I
I 
HII 
TO
THE YOUNG  LIEN  OF  IOWA,
INTO WHOSE IIANDS WILL, ERE LONG, BE ENTRUSTED THiE DESTINY
OF OUR YOUNG STATE, AND BY WHOM HER FREE SOIL, HER
BOUNDLESS RESOURCES, AND IIER REPUBLICAN
INSTITUTIONS, ARE SOON TO BE DEVE              LOPED, CONTROLLED, IMPROVED,
AND PERPETUATED,
THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY
THAT THEY PROVE WORTIIY OF THE SACRED TRUST, NEVER
SWERVING FROMI TIHE PATH OF DUTY, AND THAT THEY
EXERT THEIR PREROGATIVES AS FREEMEN, TO AD        VANCE INTO AN EVER-EXPANDING PROSPE           RITY THE NOBLE STATE WHOSE HELM
THEY HOLD, IS THE DESIRE
AND HOPE OF
THE AUTHOR. 
r 
IOWA AS IT IS
IN 1855;
A GAZETTEER FOR CITIZENS,
AND A
ih all - DD   ir tmmI+, ralit5
E.LIBUACING A FULL DESCRIPTION OF
TIIE STATE OF IOWA:
IIER AGRICULTURAL, MINERALOGICAL, AND GEOLOGICAL CHARAG
TER; HIIER WATER COURSES, TIMIBER LANpS, SOIL AND CLIMATE;
TIE VARIOUS RAILROAD LINES BEING BUILT AND ThIOSE
PROJECTED, WITII THE DISTANCES ON EACII; TIlE NUEI     BER AND CONDITION OF CHURCEIES AND SCIIOOLS IN
EACH COUNTY; POPULATION AND BUSINESS STA            TISTICS OF THE MOST IM,IPORTANT
CITIES AND TOWNS.
INFORMATION FOR THiE IMMIGRANT
RESPECTING THE
8SELECTION, ENTRY, AND CULTIVATION OF PRAIRPIE SOIL; A LIST OF
UNENTERED LANDS IN THIE STATE, &c.
WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS,
BPY N. HOWE PARKER.
CHICAGO, ILL.:
KEEN AND LEE.
1855. 
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by
KEEN  & LEE,
in the Clerk's Office of the I)istrict Court for the Northern District
of illinois.
STEREOTYPrD iLY J. iAGAN. PIILADELPIIIA.
PRINTED BY SbM1TII & PETERS,
Franklin Bluildings, Sixth Street, below Arch,
Philad(lelphia. 
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Early history and accession of territory-organization  boundaries, area, etc.................................................
CHAPTER II.
The climate.................................................................
CHAPTER III.
The soil....................................................................
CHAPTER IV.
General appearance of the prairies..................................
CHAPTER V.
Iowa scenery-the bluffs, etc..........................................
CHAPTER VI.
Rivers and their tributaries............................................
CHAPTER VII.
Timber-lands...............................................................
CHAPTER VIII.
Geology of Iowa...........................................................
CHAPTER IX.
Population-immense immigration of 1854........................
CHAPTER X.
General remarks..........................................................
CHAPTER XI.
Instructions to the new-comer respecting the selection, entry,
or purchase and cultivation of prairie lands..................
CHAPTER XII.
Sketches by travelling contributors -a stranger's impres  sions, etc.................................................................
CHAPTER XIII.
Railroads..................................................................
1*                                            (v)
17
20
22
25
28
82
33
37
52
62
71
74
89
,,,:,',I 
vi                       CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XIV.
Railroad distances on the various lines, connecting Chicago
with the State of Iowa................................................
CHAPTER XV.
Statistics....................................................................
CHAPTER XVI.
Description of counties..................................................
CHAPTER XVII.
Description of counties-continued..................................
CHAPTER XVIII.
Description of counties-continued.................................
CHAPTER XIX.
Description of counties-continued..................................
CHAPTER XX.
Description of counties-concluded..................................
CHAPTER XXI.
Western Iowa and Nebraska...........................................
CHAPTER XXII.
New counties...............................................................
CHAPTER XXIII.
Unentered lands in the State..........................................
CHAPTER XXIV.
Constitution of the State of Iowa.....................................
CHAPTER XXV.
State officers and Congressmen, from the admission into the
Union to the present time...........................................
CHAPTER XXVI.
Policy of government.....................................................
CHAPTER XXVILI.
Education...................................................................
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Religious worship.......................................................
CHAPTER XXIX.
Benevolent societies......................................................
CHAPTER XXX.
Banking-houses.....................................
97
104
107
135
150
163
174
186
199
202
206
234
238
241
253
259
262 
PREFACE.
ArFTERa a careful arrangement of information compiled by
piecemeal, during a twelvemonth passed in the editorial chair,
and during that period subjected to constant revision and
pruning-after the receipt from the several counties in our
State, of the latest statistical intelligence relating to eachand as the general result of a year's attention and study-it
is that the Author has been enabled to prepare his work for
the public eye. Ite is aware that an occasional error may
have crept into it, or that here and there a piece of informnation may have been omitted, but he trusts and believes that
the pains he has taken to avoid these have not been in vain,
and that if any are found, they will be as few as possible,
and in no case, of great importance.
It is the design and aim of the Author in presenting his
book to the public, to supply a want that has long been felt,
and which is being daily expressed, as well by the present
resident in Iowa, as by the countless throng still pouring
westward, and the thousands in the crowded East, whose
thoughts and aspirations turn towards us.
Iowa holds out to the emigrant inducements such as no
other State in our Union can boast, nor is any other at this
day being so largely flooded by the onward tide of immigration. Her resources are inexhaustible, her advantages are
beyond the scope of calculation, and her claims upon the
attention of every class and sex of the energetic, the industrious and the ambitious, are as peremptory as they are
vast. Yet is there a deplorable scarcity of such published
information as shall set forth these latent sources of wealth.
(vii) 
PREFACE.
The eastern traveller and emigrant; the western resident -
whether he be but a new-comer, or whether he has risen to
fortune in our midst - and the State itself, require such an
exposition as the Author has attempted in the following
pages. If he has succeeded in representing, according to its
deserts, "Iowa, as it is in 1855" - if his task shall tend to
throw a light over the immigrant's path, or to erect a guideboard upon his way-if his work will serve to eradicate or
lessen whatever of misconception or of prejudice may have
existed in the minds of strangers-if, as the fruit of his labors,
he shall be able to induce others to join the mighty host that
even now is swarming to Iowa's fertile fields- if, in fine, he
has been able to place Iowa before the world, in its true light,
and to assign to it that lofty rank among the States which
it must attain and forever hold-bhe will feel that he has not
fallen short of the elevated goal of his ambition, and, in the
consciousness of a duty fulfilled will reap a golden reward.
And here the Author feels called upon to express the
gratitude he foels towards those to whom he has applied for
information. With scarcely an exception, he has met with
prompt and kindly answers, and an earnest co-operation.
And while thus returning his thanks, he would ask of those
who have aided him heretofore, as well as of any who may
bestow their attention upon his book, to further assist him,
and whenever they may detect aught that is erratic, or
discover any omission, to inform him in the matter, that
he may be able, in his next edition, to rectify the one and fill
up the other.
N. HI. P.
DAVEr;PORT, IowA, g[ay, 1855.
viii 
INTRODUCTION.
STILL fresh in the memories of a few of her citizens, is the
time when Iowa was one vast wilderness. Her land untilled,
her groves unpeopled, and her mighty rivers flowing unimpeded - unadmired, by art or eye of man, she donned her
verdant robes, and decked her fields with flowers on each returning spring, as if to woo the distant husbandman, and
when chill autumn came, she shrank again into the sere and
withered, waiting, patient still, and  still with  hope.   She
heard the Indian hunter's shot resound amid her solitude;
she held the imprint of his step upon the yielding surface
of her soil; she watched him crawl to his wigwam home, and
lay him down to slothful rest, to dream of the ravage or the
hunt. She saw him wake from sleep, and gird about his
loins the savage tomahawk and scalping knife, while piercing
war-whoops rang from dell to dell, and whistling balls and
rolling thunders shook the air above, and bathed the blazing
fields in gore. She heard the red man's cry of death - the
white man's shout of victory. And then her streams and
fields - her hills and waving woodlands-joined in one vast
choral hymn, when banners were furled, and arms were lain
to rest, and Peace snatched the sceptre from the wearied God
of War.
(ix)
r ;i I' " 'I 
I INTRODUC T I ON.
Then, soon, throughout the land, a lamentation rose. The
red man stretched his form upon the earth, and bathed the
sod with tears. He bade a long farewell to hunting-ground
and river-bank - to bluff and valley, where transcendent
beauty held her court, or uttered a parting wail beside the
graves of his fathers-the mounds of his nation's slumbering
chiefs. IIere, from year to year, had successive generations
learned to kneel- here had their voices risen annually, in
strains of mourning and of homage, for the loved or the illustrious dead-here had been their refuge in times of sorrow
or of trouble-and here had they found a retreat, sequestered
from the world, and hedged round with a sacred-an unprofaned reverence.  But although he lingered still-although
to leave these solemn scenes occasioned him most poignant
grief-called forth the wildest throes of anguish-yet, inexorable fate impelled the red man onward. Civilization required
his departure; -the destiny of his outcast race bade him fly
from before the coming white man's face, and take another
step towards that extinction which yawns before the savage
tribe. ie raised his voice, once more, in cries of anguish,
then joined the mighty Ishmaelitish host, and, taking up the
line of march, he pressed his farewell foot-print on his native
soil, and left behind him on the spreading plains, the last
Indian trail of Iowa.
E'en yet the heavy tramp of the banished nation sounds
along the western horizon-e'en yet that horizon is blackened
by the forms of the retreating multitude-when lo! upon the east
a long white line comes gleaming up, seemingly rising out
of the distant ground. One by one, like sails at sea, the
white-tented wagons of the immigrant well up into sight,
and soon we shall see their occupants encamped near yonder
grove, their tents gleaming in the moonlight, and the smoke
of their camp-fires spreading like a protecting shelter, above
their deep, untroubled slumbers. These hardy men, with
x 
INTRODUCTION.
their aged parents and adolescent families, moving onward in
the wake of the expatriated Indian, are the pioneers of Iowan
civilization - the vanguard of the mighty phalanx that is
yet to come.
The immigration to Iowa reminds one of the legendary
days of the Crusaders. As did the venturous knights of old,
the emigrants resign the endearments and luxuries of home,
to build up for themselves a glorious destiny, amid the wilds
of a strange land. They go to rescue from the desolation
entailed upon it by savage hordes, a region stored with
Nature's lavish gifts; and, as those misled champions of the
cross, they sally forth in banded numbers, from every point
of a civilized world, to meet in the brotherhood of a great
cause, on the fertile plains where tower their mutual hopes.
But here the resemblance ends. The valiant knight of old
went forth arrayed  in all the paraphernalia of war, to
conquer-to subdue-to win, by fire and sword, a land rich
in historic lore- a land whose interest mainly lay in the
hereditary annals of the past. But the modern emigrant
wends his way to territories, whose history is yet unknown,
whose annals are yet unwritten, whose value and grandeur lie
in the promises of the future.-The plough-share and the pruning-hook are his weapons, his companions are the loved ones
of either sex. The Crusader went to tear down-to demolish
-a dynasty; the emigrant, to build up a State. The former
had history for his guide -the latter had a history to frame
and write.
And nobly has he written it. In the unexcelled prosperity
of the land of his adoption -in the magic growth of her
cities-upon her boundless prairies, as on a vast sheet-has
he traced the records of Iowa's liberation from the darkness
of the Indian ages. And these are records that posterity will
read  with  pride,  when  the  crumbling  monument  and
xi
I 14 
INTROD U CTION.
mouldering legend of battle and of victory will be as "a tale
of days forgotten."
IOWA - once the freehold of the tawny savage - is now a
civilized and settled State.  Where  once the wolf  went
bounding, now waves the yellow corn; and where the owlet
hooted to the solitude, the cabin-smoke is floating on the air.
Wherever the highway winds, the ever-recurring marks of
cheerful industry-of progress- of prosperity-greet the
traveller's eye, till one is disposed to rank this State as
cotemporary with many of her elder sisters. The immigrant
is no longer called on to endure the vicissitudes, the hardships, and the dangers of a frontier life. At every step he
meets civilization - in many places, finds improvements
in the art of farming, such as he dreamed not of in his
Eastern home; and often an old familiar face -a friend who
had been a neigbor in years gone by - greets his arrival.
Yet, be it not supposed that Iowa is full. Far from it; still
within her vast domain lie millions of untilled acres - unentered- untouched - unreclaimed from primeval wildness.
They await the immigrant -they call to him and bid him
come. Shall it be asked what inducements they hold forth
to tempt him, or what resources they possess to repay his
labor? We ask, on the other hand, what do they not hold
forth? The fertility of the soil in Iowa is unsurpassed-not
merely by that of her kindred States- not merely in our
Union-but throughout the world! The black loam that overlies her prairies, and which varies in depth from eighteen to
forty-eight inches, forms an inexhaustible storehouse of
fecundity and agricultural wealth. It rests upon a deep
subsoil of clay, well fitted to retain moisture; and, during the
driest portions of the year, this moisture reascends through
the surface-muck-thus, by a constant reaction, weakening, if
not annulling the effects of the severest drought. This was
fully proved during the excessive aridity of 1854, Iowa having
xii 
I N'1 RODU CTI O N.
suffered less from its effects than any other State in the
Union, and having, since then, been the granary of that
Union, and supplied from her own stores the exhausted
markets of the East and South. This may sound incredible -fabulous; and yet, Iowa, the youngest of the
States, has actually accomplished it!
Such are the inducements Iowa holds out to the farmer,
coupled with a promise to return him, for immeasurably less
labor than would be required in the East, an unsurpassable
abundance of any and every article which the zone we live
in is capable of producing.
But again: to the manufacturer she also cries comne! She
invites him to behold for himself her immense coal regions,
and examine the qualities of the coal; to roam, hand in
hand with the farmer, over the vast mineral tracts; and while
he admires the richness of the mines, to let the farmer wonder
at the phenomenon of an exceedingly fertile soil, spread out
upon the immense beds of lead. Nor is this all. - The
abundance of first-rate water-power,  and the amount of
building-stone everywhere to be found, offer such advantages
to the energetic manufacturer as he may elsewhere seek in
vain.
These facts have but recently reached the East-and see
with what avidity men of capital are hastening to test these
boasted resources. And still the field is open-still the coffers
of the earth are full, and he may help himself who will.
The poor and the lowly came a few years since, but now
the rich and the lofty flock to Iowa, as well as they.
And, thanks to the enterprise of these, the colossal wheel of
manufacture has already been set in motion in Iowa. It re volves as yet but slowly, and its reverberating strokes do but
send forth, as yet, prophetic echoes throughout the State, that
tell what may-what can antd will be done.  When the Giant
Spirit of Human Art shall have chained the flow of Iowa's
2
xiii 
IN INTR O DUCTION.
great central artery, and assumed the directing of its course
-when the Mississippi's waves shall foam and lash in their
impeded progress-when the Missouri's waters shall be
darkened by the shadows and the smoke of mammoth factories
-and when the tributary streams of this great trio shall be
made to join in this work of grandeur and of usefulness -
then will that Giant Spirit, as he listens to the ponder(ous
humming of that colossal wheel, whose accelerated revolutions will then keep time with the pulsations of Iowa's ambitious heart, find a genial home in the young, and promising,
and vigorous State.   There is in this picture no fiction-no
visionary anticipation: all that we have hinted at, and more,
will be realized. It requires no gift of prophecy to trace out
the future path of Iowa.   An observing eye -aided by a
spirit of discrimination-need but take the past for a precdent-the present for an earnest-to draw a vast panoram:L
of prosperity, such as our Union has perhaps never witnessed,
heretofore, and yet, which Iowa will not fail to excel.
To the law-loving and the temperate-to the enterprising,
the vigorous, the ambitious - she offers a home  arid a fieldI
worthy of their noblest efforts.  Already has she placed the
earlv adventurer on a throne of fortune, thus amply rewarding
his courage. At this day she points to still loftier thrones
and richer diadems, held in reserve as the prizes of fearless
energy - or better still, throws open to the world her exha[u.tless stores of wealth, and seems to say, "Behold your
reelrod!"  And as the multitudinous throngs hasten toward
these goals of promise-as they crowd with eager steps, and
w,rk with untiring hands-they find that far from becoming
drained, her resources deepen and increase in proportion as
they take from them -not merely keeping pace with their
accumulating wants, but ever exceeding them; it is even as
the province of mind - the realns of intellect- whose
xiv 
INTRODUCTION.
boundaries still widen, and whose sophere continues to expand,
t'e further they arv   expll)red.
There is an erigation that thins the old and crowded
States on the Atlaniic seaboard; there is an inlmiugr;ttion that
peoples a newa world, and darkens the mountLinr-slope of
fortune; there is a journeying from the old into the new, of
thie Pil:,grims of Industry  and of Hlope.  But there is a
mightier emigration-a vaster pilgrimage-than these.  It is
the march, onward anl upward into the Future, of Iowa herself.  As tihe inmmigrant mother leads her sons and daughters
into the undeveloped paths of wealth-as civilization elevates
a race out of the sloughs of semi-barbarism-as national prosperity exalts a land-or as science raises the human intellect
from darkness into dazzling light-thus Iowa,  with rapid
strides, ascends the precipitous sides of prosperity's mountainrange, bearing her sons and daughters to loftier, and still
loftier peaks, and revealing to their gaze still wider and richer
vistas.  And the summit of tbis range she will neere reach
for her onward progress cannot be stayed, until her arterial
streams are dry-until the agricultural life-blood in her veins
has ceased to flow, until her great metallic heart has been
emptied.  Upon the topmost summit, then, Iowa will never
stand, for through countless ages yet to come, her progressthat must be f)rever onward —must be upward also.
xv  
IOWA AS IT IS.
CiIAPTER I.
EARLY HISTORY AND ACCESSION OF TERRITORY-ORGAN         IZATION - BOUNDARIES, AREA) ETC.
FOR centuries past, until the year 1830, the North western Territory, embracing all lands west of the Mississippi, of which Iowa is now a part, was in the undisputed
possession of various tribes of Indians; and the cultivated
fields of the open prairie, the bluff-site of the magnificent
residence, the ground upon which are now erected our halls
of justice and houses of worship, was, but a few short years
since, the battle-fields of numerous Indian tribes, contending for the possession of this beautiful and fertile soil, upon
which each so freely shed the blood of their contending
foes.   The hills, valleys, rivers, and prairies of Iowa, have
witnessed the most bloody conflicts ever fought by the
savages of this continent, as the numerous bone-strewn
battle-fields well testify.
The territory cerbraced within the bounds of Iowa has
been purchased by four different treaties.   The first was
,,o *~~~~~ (17) 
0ORGAN I Z ATIO N.
made in 1832 - commonly called "the Black-Hawk Purchase;" the second in 1836, the third in 1837, and the
fourth and last in 1842.
The oldest settlement in the State is Dubuque; which,
as a trading-post, is identified with the Frenchman whose
name it perpetuates. At about the same period, in 1832,
Galena was a village, and Fort Madison and Bellevue
military posts. Early in the spring of 1833, several companies of whites crossed from Illinois into Iowa in the
vicinity of Burlington.   From this period the progress and
extension of settlements have been rapid, and the population has increased with greater rapidity than in the history
of previous territories.
In 1834, Congress attached this Territory to that of
Michigan for temporary jurisdiction, and two large counties
-Dubuque and Des Moines - were organized. Their
aggregate population in 1836 was 1053; and during the
same year Wisconsin was organized as a separate Territory,
and exercised jurisdiction over "the District of Iowa."
The "Territory of Iowa" was organized on the 4th of
July, 1838. Robert Lucas, a former Governor of Ohio,
was Governor and Superintendent of Indian Affairs of the
new Territory. During that year, the State was subdivided
into sixteen counties, and contained a population of 22,860.
The first Legislature held in Iowa met at Burlington, in
the fall of 1837, while our State was attached to Wisconsin, yet subject to Michigan in judicial matters.
On the 4th of July, 1838, Iowa was separated from
Wisconsin by Act of Congress, passed June 12tl, 1838.
18 
BOUNDARIES, AREAI ETC.
In 1839, the General Assembly located the Seat of
Government on the Iowa River, and called the place the
"City of Iowa."
In 1843, the Territorial Legislature petitioned Congress
for authority to adopt a State Constitution; which was
granted at the next session; and on the 7th of October,
1841, the Convention assembled and adopted a Constitution,
which was not approved by Congress. A second Convention was held in 1846, the limits restricted, an amended
Constitution adopted; this was submitted to Congress and
approved; and in December, 1846, the "State of Iowa"
was admitted and christened as one of the glorious Confederacy.
The State of Iowa is situated between 40~ 30' and 43~ 30'
north latitude, and between 9()~ 20' and 97~ 40' west longitude; is bounded on the north by Minnesota Territory,
east by the MIississippi River (which separates it from Wisconsin and Illinois), south by Missouri, and west by the
Missouri River (which separates it from Nebraska Territory).  The State contains an area of 56,000 square miles;
being upwards of 200 miles wide from north to south, and
upwards of 300 long from east to west. The State is
divided into one hundred counties; eighty-five of which
have been surveyed, and seventy regularly organized.
19
P" 
THE CLIMATE.
CHAPTER II.
THE CLIMATE.
WE have, generally, an unbroken winter from the middle
of November till January, when we are almost invariably
visited with a "January thaw;" after which the weather
is generally mild, and gradually merges into spring.   We
are free from the sudden changes of New-England, and
from the long drizzling rains and foggy weather of portions
of the Middle States.  Our storms are from the east; our
showers from the west.
This State is located in the healthiest latitude of our
continent; reaching only to latitude 43~ 30' on its northern
boundary. Its winters are comparatively mild and pleasant, and its summers free from the long scorching rays of
a southern sun and the epidemics so common in such climates.*   By  the medical journals, Iowa is ranked as
* Dr. Updegraff, a correspondent of the Ohio Farmer, thus
alludes to our climate, &c.:
"Of all other considerations respecting a new country, the
most important is as to its healthiness.
"In this respect, Iowa has the advantage of most new countries. An open prairie country, almost universally rolling, or
even hilly, it is more favorable to health than flat prairie or level
woodland. The streams are mostly fresh running water, with
sandy or gravel beds. The scarcity of timber-land, and the
annual fires that pass over the prairies, prevent, to a great degree,
20 
THE CL I M A T E.
second only in point of health; and no doubt it will be
first, when she has a settled and acclimated population, as
free from toil, privations, and exposure as other states.
One of the peculiarities of this climate is the dryness
of its summers and autumns. A drought often commences
in August, which, with the exception of a few showers
towards the close of that month, continues, with little interruption, throughout the fall season. The autumnal months
are almost invariably clear, warm, and dry. The immense
mass of vegetation with which this fertile soil loads itself
during the summer is suddenly withered, and the whole
earth is covered with combustible materials. This is especially true of those portions where grass grows from two
to ten feet high, and is exposed to sun and wind, becoming
thoroughly dried. A single spark of fire, falling upon the
prairie at such a time, instantly kindles a blaze that spreads
on every side, and continues its destructive course as long
as it finds fuel. These fires sweep along with great power
and rapidity, and frequently extend across a wide prairie
and advance in a long line. No sight can be more sublime
than a stream of fire, beheld at night, several miles in
the decomposition of vegetable matter; which is, in most new
countries, the great source of disease. With some local exceptions, there does not seem to be any natural reason why this State,
even in its early settlement, should not enjoy as high an avercage
of healthiness as Ohio now does. Such I believe to be the fact,
after making proper deductions for change of climate, mode of
life, exposure, and unusual exertion.   To observe the exertion
and exposure, often reckless and unnecessary, to which most new
settlers subject themselves, it becomes a matter of surprise that
disease and mortality are not much more usual than they are."
21 
THIE SOIL.
breadth, advancing across the plains, leaving behind it a
background of dense black smoke, throwing before it a
vivid glare, which lights up the whole landscape for miles
with the brilliancy of noonday.   The progress of the fire
is so slow, and the heat so intense, that every combustible
in its course is consumed.   The roots of the prairie-grass,
and several species of flowers, however, by some peculiar
adaptation of nature, are spared.
A narrow strip of bare ground, or a beaten road, the
width of a common wagon-track, will prevent the fire from
extending beyond it; yet careless, thoughtless farmers,
sometimes suffer tall grass to connect their fields of corn
and fences with the wild prairie, and forfeit their year's
toil as a penalty for their slothfulness!
CHAPTERP III.
TIlE SOIL.
IT is well known to the scientific farmer, that the land
best suited to wheat and most small grains, and in which
the earthy, saline, and organic matters are distributed in the
proportion best adapted to impart fertility and durability, is
generally a soil based on the calcareous and magnesio-calcareous rocks.  This condition particularly characterizes the
country bordering on the Mississippi and its tributaries,
between the 41st and 45th degrees of latitude, which has an
22 
THlE SOIL.
average width of 20 to 30 miles west of the line of that
river.  In this State, it includes the Dubuque District, the
country watered by the Des Moines, and the two lowas. In
Owetn's Geological Report, we find the following:
"The prairie country, based on rocks belonging to the
Devonian and carboniferous systems, extending up the valley of the Red Cedar, Iowa, and Des Moines, as high as latitude 42~ 31', presents a body of arable land which, taken
as a whole, for richness and organic elements, for amount
of saline matter, and due admixture of earthy silicates,
affords a combination that belongs only to the most fertile
upland plains. Throughout this district the general levelness of the surface, interrupted only by gentle swells and
moderate undulations, offers facilities for the introduction
of all those aids which machinery is daily adding to diminish the labor of cultivation, and render easy and expeditious the collection of an abundant harvest."
Again, in speaking  of the physical  and  agricultural
character of the State, bordering on the Mississippi, near
the foot of the lower rapids, Owen says:
"The  carboniferous rocks of Iowa occupy a region of
country which, taken as a whole, is one of the most fertile
in the United States. No country can present to the farmer
greater facilities for subduing, in a short time, wild land.
Its native prairies are fields, almost ready made to his
hands.  Its rich, black soil, scarcely less productive than
that of the Cedar Valley, returns him reward for his labor
a hundredfold.   The only drawback to its productiveness
is that, on some of the higher grounds, the soil, partaking
23 
THE  SOIL.
of the mixed character common to drift-soils, is occasionally
gravelly, and that, here and there, when the upper members of the coal-measures prevail, it becomes somewhat too
siliceous.
"The future farms of Iowa, large, level, and unbroken
by stump or other obstruction, will afford an excellent field
for the introduction of mowing-machines, and other improved implements calculated to save the labor of the husbandman, and which, in new countries, reclaimed from the
forest, can scarcely be employed until the first generation
shall have passed away.
"After passing latitude 42~ 30', and approaching the
southern confines of the Couteau des Prairies, a desolate,
barren, knobby country commences, where the higher
grounds are covered with gravel and erratic masses, supporting a scanty vegetation, while the valleys are either
wet and marshy, or filled with numerous pools, ponds, and
lakes, the borders of which are inhabited by flocks of sandhill cranes, which fill the air with their doleful cries, and
where the eye may often wander in every direction towards
the horizon without discovering even a faint outline of
distant timber.
"This description of country prevails for about threequarters of a degree of latitude, and between three and
four degrees of longitude  embracing the watershed, where
the northern branches of the Red Cedar and Iowa, and the
eastern branches of the Des Moines, take their rise."
"The drift-soils west of the Mississippi, except near the
northern boundary of Iowa, are much superior to the drift
24 
APPEARANCE OF THiE PRAIRIES.
soils of the interior of the Chippewa Land District, in Wisconsin; the materials that compose them  being not only
more comminuted, but more generally mixed with argillaceous, saline, and calcareous ingredients, and less encumbered by erratic blocks."
More full and minute descriptions of the soil in various'
localities in the State may be found in the series of articles
upon " the Counties and Towns of Iowa."
CHIAPTER IV.
GENERAL APPEARANCE OF TIlE PRAIRIES.
THiE novelty of the prairie country is striking, and never
fails to cause an exclamation of surprise from those who
have lived amid the forests of Ohio and Kentucky, or along
the wooded shores of the Atlantic, or in sight of the rocky
barriers of the Allegheny ridge. The extent of the prospect is exhilarating.   The outline of the landscape is undulating and graceful. The verdure and the flowers are
beautiful; and the absence of shade, and consequent
appearance of a profusion of light, produces a gaiety whicl
animates every beholder.
These plains, although preserving a general level in
respect to the whole country, are yet, in themselves, not
flat, but exhibit a gracefully waving surface, swelling and
sinking with easy, graceful slopes, and full, rounded outlines,
3
25 
of  A  I')   rAN O'  E OF T H E PR A I R I E S.
eqiually avolding tht unmea,ning horizontal surLce, and the
interrup1tion of abra,t or angular elevations.
The attr.tion of the prairie consists in its extent, its
carpet or veroure and flowers, its undulating surface, its
groves, and the fringe of timber by which it is surrounded.
Of all of thesle, the latter is the most expressive feature.
It is that which gives character to the landscape, which
imparts the shape, and marks the boundary of the plain.
If the prairie be small, its greatest beauty consists in the
vicinity of the surroundCing margin of woodland, which
rescrabhles thI  shore of a lake indented with deep vistas,
like bays anl inlets  and throwing out long points, like
capes and headlands.
In the spring of the year, when  the young grass has
just covered the ground with a carpet of delicate green,
and especially if the sun is rising from behind a distant
swell of the plain and glittering upon  the dewdrops, no
scene can be more lovely to the eye.   The groves, or clusters of timber, are particularly attractive at this season of
the year. The rich undergrowth is in full bloom. The
rosewood, dogwood, crab-apple, wild plum, the cherry, and
the wild rose are all abundant, and in many portions of the
State the grape-vine abounds.  The variety of wild fruit
and flowering shrubs is so great, and such the profusion
of the blossoms with which they are bowed down, that the
eye is regaled almost to satiety.
The gaiety of the prairie, its embellishments, and the
absence of the gloom and savage wildness of the forest,
all contribute to dispel the feeling of loneliness which usu 
APPEARANCE OF THE PRAIRIES.   27
ally creeps over the mind of the solitary traveller in the
wilderness.   Thou-gh he may not see a house or a human
being, and is conscious that he is far from th,e habitations
of men, the traveller upon the prairie can scarcely divest
himself of the idea that he is travelling through scenes embellished by the hand of art.  The flowers, so fragile, so
delicate, and so ornamental, seem to have been tastefully
disposed to adorn the scene.
In the summer, the prairie is covered with long, coarse
grass, which soon assumes a golden hue, and waves in the
wind like a fully ripe harvest.   The prairie-grass never
attains its highest growth in the richest soil; bus in low,
wet, or marshy land, where the substratum of clay lies
near the surface, the centre or main stem of the grassthat which bears the seed-shoots up to the height of eight
and ten feet, throwing out long, coarse leaves or blades.
But on the rich, undulating prairies, the grass is finer, with
less of stalk and a greater profusion of leaves.   The roots
spread and interweave, forming a compact, even sod, and
the blades expand into a close, thick grass, which is seldom
more than eighteen inches high, until late in the season,
when the seed-bearing stem shoots up.   The first coat is
mingled with small flowers -the violet, the bloom  of the
wild strawberry, and various others, of the most minute
and delicate texture.   As  the grass increases in height,
these smaller flowers disappear, and others, taller and more
gaudy, display their brilliant colors upon the green surfaee;
and still later, a larger and coarser succession arises with
the rising tide of verdure.   It is impossible to conceive a 
IOWA SCENERY.
more infinite diversity, or a richer profusion of hues, " from
grave to gay," than graces the beautiful carpet of green
throughout the entire season of summer.
When the prairie is bare, it is easy to distinguish the
r h from the poorer lands, by the small hillocks which are
scattered over them, and which are most abundant where
the soil is least productive. They are from a few inches to
two or three feet in height, and only exist where the clay
lies near the surface; as such mounds composed of rich
mould would soon crumble and become level. These, by
some, are said to be the work of the go])hor-  a small
quadruped; by others, are thought to be thrown up by
craw-fish; which is doubtless true of wet situations; while
those in drier portions are attributed to colonies of ants:
each class belonging, however, to the clay party, and working
only in poor soil.
C lAPTEIR V.
IOWA SCENERY- TIlE BLUFFS, ETC.
RIESPECTING the scenery of Iowa, Owen, in his Geological Report to Congress, pp. C)4, 65, and 66, says:
a The scenery on the  I{hine, with its castellated heights,
has furnished many of the most favorite subjects for the
artist's pencil, and been the admiration of European travellers for centuries. Yet it is doubtful whether, in actual
beauty of landscape, it is not equalled by that of some of
28 
IOWA SCENERY.
the streams that water this region of thle Far WATest.   It is
certain "hat, though the rock formiations essentially differ,
Na-ture has here fashioned, on an extensive scale, and in
advance of all civilization, remarkable and curious counterparts to the artificial landscape which has given celebrity
to that part of the European Continent.
"The features of the scenery are not, indeed, of the
loftiest and most impressive character - such as one might
expect to witness on approaching the source of one of the
two largest rivers on the globe.   There  are no elevated
peaks, rising in majestic grandeur; no mountain torrents,
shrouded in foam, and chafing in their rocky channels; no
deep and narrow valleys, hemmed in on every side, and
forming, as it were, a little world of their own; no narrow
and precipitous passes, winding through circuitous defiles;
no cavernous gorges, giving exit to pent-up waters; no contorted and twisted strata, affording evidence of gigantic
and violent throes.  But the features of the scene, though
less grave and bold than those of mountainous regions, are
yet impressive and strongly marked.  We find the luxuriant
sward, clothing the hill-slope even down to the water's edge.
WVe have the steep cliff, shooting up through its mural escarpments.   We have the stream, clear as crystal, now
quiet, and smooth, and glassy, then ruffled by a temporary
rapid; or, when a terrace of rock abruptly crosses it, broken
up into a small, romantic cascade.   We  have clumps of
trees, disposed with an effect that might baffle the landscape
gardener; now  crowning the grassy height, now dotting
the green slope with partial and isolated shade.   From the
3.
