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History of Pottawattamie County
Atlas of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, illustrated, C.R. Allen
Pub., 1885
Pottawattamie County borders the Missouri River,
in the third tier of counties from the south line of the
state, occupying a position central in the most productive
portion thereof. With the exception of Kossuth, it is the
largest in the State, its superficial area being about 960
square miles, or 614,400 acres. Besides the Missouri River,
it is drained by numerous small streams which traverse its
surface from north to south with a slight westerly defection.
The western portion of the county is a broad, level strip
of territory, from three to ten miles wide, and known as
the Missouri River Bottom. Bordering this, on the east,
the range of bluffs rises steep and grand, in many places
almost perpendicular from two or three hundred feet in height.
The range is parted by numerous narrow valleys and ravines,
which descend from the adjacent uplands, but never loses
its distinctive outlines This remarkable range, rising abruptly
from the sweeping plain, without a rock or stone upon its
face, presents a view at once varied, grand and beautiful
The adjacent uplands are broken and in many places too uneven
for tillage; but are well adapted to grazing and are frequently
interspersed with thrifty groves of timber Further east
the broken outlines give place to a beautiful, undulating
or waved surface, peculiar to the Western Slope, alternating
with level valleys, from a half mile to a mile in width,
bordering the streams. ....The corn crop of 1884 in this
county was greater than that of any county in the United
States. In the Summer of 1804, the celebrated explorers,
Lewis and Clarke, on their way up the Missouri River, held
a council with the Indians at the place where Fort Calhoun
was subsequently established, on the Nebraska side of the
river, about twenty miles above the present city of Council
Bluffs. From this circumstance they gave to that place the
name of "Council Bluffs." As early as 1824 a French
trader named Hart had established a trading house on the
bluffs just above the large spring now known as the "Mynster
Spring," within the limits of the present city of Council
Bluffs. At this time, the American Fur Company had established
various trading posts in the great Northwest and this point
was known to their employes who ascended the river as Lacote
de Hart, or Hart's Bluff. At that time the Missouri River
was navigated by a few traders and persons belonging to
the Fur Company, having their headquarters at St. Louis,
and only with small keel boats propelled by hand. In 1827,
FRANCIS GUITTAR, a Frenchman in the employ of the American
Fur Company, encamped with others in the timber at the foot
of the bluffs where now Broadway with its double row of
magnificent business blocks is located. In the Summer of
1838, DAVIS HARDIN and family, including his wife and seven
children, landed in the county at the point then known as
Council Point, about four miles below the present City of
Council Bluffs. Mr. Hardin had been appointed to act as
government farmer among the Pottawattamie Indians, who were
then about to be removed from the Platte Purchase in Missouri
to Iowa. A few months after, the Indians were brought up,
and Mr. Hardin then removed to where he opened a farm on
a little stream known as Indian Creek, now in the business
portion of the city. His sons were JOHN, ALLEN, RICHARD
and MARTIN D. HARDIN, and became permanent settlers, remaining
here throughout the time when the region was under Mormon
control. When the Pottawattamie Indians were brought up,
a number of white persons came also, including traders,
agents, and other government employes. In 1839 two companies
of troops came up and built a bock house, or sort of fort,
on the bluff in the east part of what is now the city, and
shortly after, a Catholic Mission was established here,
under the charge of FATHERS DeSMITH and VERIGHT. They built
a dwelling house and used the blockhouse for religious services.
No white persons came as settlers, except those among the
Indians as traders and agents in various capacities, or
those connected with the military or missions, until the
Mormons came in 1846. The Indians remained until 1846-7
when by the treaty of June 5, 1846, they relinquished this
territory and removed to Kansas. Their departure made way
for the advent of the followers of JOSEPH SMITH, who, after
the death of the prophet at Nauvoo in 1844, turned their
faces westward. BRIGHAM YOUNG, with the head men of the
church, halted for the winter of 1846-7 at a place called
Winter Quarters, now Florence, Nebraska. In the spring he
departed on his journey with a portion of the colony, but
the greater part returned to the Iowa side mainly within
the limits of Pottawattamie County, where others had arrived
in the Spring of 1846 in season to plant and secure a crop.
The center of this community was established on Indian Creek
in the vicinity of the old fort, at a place first called
Miller's Hollow, and afterwards by them named Kanesville,
but their settlement spread rapidly over the county and
into some adjoining counties wherever groves of timber and
water afforded an available location. Over this community
ORSON HYDE, priest, writer, editor and lawyer was installed
as the president of the quorum of twelve, and the country
remained under their exclusive control for several years.
