of
Muscatine County Iowa
1911
| History of Muscatine County Iowa 1911 | |
Source: History of Muscatine County Iowa, Volume I, 1911, pages 59-60
FIRST SETTLERS. The treaty between the government and the Sac and Fox Indians became effective in 1832 upon its ratification, and previous to that time all this locality was free from the presence of the white man.
Within the limits of this county were two Indian villages, Keokuk, the ruling Sac, and Poweshiek, the ruling Fox, were the chiefs of the tribes and ruled over the villages. Keokuk's was in what is now Seventy-six township, about eight miles south of Muscatine near the foot of the lake now bearing the celebrated Indian chief's name---Keokuk. Here the land was rich and fertile and the Indian planted his corn (tomanock). The village was located on the west side of the lake and was probably vacated in 1836, a few years after the treaty with the Indians went into effect.
The other Indian village in the county was the home and principality of the noted chief, Poweshiek, of the Fox tribe, which was located on the west bank of the Cedar river, near the Saulsbury bridge, about twelve miles west of Muscatine. Soon after the Black Hawk Purchase, or in 1832, the white man came. In 1832 the first "squatter" made his appearance on the Purchase near Burlington, and David Tothero staked out a claim about three miles back of that point; about the same time Simpson S. White and Amzi Doolittle laid claim to the site of Burlington. These men built cabins and disregarded the provisions of the treaty, which stipulated that no settlements should be made prior to June 1, 1833. In the spring of this year Jefferson Davis, then a lieutenant in the army and stationed at the island of Rock Island, then known as Fort Armstrong, with a squad of men drove some fifteen families off the Purchase, near Flint Hills, burned cabins and destroyed the crops.
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