29 
IOWA SCENERY.
hill-tops, the intervening valleys wear the aspect of culti vated meadows and rich pasture-grounds, irrigated by fre quent rivulets, that wend their way through fields of wild
hay fringed with flourishing willows. Here and there,
occupying its nook on the bank of the stream, at some
favorable spot, occurs the solitary wigwam, with its scanty
appurtenances. On the summit-level spreads the wide
prairie, decked with flowers of the gayest hue; its long,
undulating waves, stretching away till sky and meadow
mingle in the distant horizon.   The whole  combination
suggests the idea, not of an aboriginal wilderness (so re cently), inhabited by savage tribes, but of a country lately
under a high state of cultivation, and suddenly deserted by
its inhabitants -their dwellings, indeed, gone, but the
castle-homes of their chieftains only partially destroyed,
and showing, in ruins, on the rocky summits around.  This
latter feature, especially, aids the delusion; for the peculiar
aspect of the exposed limestone, and its manner of wea thering, cause it to assume a semblance somewhat fantastic,
indeed, but yet wonderfully close and faithful to the dila pidated wall, with its crowning parapet, and its projecting
buttresses, and its flanking towers, and even the lesser
details that mark the fortress of the olden time."
" The rural beauty of this portion of Iowa can hardly
be surpassed.   Undulating prairies, interspersed with open
groves of timber, and watered with pebbly or rocky-bedded
streams, pure and transparent; hills of moderate height
and gentle slope; here and there, especially towards the
heads of streams, nsmall lakes, as clear as the rivers, some
30  
HILLS OF SILICIOUS MIARL, COUNCIL BLUFFS. 
THE BLUFFS.
skirted with timber, some with banks formed by the greensward of the open prairie. These are the ordinary features
of the pastoral landscape."
In a few instances, the hills or bluffs along the M1issisippi rise boldly from the water's edge, or push out their
steep promontories, so as to change the direction of the
river; but more generally, on either bank of the river, we
see a series of graceful slopes, swelling and sinking as far
as the eye can reach.  The prairie, for the most part extending to the water's edge, renders the scenery truly beautiful. Imagine a stream a mile in width, whose waters are
as transparent as those of the mountain spring, flowing
over beds of rock and gravel; fancy the prairie commencing
at the water's edge-a natural meadow of deep-green grass
and beautiful and fragrant flowers, rising with a gentle
slope for miles, so that, in the vast panorama, thousands
of acres are exposed to the eye. The prospect is bounded
by a range of low hills, which sometimes approach the
river, and again recede, and whose summits, which are
seen gently waving along the horizon, form the level of the
adjacent country.   Sometimes the woodland extends along
this river for miles continuously; again, it stretches in a
wide belt far off into the country, marking the course of
some tributary streams; and sometimes, in vast groves,
several miles in extent, standing alone, like islands in this
wilderness of grass and flowers.
31 
32  RIVERS AND ThiEIR TRIIBUT ARIES.
CHAPTER VI.
RIVERS AND THEIR TRIBUTARIES.
No State in the Union is more bountifully supplied with
water than Iowa; being bounded on the east by one of the
finest rivers in the world- the Mississippi, and on the
west by the Missouri; the interior of the State being traversed in every direction by noble, and in many cases navigable, streams; many of them running parallel to eackh
other, from twelve to twenty miles apart, skirted with
timber of from one to five miles in width. Our rivers have
not the rapidity of the New-England streams, nor the depth
and sluggishness of those of the South; but are clear, fresh,
and healthy, of gentle current, and capable of furnishing
water-power for all purposes.
The rivers that are directly tributary to the Mississippi
are the Upper Iowa, Turkey, Maquoketa, Wapsipinnicon,
Cedar, Iowa, Fox, Checaque (commonly called Skunk),
and the Des Moines. Those running into the Missouri are
Floyd's, Little Sioux, Inyan Yankee, Soldier, Boyer, Nishnabotna, Big Tarkeo, and Nodaway.
Some of these streams are navigable for a great distance,
and the day is drawing nigh when the quiet of their banks
shall be broken, and the shrill whistle of the heavily-laden
steamer reverberate from shore to shore -when many of
these streams  shall have become  thoroughfares for the 
T I M B E R - L A N D S.
transportation of the rich productions of this most fertile
and most prosperous State.   "The untold powers of some
of these waters will soon be utilized for mechanical purposes; and but a short time will elapse ere the thunder and
clatter of the ten thousand wheels of machinery will break
upon that solitude which now echoes only to the harvest
song or the notes of the sweet warblers of the forest. Extensive works are already commenced upon more than
one of these rivers which will stamp our greatness and convince the world that' progress' is our watchword."
Besides those mentioned, are their tributaries- the
creeks, branches, or rivulets, penetrating every portion of
the interior of the State; springs of clear, cold water, also
abound in all parts of the State.  [Particular reference is
made to the sites for water-power in different locations,
in the letters from county-seats, in another portion of this
work.]
CHAPTER VII.
TIMBER-LANDS.
To the farmer from the forests of any of the Middle or
Eastern States, who has spent years of most laborious and
painful drudgery in "clearing up" his land, and with whom
the most desirable object has been the destruction of timber,
the scarcity of it here seems an evil without a remedy.
But we contend that that which appears to the superficial
33
0 
TIMXBER-LANDS.
observer as a defect, is, in truth, one of the greatest sources
of prosperity in our country.
Let us contrast life in "the wooden country" with
a life here upon the wide prairie. The labor of clearing
woodland is the most arduous task to which the farmer is
subjected; and frequently the new-comer from  the East,
who settles in the forests of Ohio and Kentucky, consumes
years of painful toil, and wastes the prime of life, before
he sees the fruits of his labor.   Besides, the industry and
trade of the country are not enhanced, because those who
are clearing new land cannot for years produce anything
for market.   Again, the clearing of new lands suddenly
exposes the vegetable deposits of ages to the glaring beams
of the sun; which, with the thousands of fallen and rotting
trees, fill the air with noxious exhalations, producing diseases of the most malignant character.
Quite different is the case in our open prairie country.
The settler may always select upon the prairie,land as fertile as the richest river-bottoms; and, by settling on the
edge of the timber, combine every advantage afforded by
the latter. The land being already cleared, he has only to
enclose and break it. The sod (described in another section) is turned over with a heavy plow and strong team.
The corn is dropped in the furrows, covered with a hoe,
and thus left to be gathered. Several other modes of cornplanting may be worthy of mention; one of which is performed by striking an axe into the sod and dropping the
corn into the crevice; another, by dropping the corn in
every fourth row in plowing, which is covered by the
I
34 
TIMBER-LANDS.
plowing of the fifth. Thus, while the overturned sod is
undergoing decomposition, and becoming mellow by expose
ing the fibrous roots to the sun, it is also affording nourishment to the growing corn. Neither the yield nor the grain
is very good the first season; but sufficient to reward amply
the labor of planting and gathering. By the ensuing
spring, the roots of the wild grass are completely rotted,
and the rich, light mould, unencumbered with rocks and
stumps, is fit for all the purposes of husbandry. The plow,
running easily through the rich, loamy soil, can be as well
managed by a half-grown boy as the strongest plowman.
Thus, it is seen, the difference in the greater facility of
working prairie-lands, the saving in the wear of farming
utensils, the economy of time, and greater degree of certainty in the farmaer's calculations, and the enjoyment of
health, more than outweigh any inconvenience which can
possibly be experienced in this country from the want of
timber, even under the most unfavorable circumstances.
"According to the most reliable estimates, about onetenth of Iowa is timber-land.   Of this a considerable portion is of inferior quality; and the supply of the finest
growth of timber, such as we find in Ohio, is comparatively
small. Yet along the streams there are thousands of acres
covered with an excellent growth of oak, walnut, ash, linn
maple, hickory, elm, and cotton-wood. These varieties
differ in different localities. Along the Iowa and Cedar
Rivers, there is a large amount of oak of all varieties; and
the valleys of the Des Moines are abundantly supplied with
walnut.  Hlickory and walnut are abundant on the Iowa,
35
I i 
T I  B E P - L A N D S.
Skunk, Cedar, and other rivers.  Besides the full-grown
timber, there are thousands of acres of a vigorous young
growth, that has at last conquered the prairie fires, and is
now rapidly coming to maturity. In addition to these,
there is a vast amount of locust being cultivated.  This
grows here with a rapidity that is seldom equalled elsewhere.   I have  seen trees at the age of ten years that
would make eight posts of sufficient size for fencing. Thus
there is an abundance of timber for present purposes, and
it is believed by those best informed, that, notwithstanding
the constant demand, the supply is every day increasing,
both from natural and cultivated sources.
"The unequal distribution of the wooded land is a
greater objection than its actual quantity.   Sometimes the
prairies are from twenty to forty miles in width, thus
making timber inconvenient. These, however, are rare
cases, and, at the worst, are bearable, compared to the lifelong drudgery of woodland pioneering.
"The large amount of coal that is now discovered in the
various sections of the State obviate, to a great extent, the
limited supply of timber-land. The rapidly-increasing facilities for inter-communication are also fast equalizing the
advantages of different localities.  It is not the economy
of nature that any one spot should monopolize all natural
advantages; but some portions of this appear to combine
as many as are often found harmonizing."
The portion of Iowa most deficient in timber is north of
latitude 42~-especially on dividing ridges. North of this
latitude, between the head-waters of Three and Grand
36 
GEOLOGY OF 10 WA.
Rivers, there are distances of ten and fifteen miles without
any timber; while between the waters of Grand River, the
Nodaway, and the Nishnabotna, the open prairie is often
twenty miles wide, without a bush to be seen higher than
the wild indigo and the compass plant.
CHAPTER VIII.
GEOLOGY OF IOWA.
IN preparing the following, we depend principally upon
" Owen's Geological Report" of a survey made under his
direction, of the Northwest Territory, by authority of
Congress.
Minerals.
The principal minerals of Iowa are lead, iron, and copper. The shipment of lead from Dubuque, from the 21st
of MIarch to the 1st of December, 1854, inclusive, amounted
to 43,543 pigs, weighing 3,069,640 lbs.; valued, at the
mines, $178,830,20.  Lead has  been found at various
other places near the base of a bluff on the west side of
the Mississippi, some ten or fifteen miles above Turkey
River, near the French village. From seven to ten thousand pounds of lead ore were taken from openings in the
rocks by Dr. Andrus.  More or less "Galena" is found
here in all the principal openings for the distance of a mile.
Between the Yellow and Upper Iowa Rivers, excavations
4
37 
GEOLOGY OF IOWA.
are visible where the Indians have dug for lead ore. On
the Upper Iowa, also, ore has been discovered in several
places in considerable quantities. In the Winnebago Reserve, not far from the Iowa River, and a few miles northwest of the town of Lansing, lead ore has been found in
small quantities, chiefly in pockets and cavities.
Copper ore has been discovered within the boundaries
of the State, but not sufficiently productive to justify the
sinking of shafts. Iron ore is found in various places in
the Des Moines Valley; Owen thought, in some locations,
of sufficient productiveness to justify smelting.  There are,
as yet, no works for working raw iron ore in the State.
Coal-.fields of Iowa.
Last summer, the following article appeared in the Des
3Ioi?es Valley  Whig.   Having compared it with other
authority, we find it quite correct, and insert it entire, with
additional data, gathered elsewhere, as a condensed view
of Iowa coal measures, &c.:
"The Des Moines River runs centrally and diagonally
through what is geologically called the Carboniferous System of Iowa. This system is called carboniferous, because
it is that particular division of rocks in which the'coal
measures' are found, and because it contains that series of
rocks, of a comparatively modern date, which, in their
composition, are so largely carbon.
"The physical and pastoral features of the Des Moines
Valley are thus given in Owen's Geological Survey:
" The carboniferous rocks of Iowa occupy a region of
38  
. Devoni   imesne, 18 ft.        C,                C                                     L. Devonian limetone, 11 ft.
L. Devonian limestone, 18 ft.   (:, 6'. Coal, 9 ft above creek.    T. Talus.  S. Shale.   L. Devonian limestone, 11 ft.
SECTION ON CREEK NEUIR IIOCKING HAM, SCOTT COUNTY, SHIOWING  OUT-CROP OF COAL. 
GEOLOGY OF IOWA.
country which, taken as a whole, is one of the most fertile in the United States. No country can present to the
farmer greater facilities for subduing, in a short time, wild
land.
"'For centuries the succession of natural crops of grass,
untouched by the scythe, and but very partially kept down
by the pasturage of buffalo and other herbivorous animals,
have accumulated organic matter on the surface.soil to such
an extent that a large succession, even of exhausting crops,
will not materially impoverish the land.
"' The rural beauty of this portion of Iowa can hardly
be surpassed. Undulating prairies, interspersed with open
groves of timber, and watered by pebbly or rocky-bedded
streams, pure and transparent; hills of moderate height
and gentle slope; here and there, especially towards the
heads of the streams, small lakes, as clear as the rivers,
some skirted with timber, some with banks formed by the
greensward of the open prairie; these are the ordinary
features of the pastoral landscape.'  (Report, p. 100.)
" The principal minerals to be noticed in this paper are
coal, hydraulic limestone,  quartzite,  clays, common  or
mountain limestone, marble, iron ore, and gypsum.
" Coal.
"The Iowa Coal-field embraces an area of about 25,000
square miles. A very good idea of its locality may be
obtained by taking a map and drawing a line, commencing
near the southwest corner of the State, proceeding up the
Nishnabotna; thence to Lake Boyer; thence, by the heads
39 
GEOL OGY OF IOWA.
of the Three Rivers, northeast, to the Des 3Ioines, crossinDg it six miles above Fort Dodge; thence southeast,
through Tama and Iowa Counties, to the east part of
Washington County; thence nearly south, through the
west part of Henry and Lee Counties, to the Des 3Ioines
River, near St. Francisville.  It is nearly in the shape of
a half ellipse, cut by the shortest diameter. The width of
it east and west is nearly 200 miles; while in a north and
south direction, the distance  is 140  miles.   The  Des
3ioines River traverses, in a southeast direction, about 250
miles.
" The accompanying table has, with much care and some
labor, been compiled from Owen's Report, for the purpose
of giving a view of the thickness of the coal veins as they
show themselves in the Valley proper, and in the banks of
creeks near by:
"' Tabu7lar Tiew of the Coal Beds in the Des Jfo!nes T7all~ey.
General elemarKs.
Range.
N.   W.
66   9
67   8
68   8
68   8
68   8
69 8&9
69   9
70   11
70  12
72  13
73   15
74   15
74   17
74   17
Lee...............
Clark,  Mo.......
Van  Buren......
11
11
c;
11
Davis.............
~iapello.........
Mahaska........
g~
Quality poor.
Quality good.
Night's Bank, good.
Regular 4 to 5 feet.
Slaughter's Bank.
On Bear Creek.
Gillis's Bank.
Near Portland.
2 seams, 2 feet each.
5 feet higher, 18 in.
Not given.
Quality tolerable.
I
I
I
40
Counties.
Section.
Veins.
Ft. In.
23
86
24
84
25-26
32
25
8
22
20
19-80
6
32
1
3
4
4
2
2
1
4
2
3
4
3
2
6
6
6 
GEOLOGY OF IOWA.
Counties.      R.&NGE.  Section  Veins.    Genera Remarks.
N.   W.          Ft. In.
Marion.......... 74   18        2  2       Right bank Cedar.
74   18            12  3
"      74   18      16  5
74   18            30          Regular 4 to 6 feet.
"      74   18      14  2        2' feet poor.
75   20             3  3       White br'st ex.
"             76   19   14-23  4          c;,,
"             76   19       11          Not given.
Polk............. 78   23      23            ",'
"              78   24        4  2       Regular 2 to 3 feet.
Boone..........  81   25                   2 to 8 feet inferior.
83   26        5          Not given.
NOTE.-Last bed mentioned in latitude 420 30' north.'
"The foregoing table does not include the thinnest veins,
nor half the localities where the thick ones crop out; bat
one can get a very correct view of the thickness of the
best seams up along the Valley. There are undoubtedly
outcrops where the thickness is much greater than in any
of the places mentioned. But these will be found to be
the centre or side of a basin which, on being worked, will
not extend far.  A basin of 15 feet of thickness has been
found in a bank opposite Farmington. Where the outcrops
are more than four or five feet, they must be suspected as
being basins, unless in the cut of a stream at some distance
the vein is ascertained to have the same thickness.  Owen
says there is no vein of more than from four to five feet
in Iowa. (Report, p. 20.)
"The table shows outcrops are far more numerous in
some localities than in others. In the immediate vicinity
of the river, where the limestones, which lie below the
coal, make their appearance, the coal strata are usually
4*
41 
GEOLOGY OF IOWA.
wanting.   This is the case at Bonaparte, Bentonsport, Ke osauqua and Ottumwa.   But in these the coal strata may
be, and actually are, found in creeks at no great distance
from the river; sometimes, even upon the bluffs.
" The southeast and northwest parts of Van Buren County,
the northeast part of Davis, the central part of WNVapello,
the southern part of MIahaska, and the southeastern and
central parts of AMarion, are rich in coal.   But other por tions of the same counties are not wanting.   So far as can
be learned from the table, and so far as the observation and
knowledge of the writer extends, the heaviest beds are usu ally on the west side of the river. The best beds are also
there. Some of these are also on the White Breast,
Cedar, and Soap Creeks. The principal exception to this
rule is in the southeast part of Van Buren County. Hlere
it exists in great abundance on both sides of the river. It
is equal in quality to any found below Marion County.
Two veins are worked to considerable extent in connection;
the two afford from 41 to 521 feet. On the west side of the
river, it is said the two are separated by a vein of fire-clay,
which thins out, and the coal veins converge as they recede
from the river. These veins are shown in the cuts made
by the creeks for miles in distance to the west.   During
the year ending with the current June, more than 100,000
bushels have been taken from three banks near Farming.
ton, two of which are east of the river.  Some of this has
been conveyed by blacksmiths the distance of 75 miles into
the State of Missouri.   The greater part of it has been
transported to different places by wagons.
42  
CASTELLATED APPEARANCE OF LOWER MAGNESIAN LIMIESTONE, UPPER IO'A. 
GEOLOGY OF IOWA.
"The average value of it at the bank is 6} cents per
bushel. The value at the Mississippi, a distance of 30
miles, is 18 to 20 cents per bushel. Whenever the banks
shall be well opened, and there are ready and convenient
means of carriage, so that colliers can find regular employment,
coal can be delivered on the banks of the Mississippi at a
cost of 6 or 7 cents per bushel, and afford a better profit than
at present. This is upon the supposition that it can be conveyed upon a railroad car here as cheap as in Kentucky, where
the cost of transportation is one cent per bushel per 100 miles.
And as to the-amount of coal the Valley can supply, it is easy
to ascertain it. Allowing a bushel to the cubic foot, one
acre, with a two-feet vein, will give 87,120 bushels.  With
a four-feet vein, one acre will give 174,240 bushels. One
hundred acres, with a four-feet vein, will yield 17,424,000
bushels. One square mile, with a four-feet vein, will yield
111,513,600 bushels. The transportation of this 100
miles, at one cent per bushel, would yield the snug purse
of $1,115,136. And as the demand for coal would at
once be increased to millions of bushels a year, if a railroad was constructed in the Valley, this mineral alone
would afford quite an item of business and profit.
" Hydrmatlic Limestone.
"Of this kind of stone is formed a mortar which will set
under water. It is essential for all masonry exposed to
the water and to dampness.   There are several varieties of
it: one is called Septaria.  This is found in'the form of
round or flattened balls, of various sizes.  This is the kind
43 
GEOLOGY OF IOWA.
from which the English prepare the celebrated Roman Ce ment. (Hitchcock's Geology, p. 20.) Comstock speaks
of it also as'Argillo-Ferruginous Limestone.' This, how ever, is another variety of cement-rock, and is, perhaps, the
most common. It is called black calcareous rock, cement
rock, and hydraulic limestone.   In reference to the geolo gical formations in the Valley, Owen says,' The middle
division of the Iowa Coal-field affords, at many localities,
iron-stones of various qualities, associated frequently with
hydraulic calcareous cement, which occurs either in the
form of disconnected septaria, or regular beds.' (Report,
p. 21.)
" Cement rock is found both above and below the coal, but
in the largest quantities above. The reader will find mention
of it by consulting Owen's Report, pp. 112, 127; and
more frequently still in that part of it which gives the
geological structure between Fort Des Mioines and Fort
Dodge. It is a very common rock in the Valley; probably
in every county on the River below Fort Dodge. In many
places contiguous to the river in Davis County, there are
strata of it several feet in thickness. The geological structure of the southeast and central parts of Marion County
are just the same as in Davis. But as the series of rocks
above the coal show, themselves more extensively above
Racoon Fork, we accordingly find more frequent mention
of it in that region.   In some places large quantities of it
are wrought into cement, which is quite extensively used
in the river improvement. The initials of it by analysis
are:
412 
GEOLOGY OF IOWA.
"Carbonate of lime.......................... 63.6
Silica............................................... 15'5
Alumina.......................................... 83
Protoxide of iron.............................. 7.4
Magnesia.......................................... 1-2
With a small portion of manganese, soda, and potash.
"It will readily be seen that the demand for this is
great, when it is said that $6000 worth, at the ordinary
prices, will be wanted for every lock on the river, and when
it is also said that in nearly every dwelling in the western
country, cistern coated with this cement will be indispensable as the means of obtaining a supply of pure, soft
water. The walls and floors of damp cellars must also be laid
in cement. And the cement of this Valley will be wanted
because it is more accessible; the present demand being supplied, in a great measure, from La Salle, Illinois, and from
Louisville, Kentucky; and also because the Valley cement is
probably fully equal to that from other places. That the
reader may see how its constituents compare with other
cement, we will give the analysis of that which is extensively used in the State of New York. Its composition,
according to Professor Beck, is:
"Carbonate of lime........................... 5070
Silica............................................. 15837
Alumina......................................... 9'18
Peroxide of iron............................... 2.25
Magnesia..........                 13................ 12.35
" Comparing this analysis with that of the Valley cement,
it will be seen that they are substantially the same. We
45 
GEOLOGY OF IOWA.
will here add a practical remark, which may be of much
value to those who undertake to manufacture this cement,
and to those who undertake to test specimens. Very much
depends upon burning it. If care be not taken, the best
ement may be easily spoiled. In St. John's Geology, p.
274, will be found the following:
"' Greater caution is requisite in burning hydraulic lime,
since it is fusible, and the heat applied to the common lime
will vitrify this substance and render the process quite imperfect. Common lime will bear a white heat; but the
calcination of hydraulic lime is not well effected above a
red heat.'
" When proper arrangements shall be made for working
this limestone, it is said the cement can be afforded at the
kiln for $1'25 per barrel.   The carriage of it to the Mississippi by land is at most $1-00 per barrel per 100 miles;
while cement from other places costs from $3'00 to $3-50
per barrel.
" Common Limestone.
"Though this is regarded as prevailing rock in the West,
there are large sections in Iowa where the limestone is so
largely magnesian as to be unfit for quick-lime and mortar
The proper position of the common or mountain limestone
in the carboniferous system is below the coal. Accordingly,
it is found all along the Valley in the greatest abundance
and of the best quality. Much of it contains 90 per cent.
of carbonate of lime. This is among the most valuable of
,tones for quick-lime.
"Closely allied to this stone, and still lower in the sys
46 
GEOLOGY OF IOWA.
tern, is the blue lime-stone. Some of this is deep blue,
and some, of a bluish gray. It is harder than common
limestone, often highly crystalline, and fossiliferous.  It
usually lies in strata in the Valley, varying from a few
inches to some feet in thickness.  The stone is good for
quick-lime, but is of superior quality for building material.
It is as beautiful and durable as Quincy granite, while the
cost of putting it into the wall is comparatively trifling.
The principal places where it is accessible are Keokuk, in
the bed of the river below Farmington, Keosauqua, and
Outumwa. It will undoubtedly become an article of export
as soon as it shall become known, when a demand for the
best building material arises, and the proper means of
transportation are provided.
"Afarbte.
"The writer claims that there is marble in the Des
Moines Valley, of a good quality and in great quantity.
'Any limestone which is sufficiently hard to take a fine
polish is called marble. Many of these are fossiliferous.'
(Lyell's Elements of Geology, p. 12.)   In the limestones
beneath the coal there are several varieties which come
under this definition. Among them may be classed some
of those named under the previous head. The best quarry
now known in the Valley is at Keokuk.   Some of the
strata there are highly crystalline-almost saccharine-and
take a fine polish.  St. Louis has already resorted to this
place for building material; a fact which shows that this
marble is superior to any other equally accessible to that
47 
GEOLOGY OF IOWAA.
city. At the same locality are other varieties which polish
well.   They are crystalline, solid, but full of fossils, and
either blue, or of a bluish-gray color.   Of the latter varieties, enough can be had at Bonaparte,  Bentonsport, and
Keosauqua. And very probably, when these quarries shall
be extensively worked, the white marble will be found.
" Not far from Keosauqua there is a good variety of lightgray, compact, granular marble, of which tomb-stones are
wrought by Deacon I31. B. Root. It effervesces slightly
with acids, and takes a polish. Iowa sent a block from this
quarry  to the  Washington  3Ionument.   Ottumwa  may
expect to find as good varieties of marble as any place,
because the lower limestones have the greatest uplift there.
" Quartzite.
"On RPeed's Creek, some distance from its mouth, not far
from the line between the counties of Lee and Van Buren,
are heavy beds of quartzite.   The color of it is nearly
white-sometimes, a light blue; and it is so slightly adhesive that it can easily be shaved off with a spade. Plasterers, when working in the neighborhood, are accustomed
to obtain it for their'finishing-coat.' Those of them who
have used this, and also that obtained at the Falls of St.
Anthony, say that the two kinds are just alike. Examined
with a magnifier, the sandstone on Reed's Creek is sharply
angular, and appears to be very pure quartz. Thie slight
coloring it has received has probably been obtained from
the superincumnbent earth. For plastering purposes, it
cements as well with lime as that of the Falls; and if it
48 
GEOLOGY OF IOWA.
really be like it, these beds are a source whence can be
obtained the best materials for the manufacture of crystal
glass.
"Passing by the kinds from which common brick are
made, and those used for earthen and stone-ware, the coal
measures abound in' fire-clay.' Fire-proof bricks are wrought
of this for the use of foundries, furnaces, and in all cases
and places where there is an exposure to intense heat. In
the Eastern States, it has sometimes been necessary to
import these bricks from England. The cost of them has
been as high as $50 per thousand. It is desirable that fireplaces and ovens should be constructed of them; and where
fire-clay is plenty, as in the Valley, there is no reason why
they should not be. But bricks are heavy articles of transport; and until there are railroad facilities of carriage, that
one item of cost will prevent extensive business in this
kind of manufacture. With such facilities, there appears
no good reason why this clay should not be worked. And
as to quantity, the Valley can supply the United States,
with Cuba and MIexico annexed!
"Iron Ore.
"Iron has been found in several places, though no beds
are known in the Valley of so rich a character as those of
the' Iron Mountain,' in Missouri.  Owen found this ore
in Marion County, in beds which he considered would hereafter be worked. Specimens taken from them and examined had a specific gravity of 3'45; that of pure iron being
5
I. l~s,......*.
~~ e       ~  s a
*   000e,        e  
49
(4 C7-ys.
,i', I I. 
GEOLOGY OF IOWA.
7.7.  By analysis, they contained 35 per cent. of iron.  Tl)is
iron, as to richness and quality, is almost exactly like the
' Cairnhill Black Band,' of Scotland, which is extensively
worked.   Other and heavier beds  have  been discovered
since Owen's Survey; but whether rich or not, is not certainly known; the ore not having been tested by comnpetent men.  In  such circum.stances, it is not possible to
speak of this ore with great definiteness.
"1 Gypsumn, oi Piaster of Paris.
"This is chemically known as the sulphate of limne. The
heaviest beds of it in the United Skates are to be found a
few miles below Lizard Fork, in Yell County.   They are
from 20 to 30 feet thick, and show themselves on both
sides of the river for miles; and they extend back each way
an unknown distance. By analysis, this gypsum contains
70'8 per cent. of sulphate of line.
" On  one acre, with an average thickness of 20 feet,
there will be 871'200 cubic feet; on one square  mile,
557,568,000 cubic feet; and on three miles square,
5,018,112,000 cubic feet and 308,031,428 tons.
" Before closing this paper on the minerals of the Valley,
it is proper to say that the survey of Dr. Owen was made
by order of the United States, and had for its more special
object the discovery of mineral lands, such as the Govern         ment might wish to reserve.  The principal minerals sought
were lead and copper. The coal-field was surveyed and
mapped down, while the other minerals noticed in this
paper received only incidental attention and secondary con
sideration —some of them, no mention at all.  Could there
!-'     te~
50 
GEOLOGY OF IOWA.
be a thorough geological survey by the authority of our
own State, it is probable that valuable discoveries would be
made in the Des Mioines Valley, as well as in other parts
of the State.* The multitude of streams which debouch
into the Des Mioines have not been explored to any considerable extent.
1' Collectively, the minerals of this Valley, as now known,
are extensive and valuable   They constitute one of the
many items which render their locality so attractive.  It is
traversed by one of the most beautiful rivers on earth; 400
miles in length, a large portion of it 250 yards in breadth:
capable of floating steamers a part of the year, and affording water-power to any desirable extent: with a landscape
of great and charming variety, groves, and forests, and
prairies, in constant alternation, and possessing a soil
'scarcely excelled for fertility, perhaps, in the world,' why
should it not be thronged with inhabitants? It is the
centre of the'M3esopotamia of the West,' in a more important sense than that of its position.  Let but the iron
horse traverse the whole length of the Valley, and its silver
stream will be skirted with cities and villages in as great
continuity as is the Bosphorus; meanwhile, its agricultural,
and mineral, and manufactured  exports, will amount to
many millions of dollars annually."
* By reference to the chapters on particular counties, in this
work, it will be seen that discoveries of iron, copper, lead, and
coal have been made in localities not specified in the foregoing
paper. At its last session, the Legislature passed an act appropriating $2,500 per year, until the work is completed, for a thorough geological survey of the State; the work to be performed
by a geologist and a chemist, to be appointed by the Governor.
61 
POPULATION.
CHAPTER IX.
POPULATION - IMMENSE IMMIGRATION OF 18 5 4.
THIE population of the Territory in 1836, was 10,531;
in 1840, it was 43,017; in 1850, 192,214. The census,
as returned by the Secretary of State, taken in the spring
of 1854, is as follows: -Iale, 170,302; females, 154,900;
total population, 325,202. Voters, 59,984; militia, 50,284;
aliens, 10,373; colored males, 258; colored females, 222;
blind) 27; deaf and dumb, 28; insane, 47; idots, 7.
There is one vote to every five and a half and a fraction of
the population.
According to this last census, the  number of males exceeds that of the females some 16,000. Let the Yankee
girls take the hint when they see these figures.
The number of inhabitants in the State in January,
1855, has been estimated at upwards of 500,000. Those
who have seen and can realize that Iowa is the mouth of
the great Stream of HIumanity, whose tributaries extend
far and wide, into every State and many nations- that
stream which is daily and hourly pouring into this great,
and fertile, and beautiful State, its hundreds and thousands,
cannot but predict that in 1860 Iowa will be peopled by
more than a million of hardy, energetic, and intelligent
inhabitants.
52 
IMMIGRPAATION  OF 1854.
By some, this may be deemed a wild speculation; but
we think we have good and sufficient reasons for placing
our estimate thus. That the reader may have some idea
of the immense influx into Iowa, we will annex a few
extracts which appeared in the newspapers at different
points in the State last summer and fall.
OF THE IIM'ENSE IIMIGRATION Or 1854.
The Iowa City RPeporter says:
" SIr. Watts, of this city, has recently returned from a
trip East.  On his way home, he represents the immigration bound for Iowa as astonishing and unprecedented. For
miles and miles, day after day, the prairies of Illinois are
lined with cattle and wagons, pushing on towards our prosperous State.
'A  point beyond  Peoria, 3Ir. Watts remained over
night; where he was informed that, during a single month,
seventeen hundred and fortjy-three wagons had passed, and
allfor Iowa. Allowing five persons to a wagon, which is
a fair average, we have 8715 souls to add to our population.
This being but the immigration of the month, and upon
one route only out of many, it would not be an unreasonable
assertion to say that 50,000 men, women, and children will
hlave come into this State by the first of December, reckoning from the first of September."
Remembering that those spoken of by Mr. Watts all
came by wagons, please add this item, from the Chicago
Piess:
"Most of the passenger trains came in last week with
5*
5,1 
IMMIGRATION OF 1854.
two locomotives; and the reason of this great increase of
power will be understood when it is known that twelve thous    p(ad passengers arrived from the East, by the Michigan
Southern road, during the last week -a city in the short
space of six days!"
To the above, add the crowds who ascend the Mississippi
and Missouri upon every boat, of whom as many as 600
have passed St. Louis in one day!
The Oskaloosa Times says:
"From early morning till night-fall, the covered wagons
are passing through the place."
" We learn from old citizens that the tide of immigration is this year greater than they have ever known before."
"We  should think at least a thousand persons pass
through Oskaloosa every week, about these times, on their
way westward."
"Not an hour in the day but we see teams' hauling up'
on the Square."
The Dacve~,)ort Commtercial adds:
" That's our case, precisely. Our ferry is busy all hours
in passing over the large canvas-backed wagons, densely
populated with becoming Iowaians.  An army of mechan.
ics have added 300 buildings to this city during the past
season, yet every nook and corner of them are engaged
before they are finished; but our hospitable citizens will
not allow any to suffer for want of a shelter. In several
instances the citizens have, like true aborigines, withdrawn
to close quarters, and given their parlors to those who have
come to make their homes among us and were unable to
54 
IMMIGRATION OF 1854.
find dwellings.  There is not a vacant dwelling or busines
room in the city."
The Busitg1gton Telegraph says:
20,000 immigrants have passed through the city within
the last thirty days, and they are still crossing at the rate
of 600 and 700 a day.  We have these facts from the ferry
folks, who keep a sort of running register. About one
team in a hundred is labelled'Nebraska;' all the rest arc
marked' Iowa.'"
The Dubuque Tribune says:
"Daily-yes, hourly- immigrants are arriving in this
and neighboring counties from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana,
and Illinois. All are in raptures at the lovely sights
which here greet their gaze; and they with one accord
yield the palm to Western Iowa for lovely prairies, beautiful groves of timber, and meandering streams of water."
