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1907 Past and Present
STATE HISTORY.The first settlement in Iowa was made in the year 1788, a brief twelve years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, hence as occupied ground, it dates back pretty nearly to the birth of the republic. The first settler was Julien Dubuque, who being attracted by the rich lead deposits in the eastern part of the state, obtained a large grant of land, and with a few miners settled upon a tract of land which includes the site of the present city of Dubuque, erected a fort and occupied himself in mining and trading with the Indians until he died in 1810. At an early day Indian traders established themselves at various points in Lee county and in 1820 Dr. Muir, an army surgeon who had married an Indian woman, built a cabin where the city of Keokuk now stands. As an indication that not always have the rights of the Indians been trampled upon, we note the fact that twice before the Sacs and Foxes ceded their lands to the General Government (the treaty went into effect in June, 1833), the miners of Dubuque were expelled from their diggings by the United States troops under Col. Zachary Taylor. Many settlers did not wait for the treaty to go into effect, but after it was made, in September, 1832, flocked to the western banks of the river. Cabins were erected upon land now within the limits of Davenport and Burlington, the towns being platted in 1836 and 1834, respectively. For several years prior to the founding of these two cities, Indian traders had established posts on the Missouri river on or near the site of the city of Council Bluffs. A block house was built in 1839. The Pottawottomie Indians--many of whom came from the vicinity of Chicago, under Billy Caldwell, a noted chief mentioned in the early annals of that city--were in this vicinity previous to 1849, giving place to the Mormons, who were residents there for five years. The settlement at Des Moines commenced in 1843, by the building of a fort and the establishment of a trading post at the mouth of the Raccoon river. Sioux City was surveyed in 1854. In 1834, the legislature of Michigan, of which territory Iowa then formed a part, created Dubuque and Des Moines counties, their dividing line being drawn westward from the southern extremity of Rock Island. In 1836, after Iowa became a part of Wisconsin, the population of the two counties was 10,531, and when it was regularly organized into a territory, in 1838, it included within its boundaries the present state of Minnesota and a line extended north to the Canada line, and included the Dakotas east of the Missouri river. In January, 1839, the first territorial legislature of Iowa met at Burlington, at which time commissioners were appointed to locate a permanent capital. Iowa City was chosen, and surveyed that year, but the legislature did not meet in the new capital until 1842. The last territorial legislature was held there three years later. In August, 1845, the people voted down the first constitution presented them, not satisfied with boundary lines, but a second constitution fixing present boundaries, was accepted in 1846 by both congress and people, and Iowa became a state. The state has an area of 55,475 square miles, all but a remarkably small per cent of which is arable land of excellent quality. Iowa has less inferior land than any state in the Union, and no soil is considered better for all around agricultural products than the section best known as the corn belt, in the midst of which Greene county is situated. An eastern visitor in the west characterized this part of Iowa as the "land of corn and swine," and while the expression is not quite as euphonious as the one applied to Canaan of old, from which it was taken, still it expresses a homely truth concerning the real groundwork of our prosperity, and hence is accepted. The climate is a moderate one, well calculated for the labors of the farmer. The winters are severe, not so much on account of the average temperature as for the reason that the unsheltered prairies are swept by cold winds from the northwest. Summer temperature averages 70 1/2° Fahrenheit, which insures a good corn crop. Fortunately, the state is exempt from the severe droughts that afflict sections on the west and northwest. On account of the undulating surface of the state, excellent drainage results, making it one of the most healthy sections of the world. Iowa is a well-watered state, two of the largest rivers in the United state [sic States]. Before the construction of railways, the Mississippi on the eastern border and the Missouri on the western, were chief avenues of trade. Connection with the interior of the state was made by means of steamboats which up to the year 1862 navigated the Des Moines river as far northward as the junction of that stream with the Raccoon, the site of the present state capital, and small steamboats plied a profitable trade as far north as Fort Dodge. The uncertain and continually varying stages of water, and the changing bed of the stream, made navigation a doubtful proposition as to profit, and with the advent of railways, commerce on the river became a thing of the past. The young people of today will find it difficult to believe that in the early days referred to, three side-wheel steamers were anchored