West Liberty History 1838-1938

Source: One Hundred Years of History
* Commemorating a Century of Progress in the West Liberty Community * WEST LIBERTY, IOWA
LOG CABIN HISTORY

Chapter X

THE TERRITORY OF IOWA

In 1838, the territory of Iowa---the meaning of which in the Indian language is " Beautiful Land "---was organized, embracing all of the present state, and part of what is now Minnesota and both the Dakotas, with it's capital in Burlington; but in 1839, the capital was moved to Iowa City, which place had been founded the previous year. The change in the site of the capital had a great influence on the prosperity of the settlement on the Wapsie as the government then located and opened up roads from Davenport and Bloomington to the capital, passing through township 78-4, the most of the way between the first and the second tiers of sections from the north, and also a road commencing at the southwest corner of section 1-78-4, thence north to the north line of the township, thence northwesterly through the upper settlement on the west branch of the Wapsie, and joined the main road five miles southeast of Iowa City. This not only gave the people a road by which markets could be reached, for before they had none, but it also determined the route of emigration to the new west, which was becoming very great. This emigration absorbed all the surplus grain the settlers could produce, and in that way was of incalculable advantage to them, as before the only market they had for their surplus grain and meat was at Bloomington or Davenport, on the Mississippi. While they were practically self-supporting, yet there were some things they could not produce, which would be very convenient to have, and in some cases a necessity. Salt they must have, and sugar and tea and coffee, were luxuries it was hard to do without. So this opening of a road to a market was a boon over which there was as much rejoicing as there was a few years later in the same section by the coming of the railroad. True, their grain and meat when it did reach those markets had to be disposed of at very low prices, and generally in trade, yet it would get things the people very much desired, and added to their comfort and prosperity. Money was a scarce commodity and rarely to be obtained, and business transcations were generally carried on by barter. A cow would be given in exchange for a bolt of cloth; or a horse given for a sow and pigs and a dozen sheep, while a sheep would go to pay for a dozen hens, and a lamb traded for a setting of eggs.

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