The editor of the Dubuque Reporter thus speaks of the
"'Prospects of Iowa":
"Never  before, in the history of this northwestern region
of the United States, has there been a more gratifying
spectacle than that now presented to those who take an
interest in its progress and welfare.  Viewing the almost
countless throng of immigrants that crowd our streets, and
learning that a similar scene is visible at every other point
along the Mississippi border of Iowa, the spectator is
naturally led to infer that a general exodus is taking place
in the Eastern States of the Union, as well as in those
that, but a few years ago, were denominated the West.
' Day by day the endless procession moves on-a mighty
55 
IMMIIGRATION OF 1854.
army of invasion, which, were its objects other than peace;
and a holy, fraternal, cordial league with its predecessors
their joint aim to conquer this fair and alluring domain from
the wild dominion of nature would strike terror into the
boldest hearts. They come by hundreds and thousands
from the hills and valleys of New England, bringing with
them that same untiring, indomitable energy and perse verance, that have made their native States the admiration
of the world, and whose influence is felt wherever enterprise has a votary or commerce spreads a sail; with intellects sharpened to the keenest edge, and brawny arms to
execute the firm resolves of their iron will, and gathering
fresh accessions, as they sweep across the intermediate
country, from the no less thrifty and hardy population of
New York, Ohio, and Indiana. Tarrying no longer
amongst us than is necessary for them to select their future
home, away they hie to the capacious and inviting plains,
that spread themselves interminably, ready to yield, almost
without preparation, their rich latent treasures.
"Soon will be seen innumerable the farmer's comfortable abode, and the frequent thriving village, with its {people's college,' as its highest worldly pride, and close at
hand the house of God, with spire pointing to heaven, as
if to remind the worshippers of the source to which they;
are indebted for all the store of blessings they enjoy. And
soon, too, in the wake of such a mighty rush and all its
soul-swelling consequences, will follow the laying out and
construction of those great works that will link us to the
wide-spread members of our confederacy, over which the
56 
IMMIGRATION OF 1854.
iron horse, more terrible in the fierceness of his strength
than the war-steed of Job, will snort his triumphant ha,
ha! as he bounds along in his tireless race. Science, in
turn, will rear her loftiest fanes, and plant deep in the
hearts of her disciples the seeds of a deathless devotion to
the institutions of our common country.
"And to what, let us ask, is the high tide setting into
Iowa fairly to be ascribed?
" We take it on ourselves to answer that the unanimous
consent of those who have investigated her claims accords
her a climate of unequalled salubrity, a soil of the most
generous fertility, and a geographical position unsurpassed
by that of any other Western State; in a word, that naturally she contains within her limits all the elements which,
properly availed of by man, will secure his highest temporal prosperity and happiness. During the past year, she
has been peculiarly favored. Whilst the contiguous States,
and many of those more remote, have yielded harvests
diminished by drought in the ratio of from a fourth to a
half, hers has been at least equal to an average one.   She
is thus able to supply not only her producers, but likewise
all who have since come, and are yet to arrive this year.
This has been of incalculable advantage to her. Inasmuch
as every immigrant comes provided with the means for
entering land and defraying expenses till he can make a
crop, money has been in freer circulation here than in any
other part of the country. A fact equally gratifying is,
that the immigration hither numbers in its ranks many
men of wealth, who consequently bring to us an accession
57.
I, I 
IMMIGRATION OF 1854.
of capital that must of course produce results which are
usually unseen in new states for years after their settle ment.
"We conclude our remarks on the prospects of Iowa by
tendering our congratulations to her citizens on the proud
and enviable position she occupies -a position obtained
without effort, and which is but a foretaste of that she will
attain as her strength is increased and her concentrated
energies directed to the securing of a yet loftier elevation."
The editor of the Keokuk  Whig thus speaks, under the
announcement of
"' STILL THEY COME l'  By railways and steamers, the
flood of immigration continues pouring info the great West.
The lake-shore roads are crowded to their utmost capacity;
single trains of fourteen or fifteen cars, all full of men,
women, and a large sprinkling of children, are almost
daily arriving at Chicago. The Ohio River steamers are
crowded in the same way. On Friday last, two steamers
brought into St. Louis some 600 passengers; most of whom,
being destined for the northwest, have already passed
through this place. And' still they come,' from Pennsylvania, from Ohio, Indiana, and other States, until, by the
side of this exodus, that of the Israelites becomes an insignificant item, and the greater migrations of later times are
scarcely to be mentioned.   Whether the older States are
suffering by this rapid depletion, or how long they can endure it, is their own look-out.  Certain it is that Iowa in
particular, and the other Western and Northwestern States
generally are rapidly filling up with a hardy, industrious
68 
IMMSIGRATION OF 1854.
and wealth-producing population.   Let them come! HIere
is room, and to spare! Here is a theatre for human operations on the grandest scale! Here is the place for the
young man, just starting out in life, for the old man, seeking to provide for his children, for'all sorts of men,' in
search of fortune, fame, or wealth; for any one, also, who
has an eye and a soul for Nature in her grandest forms of
lavish profusion and splendid magnificence.
"There is something in the' growing, glowing West,'
with her limitless prairies, her mighty rivers, her mountains of iron, the lavish richness of her all-bountiful soil,
that expands the soul of man, and elevates him above the
narrow, cramped, and confined ideas of those who are accustomed only to the well-worn channels and small conventionalities of older hum-drum  communities.   There the
'new man' is apt to find himself an unwelcome jostler,
his intrusion viewed askance, his elbow-room begrudged
him, and his presence tolerated only upon condition of his
accepting the procrustean standard of hoary and respectable
'use and wont;' unless, indeed, a position can be asserted
and maintained by force of very superior talent, or unusual
accidental advantages. But here all is new, and plastic,
and vigorous. 3len are wanted here, and are welcomed.
And here at once is found a boundless and untrammelled
field of enterprise, adequate to the elastic energies of ingenious youth or mature manhood. It is curious to watch
the development of a comer from the old-fogy settlements:
to see his mind expand, his eye light up with the fire of a
59 
IMMIGRATION OF 1854.
renewed energy, and his whole nature grow to the liberal
standard of Nature's doings in the West.
"Therefore, we repeat again, let them come -old and
young, men and women, boys and girls, with or without
'plunder.' Let them flee from their tax-ridden and miserably governed Egypts in Ohio and Pennsylvania, to the
Land of Promise, flowing with something better than milk
and honey, and possessing capabilities such as they have
hardly dreamed of. Here they shall find welcome homes;
and, while they speedily help themselves to attain better
fortunes, they shall also have a hand in the proud labor of
building up the mighty Empire of the Mississippi Valley."
The editor of the Keokuk D)ispatch, after returning from
a two-.weeks' furlough, says:
"No one can travel up and down the Mississippi without
being astonished at the immigration constantly pouring into
Iowa from all parts of the country; but especially from
Indiana and Ohio.
"Two gentlemen from Richmond County, Ohio, told us
that from that County alone 1000 persons were coming to
Iowa this fall; at every ferry on the river crowds are waiting to cross; and the land-offices all over the State are
unable to meet the demands upon them by those who are
eager to enter lands.
"Our journey led us into Jackson and Jones Counties,
where we met,in all directions, indications of rapid settlement, thrift, and energy. WVe spent some days in Jones
County,on the prairie watered by Mineral Creek, and learned
that but a year ago there were forty thousand acres of un
60 
IMMIGRATION OF 1854.
entered land, while there is not now as much as amounts
to a section to be had. Although the prairie is but a few
miles in extent, there are already forty habitations upon it.
"We left the river at Bellevue - the seat of Jackson
County. It is beautifully situated, and ought to be a considerable town. Jackson County numbers about 11,000
in population. Maquoketa is a thriving place, and Sabula
means to do a large business when the Air Line Railroad
crosses at that point.
"When we take into account the central position of
Iowa in our confederacy, and the fact of the rapid development of her resources, we can easily believe that she is destined to become, at no distant day, all that the most sanguine hope for. Her salubrious climate, the abundance of
water, and the favorable distribution of timber, all contribute to give Iowa pre-eminence among the Western States
in the minds of those who are exchanging a residence in
the East for one in the West."
We could occupy pages more in giving like extracts from
the press in various parts of the State; but the foregoing
will suffice.
6
61 
GENERAL REMARKS.
CHAPTER X.
GENERAL REMARKS.
[THIE following extracts from "Letters on the West,'"
(contributed to the columns of the Davenport Commercial- published by the author - last year,) are herein inserted as containing much information respecting the country, and many practical hints to the new settler, not in
print elsewhere. These letters are from the pen of Willard Barrows, Esq.; than whom, probably, no individual
in the State possesses more thorough information on the
topics he speaks of; he having spent some eighteen years
as Government and General Surveyor.]
"]ntroduction- The Rivers and Lakes of Iowa-Her Mi    neral Resources -Onward March of Civilization.
"Aware of the difficulty the immigrant from the Eastern
States labors under in obtaining a correct knowledge of the
West -of its vast resources, its immense fields for cultivation, spread out in untold beauty, inviting the husbandman
to partake of the bounty which a beneficent Being has
spread out before him, I hope to furnish your readers with
some facts that will prove interesting and profitable to those
intending to make their homes in Iowa. I would speak of
our beautiful rivers, productive soil, and healthful climate;
62 
GENERAL REMARKS.
of the glassy lakes, whose pebbled shores have for ages
been the haunts of the elk, the buffalo, and the deer, and
whose waters abound in the finest specimens of the finny
tribe. These solitary places, that have slept in beauty so
long, have been awakened into life. The woodman's axe
now begins to echo on the banks of our streams, and the
hum of voices resounds upon our lakes. Civilization, in
her westward march, has aroused the deer from his lair; and
where, but yesterday, the wolf held undisputed sway, the
familiar bark of the farmer's faithful dog is heard.
"Probably no State in the Union has ever been settled
with greater rapidity, or in so short a period of time
gained greater renown, than Iowa.
"Bounded on the east by that noblest of rivers, the
Mississippi, and on the west by the Missouri, cut up and
intersected at the most important points by railroads, projected and under contract, possessing almost inexhaustible
supplies of lead in the north, and of coal in the south, of
lime, sand, and other building-stone in almost every portion
of the State, she combines within her borders, resources that
must render her, in point of position and wealth, one of
the most important States in the Republic.
"The Climate of Iowa may be compared with that of
New Jersey and the vicinity of New York City; except
that we have not here as much rain and foggy weather as they
have. IHere it is, in general, an unbroken winter from the
middle of November till January; when we are invariably
visited with the January thaw; after which, the weather
is generally mild, and gradually merges into spring. We
63
PI-%, 
GENERAL REMARKS.
have but little snow- not enough to prepare for sleighing,
and but few sleds or sleighs are manufactured. We are
free from the sudden changes so common to New England;
the weather is less variable. Our storms are from the east,
our showers from the west.
"Cultivation and yield of Wheat, Corn, Oats, Potatoes and
Onions.
"Our wheat is sown in March, and our corn planted the
last of April and first of May. But little winter wheat is
grown here; the light snows are insufficient to protect it
from winter-killing. Spring wheat is raised in great abundance, and of a good quality. Corn is raised in large quantities; and all the products of the earth, congenial to this
climate grow,with but little labor. Seldom is the hoe used
in the corn or potatoe-field -the horse and plough do the
work in general. Of the wheat crop, 40 bushels to the
acre is considered a good crop; and of corn, 50, 60, and
75 bushels are raised to the acre; 400 and 500 bushels of
potatoes and onions are common to the acre. I know of
large crops being taken from the ground -such as 100
bushels of oats to the acre, and the same of corn; but they
are not common, and such tales only serve to heighten the
fancy of those who intend immigrating, and mislead them.
"The Soil and Prospects of the Farmner East and West
compared.
"A man cannot come here and grow rich in idleness: he
must work. Our soil is prolific, but must have care and
64 
GENERAL REMARKS.
culture. It is true that man can live with less labor than
in the older States; the soil is easier tilled.  He can make
himself a home much sooner, and far more easily, than
those who purchase land in northern New York, Ohio, and
Indiana. How many are there in those States who have
toiled for years to cut away the timber and burn it; expending, on an average, $10 or $12 an acre before the plow
can enter the land, and then be used with great difficulty
among the stumps, roots, and rocks; and how many farmers are there now, in those States, going down to the grave
in the meridian of life with a worn-out and broken constitution!  Compare the new settlement of those States with
a settlement in Iowa. Here, the immigrant enters upon
his land, perhaps, at government price-  $1'25 per acre;
or, if he pays $5, or even $10, per acre, he finds it free
from all obstacles in making a farm.  For the sum of $2'50,
the prairie is broken up, and often corn is planted the first
year, by striking the axe into the turf and dropping the
corn, which yields 15 to 25 bushels per acre. This is
called sod-corn. The second year, the turf is rotten, the
ground easily tilled, and the husbandman's labors are
crowned with success.
"Enclosing Farns -Osage Orange as a Substitute for
Board, Wire, or Sod Fences.
"To enclose the land, various kinds of fencing have been
tried. Among the early settlers, the sod fence was made
by those who had a scarcity of timber, but proved a perfect failure. The soil being too alluvial and loamy to sus       6*
65 
GENERAL REMARKS.
tain itself, the common board fence was resorted to, till,
more recently, the wire fence has been introduced, and suc ceeds well where it is properly made. In most parts of the
State, hogs are not allowed to run at large, and of course
less fencing is required. It is now sufficiently demonstrated,
by trial of a few, that the Osage-orange hedge is to be the
great remedy for lack of timber upon our prairies: it has
been tested, and found that a hedge of this shrub will turn
any kind of animal, from a horse to a sucking pig, in three or
four years. This fence can be made for forty cents per rod,
and warranted, or no pay. Upon the prairie, where there is
not much range of cattle, the hedge can be planted and grown
without fence to protect it; nothing will eat the plant, and
the few that might be destroyed by being trod upon, can
easily be replaced. In fencing, then, 100 acres square, the
expense would be $250, for a fence that would last for ever.
It will need training only, as it does not sprout from the
roots. But, half of this fence will be for the accommodation of your neighbor; consequently, your cost will be but
half this sum. In order to make this fence, the ground
must be broken some eight or ten feet wide, upon the line
of fence, one year before the planting of the hedge. I
understand that a contract has been made recently, by the
Illinois Central Railroad, to fence the entire road, some
300 miles, with the Osage orange.
"For immediate use, those who have no timber must
fence with lumber; which is $15 per thousand feet; and
the white-cedar post can be had for $10 per hundred. It
will take 1280 posts, eight feet apart, to fence 100 acres
66 
GENERAL REMARKS.
with wire or boards; the amount of either of the latter
will be regulated according to the number of strands; which
may be three or five. There is but one great deficiency in our
State- the scarcity of timber.  But we hope for a substitute in the Osage orange, as far as fencing is concerned.
"Rerntizg,  building, Brick-making-No i- Vacant Lands
near the Xississi.ppi River.
" Tillable land is now rented at $1'75 to $2-00 per acre.
The first tenement of the settler is generally of small dimensions; reared in haste, and ultimately to form the
kitchen part of his future dwelling. Brick is made in all
parts of the State; and in most parts, the limestone rock
is abundant, and often used for entire dwellings for man
and beast. The vacant land or lands, still owned by the
Government, have now become very scarce in the settled
portions of the State. No selections of good land can now
be made within fifty or seventy-five miles of the Mississippi
River. The immense immigration of the last two years
has secured all choice lands in the vicinity of settlements
and railroads; and the only chance of the immigrant for
land at $1'25 per acre, is to go back into the interior of
the State.  Many prefer purchasing nearer market-nearer
the Mississippi River; where unimproved land can be had
at from $4 to $10 per acre, and improved farms at from
$10 to $40, and even $50 per acre-according to the value
of improvements.
67 
GENERAL REMARKS.
"Iowa as it is, and as the Immigrant may expect to find it
-Earnest Labor the Price of Success.
"The immigrant must not come here as many do - expecting to find first rate land, with timber and water, all
spread out before him, very near some city or town, for $1-25
per acre; it is not to be had.  He must not come expecting to find Iowa a desolate, dreary, uncultivated waste, with
here and there a green spot, inhabited by pioneers living
in log cabins and just merging into civilization; neither
must he come expecting to live at ease, enjoying the luxuries of life and health, rolling in upon him without any
exertion. A home can be had by the poorest, with prudence
and economy.  No place in the wide world can offer greater
,inducements to the immigrant than Iowa; but he must look
at it as it is.  No  fancied sketch must weave around his
imagination sudden wealth or unreal beauties, seen only in
the dreary picture before him. He may fancy Iowa a garden,
and, roaming over its prairies, gather flowers from its rich
soil, and exclaim with the Indian, in ecstasies of delight,
'I-o-wah!'-' I have found the beautiful land!' but it will
never make him rich, nor create for him a happy home,
without toil and labor.
" Unentered Lands —Immense  immtgration of 1854-  Cen  tral Iowa- -Best Portions of the State yet Unsettled  The Destiny of Iowa.
"There are yet large bodies of land subject to entry at
the government price - $1 25 per acre. Early in the sea
68 
GENERAL REMARKS.
son, there was much upon the line of the Mississippi and
Missouri Railroad subject to sale; but I found none at this
time within less than four miles of the railroad.  The
timber-lands of this section of country are all secured; nothing remains but prairie. The wood-lands must be purchased at second rates, from $5 to $10 per acre. These
back counties, even to Council Bluffs, are better timbered
than those within fifty miles of the Mississippi River, except in the northern part of the Iowa. There is yet most
excellent prairie land in the tier of counties west of Johnson and Washington, as far back as Polk and Dallas Counties. But how long any portion of this beautiful country
will remain subject to sale by the Government, is uncertain.
The immense immigration to the interior of Iowa this season exceeds, by far, all former years. The roads are full
of immigrant teams; the groves, creeks, and woodlands
seem alive with men, women, and children, encamped in
wagons, tents, and cabins, until houses can be erected.
"There are upwards of one hundred counties of land in
this State surveyed and in market; two-thirds of that
number are organized, and contain a population of from
100 to 25,000 each; the river tier of counties being the
first settled and most densely populated.  Central Iowa is
the best body of land in the State; and, in all probability,
the State of Iowa is the best in the United States. The
better portions of Iowa are not settled yet. The immigrant
must not think that Iowa is all sold, or in the hands of
speculators. Go where you may, westward or northward, and
the boundless prairie is spread out before you, dotted here and
69 
GENERAL REMARKS.
there with its groves and its gentle rivers, skirted with timber;
and you find no diminution in beauty or richness of soil:
the same deep, black loam is found northward to the St.
Peter's River, and westward to the Missouri. The immiErant who is willing to penetrate unsettled portions, and
endure the privations incident to a frontier life, can lay,
for himself and his children, the foundations of a fortune
and a home that will make glad the hearts of his children's children; for Iowa is destined to be the most densely
populated State in the Union.
" How often has the thought passed through my mind,
while rambling over these fertile plains, of the thousands
of human beings whose lot has been cast in more sterile
lands, bound down by oppression and servitude! What
happipess could be offered to the starving millions of the
Old World, could the ill-gotten treasures of tyrants be converted to their use, and the uncultivated wastes, that now
are only kept for the use of a few wandering tribes of
Indians, were made the abodes of civilized men! The
onward progress of the Anglo-Saxon race will soon open
these vast resources for the benefit of man; and I believe that many of us now upon the stage of action, will
see these fertile vales teeming with their ten thousand flocks,
and hear from the happy cottages the general anthem of
thanksgiving and praise, amid these beautiful glens and
dales, until the prolonged note shall sigh upon the Rocky
Mountain's top, and the echo be heard along the Shores of
the Pacific Ocean."
70 
INSTRUCTIO N S TO NEW-COMERS.   71
CHAPTER XI.
INSTRUCTIONS TO THIE NEW-COMER RESPECTING THE SE  LECTION, ENTRY, OR PURCHASE AND CULTIVATION OF
PRAIRIE LANDS.
TiE purchaser from Government, if he be a stranger in
the country, must first go to the Land-office of the District
in which lie the lands that he intends to enter.  There are
in Iowa nine Land-offices, each of which represents several
counties. ~At either of these the immigrant will be furnished with small township maps, showing all the vacant
or unentered lands, up to the date of application. With
these he repairs to the spot; but, without the aid of a surveyor, or some person who understands the mode of government surveys, he will be totally unprepared to make selections,
as the "metes and bounds" upon the prairie, or marked trees
of the forest, will be all Greek to him.  He may gaze upon
the goodly land, but for him to know what township, range, or
section, or any parts thereof, he is on, will be found impossible.  He cannot transcribe the hieroglyphics before him.
The numbers must be carefully noted by one who knows,
and who will accompany the immigrant to the Land-office;
there he makes hi, application to the Registrer, receives a
certificite of appli(cation, and then presents the same to
the Receiver; pays in specie, or with his warrant, or Vir 
72   INSTRUCTIONS TO NEW-COMERS.
ginia land-script, and receives a duplicate receipt as having
paid for such a tract of land, and, in the course of one or
two years, he presents his receipt to the same office, and
receives a patent from government; his duplicate receipt,
however, is a sufficient warrantee for him to sell and convey
the land, and is valid in law.
To enter upon and settle these lands, is the next thing
for the immigrant. I-Ie first erects a small cabin of boards,
or perhaps of logs, sufficient to shield himself and family
from "the pitiless peltings of the storm," and, with eyes
often beaming with gladness, enters with great alacrity
upon the thousand and one little works of necessity and
mercy for the comfort and security of man and beast;
while the enormous prairie plow is set in motion by one
whose business it is to "break prairie" at $2 25 per acre.
This large machine is, to the new-comer, a curiosity: it is,
in all respects, like other plows, but much larger in size;
being 10 feet long, and cutting a furrow of some 22 to 24
inches in width. The fore-end of the beam rests upon an
axle, with wheels, one of which runs in the furrow and
guages the width, acting like the wheel of the locomotive
upon the rail. A lever is attached to the fore-end of the
beam, running back to the handles, which regulates the
depth of furrow, and throws the plow out when desired.
When the plow is once set in, it needs no further attention
in good prairie, as it runs alone, and the driver has only to
attend to his team, which consists of some five yoke of
oxen. The roots of the wild grass are much longer and
harder to break than the tame. It is considered best to 
INSTRUCTIONS TO NEW-COMERS. 
break the ground as shallow as possible, or only to cut a
sufficient depth to turn over the roots of yrass; the soil
under it being very loose, and the thinner the sod, the
sooner it will rot. Often the farmer sends his boys to drop
corn along every third or fourth furrow; and corn is thus
produced, with no further care, yielding 30 bushels to the
acre. The next season the sod is well rotted, and the ground
in prime order for wheat. In the mneantlime, the immigrant
encloses his fields, either with sawed lumber or rails, as circumstances will permit, erects his clwllng, and begins his
"Life on the prairie green,
A homle on the boundless waste!"
The soil is ready to till, and but few weeds grow for the
first two or three years. As I have before said, corn is
planted and grown without using the hoe: the horse and
plow do the cultivating.
The Realities of a Pioneer L?fe -Obstacles to be Sur           mounted - Te Rewardcl in Store.
These are but faint outlines of opening a farm in the
West.   The  immigrant  will find trials  and hardships
spring up around, unlooked for in the old settlement.   Iec
wll find that his ability to labor is not as great in his new,
unracclimated home, as where he came from: the scarcity
of labor, the distance from towns, villages, and market, will
throw obstacles in the way of his progress, and he may
very naturally expect, in a change of climate, sickness in
his family; and {' the ills that life is heir to," will, perhaps,
7
7'0' 
SKETCHES ON IO WA.
tread closely upon his heels, and often make him sigh for
"the leeks and the garlics" he left behind him.   There
is no fancy work in a frontier life, except to him who is
weaned from the world at an early age, and assumes the
life of a savage.  It may do for the intelligent and enterprising of our eastern cities to build for themselves fancied
cottages upon our western lands while they are gorged with
the pleasures of a city life; but the stern reality of a frontier life will not be all sunshine and happiness; there is
labor to be done to enjoy it; there is care and toil, privations and sufferings, universally attendant upon any one's
settlement in the new portions of the West; and he who
leaves the luxuries of the East and moves to the West,
expecting to realize the fancied sketches of rural felicity,
will be most sadly disappointed. But let him surmount
these obstacles, and he can make himself a home that will
yield him a rich and lasting harvest.
CHAPTER XII.
SKETCHES BY TRAVELLING CONTRIBUTORS-A
STRANGER'S IMPRESSIONS, ETC.
THE following graphic description of the interior of the
State is fromn "Sketches on Iowa," contributed by Mrs.
Frances D. Gage to the New York Tribune, in the summer
of 1854:
74 
SKETCHES ON IOWA.
"Tr'?p f-or.i   Btuo 7-Jl tol to Os7oaloosa-  i)t)pressions upon,
ancz Ex])ressions by Explorers of Iowza.
"I have just risen from the perusal of a long and interesting letter from' Our Own Reporter,' to The Tribune,
dated St. Paul, June 8th, 1854, and have responded' True'
to all the glowing descriptions of the beauty, fertility, and
magnitude of the country bordering upon the Upper Mississippi; and feeling that the beauty, fertility, and excellence of the interior, are fully cqual, if not superior,
to the borders, I am impelled to give you a few jottings by
the way of a journey just ended, from Burlington to Oskaloosa, and thence back to Keokuk. We had no great
party to give eclat to our goings or comings; no music nor
dancing, no celebrations, no festivals nor feasting, to gild
with rainbow hues the surrounding landscape; but of speechmaking we had plenty, and an endless variety; as good and
sensible, too, perhaps, as if spoken by lips quivering with
the excitement of pride, ambition, or sparkling Catawba,
and falling upon ears as capable of appreciation, as those
dulled by hurry, sensuality, bustle, and fatigue. My business was to lecture on Temperance and' Wioman's Rights'
to the people, and of course I had time, in my few days of
leisure at the towns by the way, to learn somewhat of the
country;  and changing my travelling companions every
few miles of my journey brought me in contact with all
classes and kinds of people, from the immovable Dutchman
to the cute Yankee speculator; and from stage-coach
speeches we will draw our ideas of the impression made
75 
SKET C TIES ON IOWA.
upon the explorers by this interesting country.   Well,
this is e'en-a-jest the garden of Eden, anyhow!' broke out
an old man from MIaine, who had been studying the landscape for some hours in silence. HIe was' hunting homes
for his boys.'
" Bless my stars, mother, look at that!' exclaimed a
loquacious New-Yorker to his better-half, who seemed looking back, like Lot's wife, to the worn-out lands of Oswego.
'Don't that make your mouth water?  These corn-fields
look as if fifty years old; not a stump nor a stone.  Look
at that fellow plowing.  HIis horse walks as if he had nothing behind himil.  WIliat a furrow he rolls up! soft as a
garden-plat, rich as a stable-yard.'
"'I'll give it up,' says a stately Canadian.'I have
been looking all the way fromn Paris, in Canada, through
Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin for something better, and it
has grown better all the way; but better than this is no
use: I'll give it up.   Come, w:If, let's get out and go
back.  You wanted clear  streams, and here they are.   I
wanted timnber, stone, and prairie, and I've found them all
Let's go back, gather up the ehicks, and come to Iowa.'
"'They tell'd us this wus little the puttyest place this
side o' sundown, but I thoughlt it half gas; but by shucks
they didn't tell half on't.  Uncle Nate told us  we'd
never want to go back to 3ionroe.'
"' I reckon we won't neither,' says a stout young man to
his cherry-cheeked wife; putting his hand, at the same
time, near a side-pocket, where, probably, the treasure was
secreted that was to purchase a new home.
76 
,4
SKETCHES ON IOWA.
"' I3Iagnificent-grand-beautiful!' ejaculated the gentleman in gloves, with the linen coat over his broadcloth;
'these lands will be worth ten dollars an acre in five years,
every rood of them. Ten years will make this country
equal to the most favored sections of New York, Pennsylvania, or Ohio.  Look; is not that splendid? rolling prairie,
just enough to drain it; vale, hill, woodland, park, lawn,
grove, meadow, field, shrubbery, and garden, and all in
luxuriant bloom and beauty from Nature's own hand;
brooks, running over pebbly beds, gushing springs, or wells
easily made, of clear and sparkling water. Is it not beautiful?'
" Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!' echo the ladies.
"'Beau-ti-ful!' answers the quail from the topmost rail
of that stake-and-rider fence around that magnificent field
of rye.
"' Beau-t-iful, beautiful!' whistles the whippoorwill at
mid-day, in the dark grove of elms and oaks by the wayside. He had only changed his dolorous note to suit the
sunshine.
"  Iowa for me!' says the young wife.
'Bright and beautiful as a fairy dream!'  says the
merry maiden.
"'Now, ladies and gentlemen,' says an old strangerold-he had been ten years in Iowa-' if you are so taken
with this, just hold on.  Don't cry out till you get up
about Oskaloosa, and round about there; up into Mehaska,
Mlarion, AWarren, Lucas, Monroe, Madison, and so on, clear
out to Council Bluffs,; such land for farming is not any      7 *
7 s' 
SKETCHES ON IOWA.
where else on this Continent-  not even in California -I
have seen it all.'
"'Can't beat Clark, Union, Adams, MIontgomery, and
3ills,' replies another voice.
"'WVell, gentlemen, it is all good; and it is pretty hard
to tell which is best.'
" Such is the tone of conversation among the explorers
of this new country on the steamers, which at this season
navigate the Des 3Moines River, and in the coaches.   On
roads where, three years ago, a coach twice a week was
ample, now, two lines a day are required, and six or seven
coaches, frequently, to carry the passengers.
"'lfount Plcasant, Fa[lrfie7d, O,tunwa, Oskaloosa, Knox  ville, acnd Pella-Groves and Piarks-Fruit and  Veye  tables -Timber - Geology.
"Mount Pleasant is a flourishing town, twenty-five miles
from Burlington (reached by a plank road), contains 1200
inhabitants, and will have a railroad through it in less than
a year-good churches and good people.
"Fairfield, the seat of justice of Jefferson County, is
twenty-five miles from Miount Pleasant.   Ilere are 1500
people, and everything active, vigorous, and progressive.
Twenty-five miles further on is Ottumwa, built upon a fine
slope on the Des AIoines. It has been a little stagnant for
a year or two, on account of the suspension of the Des
Moines improvement, which is now about to be renewed by
an eastern company, and will be speedily completed; for
when any country demands a work that will pay as well
78 
SKETCIIES ON IOWA.
as this will, there will always be foundc men- and capital to
do it.  Os,kaloosa, the countty-seat of Mahaska, is on the
prairie; the Des i3'Ioines is four miles distant, upon one sidc,
and the south fork of Skunk Riliver two miles, on the other.
'It is thus bordered on either side by living streams and heavy
timber.   Ten years since, it was made the seat of justice;
then a place where a few settlers had reared their cabins,
seeing, with prophetic eye, what must follow.  Now, it has
from 2000 to 2500 inhabitants, and 100 buildings, it is
said, will be erected this season. Every house and room
is full, and every day brings new accessions to their numnbers. The railroad will pass through this beautiful town
in less than  two years.   Knoxville, the county-seat of
Miarion, is a village of 1500 inhabitants. Pella, where a
colony of iollanders located six or eight years ago, near
the border of Marion, has now its 600 people. A convention was there held the last week in May, and arrangements
made for erecting a College under the patronage of the
Baptist denomination. At Oskaloosa, they have now a
Normal School.  At Fairfield and Mount Pleasant, Female
Seminaries and Colleges are in process of erection.  The
dwellers in the East have, as yet, no conception of this
beautiful State, its present improvements, its progress, or
its resources.
"The prairies are high and rolling, and bordered with
timber.  In many places Nature seems to have laid out the
farm expressly for man's use, and cleared the meadow,
corn-field, and orchard, leaving no stump, tree, or bush to
interfere with the plow, covering it with deep and matted
79 
SKETCHES ON IOWA.
roots of grass to preserve the soil and enrich it for future
use.   Groves and parks surround it; running streams and
brooks, rippling merrily over pebbles and sand, refresh it;
shrubbery and underbrush supply the new beginners with
rich fruits- plums of fine quality, resembling the apricot,
wild cherries, gooseberries, smooth and large, blackberries,
raspberries, strawberries, grapes; all of superior quality to
those growing wild in the middle States, and in quantities
inexhaustible. Potatoes, both sweet and Irish, are very
fine; corn, magnificent; and all agree in one thing - that
one-half of the labor will produce a better crop than in the
farming lands of Ohio.
"Here, then, by the side or under the cover of one of
those rare old groves, the farmer may make his home,
break up his prairie land, and in three years have his farm
under better cultivation than in hilly woodland countries in
fifteen. Apple and peach trees come to maturity very soon,
and good nurseries are now to be found in many places.
At Pella there is a very fine one, as well as a garden,
owned by the learned and gentlemanly Mr. Scottel, who
takes great pleasure in giving information to travellers.
Timber, such as oak, walnut, hickory, maple, elm, and ash,
is abundant. There are few large prairies- five or six
miles is the widest, oftener one or two, and still oftener less.
Limestone, freestone, and stone-coal, without stint, and here
and there quarries of a species of beautiful marble, made
of marine deposits and shells, are found. Every necessary
or comfort of life is here produced, or may be produced
without difficulty or expense.
80 
SKETCHES ON IOWA.
"The Des -ro/,)es River In?, ovenz,t-Nl,poleo, Farm  i;yton., Kcosaquta-.The People of Jowa-ff-Zr Lawvs  The most Proigressive and beet linzproved State in the
tUnion-Advice to Eastern People -Iowva the Eden of
America.
" The Des HeIoines River improvement offers great facilities for mills and manufactories, and the towns already
started, where dams have been erected, give evidence of a
prosperous future. At Napoleon may be found a woolen
factory, with men and women busily engaged in doing good
work. Their machinery is very good, but they have but
just begun. A flour-mill, too, gives out its cheerful hum.
Farmington is a pleasant town, twenty-five miles from
Keokuk. Here a fine bridge spans the Des 3Moines, leading the way to Keosauqua, the seat of justice of Van Buren
County, also a flourishing village. But I might fill columns,
and yet not get to the end of these flourishing new towns,
springing up, as it were, by magic, between night and
morning.