at one time at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers. The stage lines did a thriving business well up into the '60s, transporting passengers and mail, a strenuous method of traveling the pioneer pilgrims will not soon forget. The so-called roads were simply paths across the prairies, unfenced and to a great extent unbridged, and after heavy rains were almost impassable on account of depth of mud. Lest some of the hardships of those times should be forgotten, it may not be out of place to add that the purchase of a ticket to a given destination gave no real assurance of a ride thither, even though paid for at the somewhat staggering price of twelve and one-half cents per mile. Not only would the unfortunate traveler [sic traveller] frequently be required to walk over territory for which full fare had been paid, but in addition would be asked to carry a rail with which to help pry the coach out of a slough from which the four horses--themselves in the mire--could not drag it. No official rank shielded the passenger from taking a part in the foot act. The gentler sex were the only travelers who really got the worth of their money. The story is told that a coach load of passengers found themselves at dusk one chilly day in winter many miles from the usual place of passing the night, when they came upon a farm house whose ample dimensions suggested shelter for them all. So they selected the man of best address in the company to intercede with the residents for a stop over night privilege. Embarking hopefully on his mission, he reported in a few moments that there was no one at home. There seemed nothing to be done but to take possession, and ingress was soon had through a rear window, a side door opened and every one admitted. Plenty of fuel was at hand and brisk fires were soon adding the best of cheer to the scene. It was a hungry crowd, hence it was an absolute joy to find a well-filled larder of the cellar and pantry sort. So the ladies got busy, and when the lamps were lighted, a steaming hot supper the savory smell of which would tempt an epicure, was on the table. Soon after the new occupants of the home were seated and doing ample justice to the spread, the family, who had been over to a town a few miles away to trade, came home. What was to be done? Conditions were extremely awkward for the intruders, but they wisely concluded to make a clean breast of their offendings and hope for the best. To their surprise and delight the real owners accepted the situation, said that the travelers had in no wise committed the unpardonable sin, and bade them finish their meal at their leisure and in perfect content. A very enjoyable night and some lasting friendships followed this rather marked departure from the usual method of getting possession of other people's belongings. The repetition of such an event would scarcely be called a legitimate twentieth century happening, but back in the '50s conditions were less conventional, and the incident is given as a sharp contrast between the past and present, even in the Hawkeye state. With seven trunk lines traversing the state from least to west, and a ten-hour limit scheduled for passenger trains, the memory of the earlier hardships of the pioneers will only be preserved through a printed record that future generations may read. That Iowa was pre-destined to be an agricultural state is amply evidenced by its broad, magnificent prairies and an almost limitless fertility of soil. In proportion to its area, Iowa already stands at the front as one of the world's greatest granaries. The corn and hog crop of the state is larger than that of any other in the United States, and in dairy and poultry products it is very near the front rank. Unusual prosperity has attended the efforts of Iowa farmers and the older generation, as a result, is rapidly seeking homes in the smaller cities and villages, where better social and church privileges may be had, and where they may enjoy, in comparative ease, the fruits of their profitable labors. It seems almost paradoxical to state that the successes of the tillers of the soil has worked to the prejudice of the state in the matter of an increasing rural population, jet such is the fact, for the rapid increase in the price of farm lands resulting from great profit in farming, places the purchase price out of the reach of the man of limited means, hence in his quest he pitches his tent in regions north, west or south of this favored domain. One great source of revenue in this state is the sale of horses, and buyers are found here from all parts of the country. The Vermont Marble Company has a resident buyer in the state the year round, only one instance among many that might be cited. Iowa will never rank high as a manufacturing center. Its water powers are few and in the main not dependable, and the tendency of the big concerns is to finally locate in large commercial centers, even though their initial work was done on the prairies. PREV <== Continue ==> NEXTTranscribed January, 2018 by Cheryl Siebrass from Past and Present of Greene County, Iowa, Together with Biographical Sketches of many of its Prominent and Leading Citizens and Illustrious Dead by E. B. Stillman, Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1907, pp. 7-9. |
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