REGISTER OF
OLD SETTLERS
BOOK ONE
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MUSCATINE COUNTY IOWA REGISTER OF | |
Source: REGISTER OF OLD SETTLERS , BOOK One, page 17
submitted by Lynn McCleary, January 16, 2008
EARLY SETTLEMENT OF MOSCOW AND VICINITY.
BY “S,” IN WILTON REVIEW.
[Continued.] (first section of article missing)In 1839 the crops were good, every thing planted yielded a rich return. In this year Ogilvie & Jackson (of Bloomington, now Muscatine) began to buy wheat; they paid twenty-five cents per bushel in the fall and winter, but in the spring it rose to thirty cents. Corn was worth on an average not far from ten cents if you could find any one wanting it. Occasionally a way-farer passed by and we took him in and – stripped him—if we could.
At this time it was not far to the border. Up the Cedar it was about twenty miles to the Indian line and the western wave spent its force in Illinois. In fact the women had to be of that kind that could stay with the children night and day alone in a cabin without lock bolt of bar, with plenty of Indians about, and often sleeping on the cabin floor, while neighbors were plenty if there were two within a mile. How many of that kind of women could Wilton furnish? The women who helped to pioneer Iowa were “made to order” out of that kind of material. That flinched at no duty, that looked probabilities fair in the face; if, when company came, they had “store tea and coffee” it was well; if not wild or tame sage or red root leaves would do for tea and burnt bread crust or wheat or rye or acorns would do for coffee; if they had shoes they wore them, if not they went barefooted; they could worship God in a sun-bonnet and thank God for His favors without any reserve or qualifications; in short they were made of the same stuff that they make heroes of. In the fall we all had the ague, we gathered our corn and potatoes between times.
Wm. Wamax taught school in the Hughes house. This year a purchase of more land was made from the Indians. It should have been mentioned before that the Blackhawk purchase was a strip 40 miles wide on the west bank of the Mississippi river; the middle stake was 40 miles west of rock Island and stood on the prairie near Onion Grove, in Cedar county; another stake was on the Missouri line. The north end of the purchase was at Dubuque, the upper stake was 40 miles west of Dubuque; the Winnebagoes owned the land, the middle point of the line was some 40 miles east of a north and south line. This year the line was straightened by another purchase, this time running on the west line of Linn county.
Rochester was the first county seat of Cedar county and Napoleon the first county sea of Johnson—Iowa City not being in the Blackhawk purchase.
This year the seat of government was located at Iowa City and the town was begun.
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