"But the people -what of the people? exclaim your
readers; what are they?  Shall I say what I think?  The
people are the strong, earnest, energetic, right-thinking, and
right-feeling people of the land. Its founders must have
been wiser than most men, or they would not in the begin ning have recognised all grog-shops as nuisances, and have
made the vender of ardent spirits liable for his own transgres sions.  They must have been more just than common men,
or they would not at first have secured the property rights
81 
SKETCHES ON IOWA.
of the wife, and made her the joint guardian, with her
husband, of her children. They must have been men
more humane than common, or they would not have secured
the homestead to the family. These good laws have led
those of other States who wish to be wise, just, and humane,
to become the dwellers of this fair land.  Hence I hesitate
not to say that it is the most moral and progressive, as well
as the best-improved State, of its age, in all our country.
The people of the East must cease to think of Iowa as
'way out West.' It is but half past one out here - not
yet fashionable dinner-time; and the people who last year,
or last week, or even day before yesterday, left New England, New York, Pennsylvania, or Ohio, with the last
Harper or Putna(m in their pocket, the last Tribz>e in
their hand, the last fashion on their heads and shoulders,
and the last reform in their hearts, are very much the same
people in Iowa that their neighbors found them at home,
only that a new country, log cabins, and little deprivations
call out all their latent powers, cultivate the fallow grounds
of heart and feelings, make them more free, more earnest,
more charitable; in fact, expand, enlarge, and fit them all
the better for life and its duties. Why will people live
pent up in cities, amid the dust, and smoke, and din, while
there is here so much of beauty, freshness, and utility unappropriated.' There are millions of hands wanting acres,
and millions of acres wanting hands.' True, Iowa may be
said to be yet in its log-cabinage, but what of that? Ten
years ago, the farmer of Marion went sixty miles to mill.
What now?  Steam  mills are at their very doors.  Then,
82 
SKETCHES ON IOWA.
as my sister said, for weeks I saw not a woman's face. Now,
from my door, I count the friendly, cheerful smoke of
twenty home-fires. We ate and slept in these cabins.
There was peace, plenty, and cheerfulness.
"Not one -  not one desponding wife or mother did we
find; not one willing to go back and live in the old States.
' Look,' they would exclaim,' at our corn, our young orchard; our cows are so fine, our chickens are almost Shanghais, our gardens astonish us; we can afford to live cramped
ourselves for houseroom when everything else expands so
fast. We shall build in a year or two, when we get our
plans laid." Fourth-rate lawyers, doctors, and ministers
will do well to remember that the people of Iowa have not
yet forgotten the sound of the voices of the good and great
they have left behind. Merchants need not take old goods
to Iowa, nor faded belles flatter themselves that last year's
fashions will answer.'Anything' won't' do out West'
any more. I went, with other ladies, to a political meeting
at Oskaloosa to hear the free-soil Whig nominee for Governor
talk to the dear people. The men looked just like men
elsewhere, only they were a little more civil and genteel,
and did not make quite so general a spittoon of the CourtIIouse; and I did not see one that leaned towards drunkenness, though the house was full. I went to church; fine
astrals, polished walnut, and crimson velvet made the pulpit
look like home; ladies rustled rich brocades, or flitted in
lawns as natural as life. The only point of difference that
struck me was, that their bonnets, with a few exceptions,
did not hang so exactly upon nothing as at the East; pro
83 
SKETCIIES ON IOWVA.
bably because there was less of nothing to hang on. Then
rosy cheeks, sparkling eyes, and free, vigorous steps, were
every-day affairs.   Altogether,  the  women  were  very
healthy; and the children, poor little vulgar things-taking
after their mothers, as children always will - looked as
though they had all the air and sunshine they needed, and
would positively be so unfashionable as to live (nine-tenths
of them) through the second summer, and be men and
women, despite teething, chin-coughs, mumps, and measles.
" Burlington and Keokuk are important towns, but too
well known and understood in their infant prosperity to
need comment.   It would require a chapter to give them
their due. I hope your reporter, who was at Keokuk
while we were there, will do them justice.
"To sum up all, this is the most beautiful country that
I have ever seen; and when the hand of active industry
and energy has overcome the difficulties necessarily attendant upon a new country, and art and wealth have embellished what nature has made so grand, it will be, as the old
man said,'almost the garden of America.'"
A  STRANGER'S IMPRESSIONS OF IOWA.
The following was communicated to the Proyressive Era
by a former citizen of Illinois:
"It is only within a few weeks that I became an unwilling resident of this State.  I say unwilling, because the
attachment I felt for my native State and its institutions
was so strong, that the idea of severing the connection
predisposed me to disparage the advantages of that State
8.1 
SKETCHES ON IOWA.
which was to cause the separation. I had heard glowing
accounts of Iowa, and, though interested in her success,
was more selicitous for the welfare of Illinois, and somewhat inclined to exaggerate her natural advantages, when
compared with those of other States. I knew that in many
parts, as a farming country, Illinois was unexceptionable,
and that the natural scenery was good; indeed, I often
thought it impossible that her beautiful rolling prairies
could be surpassed; but, to confess the truth, so far as I
can judge of the natural advantages of a State from outward appearances, I must give Iowa the preference. Every
step of my trip through the State has contributed something to the formation of this conclusion in spite of my
resolve to be displeased. Even now a glance from my
window discloses a scene I have rarely beheld equalled:
just before me the high, rolling prairie, is stretching away
for miles, and rising higher and higher in the distance,
until the green of its bosom afar up grows dim, and seems
almost lost in the blue of the sky. Flanking the prairie on
either side, and cutting across in various directions, are large
strips of timber, which, ten years ago, were the homes of wild
deer and the hunting-grounds of the Indian. Still nearer,
and passing through our beautiful and populous village, the
Cedar River takes its way; as lovely and romantic a stream
as any to which Burns, or Campbell, or Moore has ever
given celebrity in verse, nor wanting in many of those
thrilling legends which have heretofore furnished the foun
dations of some of our best poetical effusions."
The following is from a series of letters descriptive of a
8
85 
SKETCHES ON IOWA.
journey from Council Bluffs to Keokuk, by Mr. Barcom,
former editor of the Ohio State Journal:
"Fort Des Moines- The Davenport Railroad- The Des
2loines River Improvement.
Cc Before beginning my trip westward, I took the map of
that region, and studied the geography of the country, and
the locations of certain towns, with reference to their probable future. The result of this examination was, that
from their natural positions, Fort Des Moines was destined
to be the greaty city in central, and Council Bluffs the great
city in western Iowa. The only remaining question in my
mind was, whether they had a rich fertile country about
them, that would back up and support a city. This is
indispensable, and to this question I paid particular attention. In other letters I have expressed my opinion of the
future of Council Bluffs. I am now ready to say what I
think of Fort Des Moines.
"The River Des Moines is the great river of Iowa.  It
is fully as large as the Muskingum, the largest river in
Ohio, and in many striking particulars reminds me of that
stream. Rising in the northwest part of the State, it traverses its territory to the extreme southeast corner. About
half way up it, and where the Raccoon River intersects it
from the west, the city of Fort Des Moines has its locality.
Like Pittsburg, the town plat is on a beautiful tract of
land, being the point or tongue between these two rivers.
Several hundred acres of level, dry, bottom-land, afford a
fine location for a town. The hills back are very beautiful,
86 
SKETCHES ON IOWA.
and afford many most charming sites for residences. On
one of them, a fine tract, commanding a most splendid
view, has been set apart by the proprietor as a donation for
the site of the State House when the people move the
capital of the State there, as they will undoubtedly do in
due time. The town is finely laid off. The lots are 66
feet by 132. The streets are generally 80 feet in width.
There are not many prominent buildings yet, as the town
is quite new. It has been but two or three years since it
began to feel its importance, and to start in its career to a
higher position. No part of the town is yet compactly
built; and the question which are to be the business streets,
appears to be quite as much an open one as it is at Council
Bluffs. The Davenport Railroad passes through this place.
It is to cross the Des MIoines on a substantial bridge, and
continue a west course, through the north of the centre of
the town, to its dep6t grounds, which have been procured,
and which are ample for the purpose. Owners of property
near the railroad and dep6t think that it is to be the seat
of future business, while others, holding property elsewhere,
are equally certain that it will be nearer the point. Time
alone will settle the dispute.
"Fort Des Moines was for many years a military post in
the midst of the Indian country, and it is only within a
short time that it has begun to improve.   It has about the
same population as Council Bluffs -from 1500 to 2000 -
but the land-speculation fever rages there much more
severely than at the Bluffs. City lots sell high, and there
is quite a traffic going on in town property, out lots, &c.
87 
SKETCHES ON IOWA.
Many persons go there to invest, but leave, thinking that
real estate is entirely beyond its value.  It is no doubt
true, that persons who would otherwise settle and build
there are sometimes driven off by the high price of lots.
WVhen I presented this view of this subject to some of the
citizens, the answer was,'How can we help it?  People
from abroad come here and offer us these high prices for
our property.  It is their fault; not ours.'  I confess there
was plausibility in the response, but it did not in the least
remove the difficulty.
" Fort Des Moines has an abundance of timber about it;
also good building stone, of lime and sand formation. It
has also an abundance of coal; and the soil of the entire
country is exceedingly rich and productive. It has about
it one of the richest farming sections of the State; and,
with all these advantages, it must make a city of some importance.  The railroads of the Des Moines Valley and the
Davenport Road make it a point. It is at the head of
navigation on the Des Moines. Steamboats ply between
here and Keokuk during several months; and the great
work of improving it by slack-water navigation is again
about to be resumed. It requires twent+y-nine dams and
locks; but the General Government has appropriated about
a million acres of land, and a company of energy and high
character have undertaken the work. I think Fort Des
Moines is destined to be the most important inland town of
the State."
88 
RAILROADS.
CHIIAPTER XIII.
RAILROADS.
TIIERE are several very important railroad lines projected,
some of which are partly under contract, and others of
which may not be built for years.  Three different lines
have been explored and surveyed, commencing at Davenport,
as follows:
One from Davenport, through MIuscatine, thence through
the northern part of Louisa County, and through Washington, Keokuk,  MIahaska,  Marion,  Warren,  Madison,
Adair, Adams, and Montgomery Counties, to the Missouri
River, near the mouth of the Platte.
Another from Davenport, through Scott, Johnson, Iowa,
Powesheik, Jasper, Polk, Dallas, Guthrie, Audubon, and
Shelby Counties, to the Missouri River, in Pottawattamie
County.
A third line, from Muscatine, through Cedar and Lime
Counties, to Cedar Rapids, with a view to the further continuation of the line northwestwardly, into the Territory
of Minnesota.
These explorations were made under the direction of
Ilenry Farnam, Chief Engineer; and in December, 1852,
an association was formed, under the general laws of Iowa.
8*
89 
RAILROADS.
The routes embraced in the Articles of Association are,
a line from Davenport, by way of Muscatine, to the southern or western boundary of Iowa; and northwardly, by
way of Cedar Rapids, up the Cedar Valley to the north
line of the State of Iowa; thus combining, in one organization, a system of railroads for central Iowa, whose eastern
terminus shall be the bridge over the Mississippi River at
Davenport. Those portions of these roads between Davenport and Iowa City, and between Muscatine and Oskaloosa,
are under contract, and will be ready for the cars sometime
during the coming summer. The line from Muscatine to
Cedar Rapids has been permanently located, and that portion of it which forms a junction with the Davenport Road
is nearly ready for the cars; so that Muscatine will be in
connection with the main line to New York City as soon
as the track is laid from Davenport to the junction.
The Chief Engineer says of the country, "In November
last, in company with John B. Jervis, Esq., Consulting
Engineer, James Archibald, Esq., a distinguished engineer,
General George B. Sargeant, of Davenport, and the Hon.
N. B. Judd, of Chicago, I passed over the line from Iowa
City to Fort Des Moines, and thence down the'divide'
between the Des Moines and Skunk, to Oskaloosa, and from
Oskaloosa, through Keokluk, Washington, and Louisa
Counties, to Muscatine. The whole country on both routes
is one of unsurpassed beauty and fertility.  Since then, I
have passed over the line from Muscatine to Cedar Rapids.
No more beautiful or productive region of country can be
90  
F                                                      _
///::hmy
~
AISSIS$IPPI RIAILROAD BRIDGE, BETWEEN RoCK ISLAND AND DAVENPORT. 
RAILROADS.
found in the Union. There is literally no waste land to be
found, and the settlements are such that a railroad would
be immediately productive. The entire land on each of
the routes from Davenport to Fort Des Moines, from Muscatine to Oskaloosa, and from Muscatine to Cedar Rapids,
has been all purchased of the Government, and the State
of Iowa is settling with a rapidity unparalleled in the history
of any State."
The Mississippi Bridge, now being built at Davenport,
connects the Chicago and Rock Island, and the Mississippi
railroads; making one continuous line, without interruption
or break of guage, from Chicago to the Missouri River.
The people of Iowa, Western Minnesota, and those who
are to cultivate the fertile soil of Nebraska, will never consent to be shut out from the Atlantic and the great Western
lakes by any pretended obstruction which a bridge built on
the plan proposed may offer.  The bridge will span the
Mississippi on the Rapids, where the current is compressed
to a narrow space, so that boats, to strike the piers on
either side, would first have to surmount rocks which Nature has had fixed as impediments to navigation for centuries, and of which the proposed improvement of the Rapids
does not contemplate the removal. Simply a skeleton
railroad bridge, the draw will always be up, save when the
cars are actually crossing; which never can occur when a
steamboat is passing, except by the grossest negligence.
For the reasons thus concisely given, we argue that this
bridge will prove no obstruction to the navigation of the
river.
91 
RAILROADS.
The estimated cost of the before-mentioned lines, for
grading and bridging, track superstructure, equipments,
station buildings, engineering and contingencies, are as follows:
Average
Division.        Dist. Miles.    Cost.      per Mile.
Davenport to Iowa City......  54.92  $1,516,790.00  $27,618.00
IowaCity toFortDes Moines 119.00   3,554,870-00   29,873.00
Muscatine to Oskaloosa...... 95-27   2,557,500-00   26,845.00
Muscatine to Cedar Rapids..  62-64   1,493,250-00   23,839.00
Making, in the aggregate, $9,122,410-00
Several other railroad lines are proposed, and in part
under contract, which we will mention:
The Burlington and Missouri River Railroad, being a
continuation of the Chicago and Burlington Railroad,
passes west, through the centres of Henry, Jefferson, Wapello, Monroe, Lucas, Clarke, Union, Adams, Montgomery,
and Mills Counties, striking the Missouri opposite the
mouth of the Big Platte, or Nebraska River, some twentyfive miles below Council Bluffs. This road is under contract to Wapello County, and the prospects of an early
completion are good. Burlington has recently had railroad
connection with Chicago, "through by daylight."
The Lyons Central Railroad, a continuation of the Chicago Air Line Railroad, passes west from Lyons, through
Clinton and Cedar Counties, to Iowa City, in Johnson
County, where it connects with the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad. This road was all under contract, and considerable work done at different points; but its progress
has been suspended for some months. We understand that
92 
RAILROADS.
a new company has resumed the enterprise, and are hastening it to an early completion.
The Northern Iowa Railroad, a continuation of the Illinois Central, is projected from Dubuque west, through the
Counties of Dubuque, Delaware, Buchanan, Blackhawk,
Grundy, Hardin, Webster, Calhoun, Sac, Ida, and Woodbury, striking the Missouri at Floyd's Bluffs, at the mouth
of the Big Sioux River. A branch of this road is also
projected to run from Delhi, in Delaware County, north,
through Clayton, Fayette, and Winnesheik, to St. Paul,
Minnesota.
A line connecting with the Chicago and Mississippi Railroad (which reaches the Missouri in Carroll County, Illinois), is projected to pass through Jackson, Jones, Linn,
Benton, Tama, Marshall, Story, Boone, Greene, Carroll, and
Crawford, striking the Missouri in Mahona County.
A line running as a continuation of the North Missouri
Railroad enters the State in Davis County, passing through
Appanoose, Lucas, and Warren, to Fort Des Moines, crossing the Burlington and Missouri Railroad at Chariton, the
Muscatine and Platte Valley Railroad at Indianolo, and
connecting with the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad at
Fort Des Moines. A portion of this road is under contract,
and we are informed will be pushed through as rapidly as
circumstances will admit A branch of this line leaves
Fort Madison, passing through Lee, Van Buren, and Davis,
connecting with the Northern Missouri and Des Moines
Railroad in Appanoose County.
The Des Moines Valley Railroad is to leave the Missis
93 
RAILROADS.
sippi at Keokuk, passing through Lee, Van Buren, Jefferson, Wapello, Mahaska, Marion, and Jasper, to Fort Des
Moines, there connecting with two east and west lines.
This is considered by many as being one of the most important routes, as the Des Moines Valley, in mineral and
agricultural productions, is the richest valley in the
State.
Another line, as a continuation of the Philadelphia and
Fort Wayne Air Line Railroad, to leave the Mississippi
at the mouth of the Iowa River, passing through Louisa
and Washington Counties, connecting at Washington with
the Muscatine and Oskaloosa Railroad, has been proposed.
A preliminary survey has been made of a railroad from
Keokuk to Davenport, via Montrose, West Point, Mount
Pleasant, Columbus City, and Muscatine; the entire distance being 703 miles. The estimated cost of this road,
including furniture, dep6ots, fencing, &c., is $1,911,934.
This is one of the many roads which will seek the bridge
at Davenport as the Mississippi crossing. 
We doubt not that those railroad lines penetrating into
the State, which are continuations of roads from the East
and South, will be pushed forward to an early completion.
The construction of the several roads reaching from Chicago towards the Mississippi River demonstrates that railroads may be constructed through a country of prairie on
the line of emigration, and yield a profit as soon and as far
as opened. The receipts of the Chicago and Rock Island
Road from the 10th of July to the 10th of January
were $710,688'86. Running expenses for the same time,
94 
RAILROADS.
$440,764'86; leaving a balance of $270,894. The whole
number of passengers passing over the road for the five
months ending December 1st, amounted to 168,824; total
amount of freight transported during the same time, 49,734
tons.
We give the statistics of this road, because it was the
first which reached the Mississippi, and reliable facts could
be more easily obtained.   Nor is this railroad an exception
-each of the Chicago and Mississippi, and the Galena and
Chicago lines, pay well as far as completed.
The Mississipi Railroad Bridge.
The great Railroad Bridge crossing the Mississippi at
Davenport is steadily progressing, and the greater part of
the masonry is completed. Its entire length will be 5832
feet, consisting of spans of 250 feet each, exclusive of
bearings. The river is divided into two channels at this
point by the beautiful isle, Rock Island. The main channel
is on the Iowa side, the second channel upon the Illinois
side of the river.  That portion of the bridge  over the
main channel is 1583 feet in length. The circular-shaped
draw-pier, which stands near the centre of this channel, is
40 feet in height, 46 feet in diameter at the foundation,
and 37 at the top.
On each side of the draw-pier is a draw of 120 feet, 
working on the rotary principle; making, in all, a clear
space of 240 feet for the passage of river craft.  These
draws are open at all times, save when a train is due; and
95 
RAILROADS.
even in that case, if a boat is in sight, it will have the
preference.
The average height of the bridge is 30 feet above low
water.
Besides the draw-pier, there are five others. These are
oblong in shape, and measure, at their base, 57 feet by 16
to 18; at their top, 24 feet by 7 to 10.
There are two abutments, one on the island and one on
the Iowa shore, containing together about six thousand
yards of masonry.
This bridge connects with a huge embankment, built
over the lower point of the island, which lies very low,
containing 125,000 cubic yards of earth, and costing forty
thousand dollars. At the west end, this embankment connects with another bridge, of less dimensions, over the Illinois channel of the Mississippi. This lesser bridge has
two piers, and three spans, of 150 feet each, all constructed
in the same style, and upon the same principle, as those
of the bridge over the main channel.
The entire length of the two bridges and the intervening
embankment is 5,832 feet.  The cost of the entire work
will be $260,000. The bridges are being built for a single
track. Their wooden work will be of pine and oak. Mr.
John Warner has the contract for the masonry and grading,
and Messrs. Stone and Boomer for the superstructure. The
contractors are all energetic men, and are doing the work
with the utmost fidelity. The bridges are built according
to Howe's improved patent, and when completed will be
models of strength and beauty.
96 
DISTANCES BY RAIL ROAD.
This Great Bridge has naturally attracted attention from
every part of the Union.   The design is indeed a colossal
one, and one which can only be accomplished by men of
stout hearts and of iron nerve. For many long years the
Mississippi has been considered an insuperable obstacle to
the continuity of all great thoroughfares, from the Atlantic
to the Pacific. Happily for the best interests of the West,
and indeed, the whole world of commerce, a rare combination of natural facilities at this point, of the resources of
modern science, of eastern capital, and of western enterprise, has made the project practicable, and insured its completion within the present year. Its opening will mark a
new era in the history of Commerce, and in the annals of
the Great West.
CHAPTER XIV.
RAILROAD DISTANCES ON THIE VARIOUS LINES) CONNECT
ING CHICAGO WITH THE STATE OF IOWA.
CHICAGO AND ROCK ISLAND
RAIL ROAD.
From Chicago to    Miles.
Junction...................... 6
Blue Island.................. 9
Bremen....................... 8
Mokena....................... 6
Joliet................11.......... 11
Minooka..............        e........ 10
Morris................1......... 11
S eneca........................
Marseilles....................
Ottawa........................
Utica..........................
La Salle......................
(Ill. Central RR. crosses).
Peru...........................
Trenton.......................
Bureau  Junction...........
Tiskilwa......................
9
97
10
5
8
9
5
I
10
4
9 
98    DISTANCES BY RAIL ROAD.
Pond Creek..................
Sheffield......................
Anawan.......................
Geneseo.......................
Colona........................
Moline........................
Rock Island.................
MWoline.................... 10
Rock Island.................3
Total................. 181
Davenport opposite side
of River.
Nep        r
Kew
Galo
Wal
Wat
Gale
Mon
You
Miss
lii
gton..................... 18
Total.................... 203
CHICAGO,  BURLINGTON  AND
QUINCY RAIL ROAD.
From Chicago to        Miles.
Oak Ridge................... 8
Cottage Hill................ 8
Babcock's Grove..........C               Hl..  4
Danby......................... 2
Wheaton....................... 3
Winfield...................... 2
Junction...................... 3
Batavia....................... 6
Aurora........................ 7
Montgomery................. 3
Oswego....................... 2
Bristol........................ 3
Piano..................              a........ 6
Newark....................... 5
Somonauk.................... 3
Waverly...................... 6
Earl...................               i........ 7
Mendota...................... 11
(Crosses Illinois Central).
Arlington.................... 9
Dover......................... 7
Princeton.................... 6
Wyanet....................... 6
French Grove................e            6
DISTANCES  ON THE  CHICAGO
AND DIXON RAIL ROAD.
From Chicago to         Miles.
Oak Ridge.............. 8
Cottage Hill............. 8 16
Babcock's Grove.......   4  20
Danby.................... 2 22
Wheaton................. 3 25
Winfield.................. 2 27
Junction..............,... 3  30
Geneva................... 5  35
Blackberry.............. 9  44
Lodi....................... 6 50
Courtland................ 5  55
De Kalb.................. 3  58
Dement.................. 8 66
Lane...................... 6 72
Ogle...................... 8  80
Franklin................. 7 87
Taylor.................... 4 91
Dixon..................... 4  95
A continuation of this
line, called the Mississippi and Rock River
Junction RR. is in progress of construction,
6
10
7
13
10
7
7
8
8
8
8
8?
8 
DISTANCES BY RAIL ROAD.
Marengo............... 4   66
Garden Prairie........ 6   72
Belvidere...............  6   78
Cherry Valley......... 6   84
Rockford............... 8   92
Winnebago............. 7   99
Pecatonica............. 7  106
Nevada................. 8  114
Freeport................ 7 121
Eleroy.................. 8  129
Lena................... 5  134
Nora.................... 7  141
Warren................. 4  145
Apple River........... 6  151
Scales Mound........ 8  159
Council Hill........ 6  164
Galena...........................7  171
Dunleith................ 10  181
This road is intended to
connect with the Northern
Iowa RR. projected from Dubuque west towards the Missouri.
Fulton............. 36
Making a distance of, say, 131
miles from Chicago to the Mississippi River by this route.
DISTANCE ON THE GAL,ENA AND
CHICAGO RAIL ROAD.
From Chicago to         MViles.
Junction (See foregoing
table)................ 30
Wayne............5 35
Clinton..................4 39
Elgin.................... 3 42
Gilbert's................  8   50
Huntley's..............5 55
Union...................7 62
DISTANCES ON THE MISSISSIPPI AND MISSOURI RAIL ROAD.
First General Division, from Davenport to Council Bluffs.
From Davenport to                                  Miles.
Wolcott................................................. 12
Farnam................................. 17
Durant................................................20
Graded.    Junction of Muscatine and Cedar Rapids...... 27
Moscow, on Cedar River........................... 30
West Liberty..................................... 39
Iowa City............................................... 55
Centre of Iowa County............................. 85
"    Powesheik County......................111
Located.   1Newton, Jasper County............................. 141
Fort Des Moines...................................... 174
Proposed.   Council Bluffs......................................  310
99
and will probably be
completed this season.
The stations thereoia
are:
Steriiiig,
Unionville,
Fulton.............. 
100  DISTANCES BY STAGE ROUTES.
Second Gener
From Muscatine to
Under Contract.
Fredonia, or Iowa River....................
-Columbus City..................................
o   Washington......................................
Oskaloosa.....................................
Mouth of Platte (21 miles below Council
Bluffs).......................................... 
Third General Division, from Muscatine to Cedar Rapids.
From Muscatine to
Junction with 1st General Division.......
5 Tipton.............................................
Cedar Rapids...........................
DISTANCES ON THE VARIOUS STAGE PROUTES THROUGII
OT THIE STATE.
Keg Creek............ 6  317
COUNCIL BLUFFrS....  10  327
BURLINGTON TO COUNCIL
BLUFtFS.
From Burlington to     Miles.
London................ 20
MT. PLEASANT......  10   30
Rome.........................8   38
FAIRFIELD............  15   53
Libertyville.......... 7   60
Agency City.........  15   75
OTTUMWA.............   4   79
EDDYVILLE........... 15   94
OSKALOOSA........... 10  104
PELLA.................. 18  122
FT. DEs MOINES..... 46  168
See preceding table for intermediate
distance.
Council Bluffs....... 139  307
From Davenport to
MtUSCATINE..........
IOWA CITY............
Mal    rengo..............
Sugar Grove.........
NEWTON..............
Keith's................
FT. DES MOINES.....
Adel...................
Panther Creek.......
Bear Grove...........
Indian Grove.........
Nishnabottanny.....
Pleasant Spring.....
Indiantown...........
Walnut Creek.......
West Nishnabottany
Silver Creek.........
Aliles.
20
22
39
95
280
-Located.
Surveyed.
Miles.
12
27
63
Located.
DAVENPOP-T TO COU-NCIL
BLUFFS.
Miles.
80
83
26
46
20
19
14
24
5
22
11
15
9
4
5
15
13
63
89
185
15.5
174
188
212
217
2!,' 9
2.50
265
274
278
283
298
811 
DISTANCES BY STAGE ROUTES.   101
BURLINGTON TO CENTREVILLE,
DUBUQUE TO IOWA CIT
From Dubuque to
Cascade................
Monticello.............
Anamosa...............
Fairview...............
Marion..................
Cedar Rapids.........
Iowa City..............
From Burlingto    n to
Lowell...................
Salem....................
Hillsborough...........
Utica....................
Keosauqua.............
Troy.....................
Bloomfield..............
Centreville..............
CEDAR  RAPIDS TO CEDAR
FALLS.
From Cedar Rapids to   Miles.
Vlinton..................  25
Waterloo.............. 30  65
Cedar Falls............ 7 72
BURLINGTON TO KEOKI
From Burlington to
Ft. Madison...........
Montrose...............
Keokuk.................
DAVENPORT TO CEDAR RAPIDS.
KEOKUK TO IOWA CIT~
From  KReokuk to
Charleston.............
Primrose...............
Birmingham..........
Fairfield................
Brighton...............
Washington...........
Iowa City..............
DAVENPORT TO DUBUQUE.
From Davenport to       Miles.
Dewitt..................  21
Maquoketa............ 19  40
Andrew................. 8  48
La Motte...............  10  58
Dubuque............... 16 74
KEOsICU TO KEOSAUQU
From Keokuk to
Charleston.............
Warren.................
Bonaparte.............
Keosauqua............
LUBUQUE TO CEDAR FA
From Dubuque to
Delhi...................
Independence.........
Cedar Falls............
9*
BONAPARTE TO BIRMINOGIAM.
From Bonaparte to     Miles.
Winchester............ 12
Birmingham...........   8  ] 5
I
APPA-.,-ooSEL'EO.
Miles.
26
12 38
13  51
4 55
15 70
6 75
25 100
Miles.
19
12 I 1
6 37
7 44
12 66
15 71
10  81
26 107
M.Ues.
20
12 32
12 44
Miles.
is
12 80
24 54
9 63
12 75
15 90
35 125
From Da-venport to
Tipton,.................
Alt. Vernon............
Marion..................
Cedar Rapids.........
m5jes.
40
20
13
5
60
73
78
Miles,
is
6 24
12 86
12 48
Miles.
36
36 72
25 97 
DI STANCES BY RIVER.
OTTUIIWA TO CHARITON.
From Ottumwa to       Miles.
All)in.................. 25
Chariton.............. 25   50
OSKALOOSA TO COUNCIL
BLUroF     s.
From Oskaloosa to        Miles.
Knoxville............. 25
Indianola............. 25 50
Wintersett............ 26 75
MIUSCATINE TO BURLINGTON.
From Muscatine to     Miles.
Grandview........... 14
Wapello...............  10   24
Linton.................  9   33
Burlington........... 19   52
RIVER DISTANCES.
Montrose...................
Nauvoo......................
Fort Madison.............
Pontoosuc..................
Burlington................
Oquawka....................
Keithsburg.................
New Boston................
Bloomington..............
Drury........................
Salem........................
Buffalo and Andalusia...
Rockingham...............
R. Island and Davenport
Hampton...................
Fort Byron.................
Cordova....................
Camanche..................
New Albany...............
Fulton and city of Lyons
Sabula......................
Savannah...................
Belleview...................
Galena......................
Dubuque...................
102
Lewis.................. 70 145
Council Bluffs....... 60 205
FAIRFIELD TO KEOSAQUA, 20
202
.204
214
220
235
250
262
269
299
304
309
321
329
334
346
353
358
364
867
377
395
397
412
428
453
,IIISSISSIPPI PIVEP,.
From It. Louis to
Alton........................
Gr,,.tfton.....................
'Nlilan........................
Wiota........................
Worthington...............
Westport....................
Ilamburg...................
Clarksville.................
Louisiana...................
Scott's Landing...........
Cincinnati..................
Saverton....................
Hannibal...................
'Nlarion City.......
Quirey.....................
La Gran,e............
,,moot's Landing..........
Canton......................
Tully.......................
Gregory's Landing.......
Alexandria.................
Keokuk.....................
Nashville...................
lliles.
22
18
24
42
52
57
62
80
82
97
105
115
123
133
143
155
159
161
163
175
185
190
198 
DISTANCES BY RIVER.
Mouth of Osage...........
Jefferson City.............
Claysville.................
Marion......................
Nashville...................
Providence.................
Rocheport.................
Boonville...................
Arrow Rock................
Glasgow.....................
Cambridge.................
Keytesville Landing.....
Brunswick..................
Dewitt.......................
Miami......................
Hill's Landing.............
Waverly.....................
Dover Landing............
Lexington..................
Wellington..................
C a mden.....................
Napoleon....................3
Sibley.......................
Richfield....................
Blue Mills Landing......
Liberty......................
Wayne City................
Randolph...................
Kansas......................
Parkville...................
Narrows Landing.........
Fort Leavenworth........
Weston.....................
Columbus Landing.......
St. Joseph..................
Savannah..................
Iowa Point.................
MISSoUmlI RIVER.
From Alton to
Mlouth of Missouri.......
St. Charles.................
M~t. Auburn................
Augusta.....................
South Point
Washington 
Pinckney...................
Hermann...................
Portla nd....................
St. Aubert.................
Bennett's Landirng.......... 149
I
103
152
162
169
1 i4
187
189
201
211
226
241
249
256
275
287
293
313
819
331
343
c'54
364
372
879
394
404
414
420
428
433
448
459
468
475
504
5.3 7
559
585
Peru (Towa)...............
Cassville....................
Gutteiiburg................
Clayton City...............
Wvoming...................
river...........
McGregor's LandiDg.....
Fort Crawford.............
Prairie du Chien........
Lansing.....................
Winnisnick.................
Warner's Landing........
Prairie Lacross...........
Mouth of Black river....
Reed's Landing...........
Wabashaw..................
Lake Pepin.................
Red Wing...................
Mouth of Lake St. Croix
Red Rock...................
Little Crow Village......
St. Paul.....................
Mendotah...................
St. Peter...................
461
484
498
508
513
517
521
523
524
559
579
589
617
629
637
705
708
736
786
803
805
809
819
823
Miles.
