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Shelby County |
Home 1915 History Index |
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Shelby County |
Home 1915 History Index |
CHAPTER VIII - REMINISCENCES OF THE PIONEERS (CONT'D)
[Mr. White is now eighty-three years of age, and writes of scenes he himself witnessed fifty-five years ago. It will be noted that he kept a diary, hence his recollections are authentic and dependable. He has lived to see his dollar-and-a-half Polk township land rise in value to not less than one hundred and fifty dollars per acre—EDITOR.]
In complying with your request for a sketch of a trip made by me in the spring of 1859 to Harlan, Iowa, will state by way of introduction that I am a native of Illinois, and have for years been a citizen of Jerseyville, my present home. The land I went to Shelby county, Iowa to see was formerly owned by A. M. Blackburn, a banker of Jerseyville. He had purchased a number of land warrants issued to soldiers of the War of 1812, and sent them to Knuckolls and Dodge of Council Bluffs, to be located on Iowa lands. Two of them were located on the west one-half of section 2, town 80, range 37, which is now Polk township, Shelby county. In connection with my brother, in 1858 we bought this land, cash down, and received a deed from Blackburn and wife. He had never seen the land, and knew nothing about it. We bought it at a venture, paying, I think, about one dollar and one-half per acre. In the spring of 1859 we concluded to go out to Iowa and see our purchase. Accordingly, on the 14th of April we went aboard the steamer “Spread Eagle” at St. Louis and took passage for Omaha. After a very interesting and pleasant trip of seven days we landed in Omaha. It seemed a young city which had had a boom and then stopped to rest awhile. The grass was still growing in Farnham street and Indians were very numerous, mixed with soldiers and “Pike’s Peakers.” Corner lots were offered us for one hundred fifty dollars each and a drag on the market at that. We remained here and at Council Bluffs until April 27th, when we set out for Harlan, distant, we were told, about thirty miles, on foot, the only available way for us to travel. We were directed to go by way of Crescent City, which we reached about noon. There we got a ride with a farmer to Harris Grove, where we stayed all night. The next morning, April 18th (I follow by journal now, written up each day), we set out on a faint trail due east for our destination, eighteen or twenty miles distant, we were told. This trail was marked in places by furrows, or stakes, and occasionally an elk horn set up. We followed it on as best we could, all day, and reached Harlan just at dark, nearly exhausted. The grass was all burned off, and we did not see a human being or house all day. A great many deer and elk horns were scattered along the trail and as far as we could see out over the hills and valleys. Many of the elk horns were of great size. I picked up one which had the top broken off a few inches, and, placing the butt of it between my toes, it reached up to my nose, and I am five feet ten inches in height. Prairie chickens by the hundred abounded and were as tame as domestic fowls; instead of flying, they merely ran to one side or the other and let us pass through the flock. Prairie squirrels and gophers were very numerous. The country was very rolling and beautiful; good soil and well watered. In Harlan we stopped at a hotel kept by Mr. Barnette, standing about the middle of where the fair grounds are now situated, and close around it were located all the buildings of any kind, about two dozen, making up the town of Harlan. Where the present city is located was unbroken prairie, without a building of any kind upon it. There was quite a grove to the southeast of where the court house now is located. Harlan had one or two small stores, a printing office which published a small newspaper, The Shelby County Courier, edited, I think, by a man named Beesack; and a shingle factory. There were several small buildings for county offices also. I do not think there was a particle of paint on any building in town. The grass was growing everywhere. Such was Harlan in May, 1859. We made the acquaintance of Charles F. H. Forbes, civil engineer, who was locating the swamp lands for Shelby county, which took in all the fine farming land lying along the Botna south of Harlan, and probably now worth two hundred dollars per acre. It looked a little queer to me, but was probably all right. Prairie squirrels were numerous all over town and it was a favorite amusement for the children to “fish” for them. The way this was done was to take a fish hook and line, fasten a grain of corn to the hook, drop it down the hole, and when they began to bite, jerk them out. I have seen it done. There had been made a survey for a railroad from a point on the Mississippi to the Missouri river at Council Bluffs. The stakes were set for the line along the north side of town and thence in a southwest direction to the Bluffs. I do not think there was a mile of finished road in the state at that time; if so, I have forgotten. There was a great rush of emigrants passing through daily for Pike’s