In 1846 they raised a battalion 500 strong for the Mexican
War under COLONEL CLARK, which afterward traversing Northern
Mexico and taking part in battles there, closed its campaign
in California. It is claimed that the gold in the Sacramento
was first discovered by this battalion. The Mormon population
(in the county) was probably most numerous in 1848, but
in 1849, after many had fled to Utah it numbered 6,552 and
in 1850 7,828, but they were not all within the present
limits of the county. Many followed Brigham Young previous
to 1852, when finally the word went round that all true
believers should gather together at Salt Lake. The Gentiles
now swarmed into Kanesville and all the surrounding country.
Farms were sold to them, lots, cabins, stores were bartered
off, all at a ruinous sacrifice, and the emigration went
forward and continued with diminishing volume during the
several succeeding years, until all who were willing to
acknowledge Brigham as their leader and the true successor
of the prophet had left the country. A remnant, however,
remained, some of them abjuring the Mormon faith, and others
rallying around the standard of JOSEPH SMITH JR. who abjured
the practice of Polygamy. In 1849, the unexampled run of
emigration to the California gold mines commenced. Kanesville
lay directly in its route, and soon became a general rendezvous
and starting point for all who crossed the State of Iowa
as the last settlement here they set out on the plains.
The county was organized September 21, 1848. The first county
commissioners were A.H. PERKINS, DAVID D. YEARSLEY, and
GEORGE D. COULTON, and they held their first session at
the house of HIRAM CLARK in Kanesville. T. BURDICK was their
clerk; he was also first county judge, elected in 1851.
JAMES SLOAN was elected district judge and held his first
term in the county May 5, 1851. EVAN M. GREEN was Clerk
and ALEXANDER McREA, Sheriff. At this term, ORSON HYDE was
admitted to the bar. SLOAN was appointed by the Governor;
he was a native of Ireland and many anecdotes are related
to his wit and eccentricity on the bench. He resigned in
the course of a year and was succeeded by JUDGE BRADFORD.
These officials were all Mormons. In June 1848, a store
was established on the present site of Council Bluffs, a
point then known as Miller's Hollow before it was named
Kanesville. The business was opened in the name of STUTSMAN
& McDONALD, and was carried on by Mr. STUTSMAN. Mr.
JONATHAN B. STUTSMAN was the first Gentile who settled among
the Mormons. He soon after married and remained a prominent
resident of the place. His business was carried on for some
time in a log building. He subsequently built the first
frame store, and also first frame dwelling house in Council
Bluffs. The next Gentile settler was Mr. CORNELIUS VOORHIS,
who arrived on the 17th of August 1848. The third was WM.
B. FERGUSON of St. Louis. The various settlements scattered
about the county included one a short distance east of Kanesville,
on Mosquito Creek, near the seat of Wick's old Indian Mill,
where WILLIAM GARNER, EZRA SCOFIELD, SIMON GRAYBILL, ALEXANDER
FOLLETT and ALEXANDER MARSHALL remained after the exodus;
another on Pigeon Creek, in the northern part of the county;
another on the Nishnabotna at a place afterwards called
Macedonia, where PETER HAAS and WEYMEYER built a mill, and
another in the northwestern part of the county in and about
Lewin's Grove, where the first settlers were CAPTAIN JOSHUA
HEADLIE, WM. HENDERSON, and JOHN KRITZINGER, the latter
of whom built a mill. In the summer of 1850 JOSEPH TOOTLE
came up from St Joseph Missouri and established the celebrated
outfitting house for California emigrants, known as the
Elephant Store, and J.A. JACKSON became connected with the
house in 1851. The trade of the place was also increased
in 1850 by the accession of W.D TURNER, S.H. RIDDLE, and
J.I. FOREMAN. DR. B.Y. SHELLY commenced the practice of
medicine here the same year, and DR. S.E. WILLIAM, then
a medical student, arrived in the fall. DR P.J. McMAHON
came in 1851, so also did B.R. PEGRAM, A.S. BRYANT and the
ROBINSON BROTHERS. The immigration that came in 1852 to
take the place of the Mormons was numerous. Early that Spring,
Mr. SAMUEL BAYLISS purchased of HENRY MILLER his tract in
the valley of Indian Creek. The deed was signed by ORSON
HYDE and commenced, "Jesus Christ and the Church of
Latter-day Saints sell to Mr. Samuel Bayliss," etc.
The title has never been disputed. The public lands of Pottawattamie
County were surveyed during the years 1851-2 and the United
States land office was located at Council Bluffs early in
the Spring of 1853, with JOSEPH H.D. STREET, Register, and
DR. S.M. BALLARD, Receiver. The first entry was made by
JOSEPH D. LANE.
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