7
84
64
69
76
85
94
109
119
11,19
Council Bluffs............: 789 
S  STATISTICS.
g~~~
--- ----
8 SS
- 
0 * w-I
').5  I
0
500
.5 
104
9.
or2
o'2 
0          16,546 
4         34,403         1,375          1,810
3       1,436,607     243,574         71,937         19,21 
6 3      519,111         6,,174         7,200          1,150
2       1,535,8141     196,702        57,520           6.9      31S
2      1,606.626      47,8,910        67,442          10 988
9        757,225        31,615         15 651          1,747
0        661,969      469,301        1 2,250         9,"00
JcS.  san,  1,770    256,606        Oat 55'I,0751350
6       9,5,37        35,59 44,375                   6  67
1,179,557      3:3,794         4 015 10,4084
0  2,191,721  1,487 345          374,322 34,191
1,720,529      335,038        83,225         19,  00
1,267,C167         95 070        47.59            3                12,775
5,3 381       34,300 13,850
a1,137,011        15,312 59,6,13                 21,094
1 1,029,S 16     10,741 692.                     506 16.105
169,310       14,279         32 8S6 2,430
2   469,4 0       25,633         16918            1,735
,  363             90
2    26S,84 1       1,008,5a5           15  270
1,768,060     877,530        154,560         23',007
39,303           565          4,952         1,500
934,913           129,180         43,84.5        15,150
i   131,396      121,413        233 626
614,12            8,718           2,600
2,533.853                       129,73          22,619
i'96,876            727            00
1,390
218,883            1,018            682
1,606, 520                       67,468         36,669
7,233 
1,262,143       95,482         45,605         18,439
89,081        3,259
864, 124     149,692         52,504           8,673
58,748          720
670,27,7      20,631          17,200         3,630
$40,772,532  $6,564,45    $2,359 504   $ 1,639,411
I 0 2 9 27,527,106   3, 1  C02  1,231704       253,464
$13,245,426 83 456,456   $1, 127,00     $385,947
Greene,
Hardin
Harrison,
tternry,
l,wa,
Jackson,
&ohnson~
Joles,
Jasper,
JeH'. rson~
Linn,
Lucas.
I ou {sa,
M]a  ison,
Mahaska,
}M'ar ion!
M~ills,
Monrroe,
M~lm tg,,mery,
Marshall,
i Muscatine,
Page
Pok,
Pottawatamie,
P'owashiek,
Scott,
Storv
ShefWy,
Tama,
Taylor,
Van Buren,
U~nion,
Washington,
Wayne
Wapello,
Warren,
Webrster
W inrtesl'jiek
Woodbxury,
In 1853,
Increase in I yr.
1 61
3;5
184
313S
99
G4
136
]09
281
20)6
]32
45
1-9
136
35
64
1,
25.
144.
17.
64
37
20,
051
19,
12,
184
60,
19,
132,
7,
32,
$4,164,
3,218,
$946,
1
7,70(
169       19,844
1,850      259,96'
346      1 33, 45
2.162      36Y,80'
1,44,    347,95.
968      237,i98
563      192.51(
1,778      26,606
1,1135    304,696
3,753      318,50C
1.628    332,726
1,007     219, 1.6
487      163  115
1,691    237, 089
1,687     229,391
366       55,575
728      130,3,12
26        3,127
24
272       64,172
!,384     247,190
171       15 855
916      198 092
507       48,565
350      147,278
1,616     307.'200
146       3S,236
59          720
174       73,993
2,471      310,645
3,012
1,498     274,134
41 990
1,502      216,5S4
1 8 567
663      152,099
4s,675   9, 175,097
27,60    6,977,192
21,055  2,197,905 
68
186
3,320
638
i 3, 189
2,474
1 1,808
) I,202
3,655
2,186
5, 372
3,414
2,439
878
3,177
2,650
697
1,282
45
25
471
2,611
412
1,595
620
588
2,84 1
196
69
266
4,207
11
2,709
374
3,054
143
500
82 586
73,558
9,0'28 
FINANCES OF IOWA.
The following items are omitted in the preceding Table,
but included in the "Total Value" column:
No. of Mules in the State......................................   2,232
Value   "      "  "....................................... 116,955
No. of Sheep    "  ".............................169,542
Value,"       "  " 240............................204,061
No. of Hogs    "....................................... 611,923
Value  "         "....................................... 873,103
The increase in value of property in any county for the
past year, can be ascertained by comparing the items of the
counties, in the two total columns, for 1853 and 1854.
Financial.
State Revenue on hand, Nov. 1, 1852.................
Receipts from above date up to Oct. 31, 1854......
Proceeds from Sale of Saline Lands up to Oct. 31,
1854........................................................
Total amount of Receipts....................
During the same period there has been paid out on
Auditor's Warrants.....................................
Leaving a balance in Treasury of......................
An estimate of the necessary expenditures for th
commenciey Nov. lst, 1854, and ending
1856:Agricultural Societies....................................
Governor, Superintendent, Secretary, Auditor,
Attorney-General, Treasurer, and Librarian's
salaries.....................................................
Blind Asylum................................................
Deaf and Dumb.............................................
Carried over..........................................
106
$8,602 88
114,946 87
10,515 70
$134,065 45
118,542 90
$15,522 55
9,300 00
6,000 00
4,000 00
$924,300 00 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
Brought over..........................................
Funded debt-bonds now due..........................
General contingent fund.................................
Interest account............................................
Judges' salary..............................................
Miscellaneous disbursements............................
Penitentiary.................................................
Supreme Court expenses.................................
State printing..............................................
State officers' contingent fund.........................
State House.................................................
Stationery....................................................
Legislative expenses and other special appropria  tions.......................................................
$24,300 00
16,442 00
2,000 00
13,000 00
24,000 00
6,000 00
6,000 00
2,000 00
7,000 00
8,000 00
6,000 00
5,000 00
25,000 00
$139,742 00
CHAPTER XVI.
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
To describe minutely and separately counties that possess so nearly the same qualities as do those situated adjacent to each other, in any portion of this State, would be a
useless task; hence, where a full description is given of the
soil, productions, climate, &c., of one county, and those adjoining are very similar, the description is not repeated.
For instance, the general description of Winneshiek
County, answers for every adjoining county in the northeast, Henry or Jefferson for the south-east, Pottawattamie
for the west, Scott and Jackson for the east, and so on.
107 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
ADAMS COUNTY
Was settled in 1851, by Messrs. Walter, Bowman  and
Toar, from Nodaway Co., Mo. The first election held, was
in April, 1853, at which twelve votes were cast. Quincy,
the county-seat of Adams, was located in April, 1853, by
Commissioners appointed by the Legislature. The first
sale of lots took place in September, 1853. The present
population of the County, (Feb. 1855), is about 700; the
number of votes 150. The last State census showed a population of 342, making an increase of over one hundred
per cent. during the past eight months, and the gain will
far exceed that the coming twelve months.
But one church-the Methodist Episcopal-has a substantial frame meeting-house, 24 by 30. Other societies
will organize during the season.
The district schools, (under the common school law), are
the only educational institutions yet in the County. These
are susceptible of improvement.
Probably no county in Iowa possesses more motive power
for machinery than Adams. Two saw-mills already in operation, and two others being built, and yet not one-twentieth of the demand is supplied.
One or two grist or flouring-mills are very much needed
-also a carding and fulling-mill. There are plenty of good
mill-seats on the Nodaway to be had for Congress price,
($1 25 per acre). The very nature of the soil and climate
-the high rolling prairies, interspersed with streams of
pure water, as well as the experience of those already en gaged in the business, points out this as one of the best
108 
DESCRIPTION OP COUNTIES.
sheep-growing countries in the world.  The day is not far
distant when that business will be carried on largely in
Western Iowa.
The richness, fertility, and depth of the soil in Adams
County, will compare favourably with any county in West ern Iowa, and as to timber, it is better supplied than those
surrounding it.  The principal streams are the West, Mid dle, and East Nodaway rivers. The heads of the One-hun dred-and-two, one branch of the Little Platte, and the East
and Main, or Middle Nodaways, extend from north to south
across the County. Veins of stone-coal 2- to 3~ feet thick
have been found along the Middle Nodaway.
The climate of Western Iowa is peculiar; the winters are
very dry, no rain falling usually from October till March
and April. There is not generally much snow, and the
ground in the winter is frozen to a great depth, owing to
the loose nature of the soil. Three winters' experience in
Iowa, and I have never seen the frost leave the ground
after winter sets in, until spring. Our streets and roads
are dry and dusty. The months of August and September
are usually very dry, most of our rains coming during the
earlier part of the season. It has been frequently remarked,
that no soil in the world would stand as much dry weather
as this, and there is none that is less injured by continued
wet weather. Owing to these peculiarities of the climate,
no section of country can compare with this for stock raising,
the cold but dry winters being just the thing for cattle and
sheep.
10
109 
110   DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
ALAMAKEE COUNTY
Is bounded on the east by the Mississippi River. It is
the extreme N. E. county of the State. The first settlements made by whites were in 1850. The present population of the county numbers some 5000.
One church, erected by the Congregationalists in Wawkon, and one in Lansing, are the only houses of worship we
hear of in the county. The several Christian denominations have organized societies, and many of them are preparing to build this year.
One newspaper-the "Lansing Intelligencer."
The county boasts some forty well-attended, ably-taught
public schools, and several prospering private schools.
In the county are two flouring and five or six saw-mills.
These kinds of mills are badly needed in different parts
of the county, although admirably provided for by nature.
Manufactories of farming utensils, cooperage, &c., are also
needed. The facilities for getting pine lumber are good,
and oak, lynn, and black walnut are plenty.  "Large farms,
and lots of them," are being opened and cultivated, and
they will remain without a good market for the grain,
until more mills are established.   This county  is well
watered, well timbered, fertile and productive; adapted
to all kinds of grain, fruit and grazing.
APPANOOSE COUNTY 
Is bounded on the east by Davis, on the west by Wayne,
on the north by Monroe, and on the south by the Missouri
line. Centreville, the county-seat, is the principal town in 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
the county, and is situated on the Southern Iowa R. R.,
projected to run west from Fort Madison.   The Chariton
river passes in a south-easterly direction through the State,
and upon its banks are numerous excellent mill-sites.
Beside this, Shoal and Walnut Creeks, and the tributaries
of the Chariton furnish water to every portion of the county.
The soil is of an excellent quality, and the county tolerably
well timbered. The climate is mild and pleasant, less subject to high winds than the middle and northern portion of
the State.  The principal towns in the county are Centreville, (the county seat), Sharon, Hlibbsville, Unionville,
and Iconium; beside which are post-offices, named Moravia,
Mount Gilead, New Plain, Cincinnati, Millard, Johns' and
Pleasant View.
BENTON COUNTY
Was first settled by S. M. Lockhart, in the spring of
1841; soon after, other families followed.  In August, 1851,
C. C. Charles's was the only family that resided in what is
now Vinton.  The reports of the assessors in regard to this,
as well as many other sections, are very incorrect.  Last
year they gave Vinton 307-now there are 509. The
county was censused at 2623, but at that time there were
at least 3000, and the population of Benton is now nearly
4000.
The O. S. and N. S. Presbyterians have established so
cieties, and are preparing to erect churches.
One school, well conducted, with 90 scholars.
ill 
112    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
One steam saw-mill, cutting 4000 feet of lumber every
24 hours. A fiouring-mill is very much needed.
This county is well watered, with a due proportion of
prairie and timnber.
The settlements of the county are at Burk's P. O., Marysville, Beutah P. O., Taylor's Creek P. O., and Prairie
Creek P.O.
BLACK HAWK COUNTY.
This county, bearing the name of the illustrious chief,
possesses some of the finest soil and timber land in
Northern Iowa. It is in the same range with, and the
third county from, Dubuque. The Cedar fork of the Iowa
river passes diagonally in a south-easterly direction across
the county. Cedar Falls is a town of considerable importance, and will become a large manufacturing place. At
this, as well as several other points in the county, the best
of water-power and eligible sites for mills and manufacturing establishments hold out inducements to capitalists,
while the immense quantity of unentered land in the county
calls loudly to the immigrating farmer.
BOONE COUNTY
Was first settled at Pea's Point, (now called Flat-rock,)
in Mlay, 1846, by John Pea, a pioneer of the old stock, a
Pennsylvanian by birth, who has lived in every State that
intervenes between his native State and Iowa, when they
were wild and primitive forests.  iHe  was also an early
settler in Missouri. This old man still resides in Boone 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
County, and with the gray hairs of some seventy years
upon his head, such are his erect form and comparatively
robust constitution, that Time seems to have broken its
billows over his manly form only as the ocean rends its
fury over the immovable rock of its shores.  The old gen tleman is still full of adventure and enterprise, and may ere
long be one of the freemen of Nebraska.
M3ontgomery M3cCall settled near where Boonsboro now
stands, in the month of February, 1847, and for about a
year his family lived nearer the source of the Des Moines
river than any other white family. During the winter of
1846 and 1847, seven hundred Pottawattamie Indians were
encamped in the vicinity of these families.
The town of Boonsboro was located on the 7th day of
July, 1851, as the county-seat, by commissioners appointed
for that purpose by the State Legislature, and is likely ever
to remain the seat of justice for the county.
The present population of Boonsboro is about 300. The
population of the county over 2000. Immigration is rapidly
pouring in.
The present school system of the State is in admirable
effect in all the settled parts of the county. In Boonsboro
a public school is continually in session, under the superintendence of an able teacher.
A Baptist church is in course of erection, and a MIethodist, and a United Brethren church of small dimensions.
The respective congregations are in better condition than
their church buildings, owing to the difficulty of getting
lumber to build with.
10*
113 
114    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
No newspaper published in the county; the publication
of one will probably commence next May.
No manufactories of any note in the county. The mill
at the Rapids, fifteen miles below Boonsboro, is situated at
one of the best mill sites in the county, (it is probably the
best mill site in the State). But the present owners are
pecuniarily unable to improve it as it should be. They
make good flour at said mill, but fall far short of supplying
the wants of those who naturally depend upon it. In able
hands this mill site would be a fortune to its owner. A
steam saw and flouring mill is needed in Boonsboro; no
enterprise would pay better.  None of the present citizens
are able to erect a suitable one, and the rich field is open to
a stranger. It would be the only mill within fifteen miles.
Lumber is in high demand. Boonsboro might have been
three times its present size, only for the want of lumber.
Boone County is 24 miles square. The river Des Moines
runs through the centre of it from north to south.  The
bed of the river is deep, and the bluffs on either side of the
rich bottoms are high, and in many places abrupt. The
wildest scenery on the whole course of this river is.in this
county. The bottoms are large, and clothed with the best
of timber.  The average width of the Des Moines timber
,through the county is six miles. The country, after leaving
the timber on each side of the Des Moines, is level, rich,
alluvial prairie. Beaver Creek, in the western part of the
county is skirted with a plentiful supply of fine timber, and
its prairie bottoms cannot be surpassed.   Montgomery's
Creek, a tributary of the Skunk, runs through the north 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
east corner of the county, and a fine settlement of Indianians is springing up along its banks.
Stone-coal of a fine quality is plenty everywhere in this
county; but timber is so plenty, that as yet not much use
is made of the coal for fuel.
Everywhere water is plenty. Wells on the prairie are
dug from fifteen to thirty feet deep. Stock water is abundant,
and this is as fine a grazing region as any in the State.
BREMER COUNTY
Was settled first in 1848-9. In the spring of 1853, the
town of Janesville, six miles below Waverly, was laid out
by John T. Barrie. This town is situated on the east bank
of the Cedar River, some three miles above the junction of
the Cedar and the Shellrock. The place contains some 150
inhabitants, with two stores, saw-mill, &c. A fiouring-mill
is much needed, and the water-power along these streams
is sufficient to furnish sites for all the machinery needed.
A great abundance of building-stone and the best of timber
admirably fit this for a manufacturing place.
But one school in Janesville-a fine stone school-house
is now being erected, 24 by 36 feet.
The M. E. Church are making arrangements to build a
house of worship this season.   There are one stationary
and two local itinerant ministers; the churches are well
attended and prosperous.
In June, 1853, the county-seat was located six miles
above Janesville, on the east bank of the Cedar River, and
the town of Waverly established, which has now a popula
115 
116    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
tion of some 200. A good saw and flouring mill near
Waverly.   The  population of Bremer County is about
2000. Public schools in every settlement through the
county.  A body of timber, known  as "the lower  big
woods," embracing some 40 sections, lies in the vicinity of
these towns, which, in a prairie country, is a consideration
of no minor importance. This is a healthy and productive
region of country, possessing beautifnl scenery, and excellent agricultural and manufacturing advantages.
BUCHANAN COUNTY
Was first settled by  Ezra G. Allen and Wm. Bennett,
in 1842.
Independence, the county-seat, was located and settled
in the winter of 1846, by Rufus Blelark.
Present population of the town, 500- of the county,
3000.
No church buildings erected. One is being erected at
Independence, and one at Quasqueton.
No newspaper in the county. Two flouring-mills (two
burrs each), and two saw-mills, are in operation in the
county.
Woollen manufactories most needed, there being none
within 40 miles.
Oak timber plenty along the streams, and deep-soiled
rolling lrairies between the water-courses.   The streams
are rather rapid, with gravelly or rocky beds. Limestone
abundant. Soil generally rich sandy loam. 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
CARPROLL COUNTY
'"as to have been organized in Miarch of the present
year. The present population of the county is but about
150.  WVater-power, timber lands, and the best of prairie
soil, with inexhaustible beds of building-stone, coal, and
iron, are some of the inducements Carroll County holds out
to new-comers. As yet no towns are laid out, not even the
county-seat, and the active, intelligent, and ambitious immigrant will find inducements for settling in recentlyorganized counties which do not exist in older ones.
Though water-power is afforded by several streams in
various parts of the county, there is not a mill or manufactory yet erected, and the nearest mill is at Panora,
Guthrie County, 27 miles distant. Wvhat an opening for
a saw and grist-mill! Wheat, corn, and rye in abundance.
Of churches and schools in Carroll we could obtain no information, and presume that they, like the county, are
unorganized.
CASS COUNTY
Joins Pottawattamie on the east, and, like those adjoining on the west and south, was settled by Mormons in
1846-7, who, however, left in the spring of 1852, when
W. L. Townsend, P. Hedges, J. Bradshaw, C. E. Woodward, George Reeves, and J. W. Benedict took their places,
and became permanent settlers.
Lewis, the county-seat, was first settled by R. C. Lambert. The population of the county is now a little rising
117 
118    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
of 700. A fine court-house is to be built in Lewis this
season.
There is but one church in Lewis -occupied by the
Congregationalists and Methodists.
No newspaper, but one needed.
Two good common schools in Lewis, in very good condition.
Two saw-mills and one grist-mill. A woollen factory
would do well, also mechanics of every kind-blacksmiths,
plough and wagon makers, cabinet-makers, and day laborers.
Cass County is unsurpassed, in point of fertility and
water, in the State,- is well supplied with timber and
stone. The soil gently undulating and dry. There is yet
considerable unentered land in this county.
CEDAR COUNTY
Was organized and settled in 1836. The county-seat,
Tipton, was laid out in 1839. Present population of the
town 583, and of the county 7605.
The towns and settlements in the county are Tipton,
Woodridge, Cedar Bluffs, Pioneer P. O., Cedar P. O.,
Massillon P. O., Yankee Grove P. O., Red Oak P. O.,
Gower's P. O., Inland P. O., Springdale P. O., Padee P.
O., Lacton P. O., and Rochester.
Three churches in Tipton-Presbyterian, Congregational,
and Methodist,-society very good.   Churches of different
denominations throughout the county, but the precise number of church edifices or members not ascertained. 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
Four schools in Tipton-2 public, 2 private. Average
number of pupils in each, 30.
One steam grist-mill-doing but little business, owing to
lack of water.
The Lyons R. R. is projected through the centre of this
county, and mostly graded as far as Tipton, and we understand the suspended work on the line will be resumed energetically by the new company this season.
The county is made up of very excellent soil, adapted to
all kinds of farming purposes, and well watered generally.
Timber is less abundant in Cedar than in many other counties. Yet taken as a whole, Cedar holds out strong inducements to the farmer and mechanic, to locate within her
borders.
CHICKASAW COUNTY.
Three years ago Chickasaw County had not a single
white resident-now the population of the county exceeds
1000. In 1853, Rufus Clark, a famous trapper and
hunter, a native of Ohio, settled in the vicinity of the present Bradford P. O., which is in the neighbourhood of the
junction of the Little and the Big Cedar Rivers.  The
population of Bradford now is O00. One district school
with an average attendance of 70 scholars. Preaching
every Sabbath-principally Methodist.   No churches organized yet.
Two saw-mills in full operation, and a steam saw-mill
being erected.
Capitalists and traders would find this a wide and inviting
field for their operations.
119 
120   DDESCRIPTION O' COUNTIES.
Flouring-mill much needed.  Flour is now brought 45
miles, and grain taken the same distance to mill. With
any amount of water-power all over the county, and the
best of grain soil, we hope some capitalist will consult his
interest by contributing to the wants of the people of
Chickasaw.
CLARKE COUNTY
Was first settled in 1849. In 1850, according to the
census, it contained 79 inhabitants. The population of the
county now, (February, 1855), numbers upwards of 2000.
The county-seat, Osceola, was settled in 1852-present population, 150.
There are no church buildings erected in the county as
yet; but the Methodists, Campbellites, and United Brethren have each an organization.
No public schools. Two private schools in Osceola, in a
flourishing condition.  Several schools in the county, exact
number unknown.
Of manufactories there is one steam saw-mill. Steam
fiouring and saw-mills much needed. Lumber is worth two
to two and a half dollars per hundred for all kinds, and
scarce at that. Timber of the first quality skirtsthe numerous streams which have their sources in this county. Climate healthy.  Soil rather broken in parts of the county,
but fertile and arable.
CLAYTON COUNTY
Is the most northern river county in the State, except
Alamakee. It is bounded on the east by the Mississippi, 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
on the west by Fayette, on the south by Delaware and Dubuque. The principal water-courses in the county are Yellow
and Turkey Rivers, Volga and Buck Creeks, and Bloody
Run. Turkey River is among the most beautiful and placid
streams in the State, and is celebrated for its numerous
geological specimens, and the picturesque scenery of its
banks and dells.  Turkey River affords most excellent waterpower for mills and machinery, and is navigable the greater
part of the year, as far up as the forks.   The soil is about the
same as in those counties adjoining, already described. The
principal towns in the county are Garnaville, the countyseat, Brookville, Kilroy, Clayton, Guttenrburg, Mlelville,
Buena Vista, Elkport, Elkador, Farmersburg, and Brookville,
besides several settlements, at each of which is a Post Office.
CLINTON C0OUNTY.
De Witt, the county seat of Clinton, was  settled in
] 841-some portions of the county in 1836. The present
population of the county is 7500-of De Witt, 500.
Four churches-iMethodist, Congregational, Roman  Catholic, and one union of the Baptists and Disciples.
Three newspapers printed in the county, at Lyons, Camanche, and Fulton City.  One needed in De Witt.
Good public and select schools in every town of the
county, and in good condition.
In De W'itt are two saw-mills and one grist-mill. Being
the centre of a very excellent grain market, which will soon
have an outlet by the Lyons R. R., it becomes capitalists to
erect a large flouring-mill at or near De Witt.
11
121 
122    DDESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
Clinton consists of beautiful, rich, rolling prairie, interspersed with groves of timber.   "Second-hand lands can be
bought on better termns in Clinton than any county in the
State, according to their true value."
DALLAS COUNTY
T7as first settled by Samuel Miller and family, in 1846.
The population of the county according to the last census,
was 2565. The present population of Adel, the countyseat, is 126. The town is beautifully located on the west
side of the North Raccoon River, and is directly on the
great route between the East and California, Oregon and
Utah.
Five public schools in the county, all in a prosperous
condition. No private schools.
Dallas has five water, and one steam, saw-mills.   Gristmills and manufactories greatly needed. The many fine
streams that afford water-power in this county, and the fertile soil, producing abundant crops, call loudly to the capitalists and farmers to make investments in Dallas.   Considerable of the land of Dallas can be had at government
price, if applied for before it is entered.
The country lies high, rolling, and healthy, but is comparatively sparsely settled, as the number of inhabitants
indicates.
DAVIS COUNTY
Is the second county from the Mississippi, on the Missouri State line, and is settled to a great extent by immigrants from Missouri and Illinois. The principal streams 
DESCRIPTIO  N OF COUNTIES.
watering the county are the north and south branches of
the Waukindaun, and the Fox River, which, with several
smaller streams, have their rise in the county, passing
through Missouri  to the MIississippi.  The  Des  Mioines
River runs diagonally across the north-east corner of the
county, several of whose tributaries traverse the county.
The principal towns in Davis County are Bloomfield,(the
county-seat,) Troy, Drakesville, Nottingham, and Miount
Calvary, and small settlements, the post-offices of which are
named Oak Spring, Soap Creek, Salt Creek, Pleasant View,
Taylor, Troy, Dover, Pulaski, Stringtown, M3onterey, Savannah, Roscoe, and Del Norte.
There are 14,320 acres of unentered land in Davis
County.   For a description of the soil see Monroe-the
soil in the two counties being similar.
DES MOINES COUNTY
Was first settled in 1832, by David Tothers, who settled three miles south-west of what is now Burlington.
The next settlement was made by S. S. White and Amzi
Doolittle, who were the proprietors of the original town.
Additions were laid out in the order in which they are
named: in 1836, by David Rorer, Amos Ladd, Enoch
Wade,  Isaac Leffler, G. W. Kelley, and others since.
Population between 8 and 9000.
There are eleven houses of worship, viz.: two Roman
Catholic, one Episcopal, two Methodist Episcopal, one
German Methodist, one German Lutheran, one Congrega
I 1-1,I) 
124    DDESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
tional, one Baptist, and one Presbyterian. There are also
three congregations who intend erecting houses of worship
soon, viz.: Second Presbyterian, Cumberland Presbyterian,
and Christian.
"Iowa State Gazette," weekly and tri-weekly; "llawkeye,"
same;  " Telegraph," daily and weekly; "Iowa Farmer,"
monthly, are published in this county.
Two large public school-houses, costing over $4000 each,
in which eight schools are taught. There are also quite a
number of private schools, all in a flourishing condition;
and the Baptist University, of which an account is published
on another page.
They have two machine and engine manufactories, two
foundries, one planing mill, two steam flouring-mills, four
sash, door and blind factories, three steam saw-mills, one
shingle factory, one steam match factory, two furniture manufactories; two coach, five wagon, two plough, one brush,
one candle, and one starch factory; two large pork packing
establishments,  three  banking  houses, six hotels, three
plank roads.  Railroad connection with Chicago.  Burling,ton and MIissouri River railroad will be finished to 3It.
Pleasant this summner-almost entirely graded to Ottumnwa
now.   They have  several large bakleries.   An  oil and
paper mill no doubt would do well thlere.
The opening of the railroad between Chicago and Burlington has given a new impetus to the latter city, and the
population and business of the place will increase more
during the present year than it has in any three years
heretofore. 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
The people of Burlington are industrious and energetic,
and their intelligence and literary taste may be judged of
from the fact that the most extensive, if not the only His torical and Geological Society of the State, is located at
this place. We are indebted to one of its gentlemanly
members for a brief history of this institution, which fol lows:   " The IoLwa Historical and  Geological Institute was or ganized December 18th, 1843, and incorporated December
31st, 1850.  Its effects were destroyed  by fire, January
16th, 1853.   Its object is to collect and preserve, and to
open to the public, historical matter of all kinds, more
especially that relating to Iowa, a general library, maps,
charts, drawings, pictures, statuary, and a cabinet of natural
history, also-to sustain public lectures. When the cabinet and library were destroyed by fire, the Institute was
in a flourishing condition, having about 800 volumes in
the library, 2000 pamphlets, files of newspapers since the
organization of the Territory and State, and a great many
papers pertaining to the early history and settlement of
the State, about 4000 specimens illustrative of the geology
of this State, an herbarium containing the greater portion
of the plants found in the State, also a number of specimens illustrative of the zoology of the State; and a large
collection of Indian relics, numbering about 400, among
which were included nearly all the paraphernalia of Black
Hawk. The loss sustained was irreparable, and for some
time it was difficult to keep the Institute alive. For the last
year, the Institute has been in a very flourishing condition;
11*
125 
126   DDESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
much so that a thorough re-organization was
The present officers are  "Pi~esiclcet, DAVID RORER.
T'ice-Presi(lent, WITILLIAM THIOMPSON.
Coedesponidi?g Secretary, JOHN IH. RAUCH
Recording Secretary, A. D. GREEN.
Treasturer, LUKE  PALMER.
Librarian, C. C. CLOUTMAN."
DUBUQUE COUNTY.
Dubuque is one of the oldest counties in the State, being
one of the two original Districts, from which the principal
eastern counties of the State were formed.   It embraces
the most noted portions of the mineral region, and, singular
as it may appear, though in the very heart of the mineral
region, the soil is generally of the most productive character, yielding large crops of grain.  Few countries in the
world possess the combined advantages of a soil rich in fertility, and at the same time underlaid with inexhaustible
veins of lead ore.  Lead is the great staple of export, as
will be seen by the annexed statistics.  Copper and zinc
have also been discovered, but not in sufficient quantities
to induce capitalists to enlist in the work of developing
them.   Several valuable lodes or veins of lead were discovered during the past winter.
The country west of Dubuque City is strikingly beautiful, and well watered. It is a rolling prairie, interspersed
with groves of timber, while along the small streams run
in fact, so
necessary. 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
ning from north to south there are large bodies of good
timber, and  extensive  water-power.   Several  adjoining
counties, as well as Dubuque, are well settled-the land arl
entered by actual settlers. Mineral lots are laid off in almost
,very conceivable shape, and contain about ten acres each.
The city of Dubuque, one of the largest and most densely
populated in the State, is handsomely situated upon a na tural terrace.  The streets run parallel to each other, and
owing to the peculiar soil at this location, are never muddy.
This city is more compactly built, and contains a greater
proportion of fine buildings than any other place in the
State. Among these the Catholic Cathedral, court-house,
and hotels stand prominent. The city is bounded on the
west by a range of high cliffs, from which the prospect of
the city and county is entrancingly beautiful.
Three daily newspapers are published in Dubuque: the
"Express  and Herald,"' the  "Tribune," and the  "Observer," each issuing, beside, a weekly edition. We have
not the name of the weekly German paper.
The population of Dubuque County, according to the
census of 1854, is 16,513; and of the city, according to
West's Statisties, 10,000.  The number of buildings erected
in the city last year was 332.
Of the society in Dubuque we need not remark farther
than to state, that this population of 10,000 ably support
eleven churches, one female seminary, one college, five select and common schools, twenty-four lawyers, and fourteen
physicians.
This city being the present terminus of two important
127 
198      D I ESCRIPTION OF COU I N T I ES.
railroads, must necessarily become a place of great commer
cial importance.
Good investments can be made in the establishing, at
Dubuque, of manufactories of Red and White Lead, Lead
Pipe, Shot, and Sheet Lead. Capitalists should investigate
this matter.
From the following statistics, the reader may judge of
the commercial importance of the City of Dubuque:
Total Tonnage.
Imports to Dubuque in 1853....... 32,007
"1     " 1       1854.......    97,633
Increase..................... 65,626
Exports from Dubuque, in 1853...
"            "         1854...
$1,006,710
1,573,408 30
$566,698 05
Increase.....................
Lead exported in 1854...............
Iron, Steel, and Nails exp. in 1854
Flour exported in 1854..............
Wheat exported in 1854.............
Corn exported in 1854...............
We invite the reader's particular attention to the following comparative table of immigration, for the past two
years:
Crossed the Dubuque Ferry
MIen, women, and children........................
Wagons..................................................
Carriages...............................................
Cattle....................................................
Sheep...................................,.................
Hogs....................................................
Talue.
$2,497,123 30
4,933,208 65
$2,436,085 35
7,482
11,736
4,254
$526,200
192,000
1,200
48,000
5,555
4,385
1,200
180
880
385
I
in 1853.
.. 6,200
.. 2,404
.. 3,110
. 5,506
300
520
in 1854.
38,400
4,300
2,100
9,518
2,708
6,630 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
The immigration to Iowa, in 1854, at this point, as well
as others, was very large. The amount of the public domain sold at the Dubuque Land Office, during the year, is:
cash sales, 1,120,000 acres; located with Military Warrants, 250,000. The snug sum of $3,961,736 in specie
was exported to St. Louis from this Land Office, during
the year; this exceeds the like expoits of ten previous
years.
DELAWARE COUNTY
Was first settled in 1843, by people from the northeastern states.
The present population of the county is 6000-that of
Delhi, the county-seat, 400.
No newspapers in the county.
The number and condition of public and private sechools
compare favorably with those of other counties in the state,
of the same population.
No  manufactories, yet some  in contemplation.   The
county and its towns are filling up rapidly with an industrious, enterprising, and wealthy population.   Great inducements are held out to capitalists to erect manufactories
of different kinds. There is an abundance of water-power
1i miles from Delhi, and a large body of timber on the
3[aquoketa, thus affording ample opportunity for the erection of machinery, whether propelled by steam or waterpower. This county is peculiarly adapted to wool-growing;
and all that is wanted to make the citizens of Clinton a
great manufacturing people, is to make their advantages
known to Eastern capitalists.
129 
130    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
Chair-making, cabinet-making, wagon, carriage and
buggy making, woollen factories, in short, everything, except distiling alco1tolic liquors, is needed in this vicinity.
This county is conveniently interspersed with groves of
timber, and drained by the Mlaquoketa, Plumb, Elk, Bear,
Buffalo, Buck, Little Turkey, and Honey Creekls, all of
which afford some fine mill-sites.
The prairie is gently undulating, soil good, composed of
a happy admixture of vegetable mould and sand, based
upon a porous clay subsoil. We have an abundance of
fine lime-stone, for building and fencing purposes.
Near Delhi we have excellent clay for the manufacturing
of brick, of the best quality.
Within a few rods of this village plat, we have a fine
sheet of pure "soft water," covering about 160 acres of
land, containing small fish in abundance, and affording a
fine opportunity for bathing during the hot months.
Taking Delaware County as a whole, it affords as fine a
chance for the wealthy, enterprising immigrant, as any
countyin Northern Iowa.
DECATUR COUNTY
Was first settled by some seven or eight families, who
immigrated from Missouri, and located upon the then disputed territory between Missouri and Iowa, anticipating an
extensive trade with the Indians, who at that time were
quite numerous here. This was the only settlement in the
county until 1846, when a company of Mormons settled
near the N.E. corner of the county, calling their village 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
Garden Grove. But few immigrants located in this county,
however, before 1850, since when the increase has been
rapid, and of the best of citizens.
The population of Decatur County is 4020. The seve ral denominations, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists and
Christians, have each organizations, and have meetings ins
turn in the Court House in Leon, which is a respectablesized two-story brick building. No buildings for public
worship yet erected. No newspaper in Decatur or any
adjoining county.   In the county are some  twenty-five
public schools, well conducted, supported principally by the
school fund. In the county are three steam, saw, and
grist mills, and two others in process of erection.   Those
who may wish to locate, will find in Decatur good openings
for saw and grist mills, brick-makers, wheelwrights, cabinet-makers, wagon-makers,  house-builders,  blacksmiths,
tinners, and shoemakers.
