of Henry H. Huffaker. Lewis was one of the first teachers and was also Justice of the Peace in the township and later in Silver City for a period of 40 years. Miles was a carpenter who built many of the first buildings in the community and the town. He was mayor of Silver City for about 20 sears. (ILF)

For years it was anticipated that sooner or later a railroad would be constructed up the valley of Silver Creek in the general direction of Council Bluffs. But not until the year 1879 was work actually begun on the road that was to influence the township so vitally. H. H. Huffaker secured from the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway Company the location of a station on his farm. (HHH)

With the coming of the Wabash railroad from St. Louis to Omaha, more people came into the community. Henry H. Huffaker gave land for the town of Silver City to be founded in 1879. Mrs. Huffaker was given the honor of naming the little town, and she chose Silver City because it was near the sparkling clear Silver Creek. (ILF) A. W. Crosby, W. G. Moore and Nathan Brookhouser were the first merchants beginning business the spring of 1879. The Post office was established in 1880 with A. U. Crosby as postmaster. (HHH)

Silver City continued to grow for a number of years. It had one of the best fairs and horse racing tracks in the state. But with the coming of automobiles and paved roads, the town stopped growing. More and more young people went to the city until today Silver City is a small village again. (ILF)