Peak gold mines, in all kinds of conveyances; some on foot with packs on their backs; some with hand carts; others with ox teams, and many with good outfits. All of them in great hopes, expecting to return loaded with gold in a year or two. They were a very motley crowd. We soon got acquainted with nearly every man, woman and child in the little community, some of whose name I remember yet. There was, for instance, William Wyland, recorder; Mr. Holcomb, clerk of court; Judge Tarkington, Mr. Spicer, Mr. Plum, Mr. Gray, Mr. Beesack, A. T. Ault and others. Simoda, just over the river one or two miles east of Harlan, aspired to be the county seat; yet it had scarcely made a start towards even being a town at all. We met a very intelligent young gentleman there by the name of Merrill, who is the only inhabitant I remember. The contest for locating the county seat had been very exciting and resulted in the election in favor of Harlan by a majority of nine votes. And the opposition were greatly opposed to the result, claiming unfair practices had been used. The county books and records had been moved to Harlan and all public business was being transacted there, which the opposition considered an outrage. They prepared a petition demanding of the court a surrender of the county books and documents. This was to be presented on the first day of court, May 2, 1859. On Monday morning, May 2, about fifty-five men backing the petition, and supposed to be armed, assembled at the little court house waiting for Judge Tarkington to call court. I was an eye witness to all that transpired that day, being right in the crowd and court, and recorded in my journal that evening all that was done. From this I draw my facts, instead of memory, which is very uncertain after fifty-five years. At the usual hour court was called, and immediately adjourned to three o’clock p.m., before the people could fill the court house. In the intervening time a posse was summoned and sworn in to protect the judge and county property. They were supposed to be armed, and were in the court house promptly before three p. m. At the appointed time court was called and the room filled with a rush. I was within three feet of the leader (I forget his name) when he presented their petition and demanded the surrender of the books. The judge replied, plainly, “I can’t do it.” The leader then said, “Come on, men, we will take them,” and a general forward move was made, when the judge ordered the clerk (Holcomb) to read the riot act, which he promptly did—and the judge announced that it would be immediately enforced if violence should be attempted. This had a very quieting effect and the crowd began to disperse and start for their homes, and so ended this “tempest in a teapot.” I think the contract for building a court house was let that day, and an agricultural society organized. On May 3d we employed Mr. Plum with a rig to go with us to find our land. We followed mostly an Indian trail north along ridges, until near Highland Grove, where we left our team and walked east to where we supposed we found it, but later found out we did not reach it by several miles. In 1881 I bought my brother’s interest in the land and have since been sole owner. The same year (in November, 1881) I came out and really for the first time saw it. It looked good to me, and so I built a house on it and proceeded to improve it in every way, and it is still there, as good as new, to speak for itself. Title perfect, and has never had a debt or claim against it. When I first saw this land there was not a tree on it or scarcely in sight. I began putting out forest trees of various kinds, and now there are at least five hundred, some of which are more than two feet in diameter. There are also a good many fruit trees. On May 10th I went in company with Messrs. Springer and Beesack to Council Bluffs, on our return home, in a two-horse rig. Had a delightful ride through a beautiful new country. The black burnt landscape of a few weeks ago had been transformed into a rolling sea of verdure. So wonderful is the fertility of the soil. Spent some time at Omaha and then took passage on the steamer “Iatan” for St. Louis. I can give no better idea of my impressions of the country than by quoting almost verbatim from my journal written down on May 13, 1859, which follows: “Iowa is a beautiful country possessing many natural advantages. Amongst these may be noted the quality and natural formation of the land, being high and rolling prairies or rich bottoms, all of which are unsurpassed for agricultural purposes. Also the excellence and abundance of water everywhere found. “As an offset to these advantages I will note, as chief objection, the great scarcity of timber necessary for building, fencing and fuel. “Coal has not yet been found, I believe, at least to any amount, in western Iowa. If coal could be obtained in abundance for fuel, farms might be inclosed by ditches, hedges or some kind of wire fences.” Barbed wire had not then been invented, I think, which has solved the problem completely, as the present splendid farms all over the country give abundant proof now, in this year of 1914.
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