The northern part of the county is principally prairies,
while the southern is supplied with a large and beautiful
growth of timber. Though the county is more broken than
many north and east of it, the soil is all susceptible of cultivation, and more than half the county heavily timbered.
Thompson's Fork of Grand River and tributaries spreads
over the western part of the county, affording an abundance of clear, soft water, and plenty of timber, for all purposes. These streams are backed by extensive beds of lime
and sand-stone, suitable for building purposes, and supply
water sufficient to run flouring or saw-mills, the year
through.
131 
132    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
Wildon's Fork of Grand River, traversing the eastern
portion of the county, is better timbered, but not so good a
mill stream.
Along the banks of several of these streams thin veins
of coal have been discovered, and it is thought that exten
sive beds would be found by proper search, but no labor
has yet been expended upon them.
Leon, the county-seat, is situated two miles due east of
the centre of the county, within half a mile of an extensive
body of excellent timber. The town was located in 1853,
present population 250.  The last session of the Legislature changed the name of this town to "Leon"; the Post
Office yet bears the original name, " South Independence."
Decatur is pleasantly situated on a high, rolling prairie,
21 miles west of the centre of the county, and 3 miles from
Thompson's Fork of Grand River. Population between
150 and 200.
Pleasant Plain is on the 3Iissouri line, eleven miles
south of Leon. Surrounded by a splendid agricultural
country, settled by energetic, industrious people, this will
ever be a brisk business place. Population upwards of 100.
Garden Grove, in the N.E. corner of the county, on one
of the main roads from the Mississippi to the Miissouri, and
surrounded by a rich and fertile county, will become a place
of some importance.
FAYETTE COUNTY
Is bounded on the east by Clayton County, which separates it from the Mississippi, on the north by Winnesheik, 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
on the west by Chickasaw and Bremer, and on the south
by Buchanan. The county is well watered by Turkey
River, and its north and south forks, and various other tributaries. The soil is admirably adapted for all agricultural
purposes. The scenery along Turkey River and its north
and south forks is beautiful, and timber abundant. The
Minnesota Railroad, projected to run north-west from Dubuque, passes diagonally through this county, and when
built will add greatly to its wealth and importance. The
principal towns in the county are West Union, the countyseat, Lima, and Taylorsville, besides post offices named
Eldorado, Eden, Clermont, Douglas, Windsor, Louisville,
Gamble Grove, Illyria, Fayetteville and Mill Grove.
FREMONT COUNTY
Is the extreme south-western county of the State.  The
first settlement was at Sidney, the county-seat, where the
first sale of lots was made June 30th, 1851.  James H.
Cowles was the first resident. The present population of
the county-seat is 300-that of the county 3200.
Of churches it has a Congregational, which will compare
with any other in any county of like age.  The Methodist
Church numbers more members than any other; the Baptist next; the Christians or Campbellites are also quite numerous. The O. S. Presbyterians are preparing to organize
a Church, and to erect a seminary-not, however, as a religious institution-peculiar to that body.
Of public schools there are in the county some twenty,
with ample room for improvement in a majority of them.
12
133 
134    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
Here are a carding-machine and two grist-mills, one steam
saw-mill, and four water-power saw-mills, all doing an excellent business. Also two portable, six-horse-power sawmills, four stores, one saddler, one shoemaker, two tailors,
four blacksmiths, one gunsmith —no newspaper, but a reading, intelligent people.
We are in great need of more manufactories and mechanics. A steam fiouring-mill would do a first-rate business.
The surrounding country is well adapted to all kinds of
agricultural pursuits, possessing a rich and productive soil,
well supplied with water and timber, and rapidly settling
up with worthy, industrious and intelligent people.
GUTHRIE COUNTY
Is not as large nor as old as many other counties of the
State, but possesses advantages which, when developed, will
place her in the advance. The soil of Guthrie is second to
none in the State, for the farmer, grazier, and fruit-grower.
The numerous streams of running water afford eligible and
profitable sites for the erection of the much-needed manufactories, while the banks are big with inexhaustible quarries of lime, free-stone, and stone-coal, and in the northwest corner large quantities of iron ore have been discovered.
The first settlements in the county were made in 1850, and
the present population is 2000. The principal church denominations are Methodists, United Brethren, O. S. Baptists, and Friends, each of whom are making arrangements
for the erection of church buildings for their respective denominations. At present all meetings are held in school 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
houses, of which the county can boast several very good
ones.  The district school-house in Panora, is the best in
Western Iowa, and a public school is kept up in it all the
year.   Considerable of the land in this county is yet unentered; though timber-lands are all taken up. The countyseat, Panora, was settled in 1853; it now contains a population of 160. 3lore saw-mills, a planing-mill, lath-machine, carding and fulling-mill, brick-makers, carpenters,
masons, and plasterers, are all much needed in Guthrie.
CHAPTER XVII.
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES-CONTINUED.
HARDIN COUNTY
Was first settled in 1851, and contains a population of
some 2000. The largest town in the county is Eldora,
which is inhabited by some 15 families.
No churches erected yet-preaching by Cumberland
Presbyterians and Methodists.
Well supplied with public schools in a good condition.
Coal abundant-timber more than an average. Red
sandstone, and fine white limestone in abundance. Good
prairie land-no better.
Ilardin, (in the language of the pioneer from whom we
gleaned the statistics), "is a little out o' the way, but it's a
mighty fine spot when you get to it."
135
O' 
136    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
Flouring and saw-mills much needed. But acomparatively small portion of the land in Hardin is entered.
HARRISON COUNTY,
Situated on the Missouri River, is but sparsely settled
yet, less than one-fourth of the land in the county being
entered. This county is well watered by the Boyer River,
the Little Sioux, and various smaller streams, tributary to
these and the Missouri.  Magnolia is the county-seat, beside which there is no other settlement of importance.
For a description of the soil see the chapter on Western
Iowa, or Pott4vattamie County.
HENRY COUNTY.
Mount Pleasant, the county-seat, was laid out in the
year 1836, by Presley Saunders; at that time the lands on
which it was located were not in market, nor had it ever
been surveyed, but the beauty of the location, taken in connection with the great abundance of superior building-stone,
and the large body of timber that lay contiguous to the
site, to say nothing of the never-failing springs of water
that gush from the shores of the branch that runs through
the suburbs of the town, induced the proprietor to believe
that a town might be built up that would be a credit to the
State. Nor in this has he been disappointed. This town
now contains a population of about 1500 inhabitants, and
is at present in a more prosperous condition, and is imnproving faster than at any former period.
The population of the county in February last, was
11,i180. Beside the county-seat, there are other towns in 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
the county of considerable size and importance.   Salem, in
the south-west part of the county, is a thriving young place,
containing 650 souls. New London, on the eastern edge
of the county has some 400 inhabitants. Trenton, in the
northern portion, some 300; beside these are Winfield,
Lowell, Hillsborough, Rome, East Grove P. O., Marshall
P. O., Wayne P. O., &c.
There are six church edifices in Mount Pleasant; Congregational, Presbyterian, Methodist, Christian, O. S. Baptist, and Missionary Baptist.  Other towns and villages are
proportionally well supplied with churches, all of which
are well attended, and in a healthy condition. In point
of morality and sobriety, the community of Mount Pleasant are unsurpassed in the State.
Henry  County supports two newspapers: "The  Iowa
Observer," Whig, and the "Iowa True Democrat," FreeSoil-both published at the county-seat.
Mount Pleasant has been named and known heretofore,
as the point possessing and offering greater educational
advantages than any other place in the State, and she has yet
no rival in this respect except Davenport.  The "'Iowa Wesleyan University," under the control of the M. E. Church,
is a Collegiate Institute of the first grade, has 150 students,
and is in full and successful operation under the management of Prof. James Harlan, with competant assistants.
The "Mt. Pleasant High School and Female Academy,"
under the management of Prof. S. L. Howe, a teacher of
acknowledged ability and experience has an average attendance of 100 pupils. The well-merited reputation of this
12*
137 
138    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
school at home and abroad is attested by the patronage it
receives. A Select School for Young Ladies, under the
superintendance of Rev. B. Wall, and  taught  by Mrs.
Wall and Miss McHarg, has recently been opened, which
bids fair to become a Female Seminary of usefulness and
extensive patronage. The town and county is well supplied
with well-attended and ably-conducted common schools.
There are at present no manufactories of importance in
Henry County. Steam flouring and saw-mills, a foundry,
and a carding and fulling-mill are much needed, and would
prove good investments. Coal, in considerable quantities,
has been found on both sides of the Skunk river, also inexhaustible quarries of the very best building stone near
Mt. Pleasant. The Burlington and Wisconsin River railroad will be finished to Mt. Pleasant during the present
year. The Muscatine and Keokuk railroad also touches
Mt. Pleasant.
At the late session of the Legislature, the Iowa Insane
Asylum was located at Mt. Pleasant, and fifty thousand
dollars appropriated for the erection of the building.
The soil of Henry is second in quality to that of no
other county in the State.  The land is well watered, all
entered, and rapidly filling up with a highly intellectual
and industrious class of citizens.
IOWA COUNTY,
North of Keokuk, and west of Johnson, is well sup.
plied with timber along the Iowa River, which stream, with
the north fork of English River, Old Man's Creek, Beaver 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
and Richmond Creeks, affords an abundance of water for all
purposes. The soil is admirably adapted for farming and
grazing. The county seat, Marengo, is situated upon the
Iowa River, in the northern part of the county. There are
settlements at Kozta, I-Homestead, Downard, Millersburg
and North English Post Offices. The Mississippi and Missouri railroad passes through almost the centre of the
county.
JACKSON COUNTY
Comprises in area fourteen full and six fractional townships of land. The principal towns in the county are
Andrew, Bellevue, Wickliffe, Fulton, Maquoketa, Bridgeport, and some seventeen P.O. settlements beside.
The character of the soil is rich and fertile, and the
ranging heights and diversified scenery on the banks of its
numerous water-courses present an abundance of beautiful
building-sites.
A railroad is in contemplation, and partly graded from
Galena to a point directly opposite Bellevue, but it is uncertain when it will be completed.
Flouring and saw-mills are in active and profitable operation in different parts of the county, but it is impossible
to obtain from their proprietors even an approximate estimate of their profits.
At Bellevue, are excellent openings and good sites for
two more steam saw-mills and a planing-mill. Lumber
for building finds very ready sale as fast as manufactured,
and lumber for sawing is easily obtained. A small iron
139 
140    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
foundry, an extensive wagon-making establishment, and a
cooper's establishment, would all do well in Jackson.
Jackson is one of the best watered counties in the State,
and is well supplied with timber, principally white oak, black
walnut, ash, hickory, elm, maple, white walnut, and bass wood. Water-power, unsurpassed for manufacturing pur poses: upon several of the streams are already erected
flouring and saw-mills, and others are in progress of erection. The county is also one of the best for agricultural
purposes,in the State, and second to none for stock raising.
The soil in the valleys is a first rate black sandy
loam (several feet in depth), and yields heavy crops of
corn; the ridges are generally second and third rate soil,
with a subsoil of clay, or in some instances ferruginous
sand, and produce fine crops of wheat. Potatoes and
other root crops, as well as vegetables and vines, all flourish
luxuriantly. The rocks of the county are what belong to
the "Upper 3Iagnesian Limestone" formation; are well
adapted for building purposes, and make a superior quality
of lime.
Iron ore is found in various parts of the county, lying
loosely on the surface, and no doubt, from present indications, it exists in large masses.  "Galena" (lead ore) is
also frequently picked up in different parts of the county,
and some mines have been successfully worked in the
northwest part of the county-there is a rich "lode" of
"Galena" only three miles above Bellevue, dipping into the
river, which can be seen at any time at a low stage of
water in the Mississippi.  It is the opinion of old miners, 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
that when the mineral resources of this county are properly
developed, it will prove rich in both lead and iron ores, as
indications of its existence manifest themselves in almost
every hill and ravine.
Bellevue, the seat of justice of Jackson county, is
situated on the Mississippi river, twelve miles due south
of the city of Galena; the town site is upon an elevated
plateau of land about fifteen feet above high water mark;
it is surrounded by an amphitheatre of hills, mostly covered
with timber, which break off the severe cold winds of
winter, and prevent the temperature from falling as low
by several degrees, as a few miles distant upon the ridges.
This town was first settled in 1836, by J. D. Bell. In
that year this site was selected (by authorised Commissioners, one of whom was the late Captain John Atcheson)
for the Capitol of the then Territory of Wisconsin; and
but for some difficulty between the proprietors of the land
and said Commissioners, this would have then been made
the Capitol of Wisconsin Territory, which at that time
included both sides of the river. This spot had always
been a favorite one with the Indians, and its beautiful
location caused said Commissioners to select it as a commanding situation for the Capitol.
The population of our town is about 1000. The population of the county is fully 15,000, and emigrants daily
arriving.
There are five organized churches in the town, viz.,
Congregationalist, Episcopalian, Methodist, Baptist, and
Catholic-one of each.
141 
142   DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
JEFFERSON COUNTY.
The first sale of town lots took place in 1839.
The present population of Jefferson County is about
13,000. Population of Fairfield, the county-seat, 1500.
A large proportion of the population is from Ohio and
Pennsylvania.   In the eastern portion of the county is a
settlement of Swedes, consisting at present of about 100
families. Their first settlement in that part of the county
was made in 1847.
There is also in the north-east a settlement of Germans.
In Fairfield there are three churches: Presbyterian,
Congregational, and Methodist.
Two newspapers in Fairfield, the "Fairfield Ledger,"
(Whig), and the "Iowa Sentinel," (Democrat).
Jefferson County contains 88 schools, and 65 schoolhouses, 59 of which are frame, the remaining 6 brick.
Total amount paid teachers during the year, ending Oct.
31, 1854, $5,538 12. The average compensation of male
teachers for the same time, was $20 35-that of females,
$9 97! Number of pupils in schools, 3622.
A branch of the State University is located at Fairfield.
A commodious building has been erected for the accommodation of pupils; and is now leased to a company of
citizens, who have established a flourishing school for
young men and boys, under the charge of Mr. Anderson, a
teacher of experience and ability.
There is also a Female Seminary in this place, which is
b 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
in a prosperous condition, conducted by Rev. L. B. Crittenden.
Of manufactories the principal are a steam saw-mill, an
iron foundry, a sash and door factory, and numerous minor
establishments. We need a steam flouring-mill.
A United States Land Office is located in this place,
which has been, and is still doing an extensive business.
There are several thriving villages located in the different
sections of the county, among which are Libertyville, seven
miles south-west from Fairfield; Brookville and Abingdon,
the former six, and the latter twelve miles west; Pleasant
Plain, twelve miles north; and Glasgow in the southern
part of the county.
There are three extensive nurseries in the county. A
county agricultural society was organised three years ago.
The  eastern part is well timbered.   On the borders
of Skunk River and its tributaries, are fine groves of
various kinds of timber, suitable for building and fencing
purposes.   The  most common  are the white  and burr
oak, walnut, elm, cottonwood, and linn; sugar maple
is found in some places on Skunk River. The western
portion of the county is principally prairie, interspersed
with some groves of timber, and is well adapted to cultivation, as no portion of that land is too broken, and none too
flat, for cultivation.
There is no land of any consequence in this county that
is not already taken up. Much good land is owned by
non-residents.
143 
144    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
F,rmns in the hands of residents are beginning to assume
all lthe appearances of extensive and tasteful cultivation.
There are extensive beds of coal in different sections of
the county. Also lime-stone is found along the borders of
some creeks.
JOHNSON COUNTY.
Iowa City is the county-seat of Johnson County, and
until the last session of the legislature, was the capital of
the state.  At that session a bill was passed, removing the
seat of government to Fort Des Moines, in Polk County,
some hundred and twenty miles further west; and providing for the erection of temporary public buildings, to be
approved by the governor, before a session of the General
Assembly will be holden there.
The present State House is not entirely finished, but is
an elegant edifice of stone; capacious, well adapted to
legislative and other public purposes, and an ornament to
the city.  This building, with its extensive grounds, is a
grant to the State University, and will be appropriated to
its use immediately upon the removal of the State offices
and legislative sessions.
The University has an ample fund, and is now in operation in this city; well provided with competent professors,
and temporarily occupying what is known as the Mechanics'
Academy. The number of students is at present but about
forty, as the first session was opened only on the first Monday of March last.
Besides this infant institution, strong in resources and 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
promises, there is the Female Collegiate Institute, in suc cessful operation.   This institution has been reared to its
present prosperity, principally under the auspices of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in this city and other
portions of the State. The building designed for this semi nary, will be completed, probably, during the present year,
and no expense will be spared to render it equal in archi tectural beauty and finish to any in Iowa.
There is, also, the City Union School, with a principal
and three assistants, besides numerous private schools, all
thriving finely.  There is no town in the state better sup plied with educational advantages, considering its population.
There are two newspapers published in this city, the
Repvblican, a Whig, and the Cavital Reporter, a Democratic journal; connected with both of which are flourishing job-printing offices. By an act of the last Legislature,
also, the State Printer will hold his office here, until the
final removal of the seat of government.
A steam grist-mill is now operating successfully in this
city; amount of business not known, as it has just commenced operations. Another is to be erected on the west
side of the Iowa River the present season. About three
miles west of town, or north-west, are Clarke's flouringmills, clearing their owners at least $10,000 per annum.
The manufactories most needed here are a paper-mill,
plow and wagon factory, wool-carding machines. A good
foundry and brick-yard would also pay well.
The city is well stocked with churches, there being
no less than seven church edifices, and eight religious
13
145 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
societies. Of these, there are one Baptist, built of brick in
superior style; an Old School Presbyterian, Methodist,Protestant Methodist, Catholic, and Universalist, also of
brick, and very creditable structures; and the New School
Presbyterian, a neat stone edifice. The Episcopal Society
worships in the basement of the Methodist Church.
According to the census of 1854, the population of the
city was 3083; which is probably nearer four than three
thousand at the present time.  It is situated at the conjunction of two great contemplated railroad routes: the one
from Davenport, of which the present year will doubtless
witness the completion to this point - and the Lyons road,
in which the city is also deeply interested, which will probably be finished in at least fifteen months.
The county is one of the finest agricultural counties in
the State-well adapted for stock raising; also wheat, corn,
and potatoes. A flourishing Agricultural Society of two
years' standing is organized, and an immense interest is
awakened in its behalf. The population at the last census
was 8446, which is increasing at an astonishing rate.
JASPER COUNTY
Is bounded on the east by Poweshiek, west by Polk,
north by Marshall, and south by Marion and a portion of
Mahaska Counties. In no county in the State, perhaps, is
there better soil for all purposes than in Jasper.
The following description of this section of country we
insert, from a communication  to the "Iowa  City Reporter":
146 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
"Probably no portion of our State surpasses Central
Iowa in point of beauty, fertility, healthfulness of climate,
and the thriftiness of its inhabitants.
" The eye is pleased with the alternation of oak openings, timber land, and the crystal streams that murmur
along their channels, guttered out of the prairies. A few
years have elapsed since this portion of our State was
marked by the Red man's track and the simple wigwam.
Then the rich agricultural resources of Central Iowa were
unknown to thousands who have since found homes in the
"Prairie Land."  Here the spirit of American enterprise
has found a wide field for action, and, by its magic power,
the hidden wealth that lies in the fat hill-sides is beginning
to flow into the lap of Western industry. The wigwam
has given place to the pioneer's home, and the sound of the
Indian rifle has died away, and nought is heard but the
sound of busy industry. Yes, a new people, possessing a
new spirit, are now on the prairies of Central Iowa, grappling with the "strong-holds" of Nature, and building up
towns and cities on the ground where a few short years
ago was seen a collection of wigwams. The contemplated
line of railroad from Davenport to the MIissouri River runs
through this portion of our State, and truly a great artery
of trade will be demanded by the rapid growth of Western
Iowa. Nowhere in the West has the hand of Wrestern industry effected greater changes than in Jasper County,
from which I now write.
"In 1846, the Senatorial Legislature formed it out of a
portion of LIahaska County; and, in 1847, Newton, the
147 
148    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
county-seat of Jasper, was laid out by Thomas Henderson
and Jacob Fisher. At that time but few pioneers had
pushed their way to Central Iowa, but the way had been
"blazed" by the founders of the newly laid-off town, and in
1848 a few log-cabins were erected in Newton. A more
favorable location could not be obtained. It is on the
boundary between the North and South Skunk Rivers. The
country around the town-site is rolling enough to render
it entirely free from marshes, or anything that would give
rise to deleterious miasmas.  Many have been attracted to
the place by the healthfulness of its position, and the
country around. The log-cabin has been removed, and the
stately frame-dwelling erected in its stead; the "old cabin"
store-house no longer greets the eye, but on the site it
occupied stands a store-house that would do credit to
towns of more pretensions. The prospect of securing a
railroad has infused a new zeal into the citizens of the
place, and they have determined to erect a new court-house
on the square which will reflect credit upon the enterprising spirit of Newton. The Methodists are taking steps to
build a new church. Mercantile houses are being erected
as fast as possible, while those now operating are driving a
heavy business. The mechanic and farmer are also keeping
pace with the prosperity of town and county.
" Large quantities of fine stone-coal are found in the
immediate vicinity of the place, and the traveller often finds
it upon the surface of the ground. When we consider that
this article seems almost inexhaustible, there can scarcely
be a question as to the profitableness of almost any branch 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
of mechanical and manufacturing industry which may be
established in this portion of our State.   Lime-stone, suitable for building purposes, is found on the banks of Elk
Creek and Skunk River; this one article greatly facilitates
the operations of our citizens in erecting buildings, and in
many other ways.   One grist-mill and two saw-mills are
now in successful operation; but the demand for mills is
constantly increasing.  Men of capital, and true Western
spirit, are making arrangements to erect forges and workshops, which, when completed, will render Newton quite a
point for manufacturing."
JONES COUNTY
Was first settled in 1836, organized in 1839, and the
county-seat located at Anamosa in MIay, 1847. The population of the county in October, 1854, was 6300- being
about eleven to the square mile.  In this county will be
found a due proportion of timber land and prairie land;
while the mill-sites upon the Wabsipinnicon are numerous,
and building-stone abundant. Beside the Wapsie', are the
North  and South  Forks of the  MIaquoketa, Bear, and
Mineral Creeks, and numerous first-rate springs of good
water. The towns in the county are Anamosa, Rome,
Bowen's Prairie, Fairview, and Monticello. In Anamosa
is published one newspaper, "The News."  There are also
one Congregational and one United Brethren church edifices, and organizations each, of Methodists, Christians, and
Universalists.  The MIasons and Odd Fellows each have
13*
149 
150    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
Lodges there. The Iowa Central Air-Line Railroad passes
through the county, touching at Anamosa. This line is
located and under contract as far as Marion, Linn County.
CHAPTER XVIII.
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES-CONTINUED.
KEOKUK COUNTY
Is the third county from the Mississippi River and the
Missouri State-line; situated west of Washington, and
north-west of Jefferson Counties. The land is of an excellent quality, well watered by the Checauque and its tributaries, which are skirted with a good supply of timber.
Lancaster, the county-seat, has increased very rapidly during
the past two years, as has the entire county.
The Muscatine and Oskaloosa Railroad, which is under
contract, passes through the county, touching the countyseat. Sigourney, Wraugh's Point, and Richland are each
centres of large settlements of intelligent and industrious
people; the latter place is settled principally by Friends,
or Quakers.
LEE COUNTY
Is situated at the junction of the Mississippi and the
Des lIoines Rivers, and is the most southern county in the 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
state; it is bounded on the south-east by the Mississippi,
which separates it from Illinois; on the south-west by the
Des BIoines, separating it from Missouri; on the west by
Van Buren; and on the north by Henry and Des MIoines
Counties. The county is well watered by the Des Moines
and Mississippi and their tributaries. The principal towns
are Keokuk, Montrose, Fort Madison, West Point, Franklin, Nashville, &c.
The bottom-lands of Lee are well adapted to the wants of
the agriculturist, and its prairies are elevated, dry and rolling. The business of stock-raising has been entered into
in Lee more extensively perhaps than in any other county.
The city of Keokuk, the largest place in the county, is
situated at the foot of the Des Moines or Lower Rapids, at
the extreme south-east corner of the state.  By the usual
routes of travel it is 230 miles from Chicago; 210 from
St. Louis; 400 from the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi; 1000 from New York; and 1400 from New Orleans.
Its position as a central commercial point is scarcely
equalled by that of any other city west of Chicago, and
endows it with business advantages and facilities of the
highest importance. These advantages are three-fold, and
may be treated of under the three following heads, viz:  First, those derived from the navigation of the Mississippi. The Lower Rapids, formed by a rocky stratum in
the river, commencing about 200 yards above the city, and
running northward a distance of 12 miles, with a fall of 24
feet, render Keokuk the head of navigation during a great
portion of the year, until the work of improving the Rapids
151 
152    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
is completed.   At present, in time of low water, steamers
are obliged to unload their cargoes into "lighters," which
are towed up the Rapids, above which the freight is again
loaded into the boats; and thus this city is rendered a
wholesale dep6t, and place of transhipment.
The second point lies in the trade of the Des Moines
Valley which Keokuk must inevitably command, situated
but 2 miles above the confluence of the Des Moines and
Mississippi Rivers. This valley, for a width of sixty miles
on either side of the Des Moines River, is unsurpassed
probably in the world for agricultural wealth. It also
abounds in timber, coal, gypsum, and many other articles
of trade, and these will be transmitted down the Des
MIoines to its mouth at Keokuk, thence re-shipped to other
markets. Of the improvement of the Des Moines we
speak at length in another Chapter.
The third source of business advantages which Keokuk
can claim, lies in its railroads. The Keokuk and Fort Des
Moines, the Keokuk, Mt. Pleasant and Muscatine, and the
Eastern railroads will soon be built, and will afford this
city numerous connections of the highest importance.
Keokuk is situated upon a bluff 150 feet above highwater mark in the Mississippi, is laid out one mile square,
and contains a population of nearly 7000.   Its streets are
wide and regular, and are being graded and McAdamized
with rapidity. Main Street, 100 feet in width, is McAdamized through the city for a distance of one mile. The city
contains six brick-yards, two lumber-yards, one flouring and
grist-mill, two foundries, one machine shop, five hotels, &c. 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
Its public school is held in the largest and handsomest
building, which, throughout the State, is devoted to the
cause of education. The edifice, when fully completed,
will have cost $13,500. This city also contains the Iowa
Medical College, a State institution, and a Female Seminary, besides two other female institutes, and a number of
private schools. Six church edifices, O. and N. S. Presby.
terian, Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian and Catholic. One
weekly and two daily newspapers.
The bluff on which the city stands contains the finest
of lime-stone, for building and other purposes, and commands a landscape view, of wild and picturesque beauty.
LINN COUNTY
Is a large and comparatively populous tract. The towns
in the county are, Marion, (the county-seat), Mt. Vernon, Spring Grove P. O., Boulder P. O., Central Point,
Cedar P. O., Oak P.O., Palo P. O, Lafayette, Cedar
Rapids, Newark, St. Julien, Ivanhoe, and Hoosier Grove.
The present population of the county is 10,075.
Newspapers are published at MIarion and Cedar Rapids.
The number of churches and schools in the county, or
even of towns, other than Mt. Vernon, we are unable to
state, but are informed that no county in the State, of the
same population, has more of either, in better condition.
The "Iowa Conference Seminary," is located at Mount
Vernon-has a brick edifice 40 by 72 feet, 3 stories high.
It is in a very prosperous condition, under the superintendence of Rev. S. M. Fellows, A. M., assisted by three regu
153 
154    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
lar teachers, besides music teacher, and teacher of painting
and embroidery. Number of students now in attendance
about 150.  Most of them young ladies and gentlemen
from abroad. The situation is unsurpassed for beauty.
There is a good district school in the village, with a good
chool-house.
Mills are very much needed, and would do well. There
is a large amount of timber in the neighbourhood, for
sawing.
The surrounding country is one of the finest agricultural
regions in the State. The farmers have already erected
pretty good buildings, and every year improvements are
going forward.
Linn County is considered one of the best, if not the
best in the State; and the country around Mt. Vernon is
acknowledged equal to any portion of the county.
The location of the Seminary at this place, in connection
with the real excellence of the country, makes this one of
the most desirable situations for a family residence that can
be found in the West.
We are about 70 miles from Dubuque, 55 from Daven
port; 45 from Muscatine; 20 from Iowa City; 12 from
Marion (the county-seat); and 14 from Cedar Rapids.
LOUISA COUNTY.
This is a rich and fertile county, bordering on the Mississippi; bounded on the west by Washington and Henry
Counties, on the north by Muscatine, and on the south by 
D)ESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
Des )Ioines Counties. The county is well watered by the
Iowa iliver, which passes diagonally through it. J. B.
Newhall, Esq., in his "Glimpses of Iowa," thus describes
Louisa County:  " Wapello Prairie, on the south side of the Iowa River,
is unrivalled in picturesque beauty. It commences near
the village of Florenee, the site of the old Sac village, and,
crossing a small rivulet skirted with woods, it breaks forth
upon the eye of the traveller in picturesque grandeur, terminating in the north-west with the town of Wapello, the
county-seat of Louisa.
"This county embraces a principal portion of the Keokuk Reserve, purchased by the Government in 1836.  It
is a remarkable fact, that almost the whole tribe of Sacs
and Foxes were congregated here until after the first or
Black Hawk purchase of 1832; notwithstanding they had
almost a boundless region from which to select their villages and hunting-grounds.
"Wapello, the seat of justice, is handsomely located on
the old site of'Wapello's Village.'  Wapello was a Fox
chief, who resided there until the summer of 1836, as chief
of his band. There are several small villages in Louisa,
among which are Toolsboro', Columbus City, Harrison,
Florence, Fredonia, &c. Toolsboro'-formerly Black hawk,
-is situated upon the north side of the Iowa, about three
miles from the Mississippi, has an extensive country trade,
and is somewhat celebrated for its ancient mounds and
fortifications.
"Florence derives its principal notorietv from its having
155 
156    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
been the residence of Black Hawk until the Indian hostilities in 1832. Here repose the bones of his ancestors,
where they have rested for centuries. It was here that he
sounded the war-whoop, and rallied his countrymen to the
last deadly conflict, in defence of the homes and the graves
"'Where sleep their warriors; where rival chieftains lay,
And mighty tribes, swept from the face of day."
" But they were conquered, and this illustrious warrior was
doomed to wander, a stranger in the land of his forefathers.
His lodge was still standing at the time the country was
surveyed."
MAIIASKA COUNTY,
Of which Oskaloosa is the county-seat, is a thriving and
populous county for its age.  The first settlements in the
county were made in 1842, on the public land, and in June,
1843, the county-seat was organized by commissioners appointed by the Legislature. The present population of Oskaloosa is nearly 3000.
The county is well supplied with churches and schools.
Of the former are Methodist, Christian, Seceder, O. S.
Presbyterian, and Cumberland Presbyterian.
The "Times" and the " Herald," are both published in
Oskaloosa.
Two public and two private schools at the county-seat, in
good condition.
Of manufactories, two steam saw-mills, and one steam
fiouring-mill, a carding and spinning-machine, with smaller 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
establishments, comprise the assortment.   Manufactories of
any kind will do well here.
The county is unsurpassed for fertility of soil, abundance
and quality of water, &c. The county-seat is reported to
be the largest inland town in the State, and with the splendid country that surrounds it, and the railroad connections
that are hastening to link that place with the rest of mankind,
the prospects are that it will soon be a large and important
business point.
MARION COUNTY
Was settled in October, 1845, by Wilson Stanley, L. G.
Terry, L. WV. Babbitt, Dr. R. Mathews, E. & T. Jenkins,
J. D. Bedell, and E. G. Stanfield. The present population of the county is 11,065-of Knoxville, the countyseat, 600.
In the county-seat are one Methodist, and one Congregational, edifices.  The different denominations are Methodist,
Lutheran, Congregational, Presbyterian, Baptist, Missionary Baptist, Associate Reformed, and United Brethren.
The number of public schools is stated to be sixty-six.
Two high schools-one in Knoxville, another in Pella-all
in a prosperous condition. A college is being erected in
Pella by the Mlissionary Baptists.
Several steam saw and fiouring-mills in operation, but
threefold more needed. Also manufactories of all kinds
wanted.
Soil good for farming purposes, timber plenty, water
abundant and excellent. Prairie unsurpassed by any in the
Union. Climate good. Winters admirably adapted for
14
157 
158    I DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
stock, owing to their dryness and evenness. Stone-coal,
of excellent quality, abounds in veins eight feet thick.
Splendid lime and sandstone, for building purposes, abundant.
The towns in the county are, Knoxville, Pella, Divide,
Bennington, Paran City, Wheeling P. O., Rousseau, Pleasantville, Red Rock, Amsterdam, Pt. English, English P.
O., Bellefontaine, Attica P. O., Red Cedar P. O., Newtown,
Newburn, Marysville P. O., and Hamilton P.O.
A newspaper is now published at- Pella, and another is
about to be established in Knoxville.
MONROE COUNTY
Was organized in 1843, and the county-seat "laid off"
in 1844. Present population of the county 4200-of Albia, the county-seat, 400.
The )Iethodists have a good frame meeting-house. The
Presbyterians are just building a good brick edifice, which
will be finished this summer. The society of Christians will
build next season.
Here are one steam mill, one plough manufactory, a
carding machine, and a full supply of stores and of professional men.
The only newspaper in the county is the "Albia Free
Press."
One public and one private school in Albia, each in a
flourishing condition.
Steam flouring-mills, saw-mills, coopering establishments,
cabinet-ware manufactories, and any number of industrious 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
mechanics are greatly needed here.  At present the cooperage for pork, lard and flour, is obtained from a great distance, at decided disadvantage.
This county is as well watered as any portion of the
State. The principal streams which have their rise in, or
pass through the county, are Cedar Creek, Whippoorwill
Creek, WThite's Creek, and Coal Creek; the three latter, with
numerous smaller streams, emptying into Cedar Creek, render it of proper size and power for mill-sites, and there are
now five mills erected on this stream, doing business more
than half the year. Bluff's, Gray's, Miller's, Avery's, and
Soap Creeks, are each, streams of some size, and skirted
with timber averaging nearly a mile in width.
