1838-1938
| 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 VIII
OTHER SETTLERS In 1837, along with the others came John D. Wolf. It did not take the people long to discover the greater attraction that had brought him to the country; for, in due time, there was solemnized, at Bloomington, the marriage of John D. Wolf and Mary Ann Bagley, the first marriage of parties from the new settlements. They are said to have taken up their abode in a house in the southeast quarter of section 1-78-4, not far from where Hiram Thomas' house stands.
While death had entered the settlement, there had also been some accessions by birth. July 19, 1837, there was born to Mr. and Mrs. William Corns, a daughter whom they named Lois, she being the first white child born on the Wapsinonoc. October 2 of the same year Enos and Mary Nyce rejoiced in the birth of a son they called George, and the Sutton homestead, Dec. 10, was made glad by the advent of their tenth child, a girl, they named Claradean. Thus all the machinery of civilization was becoming in motion and the people rejoiced at their prosperity. But evil times were coming upon the new settlements. The people were mostly of very limited means and had not been in the new country long enough to make adequate provision for the coming winter, and sickness incident to the climate appeared. Fevers and ague with all their train of debilitating effects were common among them. That winter also occurred the tragedy at Moscow, which led to the murder of Atwood, previously noted. Also in the summer the government surveyors appeared to divide the land into townships and sections and sell it to the highest bidder, and many of them had not the means at hand to pay the purchase price, which in all cases must be cash. None of them had any claim to the land but by possession. Those who had no money were forced to borrow of professional money loaners at exorbitant rates of interest, the money loaners holding the title to the land till the bond was paid. The season also proved more sickly than the former year and death, like a dark shadow, lay over the land. As expressed to the writer by one of the survivors, " It seemed like one-half of the people died; that and the following year." Among these heads of families were: Francis Foot, William Bagley, --------Sutton and Oliver Atwood, beside many children, and their new cemetery was becoming populous.
In the year 1838 there was also erected a group of cabins some distance east of the east branch of the creek. William Leffingwell occupied one in the souteast quarter of section 8-78-3, now the Hudson place; Van Hagen on the same description, now the Peters place, and Nathaniel Hallock on the southwest quarter of section 9-78-3, known as the Dickerson farm. These cabins were on the trail between Moscow and the Iowa River trading post, and also the trail leading to Indian Town, at the forks of the creek in section 24-78-4 and on down the Wapsie and Cedar River to the present site of Wapello, which was the home of Chief Keokuk and his band of Sacs. That year Gamaliel Olds took a claim in the southeast quarter of section 24-77-4. He afterward bought great sections of land in that region. Farther up the creek, John G. Lane claimed the east half of the northeast quarter of section 23 and the west half of the northwest quarter of section 24-78-4, no doubt induced in his selection by the wide view to be had from the place, and the fine grove of maples near by. Just east and across the creek, was the Indian Town, and that enclosed field offered an easy spot to plant a crop. This place is now owned by his son Joseph. Robert Stuart chose the southwest quarter of section 2-78-4 and built just west of where A. A. Brown's new residence stands, and J. Springer built on the southwest quarter of section 3-78-4, now the home of J. A. Nay. At the north end of this place the Indians had a corn field in those days. Dudley B. Dustin located on the southeast quarter of section 12-78-4, which is now part of the town of West Liberty and the house stood on or near the east end of what is now Sixth street.
These accessions to the various settlements greatly encouraged the community and they all felt that the experimental stage to the country was past. Those who had first come had demonstrated that the soil was fertile and the country teeming with game and fruit. So all became a scene of activity. Fences were built, roads opened and the creek bridged between settlements. To open a road they would cut away the brush and trees to allow the passage of a vehicle, and the road was ready for use. To bridge the creeks they selected places where the banks were least precipitous as the bridges were always built near the ordinary water level. Two or more logs were cut long enough to span the stream and placed across it. Other logs were cut eight or ten feet long, and sometimes, but not always, split in halves, and these were laid on the stringer, close together, till they were covered. Then on top of these were laid other long logs to hold the cross logs in place, and act as a railing to the bridge. If there chanced to be holes between the transverse logs large enough to endanger passing animals, they were stopped by chunks being driven in them, and the bridge was complete. True, it was liable to go out with the first freshet, but it was the best they could do, and material was at hand to replace it in such an event. Their fences were all of rails, split from native timber, so one can conceive that there was no lack of occupation during the winter in getting out fencing and hauling it to the place where it was to be used.
Meanwhile the scene within the cabin was none the less active. The hum of the spinning wheel and bang of the loom could be heard at almost any time of the day, as the busy wives and daughters prepared the clothing and bedding for the family, interspersing these occupations by gathering and drying the wild fruits to preserve them for winter use, as they had not yet learned, nor had they the appliances, for canning them; sugar was a too rare and expensive commodity to use in preserving them. Wild honey was a common article for sweetening, and the first settlers found bees here in considerable numbers. There now lies the body of an oak tree by the side of the Iowa City road near the crossing of the west branch of the Wapsie that was cut in the winter of 1840 to obtain the honey it contained. Some of the school childen that passed that way the next morning can testify that honey is sweet, and that too much of it sometimes creates internal disturbances.
With the hulling of corn for hominy, and making soap and cooking for the ever hungry men and children, the life within was a varied and busy one. But with all this industry, and isolated as they were from all established forms of religion, they did not forget their Christian training, but holding it as a sacred heritage, they made it a custom when the Sabbath came, to congregate at some one or the other of their homes, when they would listen to a sermon, if a minister chanced to be among them. If not, one of their number would read a sermon from some published collection, and they would join in the singing of familiar hymns. Thus the usage and practice of the Christian religion was kept alive among them. The social intercourse among our pioneers was something commendable, and is a noticeable condition in nearly all new communities. There were no social distinctions among them, for as one of their members remarked to the writer, " They were all poor alike." A separation of five or six miles in their residence was no obstacle in their intercourse, and many were the merry gatherings of the people, and in the case of sickness or other occasions of need, they were as one family. They now had grain in abundance for their needs, but no mills to grind it nearer than the Cedar river, and that was across a trackless prairie of unbridged creeks and sloughs. The country was rapidly developing; the privations incident to their environment were great, but they were a hardy race and persisted in their determination to make this their permanent home in spite of the difficulties and suffering and danger that surrounded them.