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Pioneer Life
In and Around Cedar Rapids, Iowa from 1839 to 1849
Rev. George R. Carroll
- Chapter XVI -
(pages 202 - 207)
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The Indians.
Although the strip of country which
includes Linn county has been purchased by the government from the
Indians, a year previous to our arrival, yet they lingered about their
old hunting grounds in great numbers, apparently loath to turn their
backs upon the beautiful country that had been their home so long, and
whose ample hunting grounds had afforded them such abundant supplies
of game. There are few, if any, people in this country who are not
familiar with the fact that the habit of the Indians is to travel in
single file, so that when a company of one or two hundred passes over
any region of country for the first time, it is sufficient to make a
well beaten trail by the time the last one comes along. But I think
there are not many who can realize what a strange sight it is to see
these long drawn out caravans moving along mounted on their ponies.
The old chief or leader riding in advance followed by his warriors and
hunters; the squaws riding on the right instead of the left side of
the pony; the papooses stowed away in baskets or bags that were swung
over the backs of the ponies; the tents and rush mattings covering up
some of these little pack horses so that you could scarcely see them,
all following on one after another in a string that would seem almost
interminable.
One of their trails passed over the mound, and it was indeed a
picturesque sight to which we were often treated to see these long
caravans passing over on their way to some new camping ground.
This trail led down through the woods to the slough where they seemed
fond of camping, probably on account of the fish, muskrats and other
game that were found in that locality.
Another trail passed along further to the east, being the same that we
followed when we first came to our claim, and the only road we had for
some time leading to Marion. After leaving our first camping place it
led on over the hill near Mr. Soutter's residence, thence through the
tall grass on the Bever farm, and so on through the Higley farm coming
out where Fifth avenue now is and thence down to the river. This was
the first an only road traveled for some time between Marion and Cedar
Rapids. Of course the Indian trail was afterwards converted into a
wagon road, but its crooks and turns must have made the distance
between the two prospective towns at least one mile greater than it is
now on the broad boulevard.
The Indians were very fond of making maple sugar, and even after they
had been removed to their new home further west, they would return in
the spring to engage in their old occupation of sugar making.
I remember that one time when visiting one of the sugar camps the
older men and Indians got up a wrestling match between us boys and the
young Indians of our size and age. I found the one that I had the
contest with as quick and active as a kitten and a hard one to handle.
I do not remember who came out best, but I presume the Indian did,
otherwise I would have remembered it, had I been victor. At any rate,
it afforded fine sport for the onlookers, and we found that even a
stoical Indian could relax his countenance into a broad smile and
sometimes could break out into quite a hearty laugh.
This meeting with an Indian boy was a new experience to me but that
experience was not without its beneficial results.
For one thing I made the important discovery at that time that the
Indians had not yet learned the use of the fine comb.
For some time after that close contact with the Indian boy my head
felt quite uncomfortable, but with the careful attention which I
received, I soon recovered my normal condition. I could never rid
myself, however, of the salutary impression made upon my mind, at that
time, that it was not best to be on too familiar terms with these
red-skinned youngsters. And so that one experience was enough to last
me a lifetime. I have never wrestled with one from that day to this.
The Musquakie Indians who occupied this country, were made up of two
weaker tribes, the Sac's and Foxes. They were always peaceable, and I
do not remember that they ever did us any harm, except perhaps to
annoy us a little by begging. But all we had to do at such times was
to say "Puck-a-chee", which means go away, and they would generally
retreat in good order and without complaint.
There was one winter a camp of Indians on the slough, and among them
there was one who owned a remarkably fine iron gray mule. He was
probably worth two or three common ponies, and so of course the dusky
owner was very proud of him. One night the mule was stolen, and the
poor old Indian was nearly heart broken over his loss. He came the
next morning quite early to our house, and tried to tell us of his
great loss. He had made the discovery that it was a white man and not
an Indian that had perpetrated the deed.
He saw a pair of father's shoes and he went and picked them up to show
us that the tracks in the snow were made with shoes and not moccasins
such as the Indians wore. These facts being brought out in the
interview, father wrote them down together with a description of the
mule, and directed the Indian to go on to Marion to see what could be
done about it.
The result was that a company of men was soon organized and set out in
hot pursuit of the thief. In a few days they returned with both the
mule and the thief, the former being delivered over to the owner, and
the latter being confined in jail to await his trial. They found the
thief in Wisconsin and at the next term of court he was duly tried and
sentenced to the penitentiary, where he had ample time to reflect on
the fact that although there were a few horse-thieves in Linn county,
the majority of the people were law-abiding citizens and were
determined that crime should be punished, even though it had been
committed against a poor old Indian.
Sometimes we would hear reports that the Indians were on the war-path,
and of course there would be a good deal of uneasiness among the
settlers, until the reports proved to be without foundation, which was
always the case.
It is said that on one occasion one of the denizens of the village on
the Cedar river had some business at Marion which detained him till
after dark. Approaching his home late in the evening, he heard a great
noise and confusion that filled him with alarm. There was no mistaking
those fearful yells and that ominous noise and confusion. Of course it
was the Indians who were murdering the people and devastating the
town. Thus mused the lonely night traveler; and so, turning his horse
he rode back to Marion with all possible speed, and spread the news of
the wholesale massacre of the people at Cedar Rapids.
Later it was discovered that there had been a wedding that evening and
the boys were indulging in a little sport in the way of a charivari.
It was a long time before our frightened fellow-citizen heard the last
of the Indian scare.
There is one thing that is worthy of note in regard to the Indians of
those early days, and that is their honesty in the matter of paying
their debts. The merchants traded with them quite extensively, and
often trusted them to considerable amounts, for which they would take
their notes. They would take hold of the pen in a very awkward way and
make their mark while the merchant would write down their long,
jaw-breaking names which they would pronounce in his hearing.
Sometimes the payments were long delayed, but the Indians never failed
to come at last and pay their debts and take up the notes.
One peculiarity of their doing things was that they wanted to go to
the very spot where they bought the goods and then pay for them
article by article as they purchased them.
Mr. Hook changed his place of business at one time before the Indians
were ready to pay their debts, and so he always had to go back to the
old stand before they were ready for business, and then they would
recall the articles one by one and pay for them separately.
It was said of one Indian who traded with Greene & Bros., that he died
before the debt was paid, but his friends came and brought a pony
which they turned over to their creditors, and so settled the account. |
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Source: Pioneer Life In and Around Cedar
Rapids from 1839 to 1949 by Rev. George R. Carroll. Pub. Cedar Rapids,
Iowa: Times Printing and Binding House, 1895.
Transcribed by Terry Carlson for the
IAGenWeb. For research only. Some errors in transcription may have
occurred. |
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