Throughout the county the soil is very good; the prairies
are small, high, and fertile. An abundance of timber, coal,
and limestone may be found in most parts of the county.
The best land is entered, but claims to some of the very
best can be bought at from five to ten dollars per acre.
The county is increasing in numbers very rapidly, and
offers great inducements to manufacturers, mechanics,
farmers, and citizens of all classes.
MILLS COUNTY.
Glenwood, the county-seat, was first settled by the Mormons, in 1847, and this was about the first settlement in
the county; but that population has long since been
almost entirely supplanted by people from Michigan, New
York, Ohio, and Missouri.
The present population of the town is about seven hundred - that of the county about five thousand.
159 
160   DESCRIPTION OF COUIJNTIES.
There are three churches in the place, viz.: Methodist,
Congregationalist, and Presbyterian (Old School); in the
county, ten churches, same denominations.
Two newspapers published in the county: the "Glenwood
Times," and the " St. MIary's Gazette."
There are a large Union School and two District
Schools in the town, and about twenty common schools in
the county, all in a flourishing condition, and supplied
with good teachers.  There is still a great demand for
teachers.
They have one flouring and two saw-mills- the two
latter driven by steam. There are fifteen mills in the county,
one  carding-machine, and  a shingle mill.   All of the
above-named are over-stocked with business, and there is
abundance of room for others.  Cabinet-makers, weavers,
cloth-fullers, tanners, house-builders, and every class of mechanics, are much needed.
Mills County is composed of the most fertile prairie,
interspersed with magnificent groves of timber, with here
and there an hundred little streams spread out and interlaced over the face of the whole country, like the veins and
arteries in a mighty living giant.  The river bottom here is
about eight miles wide, as level as a floor, yet dry and
subject to no dangers from overflows. Cattle live in these
bottoms all winter without feeding No county in the
State possesses a more munificent supply of water and timber than Mills. Owing to its geographical position, immediately opposite the mouth of the great Platte River, it may
safely be said that the county, in interest and importance, is 
I. 
~Q~;~                     ~
i f
CONCRETIONS IN CARBONIFEROUS SANDSTONE, MUSCATINE.
i ll,II  
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
inferior to none in the State.  It has not its equal in any
State for perfect adaptation to agricultural purposes.  It
possesses a most salubrious climate. There is plenty of
limle and sand-stone in all parts of the county, perfectly
adapted to building purposes. There has also been some
stone-coal discovered recently.
There are four other towns in the county beside Glenwood, viz.: St. ]Iary's, Bethlehem, Platteville, and Lafayette -all flourishing villages.
There is still considerable good land unentered in the
county.
MUSCATINE COUNTY
Is situated next below Scott County, on the Mississippi
River, and contains an area of 432 square miles. The name
of this county was derived from a tribe of Indians known
as the Iuscoutins. The county-town was originally called
Bloomington, which name it still holds on a few old-fogy
maps and tables of distances.   In 1845 the name was
changed to that of the county-Muscatine.  In 1853 it
was incorporated as a city, since which time it has been
called the "Cityof Museatine."   The present population
of Muscatine City is about 4600; of the county, including
the city, 12,100.
The city contains nine churches, with a total number of
nearly one thousand members; two steam flouring-mills, two
steam saw-mills, one stave and three shingle machines (all
driven by steam); seven hotels, two public school-houses,
(one erected in 1850, at a cost of $4000; the other more
14*
161 
162    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
recently, costing $5000). Upwards of 300 children are in
daily attendance at these schools.
Situated on a bend or arm of the river. Miuscatine is fa vorably located to command the trade of a large section of
I country. From the following statistics for the year 1854,
some idea may be gained of the amount of business done
i n              that city:
Produce received in I[uscatine in 1854.
Wheat......... bushels, 393,570 I Timothy Seed, bushels,
Rye............. "      3,176 Flaxseed......    "
Corn............"    121,902 Beeswax...... pounds,
Oats........... "     28,242  Dry hides.....   "
Barley.........  2   0 Wool............ "
Beans.........."        8,550 Hog s, cu     t..................
Potatoes....... "    11,317
The average weight of hogs was 220 pounds.
Manufactured in Muscatine in 1854.
Flour, barrels...................................................... 29,515
Cooperaye -Pork barrels....................................... 9,800
Flour barrels...................................... 56,300
Whiskey barrels.................................. 550
Staves ready for setting up, and shipp ed.................. 1,000,000
Bedsteads (from the l og)....................................... 2,900
Plastering laths................................................... 1,433,100
Broom handles................................................... 50,000
Window sash, No. of lights................................... 100,000
Pine lumber, feet................................................ 2,261,900
Shingles............................................................ 1,126,500
The city of Muscatine is located upon uncommonly
broken ground, and a majority of the lots, either for business or residences, require grading; the citizens, however,
are of that class, who, appreciating the superiority of their
location in other respects, have by art made smooth Nature's
160
716
1,050
57,380
2,228
13,000 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
rough places, and tasteful and stately residences now grace
bluffs, which, but a few months ago, were almost inaccessible.
Two newspapers are published in MIuscatine: a Whig,
weekly and tri-weekly; and a Democratic, weekly.
The inhabitants have the character of being second to
none in the State in point of intelligence and industry.
CHAPTER XIX.
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES-CONTINUED.
POLK COUNTY
Was opened for settlement in May, 1846. The garrison
was removed in July of that year, and in the same month
and year,the town of Fort Des Moines was laid out.
The population of Polk County is upwards of 6000; that
of Fort Des Moines, 1100.
In the county are Episcopal, Presbyterian (Old and
New School), Baptist, Methodist, and Catholic churchesthe latter but recently established.
But one newspaper in the county-the "Fort Des Moines
Star."
Two private schools and one public school in Fort Des
Mloines; the former in good condition, affording a respectable academic course for young ladies and gentlemen. A
163 
164   DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
large District school-house, on the "Union" plan, is in
course of erection, to be completed this fall, costing some
$6000.
The Des Moines River passes diagonally through Polk
County, entering at the north-west and passing out at the
south-east corner.  Raccoon River empties into this river
at Fort Des Moines. Both of these stieams afford numerous sites for manufactories and mills. There are several
grist and saw-mills in the county, but not a tithe of the
number that are needed. Our correspondent writes: "We
need more shops of all descriptions, and, above all, manufactories. We want flouring-mills and saw-mills-more of
them, and on a larger scale. We want brick-makers, carpenters, cabinet-makers, brick and stone masons, plasterers,
and, in short, mechanics of all kinds. We want waterwheels and steam-engines, farmers, machinists, and day
laborers."
Polk County, as well as those adjoining, and those farther north and west, is high, rolling prairie, with a due proportion of timber, and is well watered with rivers and
creeks, the banks of which abound in coal, lime, sandstone, and gypsum in great quantities.
The last session of the Legislature located the Capital of
the State at Fort Des Moines, since which time that place
has been almost besieged by lawyers, doctors, agents, and
land speculators.
Fort Des Moines is destined to be one of, if not the, largest
interior city in the State.
Of other towns and villages in the county, we would  
L'ECL kIRE's ITOmESTEAID. 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
mention Polk City, Corydon, Taylorsville, West Liberty,
Circleville, Union, Adelphi, Harvey, Rising Sun, and
Jericho.
SCOTT COUNTY
Is situated on the Mississippi (which bounds it on the
east and south), and is the lower one of the trio which
occupy a front and centralsrank among the counties bordering on the river.  The first permanent settlement in
the county was made by Antoine Le Claire, in the spring
of 1833.  During the next year several families and companies of whites crossed over as "squatters," settling upon
such "claims" as might suit their fancy.  Mr. Le Claire
was for many years intimately and responsibly identified
with our government in its intercourse with the Indians
of the north-west, being in government service, as interpreter and Indian agent, from 1813 to 1843-30 years;
and in some ten or twelve important treaties, he was the
principal or only interpreter, and as such attended the
government officers on the occasion. His familiarity with
some fourteen Indian dialects, as well as with the English
and Fretch languages, and his being the great-grand-son
of a chief, and his wife the descendant of another, gave
him an influence with, and a knowledge of the Indian
tribes, such as no other individual of his day possessed.
The marquee of Gen. Scott, in which was held the
treaty with the Sac and Fox Indians, was erected upon the
identical spot, which has, since 1833, been occupied by
Mr. Le Claire as a residence.  On the preceding page is
165 
DESORIPTION OF OOUNTIES
presented a view of the Le Claire ilomestead, which was
occupied  as a residence by Mr. Le Claire from 1813  to
1854. In the spring of 1854 it was given up to the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad Company, as a location for
their passenger dep6t.
At the period of the treaty made by Gen. Scott, the
cholera was prevailing among the soldiers in the Fort, and
the meeting, instead of being held on the Island, was, from
prudential considerations, transferred to the main shore,
though not outside of the range of the guns of the Fort.
It was in this marquee that the chief of the Sacs made a
present of a mile square of land to Mrs. Le Claire, and,
striking his foot upon the turf, told Mr. Le Claire that the
only condition he asked was that he should build his house
upon that spot-a condition that was speedily complied with.
The treaty was held in the fall of 1832, and ratified by
Congress the following winter. In the spring of 1833, Mr.
Le Claire erected a small building, or "shanty," in the
then Fox village, " Morgan," which had occupied this
ground for years previous. Of the tribe having this as
their head-quarters, Maguopom was the head warrior, and
Powesheik head chief. In the fall of 1834, the Sac and
Fox Indians left here for the Cedar River. In the spring
of 1836 the town of Davenport was laid out.
Of the climate and scenery of Scott County, Mr. Newhall, in his Glinopse of Iowa, thus speaks:-" Ever since
the earliest settlement of Iowa, this portion has been justly
esteemed among the most desirable and fascinating regions
of the boundless West.   Being entirely free from low
166 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
bottom-lands, (the usual cause of disease), it was early
selected by the sagacious pioneers, as one of the favored
spots of the Upper Mississippi Valley. Perhaps no country in the world presents so happy a combination of picturesque beauties, blended with excellence of soil, and salubrity of climate, as the vicinity of Rock Island. All whop
have ever visited this charming region, concur in expressing their admiration of the surpassing beauties of Nature's
inimitable works."
For some ten miles on the river, above and below Davenport, the bluffs are very wide, varying from one to two miles,
leaving a large amount of bottom land for cultivation. By
the word blu.f,t we do not mean here an abrupt, perpendicular precipice of rocks; the bluffs of the Mississippi at
this point, and for twenty miles up and down the river, are
generally a gentle slope from the top to the banks of the
river, and their elevation is about 100 feet above lowwater-mark. From the top of these bluffs, one beholds
Davenport spread out upon a gently sloping plain nearly
two miles long, and one-half to three-fourths of a mile
wide, fronting on the river, which runs, at this point,
nearly west; and the streets range parallel to the four
cardinal points of the compass.   For miles below, the
mighty Mississippi rolls on its placid waters, curling amid
its many islands in picturesque grandeur, until lost in
the distance; while to the east, for ten miles, a most beautiful panoramic view is presented of the river, its islands
and bluffs. In the distance are the towns of Hampton
and Moline, upon the Illinois shore; in front of you, and
167 
168    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
beyond the town of Rock Island, away in the distance, are
seen the windings of Rock River, one of the most beautiful
streams in the west. The tower of Black Hawk is also in
!full view, overlooking the great valley at the junction of
Rock River with the Mississippi.  It was in this valleyat the forks of Rock River and the Mississippi -that the
village of Black Hawk was situated.  Here, it was said, he
lived in peace and plenty, with his immense fields of corn,
and supplied with game and fish, that abounded in the
neighbourhood. It is said to have been one of the greatest
trials of Black Hawk's life to give up this country, and
not only leave the graves of his people to the ruthless
encroachments of the white man, but to part with his favorite fishing and hunting-grounds. Is it a wonder, then,
that, after a treaty had been signed by Keokuk, the civil
chiefof the tribe, contrary to the wishes and design of
Black Hawk, he refused to leave this lovely spot, the
scenes of his childhood, the sports of his manhood, and
the last resting-place of his ancestors?
Rock Island is about three miles in length, with an aver age width of half a mile, and contains therefore nearly one
thousand acres.  The rapids commence some twelve miles
above it and terminate at its foot. Moline and the city of
Rock Island, on the Illinois shore, are opposite its extreme
endings, and the city of Davenport and East Davenport
occupy nearly the same relation to it on the Iowa side.  At
the foot of the Island stands old Fort Armstrong, built in
1816 by Col. Mason, U.S. A. Half a mile distant, on the
north side of the Island, is the residence of the late Col. 
D E S C R I P T I O N  OF CO U N T I ES.
Davenport, who was for more than 30 years a partner in
the American Fur Company, and an Indian trader. On the
4th of July, 1845, a band of robbers entered his beautiful
residence in the middle of the day, in the absence of his
family, and in robbing him accidentally shot him; he died
the same night. After having lived a frontier life for so many
years, and having passed through a long and bloody Indian
war, he was doomed to die by the hands of desperadoes.
All the murderers were taken; three were hung at Rock
Island, the same year-but two escaped, and are yet at
large. From 1837 to'40, and up to'45, Iowa and northern Illinois were infested by the most daring set of outlaws
that have ever visited the western world. But the supremacy of the laws has banished them from our midst, and
Iowa is again comparatively free from crime.
The Island is now covered with a dense growth of young
timber, of every variety, that flourishes in this climate. Forty
years ago, 3Ir. Le Claire states, this ground was covered
by a very dense forest, but the soldiers stationed in the Fort
and the early settlers of the country, destroyed much of it
for fuel and other purposes, and finally fire was communicated to the bed of leaves which had accumulated there for
ages, and swept the Island of its crowning glory.   The
present growth of timber dates its origin subsequent to this
fire.
" The Island, with the exception of a fractional quarter
section of about one hundred and Eifty-five acres, which was
G,ven to Col. Davenport, belongs to the government.  The
motives which led to withholding it firom sale, so long as
15
16 
170            DES C R I P T IO0 N OF CO U NTIES.  S
Fort Arm:strong was occupied, and there remained a necessity of keeping an armed force in this vicinity, are evident
enough. But the Fort was really abandoned in 1835, and
the policy which has induced the government to retain its
hold upon the Island since that period, is not so apparent.
Numerous efforts have been made to obtain an order for its
sale, and it is to be feared, in too many instances, with the
view of securing the possession of it to a few favored individuals. Twice have such orders been issued by the proper
departments, but on both occasions the sale was not permitted to proceed.  Under the circumstances it was well
that it did not.  This magnificent body of land, lying here
in the midst of so much beauty, and surrounded by towns
which bid fair to become the seat of an immense conmmerce, should not be permitted to fall into the hands of
mere speculators.   But the Island should unquestionably
pass from public to private ownership. As it is, it answers
no useful end to the government or to individuals, and its
being retained by the former retards in many ways the prosperity of the neighboring towns and country."
The city of Davenport, since the completion of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad, has moved forward with
rapid strides.  The present population of the city is about
80S00. The following from the correspondence of the St.
Louis Repubiicagt gives a concise and correct statement:   " We have two flouring-mills, six saw-mills, two planing mills, one plow factory, two sash and blind factories, and
two foundries, all operated by steam-engines, and doing a
thriving business. 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
" The stores, numbering over one hundred, have passed
through the transition state, from general country groceries
to distinct and well appointed establishments, representing
separately each prominent branch of commercial enterprise.
The various churches and public edifices have emerged from
their temporary chrysalis to large, commodious buildings.
Farms of unsurpassed fertility, stretch their broad acres
from our suburbs many mIiles into the interior, over the
prairies, are creditable to the enterprise of our agriculturists, and supplying our city with every luxury, and a
commerce commensurate with the importance of our locality. Our streets swarm with immigrants, our hotels,
six in number, are insufficient for the accommodation of
strangers. Our banking-houses, of which there are three,
are sound and healthy.  Our real estate offices, which are
too numerous to enumerate, are converting money into
property, and property into money, daily, at prices which,
although comparatively high, make both buyer and seller
rich. All kinds of business, and classes of business men,
thrive and prosper. Two abutments, and three piers of
the great MIississippi bridge are completed.
"Preparations for gas light on an extensive scale, form
a new feature in the city's privileges. Our suburbs spring
up with distinctive appellations, and North, Wrest, and
East Davenport, and HIamburg, would pass for respectable
villages, apart from the nucleus.
"Davenport is becoming an important lumber depot.
Besides the six saw-mills in operation here, cutting some
fifteen or twenty millions of feet per annum, it is supplied
171 
172     DESCRIPTION  OF COUNTIES.
by rafts from the pineries, which, on account of the spacious eddy at East Davenport, are induced to touch here
before seeking another market.
" East Davenport contains 300 inhabitants, and has one
flour and one saw-mill.  It presents inducements for the
extension of the lumber business beyond any other point on
the Mississippi river above St. Louis. The main avenues
penetrating the interior of the State, concentrate at this
point, and the i'Iississippi and Missouri Railroad depot is
contiguous to the village between it and Davenport proper,
and doubtless a branch railroad will be extended to the
eddy nest season.  Here, also, the supplies of lime and
building-stone are derived, and the brick manufacture is
extensively carried on."
Five large new churches, dedicated last fall, rear their
turrets towards heaven; a new collegiate building, an extensiv,e building for a female school, two market houses, and
several stores, of architectural proportions, are among the
edifices of last year's growth.
Local.vamz,facluces.-Five saw-mills have turned out
7,000,000 feet of lumber; two planing-mills and sash factories have worked 2,000,000 feet of lumber; one plow
factory manufactured 1500 plows; two foundries and machine shops; two flouring-mills manufactured 50,000 barrels of flour; four cooper shops manufactured 30,000 flour
barrels, and 1000 pork barrels. Population of Davenport
8000; increase 2200 over 1853. Scott County, 17,000.
From the returns of the Assessor, in 1854, we see that
the total amount of property assessed the past year was 
DESC RIPTION OF COUNTIES.
valued at $4,560,459, showing an increase over 1853, of
$, 2,7',546. By comparing the returns of the several coun ties, it will be seen that Scott is the third county in the
State, in point of wealth.
WAe have devoted more space to the description of Scott
County, the Island, &c., than to any other county in the
State, but probably no more than they deserve. At no point
in the whole MIississippi Valley is presented a more beau tiful location for a city than here, and nowhere else in the
WIest can be found two cities of the size of Rock Island
and Davenport, opposite each other, together concentrating
a population of nearly 15,000 inhabitants;-individually
cities of great importance to the West-together, forming
one of the most attractive points on the Upper Mississippi.
The purlieus of these two cities have also been the
scenes of a number of incidents, which tend to imbue
with a deep and thrilling interest, the early history of
Iowa. A relation of these would occupy a greater space
than it is in our power at present to devote to them; but
we shall endeavor to compile them, together with an accurate and compendious history of the primitive days of
the entire State, for publication at an early period.
Since our chapter on Geology was completed, and in
print, an extensive bed of Cannel coal has been penetrated,
"I Scott County, which promises to be of great value to
its possessors.  The area underlaid by this bank, embraces
several acres.  Specimens  of this coal which have  been
furnished us, burn well, are very light and brittle, and susceptible of a polish, though inferior to the Cannel coal of
15*
1 7 I'D 
174    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
Pennsylvania. It is thought by colliers that the better
qualities are farther in the banks. In our next edition we
shall be able to give a chemical analysis of the properties
of this coal.
CHAPTER XX.
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES -CONCLUDED.
TAMA COUNTY.
TIE county-seat of Tama was but one year old last November. In February, 1855, it contained 150-the county
upwards of 300.  In 1550, the county contained but 8
inhabitants-5 males and 3 females-something of an increase!
Two churches-a Methodist and a Baptist-are in contemplation, and will probably be built this season.
No newspaper-good opening for one-we read.
Public Schools in most flourishing condition.
Hlydraulic privileges excellent in the county, on the Iowa
River-also, an abundance of water-power on Deer, Wolfe,
Hloney and Otter Creeks.  We have 4 saw-mills-2 water,
2 steam.  One flouring-mill, with two runs of stones.
Excellent opening for Lumber, Flour, or Woollen Manufactories.
Tama County is of rich, alluvial soil. The prairie and
timber lands are exceedingly well proportioned to each
other.  Both upland and river-bottom timber in abundance 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
for all the wants of the county, for fencing, building, and
fuel purposes.  It is confidently asserted that there is an
abundance of coal in the county, but no banks have as yet
been opened.
I The face of the county is greatly undulating, with a
good proportion of river bottom, two to four miles in
width-well watered. The soil yields wheat, hemp, oats,
corn, rye, barley, beans, peas, potatoes, and tobacco, each
in great abundance, and with but little care as to culture.
Native fruits grow in great variety, such as the grape,
crab-apple, plum, gooseberry, strawberry, and raspberry,
each growing in abundance.*
The Mineral resources, although but partially developed,
are known to be valuable and extensive. An abundance
of the best lime-stone and stone-coal -the latter not so
plenty as the former.
Every acre of Tama County is arable land, and it is therefore susceptible of as dense a population as any county in
the State.  To  the Farmer, Stock-raiser, Mechanic, and
ilanufacturer, Tama holds out extra inducements.   The
locality is one of the most healthy, and the population one
of the most thriving and energetic in the State.
VAN BUREN COUNTY.
The earliest settlements in this county were begun in
1834-5.   Keosauqua, the county-seat, was laid out and
settled in 1837.   The  proprietors were  3Iessrs. James
* All that is said of the productions of the soil of Tama, will
apply to most counties of the State.-ED.
175 
176    DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
Hlall, John Fairman, John Carns, M. Sigler, and E. Manning.
The  population of Keosauqua is about 1000;  of the
county, by last census, 13,843.
There are two thriving churches, Congregationalist and
Methodist, and several other religious societies.
There is one newspaper, the "Democratic Union," published in Keosauqua. No other in the county.
One public school, having from 100 to 120 scholars
in attendance.   There  are also one private school for
young ladies, and two high schools, all well patronized and
supported; in addition to which, the citizens of Keosauqua
contemplate the building of a seminary during the present
year.
There are three grist-mills in the town and vicinity, (one
water-power and two steam,) and also two saw-mills. The
water-power that is now about to be furnished, by the completion of the lock and dam at this place, will not be surpassed in the State.
A woollen manufactory, paper mill, and manufactories
of shingles, plows, wagons, and agricultural implements,
and also a good merchant flouring-mill, are very much
needed.  The inducements are readily seen and understood
by practical men.
The character of the country may be described as being
well divided between prairie and timber. There is a large
supply of good timber along the Des Moines River, on both
sides. The soil is rich, and produces all the crops congenial to the climate, in the greatest abundance. 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
The Des AIoines improvement, when finished, will afford
an uninterrupted navigation to St. Louis and New Orleans;
and at present, even without the improvement, we have
steamboat navigation from two to four months, during the
spring and summer.
There are several towns on the river about one mile
below, viz.: Iowvaville, where are two mills and one distillery; Pittsburg, where there is now in progress a steammill; Bentonsport and Vernon, where there are now in successful operation two good flouring-mills, two saw-mills,
two carding-machines, one woollen-factory, one lath-mill,
and one paper-mill.
Bonaparte also contains a good flouring-mill, two sawmills, and an extensive brick woollen-factory.
Farmington, below Bonaparte, is also a considerable
town, andc contains nearly 1000 inhabitants, two or three
grist and saw-mills, one foundry, and one engine establishment.  There are also several smaller towns in the county,
off from the river, some of which are prominent, and
rapidly improving.
WAPELLO COUNTY
Was opened to settlement on the 1st of May, 1843, and
organized in April, 1844. It is claimed by residents to be
one of the best tracts of land in the State.   The Des
Moines River passes diagonally through the county. The
water-power, as furnished by that river and Cedar Creek,
is abundant, the banks of the streams also being rich in
limestone of the best quality, and excellent sand, which,
177 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
together with the extensive tracts of timber, render it one
of the most desirable counties in the interior of the State.
The population of WVapello was 8,466, since which time the
county has settled more rapidly than at any previous period.
The number of votes polled at the general election in 1854
was 1502.
Ottumwa, the county-seat, is situated at what are called
the Appanoose Rapids, on the Des Moines River, distant
twenty-five miles from Fairfield, and seven from Agency
City, (the old Sac and Fox Agency).
Respecting the Rapids at this place, MIr. Newhall writes:
"In August, 1845, a survey of the Appanoose Rapids at
this place was made by David Armstrong, Esq., when it
was ascertained that there passed at the Rapids, every
minute, 42,000 cubic feet of water; a sufficient quantity to
fill a lock 42 feet wide, and 150 feet long; being enough to
run 28 pair of burrs, 4 feet in diameter, under a head of 6
feet water.   There is a fall of 4 feet at these Rapids, in one
mile; and a dam, 5 feet high, would give 6 feet 10 inches
rise and fall."
Several mills and other manufactories have already been
erected at Ottumwa, which place will become one of the
most flourishing cities in the interior of the State, when
her water-power and other capabilities are fairly developed.
Agency City is situated some seven miles from the centre
of the county, and in beauty of locality, and natural
scenery, will compare favorably with any point in the
interior. The late Indian Agency was here located by
178 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
Gen. Street, who considered it a favorable situation in all
respects.
Eddyville is situated on the Des  MIoines River, in the
extreme north-west corner of the county, upon the site of
an old Indian trading-post. The society in Eddysville is
as good as in any place of its size in the State.  Churches
and schools are well supported, and the edifices and buildings are of a size and character that would do honor to places
of greater pretensions.
WAYNE COUNTY
WVas organized in 1851, - the first settlements were
made in 1848. Corydon, the county-seat, was located in
1852.  This section is very sparsely settled, there being
but about 500 voters in the county, and less than 100 citizens in Corydon.
Several churches are scattered over the county: Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, and Campbellite denominationstwo of them Miethodist-making a total of five.
The county is well supplied with schools. No newspapers.
WVith an abundance of excellent water-power,  Vayne
County invites machinists, capitalists, and manufacturers.
No machinery in the county. Timber is not so plenty as
in some other counties, but the quality of the land is second
to none.  Considerable land unentered.
WINNESHEIK COUNTY
Is bounded on the north by Minnesota, on the east by
Alamakee County, on the south by Fayette, and on the
179 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
west by Chickasaw and Howard Counties. It was occupied by Winnebago Indians until the year 1848, when they
were removed by Government.   Previous  to that time
there were no settlers in the county.  Fort Atkinson was
built about the year 1843, for the protection of the settlements against the incursions of the Indians.
The Old Mission, as it is familiarly called, was formerly
a missionary-station, under the patronage of Government.
Both the Fort and Mission have been abandoned, and,
although in the charge of keepers, are rapidly going to
decay.  The land about both, comprising 5  square miles,
is still reserved from sale, and is exceedingly fertile.
Among the first settlers may be mentioned Francis
Rogers, David Reed, George Ream, William Day, and Wm.
Painter.  The first settlement was made soon after the
removal of the Indians in 1848. The population of the
county is estimated at about 5000.
The climate of Winnesheik County resembles that of New
York City, although the winters are much shorter, and the
autumns very long, mild, and beautiful. The spring generally opens about the 15th of March. The summer is never
excessively warm, except where the wind is shut out by the
bluffs or timber.
In soil, this county is not excelled.  It is a rich black
loam, and has a depth of from one to six feet. It has a
very slight mixture of sand.  Of course, the deepest soil is
to be found upon the bottoms. The county is well timbered; about one-fourth of it is heavily timbered, one-third
ISO 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
is prairie, and the balance is burr-oak openings, affording
plenty of firewood and rails.
The county is well watered by the Upper Iowa, Turkey,
and Canoe Rivers, and numerous smaller streams.  The
Upper Iowa is a beautiful stream, with rock and gravel
bed, good banks, swift current, and pure water. The
Turkey River, which runs through the south-west part of
the county, is also a beautiful stream. The Canoe, which
is a branch of the Iowa River, is a fine stream, somewhat
smaller than the other two, but all of them afford abundance
t)f mill-power.
Trout Creek is worthy of note. This stream, which is in
size about one-third as large as the Upper Iowa, breaks
forth in one large spring from the foot of a perpendicular
bluff, about two and a half miles from its mouth. It
abounds in speckled trout, and is a favorite resort for
sportsmen. It rises about two and a half miles south from
Decorah, and empties into the Upper Iowa River two miles
south-east from that town, at the southernmost bend of the
river.
In general, the surface of the country is gently rolling;
near the large streams it is bluffy, but the high lands are
easily accessible by means of the many ravines running in
all directions. The prairies are small, well watered, and
agreeably diversified with groves and thickets. Washington, Franklin, and Looking-Glass Prairies are noted for
their excellent adaptation to farming purposes.
This county cannot be excelled for stock raising. Sheep
16
181 
182    DESCRIPTION OF COUN TIES.
do remarkably well; already there are many flocks of fine
blooded ones in the county.
The prevailing rock is lime-stone, which, near the surface, is soft and shelly, but below it is hard and solid. It
is always found in layers of a good thickness for building
purposes.
Coal is said to have been found in the western part of the
county.
There are a number of religious societies formed in the
county, among which are Congregationalists, Presbyterians,
3lethodists, Quakers, and Lutherans.
There are a number of saw-mills, and, although on a
small scale, they do a good business. The Decorah sawmill has one saw which cuts 3000 feet of lumber in twentyfour hours.
There are also a number of grist-mills in the county,
doing a thriving business.  Decorah grist-mill has two run
of stones, which grind 680 bushels of wheat in twenty-four
hours.
Dunning's grist-mill, near I)ecorah, is situated under a
large spring, with fifty feet fall of water.
An extensive plow factory has recently been erected in
Decorah.
The manufactories most needed at present are: woollen
factories, chair factories, sash and door factories, grist-mills,
lath-mills, iron foundries, and factories for the manufacture
of agricultural implements. The inducements for their
erection are the abundance of water-power and materials,
and the great demand for their products. 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
Farmers are much needed -the inducements for them
being plenty of vacant land and excellent markets.
MIechanics are very much needed, especially carpenters,
masons, millwrights, coopers, saddlers, watchmakers, tinners,
cabinet-makers, and painters.   The inducements for them
are plenty of work and good pay.
Decorah, the county-seat of Winneshiek County,  is a
thriving village, 21 miles east from the geographical centre
of the county. It is pleasantly situated on the Upper Iowa
River, twenty-nine miles from the Mississippi, and fourteen
miles from the southern boundary of Minnesota. The great
thoroughfare between Iowa and Minnesota, and the Dubuque and St. Paul mail-route, pass through this place.
Stages run regularly to St. Paul, Brownsville, Lansing,
Dubuque, and the intermediate points.
Decorah was first settled in the spring of 1849, by Wm.
Day, who was followed in June by Wm. Painter. These
men for some time were obliged to grind their flour in a
coffee-mill, and bolt it through a sieve.  They lived comparatively alone until the year 1851, when the first saw-mill
and store were commenced. The same year a survey was
made of a few lots, and the place was called Decorah, after
a celebrated Winnebago chief, whose grave is still to be
seen at the foot of the beautiful eminence upon which the
public buildings of the county are about to be erected. The
town was re-surveyed, enlarged, and recorded in 1853,
since which it has rapidly improved, and now contains about
350 inhabitants. It commands an extensive trade with
183 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES
WVinnesheik, Howard, and Mitchell Counties, and also with
a large portion of Minnesota.  The business of the place
for the past year is estimated at $80,000.
A substantial bridge across the Upper Iowa River, at
this place, affords an excellent crossing at all seasons of
the year.
Decorah is on the direct air-line, and on the contemplated and most feasible route for the St. Paul and Dubuque
Railroad.
An excellent school is constantly maintained. Regular
services are held every Sabbath by the MIethodist and
Congregationalist denominations.
The village is well supplied with water by numerous
beautiful springs within its limits. A newspaper is needed,
and would be well patronized.   Excellent inducements for
a woollen factory are held out at this place.
Frankville, situated on the east line of the county, twelve
miles south-east from Decorah, and directly on the Dubuque
and St. Paul stage-road, is a pleasant and thriving village.
It commands a good trade with the surrounding country,
and is destined to become a place of considerable note.   It
wMas settled in 1851 by Francis Teabout, a liberal-minded
man, under whose untiring energies it is rapidly improving.
The place is regularly and tastefully built, and contains one
hotel, two stores, a blacksmith shop, physician's office, a
number of dwellings, and a church erected by the proprietor,
and donated, with extensive grounds, to the Presbyterian
Society.
184 
DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES.
3Ioneek is situated three miles south from Frankville,
and fifteen miles south-east from Decorah.  It is located on
the north branch of Yellow River, in the midst of a heavy
body of timber.  It contains a saw-mill, hotel, several
stores, &c.  It was laid out in 1852, and was at that time
the largest place in the county. The inhabitants are principally Canadians.
Calmar, eight miles south-west from Decorah is a Norwegian village of four or five houses and one store. It
was laid out in 1854, and already makes a business appearance.  It is situated on the old military road to Fort
Atkinson.
Freeport, two miles east from Deorah, on the Upper
Iowa River, contains a grist-mill, saw-mill, grocery, and
several dwellings of rather primitive architecture. It was
settled in 1850 by Daniel K. Kendall, and was recorded in
1854. It contains a population of about fifty, principally
Pennsylvania Dutch. Owing to several large sloughs, it
has rather an unhealthy situation.
Clifton and Bluffton, in the north-west part of the county,
are just commenced. They have excellent water-power, and
good grist and saw-mills.
185 
186 WESTERN IOWA AND NEBRASKA.
CIIAPTER XXI.
WESTERN IOWA AND NEBRASKA.
[WE are indebted to the editor of the "Council Bluffs
Eag,le," for most of the matter under this head.  The reader will therefore understand which portions of the articles
refer to Pottawattamie County, in particular.]
Geography.-That portion of Western Iowa lying west
of the Des Moines River, is the most rolling, uneven and
picturesque, of the choice lands, in the United States. Although this region is almost entirely composed of hills,
swells, ridges, valleys, and bottom lands, thrown together
in the most grand and poetic manner, there is scarcely an
acre of waste land in the whole region; even the highest
points and peaks abound with luxurious grass and vegetation, or timber and copsewood, whilst the slopes, valleys,
and bottom lands, together with the upland prairies, are
the most rich and fertile ever inhabited.
