of
Muscatine County Iowa
1911
| History of Muscatine County Iowa 1911 | |
Source: History of Muscatine County Iowa, Volume I, 1911, pages 54-57
REVISION OF THE ORGANIZING ACT. The second session of the Wisconsin territorial legislature convened at Burlington in the winter of 1837-38. At that session a bill was introduced redefining the boundaries of the five counties created out of old Des Moines. It was at this time that Dr. Eli Reynolds attempted to secure the removal of the county seat of Muscatine to Geneva, as is related in the preceding chapter. Hereafter is quoted the bill in full, because of the scarcity of the old records. It may prove of value for reference in days to come (p. 210 Session Laws Wisconsin. Territorial Legislature, Burlington, 1838):
An act to establish the boundaries of Lee, Van Buren, Des Moines, Henry, Lousia, Muscatine and Slaughter, to locate the seat of justice in said counties and for other purposes:
Section 1. Be it enacted by the council and the house of representatives of the territory of Wisconsin, That the boundaries of Lee county shall be as follows, to wit: Beginning at the main channel of the Mississippi river, due east from the entrance of Skunk river into the same, thence up said river to where the township line dividing townships sixty-eight and sixty-nine north leaves said river; thence with said line to the range line between ranges four and five west; thence north with said line to the range line between ranges four and five west; thence north with said line to the township line between townships sixty-nine and seventy north; thence west with said line to the range line between ranges seven and eight west; thence south with said line to the Des Moines river; thence down said river to the middle of the main channel of the Mississippi river; thence up the same to the place of beginning, and the seat of justice is hereby established at the town of Fort Madison.
Section 2. The boundaries of the county of Van Buren shall be as follows, to wit; beginning on the Des Moines river, where the range line between ranges seven and eight intersects said river, thence north with said line to the township line dividing townships seventy and seventy-one north; thence west with said line to the northern line of Missouri; thence east with said line to the Des Moines river; thence down said river to the place of beginning; and the seat of justice of said county is hereby retained at the town of Farmington, until it may be changed, as hereinafter provided. For the purpose of permanently establishing the seat of justice for the county of Van Buren, the qualified electors of said county shall, at the election of county commissioners, vote by ballot for such places as they may see proper for the seat of justice of said county. The returns of said election shall, within thirty days thereafter, be made by the sheriff of the county to the governor of the territory, and if, upon examination, the governor shall find that any one point voted for has a majority over all other places voted for, he shall issue a proclamation to that effect, and the place so having a majority of votes shall, from the date of such proclamation, be the seat of justice of said county. But if, upon an examination of the votes, the governor shall find that no one place has a majority of the whole number of votes polled on that question and returned to him, he shall issue a proclamation for a new election in said county, and shall state in his proclamation the two places which were highest in vote at the preceding election, and votes at the election so ordered shall be confined to the two places thus named. The governor shall, in his proclamation, fix the time of holding said second election, and it shall be conducted in the same manner, and by the same officers as conducted the election for county commissioners; and the sheriff of the county shall, within thirty days thereafter, make return of said second election to the governor, who shall thereupon issue a second proclamation, declaring which of the two places named in first proclamation was the highest in vote at such second election, and declaring said place from that time to be the seat of justice for Van Buren county, provided that the spring term of the district court for said county shall be held at Farmington, the present seat of justice of Van Buren county.
Section 3. The boundaries of Des Moines county shall be as follows, to wit; Beginning at the northeast corner of Lee county; thence west with the northern line of said county to the range line between ranges four and five west; thence north with said line to the township line dividing townships seventy-two and seventy-three north; thence east with said line to the middle of the main channel of the Mississippi river; thence down the same to the place of beginning; and the seat of justice of said county is hereby established at the town of Burlington.
Section 4. The boundaries of Henry county shall be as follows, to wit; Beginning on the range line between ranges four and five west, where the township line dividing townships seventy-three and seventy-four north intersects said line; thence west with said line to the range line between ranges eight and nine; thence south with said line to the township line dividing townships seventy and seventy-one north; thence east with said line to the range line between ranges seven and eight west; thence south with said line to the township line dividing townships sixty-nine and seventy north; thence east with said line to the range line between ranges four and five west; thence north with said line to the place of beginning and the seat of justice of said county is hereby established at the town of Mount Pleasant; and all the territory west of Henry is hereby attached to the same for judicial purposes.
Section 5. The boundaries of Louisa county shall be as follows, to wit; Beginning at the northeast corner of Des Moines county; thence west to the northwest corner of said county; thence north with the range line between ranges four and five west to the township line dividing townships seventy-five and seventy-six north; thence east with said line to the Mississippi river; thence down the same to the place of beginning; and the seat of justice of said county is hereby established at the town of Lower Wapello.
Section 6. The boundaries of Muscatine county shall be as follows, to wit; Beginning at the northeast corner of the county of Louisa; thence west with the northern line of said county, to the range line between four and five west; thence north with said line, to the township line dividing townships seventy-eight and seventy-nine north; thence south with said line to the Mississippi river; thence down the main channel of the said river to the place of beginning; and the seat of justice of said county is hereby established as the town of Bloomington.
Section 7. The county included within the following boundaries, to wit; Beginning at the northeast corner of the county of Henry; thence west to the northwest corner of the same; thence north to the township line dividing townships seventy-six and seventy-seven north; thence east with the said line to the line between ranges four and five west; thence south with the said line to the place of beginning, is hereby set off into a separate county by the name of Slaughter, and the seat of justice of said county is hereby established at the town of Astoria; and all the territory west is hereby attached to the county of Slaughter for judicial purposes.
Section 8. That the several counties hereby established shall liquidate and pay so much of the debt, as was due and unpaid by the original county of Des Moines, on the 1st day of December, eighteen hundred and thirty-six, as may be their fair and equitable proportion of the same, according to the assessment value of the taxable property therein.
Approved January 18, 1838.
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