The soil is a rich, black, light, sandy loam, extremely
easy of cultivation, and of a depth of from one to ten feet.
Although the soil is naturally extremely light and loose, it
resists to a wonderful degree the evil effects of drought upon
vegetation. The last season, when the countries east and
south were parched, and crops destroyed for want of rain, 
WESTERN IOWA AND NEBRASKA.  187
ours were remarkably heavy, and seemed uninjured, although we had little or no more rain than our neighbours.
Ti2)mber.-There are heavy bodies of hard wood timber
on the margin of, and adjacent to, the Des Moines River,
and a reasonable quantity interspersed through the counties
northwest; yet upon the route directly west to this place,
timber is extremely scarce for an hundred miles, being
found only in detached groves upon streams: but as one approaches the slope of the Missouri River, the groves and
clusters of timber become more frequent, and in this immediate vicinity there is sufficient for all reasonable demands.
In several of the counties north, timber is still more abundant, and in Shelby County there is one grove alone that
contains nearly thirty square miles of good timber. Through
this region generally, there are an abundance of young
groves of timber, which, if the fires do not destroy it, will
increase quite as fast as the older and more mature portions
are used up. The most valuable varieties are oak, (three
or four varieties), black walnut, hickory, linn, elm, cottonwood, hackberry, black locust, and coffee bean.
Upon the bottom lands, the cottonwood, black walnut,
and elm are found, and in the higher lands, the other
varieties.
BMinerals.-There is no doubt but that an abundance of
coal exists in this region; few beds have, however, yet
been opened, but those prove to be of an excellent quality.
There are fine quarries of lime-rock, sand and slate-stone.
Climate.-Our climate is similar to that of Northern
Ohio, but we have less snow and probably a little mnore 
188 WESTERN IOWA AND NEBRASKA.
wind. It produces about the same varieties of crops, fruits,
and vegetables. The roads are extremely hard and smooth
during all the year, except the season of Spring. The
evening twilights are long, soft and pleasant, in the Sum mer season, usually continuing for nearly two hours after
sunset. The evenings, even after the hottest days, are
usually cool and pleasant. A refreshing breeze is almost
constantly blowing from off the prairies.
Wild Fruits and Veyetation.-The wild prairies are co vered with a rich, luxurious growth of grass, varying in
height from twenty inches to five feet, which makes the
finest of grazing, or hay, and which only requires cutting and
stacking, not being as liable to injury as the tame grasses.
For late feed, the pea-vines and rushes in the low lands,
make feed that frequently will keep stock in good order all
winter. There are various bulbous roots that grow wild,
such as in years past the Indians have gathered for food.
Among the best is the wild potatoe, the bean, and artichoke.  Hogs eat these voraciously.  Among the best of our
wild fruits may be reckoned plums, gooseberries, strawberries,  raspberries.  There  are crab apples,  and haws,
which grow in abundance, and the finest we ever saw.
Grapes are of spontaneous growth, and are also fine. The
plums are almost as fine as the cultivated varieties-large,
delicious and  abundant.   Strawberries grow around  the
edges of timber and brushwood, and in the bottoms, along
the streams.
P'oductions. -  Corn  produces  heavily and naturally,
yielding from fifty to one hundred bushels to the acre, with 
WESTERN IOWA AND NEBRASKA. 189
little trouble.   Winter wheat is not a certain crop, on account of there being so little snow throughout the winter.
Spring wheat produces heavily, and of an excellent quality.
Oats yield from fifty to seventy-five bushels per acre.  Rye,
barley, buckwheat, potatoes, turnips, melons, and other
vegetables and grains do well.  There are few or no orchards in this region, but there is no doubt that most of the
cultivated varieties of fruit will succeed and do well here.
Gamze, &c.-Elk and deer are abundant in the counties
north, and even near here they may be seen every day; there
are also abundance of fowls; swan, geese, pelicans, turkeys, ducks, prairie chickens, and quails, abound in their
peculiar localities, and fish, of the choicest kinds, fill our
lakes and streams.  Wild bees are common.
Coigress, or Uitentered Land.-The most choice lands
in this region are entered, but there are within a few miles
of the city considerable un-entered lands, which, though
without timber, have a good, rich soil.  In the country east
and north, the chances are better, and good claims may often
be had for a small price.
Timber lands may also be purchased to suit those who
enter prairie lands. 
AIills.-A-We have within this county about twelve saw
and grist-mills, but not half enough to supply the demand
for lumber and flour. The county above has some four
in operation, and the next below, six, and Cass County, one.
In Pottawattamie County we are in extreme need of a
good flouring-mill-such as we have in the country will
only make from twenty to thirty pounds of flour to the 
190 WESTERN IOWA AND NEBRASKA.
bushel. HIow strange! wheat $1 25 per bushel, and flour
$5 50 to $6 00 per hundred pounds. Who couldn't make
money out of a good mill?
]IechTaeiics.-We are in great want of many and various
nechanics, but more especially at this time we have no
wvagon-makers in the place, and it seems almost impossible
to get a wagon or carriage mended. If, however, one is
so unlucky as to succeed, he will be charged an enormous
price, and that by bungling pretenders.   Let the  mechanics of the east, who are out of employment, (and will
soon be out of funds), come here, where they may be serviceable to the community, and  get rich.  Carpenters,
millwrights, brickmakers, masons, engineers, architects, and
day labourers, are in special demand.
There are large and small streams at intervals all over
the county, the principal of which are the Nishnabotna,
Keg  Creek,  Boyer  River,  and Musquito  and Gopher
Creeks.   There are a number of lakes in the bottoms, in
which, as well as the streams, are stores of excellent fish.
Upon these streams are numerous mill sites, only a small
proportion of which are occupied. Although there are
about one dozen mills already in operation, there is yet a
great demand for more, and fortunes might be made by investing money in their erection.
For grazing, stock-growing, or dairy business, there is no
legion of country better adapted.  Stock requires little or
sometimes no feed, and upon the prairie grass will fatten in
an incredibly short space of time. The poor mechanic and
labourer soon become landholders, and the capitalist is not 
WESTERN IOWA AND NEBRASKA.  191
satisfied with less than forty per cent. well secured, which
he readily obtains.
'ovow to get here.-Boats run regularly from St. Louis to
this place, all through the season of navigation. Freight
up usually averages about seventy-five cents per hundred,
and passengers (cabin) $15, deck, $5.  The railroad from
the east is completed to 300 miles from this place.  Teams
can be purchased in and about Davenport at fair prices.
Pi-ices of grain and produce.-Flour selling at $5 00 per
hundred.   Corn 30 cents, wheat $1 25, oats  30 cents,
potatoes usually 25 cents, (now 75), pork 84 00 per hundred. Butter and eggs 25, (in the summer 10 cents,)
groceries and dry goods at the usual western prices.
Laborers get from $1 00 to $2 50 per day, (including
mechanics).
Stock of all kinds bears a good price, from the fact of this
place being the great outfitting emporium for immigrants
westward.
Toitws.-The largest and most important town west of
the Des Moines Valley, is Council Bluffs City, which is
located some 3 miles from the MIissouri, (directly opposite
Omaha City, in Nebraska), is the county-seat of Pottawattamie County, and now contains about 2500 inhabitants. It
is a sparsely built incorporated city, contains 2 churches,
M1ethodist and Congregational; 3 schools, 10 stores, 6 doetors, 12 lawyers and mechanics, and artists to match. Lots
in the city rate from $100 to $1000, each, and improved
farms in the neighborhood from $5 to $10 per acre, including timber. Au ever flowing stream, called Indian 
192  WESTERN IOWA AND NEBRASKA.
Creek, runs through the town, and upon the high points
of the adjacent bluffs the country for miles around may
be seen, including a broad scope of the beautiful and varied
lands of Nebraska.   A  part of the city is laid out with
little regularity, it having been settled before the survey of
the country; consequently, the lots are of various shape,
and the streets of such angles as will suit the position of the
ground. Miany excellent buildings already have been, and
are now being reared, and good improvements are rapidly
progressing.   The Land Office for the "Missouri  River
District," embracing nearly thirty counties, is located here.
Four distinct railroads have been surveyed to this place
from the MIississippi River, from different points, some of
which are now actually under course of construction: and
it is though that here will be the great Missouri crossing
for the Pacific Railroad.
In 1846, the Mormon Pioneer Train, numbering many
thousands, first opened a road across the State from Nauvoo, in Illinois, to Council Bluffs, in this county. As the
season was too far advanced to admit of a further prosecution of their journey that fall, they halted here.  Soon
after, the largest number crossed the river and built a large
village about ten miles above, and called it Winter Quarters, (now called Florence). Early in the spring, a pioneer
company of 100 men started westward, whilst those remaining, opened farms, and built houses on both sides of
the river. The next spring, 1848, about two-thirds of the
whole company started westward for the Salt Lake Valley,
and those remaining removed to the Iowa side of the Mis 
W E S T E r N IO  W A  A N D N E rR A S K A.   19
souri, and commaneed a small town, called 3Iiller's IHollow,
on the present site of Council Bluffs. -  Iessrs. Stutsman,
Voorhis, and  enlry IWilliams, each opened a little store
here at that timie, and were all that there were in the
country, in 1849. The county was organized in 1851.
Pottawattamie C(ounty is situated on the 3Iissoari River,
and is about  LI mliles in length on its north line, 3G on its
south, and 24 mIiles wide north and south.  It is bounded
by HIarrison and Shelby Counties on the north, Cass on
the east, Mills and a portion of c1ontgnmery on the south,
and the MIissouri on the west.  It contains about 930)
square miles, has a population  of about 5000, being a
trifle less than five and a half to the square mile.
Fit,tre Pio.l?cct(s.-Council Bluffs is situated almost in
the geographical centre of the T       qpited States, upon the
longest stream on the globe, and dir-ectly in route west
from the great metropolis of ithe east to the South Pass,
and at the entrance to the Great and only natural high way to the Pacifie, the valley of the Platte.  The fact that
hundreds of thousands of pioneer immigrants have taken
this as the only practicable route to California, where one
has taken any other, is evidence suflienit of its import ance.  There are now four railroads from the East pointing
directly to this place, some of which are fast progressing
to completion, and the chain is already perfect from the
Atlantic to the capital (entering the State at Davenport),
and still they hasten towards us.  We shall without doubt,
within three years, hear the shrill whistle of the iron horse,
making our hills and valleys re-echo with its rattle.
17 
9194        E  T EST  RN I O W A  AN) bNEPuA S K A.
Clenwood, the county-scat of Mills County, is 24 miles
south of Council Bluffs, has a population of about 800,
is surrounded by an excellent agricultural district, and inhabited by a thrifty, energetic people.
Sidney, the  seat of justice of Fremont, is 24 miles
farther south, is beautifully located, has a population of
some 500, and has a brisk trade with the country-rapidly
increasing.
St. Mary's, opposite Bellevue, 2 miles below Council
Bluffs, is a brisk young place, and promises to be a town
of importance.
Iranistan, in Cass County, is 40 miles east of Council
Bluffs, on the Ft. Des Mloines stage road.  It is situated
upon one of the Nishnabotnas, has one good water-mill,
and several creditable buildings. There is excellent timber
in the region, good water, stone mill-sites, and a fine
farming district of land.
Cabinet  manufactories are  much  needed  in  Western
Iowa, as very many there fit out for the borders and Nebraska, and manufactories are searce, and furniture extravagantly high.
NEBRASKA.
What is said in the foregoing pages of Western Iowa is
true, in a great measure, respecting Eastern Ncbraska, particularly as to the soil, climate, fruit and vegetation.   The
western portion of Iowa, and the eastern and southern por.
tions of Nebraska, are not very unlike in these particulars.
The interior or western parts are more mountainous and 
WESTERN IOWA AND NEBRASKA. 195
barren, alnost entirely destitute of timber, and really of
little or no value except for grazing. A number of important towns are springing up on the Missouri River, the
most noted of which, Omaha City (the capitol), Bellevue,
Plattsmouth, MIount Vernon, Nebraska City, Florence,
Fort Calhoun, Desoto, Tekama, and Fontenelle, all occupy
a country on the river, north and south, near a hundred
miles in extent, and are surrounded with good, fertile, and
choice lands. Lime, stone-coal, and other minerals have
been found in many places, and this country, though now
but little known, offers great inducements to settlers.  The
capitol being permanently located at Omaha City (opposite Council Bluffs), will make it, eventually, the most
important city in the Territory or State. The place is
beautifully situated on a high bluff, but the strip of low
land intervening between the city and river is almost
impassable at times, during high water. Bellevue, nine
miles below, is the point at which the Indian Agency for
the several tribes in Nebraska Territory is located. The
Presbyterian Mission for the Omaha Indians is also located
here.  Farther than this, the place is at present of not much
importance, and not improving as rapidly as some others.
The first newspaper ever printed in the Territory, was the
"Nebraska Palladium," at Bellevue, in the fall of 1854.
MIt. Vernon, at the mouth of the Weeping Water, is one
of the most beautiful sites for a town, in the Territory.
With an abundance of good building-stone, timber, and
stone-coal, surrounded by an excellent farming country, it
must eventually become one of the most important towns. 
196  WESTERN I O WA AND NE BRASK A.
It is the nearest  point on  the 5!issouri to  the great
Salt Springs, in  the interior of Nebraska.   Nebraska
City, eight mriles below Mit. Vernon, is a place of some
importance, affords a fine view fiom  the river, is sur rounded  by  a fine agricultural  country, and  froin the
character of its newspapers, we infer is a place of thrift,
energy, and intelligence.   This was the site of Old Fort
Kearney.
The following is the conclusion of a good-natured letter
from one of a conrany whlio immigrated to Nebraskla, and,
firndingt it wnti, r -eturned  to Iowa.   Of Nebraska, he
'" lIost of thals t       Lrr;tory Los -a very fneO soil, and water
suficient in places to mnke it equal to lows, but the
almost total absence of timber may keep it back for a,
great while.   On the whole, we are all perfectly convinced
that Iowa is the place for us, and hence return well satisfied to stay hlre  fye thiik that the Eholo territorly put
together  ca not hao,no-half tlhe timber that Iowa has.We l;so think that th-)e Ace thiosnds of acres of unoccupied lands in Iowa-, better situated and worth double what
many persons are claiming and aski::g, wlich, by many, are
considercd  ex-orbitant pies, and in  many  cases effct
stales.                    - conclude  uloD the whole, that Nebraska is
miuch better suited for thie elk and bu.ffalo, than either
for Iandian or white man.  But the Indcians have driven
all the former away, and wisely sold it to Uncle  Samn
being of no further use to thema.   Ite have our fears lest
Uncle San  is hits,'ut if you believe  all the newspaper 
WESTERN IOWA AND NEBRASKA.  197
stories of that region it is certainly a paradise, but Iowa
for mie forever.                          WM.  CURLESS."
Extract fro2nt a letter givi'g a description of the county
between Councci  Blufs and Sagents' Blffs.
"From Council Bluffs I started north, up the bottoms
of the Missouri River; about ten miles on my route I came to
Pigeon Creek, a good mill stream, and improved by two saw mills, and one grist-mill, near the road. From that, twenty
miles, I came to Williams' Creek, a fine stream for mills,
and improved by two saw-mills. The soil and timber is
good on these creeks, and the same may be said of the borders of the Soldier, Boyer, Little Sioux, and many other
streams I crossed. In passing from Council Bluffs, the first
fifty miles, after passing the Little Sioux, I came to a fine
dividing ridge bottom, fifty miles long, bordered on the east
by the Little Sioux, on the west by the Missouri, and these
streams are bordered by almost a continual forest from one
end to the other of this prairie. This bottom is dotted over
by small and handsome groves.-The soil is of the finest
quality, and of a great variety. You find the highlands
producing the blue-joint grass, almost equal to timothy for
hay, and alongside you see the lowland producing the
broad-leaf saver grass, elegant for early pasturage and good
for cattle-hay, and yielding an abundance of it to the acre.
-Next you will find large tracts of good land, having all
the appearance of old fallow fields, and next, but in small
portions, you will see near the lakes tracts of land producing a kind of grass, resembling kam, of the blades of which
17 * 
198 MEWESTERN IO WA AND NEBRA S K A.
the cattle are very fond; the lowlands are covered over as
'liicL as blue grass with large Leds of rushes, on which cattle
will keep as fat asi sals all winter; and to increase the beauty
X f this bottom, the Great Creator has interspersed it with
several handsome lakes, filled with fine fish, of almost every
variety of fresh water kind.
CC Sargent's Bluff City is a handsomely located place on
high lands, on the bank of the river at the foot of the bluff.
The bottom is one mile wide at the north of the town, and
on the south it widens out to several miles.
" The bluffs near the town are filled with good buildingstone.   The citv is laid off into wards or districts, thirteen hundred  feet square, by streets running  at right
angles, one hundred feet wide.  In the centre of these large
districts are parks, two hundred and eighty feet wide, by
four hundred long, and the districts are divided (by streets
eighty feet wide, running at right angles) into blocks of
twelve lots each, C6 feet wide by 132 long.   On the site
coutininlg 30O acres, there are eight of those parks, and
twelve market squares, with a number of other lots selected
and set apart for churches, lodges, and school-houses, as
l-arks of liberality mranifested by the proprietors of this
lhandsome place.  Let no one think that all the chances
are talen in these parts.  There is plenty of tinmber and
prairie to be taken up, of the best quality.  Improved lands
can be had at a fair price, and the proprietors of those rival
cities offer large inducements to purehasers, and the demand
for all kings of melchanics and labor is very great.  Wagfes 
NEW COUNTIES.
high, and other inducements flattering.  Every thing that
is necessary for improving lots can be purchased here at a
fair price.                      "Yours, &c.,
" S. E. PECK."
CIIAPTEPR XXII.
NEW COUNTIES.
BY the last Congress, three new land districts were
formed, which are marked on Henn, Williams & Co.'s
Mlap of Iowa for 1855. The Land Offices for these new
districts are located at Decorah, in Winniesheik County,
Sioux City, (Sargent's Bluffs), in Woodbury County, and
at Fort Dodge, in Webster County.  The six Land Offices
before located were at Dubuque, Iowa City, Fairfield,
Chariton, Ft. Des 3Moines, and Council Bluffs.
In the north-western part of the State lies a district of
territory unsurveyed, and not yet in the market.  This district is 190 miles long from east to west along the 3Minnesota line, and 80 miles in width, divided from Nebraska
Territory by the Big Sioux River; including the counties
of Worth, Cerro Gordo, Franklin, Winnebago, Haneock,
Kossuth, Emnmett, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Dickinson, Clay,
Buena  Vista, Osceola, O'Brien,  Cherokee,  Buncombe,
Sioux, and Plymouth. Of the soil in this section, Owen
says, in his G4C,oll iical Report to Congress, made in 1852,
l9 
NEW COUNTIES.
p. 25, "North of latitude 42~, between the head waters of
Three and Grand Rivers, there are distances of ten or fif teen miles without any timber; while between the waters
of the Grand River, the Nodaway, and the Nishnabotna,
the open prairie is often twenty miles wide, without a bush
to be seen higher than the wild indigo or compass plant.
The soil, too, in this region, is generally of inferior quality
to that south of latitude, 41~ 30'."
These counties are very sparsely settled, and some of
them, we are informed, do not contain a single dwelling.
HIence it is impossible to procure information respecting
this portion of the State, without travelling over it in person.
Several older and more central counties are not mentioned
in our list, because we could not visit them in time for this
edition, and those whom we addressed failed to return us
information, as requested, of their towns and counties. The
undescribed counties are, Lucas, Madison, Miontgomery,
Monona, Marshall, Page, Powesheik, Story, Shelby, Taylor,
Union, and Woodbury.  As will be seen by reference to
the map, these counties are comparatively thinly settled.
The amount of unentered land in each county will be seen
by reference to the proper Chapter.
"Public Lands, Syjstem of Surveys, Land Offices, &c.
"In all the new States and Territories, the lands which
are owned by the General Government are surveyed and sold
under one general system. The government price of land
is $1 25 per acre. The system of surveys is one of great
accuracy and beauty.  Mleridian lines are established and
200 
NEW COUNTIES.
surveyed in a line due north fronm some given point-gcnerally from some important water-course.  These are intersected at right angles with a base line.  On the meridians,
the "'townships" are numbered north and south from the
!ase lines; and, on the base lines, " ranges" east or west of
the meridian.   Township lines are then run, at a distance
of six miles, parallel to the meridian and base lines. Each
township contains an area of 36 square miles; each square
mile is termed a section, and contains 640  acres.   The
sections are numbered from 1 to 36, beginning at the
north-east corner of the township, as the following diagram
will illustrate:
6 51  4    3    2
8    9   10     11
I{-_
17   16*   15   14
20   21   22   23
29   28   27   26
32   o3   34   35   3
I13
12,1
13 
24
25
36 1
1'W\hcn surveyed, the lands are offered for sale at public
auction, but cannot be disposed of at a less price than one
dollar and twenty-five cents per acre.  That portion not
sold at public auction is subject to private entry at any
time,  or the above price, ptayable in cash at tile time of
entry.
* The I Cth section in each townsliip is appropriated for schools.
201
(3 I
II — 1 18
19
30
i 8 11 
UNENTERED LANDS.
"Pre-emption rights give the improver or possessor the
privilege of purchasing at the minimum price.
"I have thus endeavored briefly to elucidate, in the preceding diagram, the system of the surveys of public lands;
which, to strangers unacquainted with the sections and subdivisions, appears perplexing and intricate."-.ew,whall's
Glimpse at Iowa.
CIHAPTER XXIII.
UNENTERED LANDS IN THE STATE.
BY the following reports from Land-Offices, the amount
of unentered or vacant land in the several Districts is represented. By reference to the map, the Land Districts will
be easily recognised, being bounded or marked by pink
lines.
In the Fort Des Jloines District.
Jasper County, half entered-say 230,000 acres vacant.
MIahaska, mostly entered.  Marion, probably three-fourths
entered. Marshall contains 368,000 acres- three-fourths
vacant.   I-ardin, the same-also three-fourths vacant.
Grundy, Butler, and  Floyd, each three-fourths vacant.
Mlitchell is fully nine-tenths vacant.
Each county, with the exception of Jasper, Webster,
202 
UNENTERED LANDS.
Guthrie, and those directly on the State line, have the same
area, containing about 368,000 acres.
Worth, Cerro Gordo, Hancock, Winnebago, Bancroft,
Kossuth, Emmett, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Humboldt,
Wright, Franklin, and Calhoun are almost entirely vacant.
Emmett, Bancroft, Winnebago, Hancock, Kossuth, Palo~
Alto, Pocahontas, and Calhoun are not in the market, but
probably will be next fall.
Webster County is nine.tenths vacant.  Greene, Boone,
Story, and Guthrie, each three-fourths vacant. Polk has,
perhaps, 20,000 acres of prairie vacant. Adair and Dallas
half vacant.  Mladison one-fourth, Warren one-eighth, and
Marion one-tenth vacant.
All the counties in this District are well watered, and,
on the streams, generally possess good timber. In such
counties as are in market, but little timber-land remains to
be entered, though it can be purchased from present holders
at from $2 50 to $20 per acre, according to quality and
location.
The receipts at the Fort Des Moines Land-Office, in
seven months previous to the 1st of March, 1855, were
$962,373 97.
In the Council Blz.ffs (Kanesville,) District.
This District contains about 9,584,640  acres.   The
counties composing the District average about 368,640
acres each.
More than three-fourths of this immense body of land
remains vacant, and subject to entry at $1 25 per acre.
About one-half of the land in Fremont, Mills, and Pot
203 
UNENTESR ED LANDS.
tawattamie Counties is purchased; less than one-fourth in
Ilarrison, Adams, and Taylor Counties; less  than  oneeighth  in  Page, Cass, 3Ionona, Shelby, and Woodbury
Counties; less than one-twentieth in Audubon, Carroll,
Crawford, Sac, and Ida Counties.   The rest of the counties
in the District are entirely vacant.
This Land-Office was opened fer pre-emption entries on
the 12th of NIarch, 1853, and the first public land sale was
made on the 6th of June following.   Since the opening
of the office, 485,841 acres have been sold, amounting to
$611051 26.
It the FC,i7,cd    D;strict.
Vacant Landas.
Acres.
A ppanoose Co. contains, 14,680 Washington Co. contains, 1,440
Monroe    "       "    16,140 Lee           "      "       200
Mlahaska   "      "      2,734 Henry        "      "       332
Davis      "      "    14,320 Louisa        "      "       44:0
WVapello    "     "      2,120 Des Moines  "  440
Keokuk        "      5,332 
Van Buren "    "         3,080      Total,              61,708
Jefferson   "     "        450
I  th7e CI(haiitoh Dsti,sct,
The amount of unentered land in the several counties, as
near as can be estimated, is as follows:
V'acant Lands.                 Vacant Lands.
Acres.                         Acres.
Appanoose Co. contains, 20,000  Ringgold Co. contains, 300,000
MIonroe    "    "       46,000 Clark                    50,000
Marion     "    "       12,000 Madison       "          80,000
Wayne      "    "    136,000 Union        "    "       230,000
Lucas      "    "      70,000 Adair      "    "         80,000
Warren    "    "        70,000
Decatur    "    "    110,000        Total,           1,204,000
204
V,,te-tnt Lan(l,-,.
Acres.
tain,-,, 1,440
11 200
11                332
11                4IIO
11 440
61,708 
UNENTERED LANDS.
Thle Iowa Cit Land District
Consists of the Counties of Clinton, Scott, Muscatine,
Johnson, Cedar, Iowa, and Powasheik; the four southern
townships of Jones; eight southern townships of Linn; eight
of Benton, and eight of Tama Counties; four in the northeast corner of Mahaska, six in the north of Keokuk, six in the
north of Washington, and one township of Louisa County.
Nearly all the lands in this District are now entered, and
I suppose not over 200,000 acres are vacant; much of it
lying in small, scattered tracts, so that it would hardly be
worth while to enter into statistics. Most of the vacant lands,
however, are in Tama County. An enumeration would be
fully as much trouble as if there were more, and the business of the office has so diminished, that the undertaking
would not be necessary at all to the usefulness of our work.
[NOTE.-The foregoing lists of unentered lands were
procured in March. Since then heavy entries have been
made, especially in the Fort Des Moines and Kanesville
(Council Bluffs) Districts.
On the 1st of September, 1855, the land-office at Fort
Dodge will be opened, and some thirteen counties of land
brought into market. The author made a tour through
this district in June, inst. and can assure those wishing
desirable locations, that the north-western portion of the
State is rich in eligible mill-sites, heavy timbered lands,
running streams of pure and lasting water, the best of
prairie soil, and extensive beds of iron ore, coal, gtpsum,
red and yellow ochre, &c.]
18
205 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
CHAPTER XXIV.
CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
(Adopted in Convention, May 18,1846.)
Preamble and Boundaries.-WE, the People of the Terri  tory of Iowa, grateful to the Supreme Being for the bless  ings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on IIim
for a continuation of those blessings, do ordain and esta  blish a free and independent government, by the name
of the State of Iowa, the boundaries whereof shall be as
follows:
Beginning in the middle of the main channel of the Mississippi River, at a point due east of the middle of the
mouth of the main channel of the Des Moines River, thence
up the middle of the main channel of the said Des Moines
River, to a point on said river where the northern boundary line of the State of Missouri, as established by the Constitution of that State, adopted June 12th, 1820, crosses
the said middle of the main channel of the said Des Moines
River; thence westwardly, along the said northern boundary line of the State of Missouri, as established at the time
aforesaid, until an extension of said line intersect the middie of the main channel of the Missouri River; thence up
206 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
the middle of the main channel of the said Missouri River,
to a point opposite the middle of the main channel of the
Big Sioux River, according to Nicollett's map; thence up
the main channel of the said Big Sioux River, according to
said map, until it is intersected by the parallel of forty-three
degrees and thirty minutes north latitude; thence east, along
said parallel of forty-three degrees and thirty minutes, until
said parallel intersect the middle of the main channel of
the Mississippi River; thence down the middle of the main
channel of said Mississippi River, to the place of beginning.
ARTICLE I.
Bill of Rfys. —]. All men are, by nature, free and independent, and have certain inalienable rights, among which
are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and pursuing and
obtaining safety and happiness.
2. All political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for the protection, security, and benefit of the people; and they have the right at all times to
alter or reform the same, whenever the public good may
require it.
3. The General Assembly shall make no law respecting
an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof, nor shall any person be compelled to attend any
place of worship, pay tithes, taxes, or other rates, for building or repairing places of worship, or for the maintenance
of any minister or ministry.
4. No religious test shall be required as a qualification
for any office or public trust, and no person shall be de
207 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
prived of any of his rights, privileges or capacities, or disqualified from the performance of any of his public or private duties, or rendered incompetent to give evidence in
any court of law or equity, in consequence of his opinions
on the subject of religion.
5. Any citizen of this State, who may hereafter be en gaged, either directly or indirectly, in a duel, either as prin cipal or accessory before the fact, shall forever be disquali fied from holding any office under the Constitution and laws
of this State.
6. All laws of a general nature shall have a uniform
operation.
7. Every person may speak, write, and publish his sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of
that right. No law shall be passed to restrain or abridge
the liberty of speech or of the press. In all prosecutions
or indictments for libel, the truth may be given in evidence
to the jury, and if it appear to the jury that the matter
charged as libellous was true, and was published with good
motives, and for justifiable ends, the party shall be acquitted.
8. The right of the people to be secure in their persons,
lhouses, papers and effects, against unreasonable seizures
and searches, shall not be violated; and no warrant shall
issue, but on probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, particularly describing the place to be searched, and
the papers and things to be seized.
9. The right of trial by jury shall remain inviolate; but
the General Assembly may authorize trial by a jury of a
less number than twelve men in inferior courts.
208 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
10. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall have a
right to a speedy trial, by an impartial jury; to be informed
of the accusation against him; to be confronted with the
witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for his
own witnesses, and to have the assistance of counsel.
11. No person shall be held to answer for a criminal of fence, unless on presentment or indictment by a grand jury,
except in cases cognizable by justices of the peace, or arising
in the army and navy, or in the militia when in actual ser vice, in time of war, or public danger.
12. No person shall, after acquittal, be tried for the same
offence. All persons shall, before conviction, be bailable,
by sufficient sureties, except for capital offences, where the
proof is evident, or the presumption great.
13. The writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended,
unless, in case of rebellion or invasion, the public safety requires it.
14. The military shall be subordinate to the civil power.
No standing army shall be kept up by the State in time of
peace, and in time of war no appropriation for a standing
army shall be for a longer time than two years.
15. No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in
any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time
of war, except in the manner prescribed by law.
16. Treason against the State shall consist only in levying war against it, adhering to its enemies, or giving them
aid and comfort.   No person shall be convicted of treason
unless on evidence of two witnesses to the same overt act,
or confession in open court
18*
209 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
17. Excessive bail shall not be required. Excessive
fines shall not be imposed; and cruel and unusual punishments shall not be inflicted.
18. Private property shall not be taken for public use
without just compensation.
19. No person shall be imprisoned for debt in any civil
action on mesne, or final process, unless in cases of fraud;
and no person shall be imprisoned for a militia fine in time
of peace.
20. The people have the right freely to assemble together
to consult for the common good, to make known their opinions to their representatives, and to petition for redress of
grievances.
21. No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts, shall ever be passed.
22. Foreigners who are, or who may hereafter become
residents of this State, shall enjoy the same rights, in respect to the possession, enjoyment, and descent of property,
as native born citizens.
23. Neither slavery, nor involuntary servitude, unless for
the punishment of crimes, shall ever be tolerated in this
State.
24. This enumeration of rights shall not be construed to
impair or deny others, retained by the people.
ARTICLE II.
Right of Stffrage.-1. Every white male citizen of the
United States, of the age of twenty-one years, who shall
have been a resident of the State six months next preceding
210 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
the election, and the county in which he claims his vote
twenty days, shall be entitled to vote at all elections which
are now, or hereafter may be authorized by law.
2. Electors shall, in all cases, except treason, felony, or
breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest on the days
of election, during their attendance at such election, going
to, and returning therefrom.
3. No elector shall be obliged to perform militia duty on
the day of election, except in time of war, or public danger.
4. No person in the military, naval, or marine service of
the United States, shall be considered a resident of this
State by being stationed in any garrison, barrack, or military or naval place or station within this State.
5. No idiot or insane person, or persons convicted of any
infamous crime, shall be entitled to the privileges of an
elector.
6. All elections by the people, shall be by ballot.
ARTICLE III.
Of the Distributtin of Power.-1. The powers of the
government of Iowa shall be divided into three separate departments; the legislative, the executive, and judicial; and
no person charged with the exercise of powers properly belonging to one of these departments, shall exercise any function appertaining to either of the others, except in cases
hereinafter expressly directed or permitted.
Leyislative Department.-1. The Legislative authority
of this State shall be vested in a Senate and House of Representatives, which shall be designated the General Assem
211 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
bly of the State of Iowa, and the style of their laws shall
commence in the following manner:  "Be it enacted by
the General Assembly of the State of Iowa."
2. The sessions of the General Assembly shall be biennial, and shall commence on the first Monday of December
next ensuing the election of its members; unless the Governor of the State shall, in the interim, convene the General Assembly by proclamation.
3. The members of the House of Representatives shall
be chosen every second year, by the qualified electors of
their respective districts, on the first Monday in August,
whose term of office shall continue two years from the day
of the general election.
4. No person shall be a member of the House of Representatives who shall not have attained the age of twenty-one
years; be a free white male citizen of the United States,
and have been an inhabitant of this State or Territory one
year next preceding his election; and at the time of his
election, have an actual residence of thirty days in the
county or district he may be chosen to represent.
5. Senators shall be chosen for the term of four years,
at the same time and place as Representatives; they shall
be twenty-five years of age, and possess the qualifications of
Representatives as to residence and citizenship.
6. The number of Senators shall not be less than onethird, nor more than one-half of the Representative body;
and at the first session of the General Assembly after this
Constitution takes effect, the Senators shall be divided by
lot, as equally as may be, into two classes; the seats of the
212 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
Senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration
of the second year, so that one half shall be chosen every
two years.
7. When the number of Senators is increased, they shall
be annexed by lot to one of the two classes, so as to keep
them as nearly equal in number as practicable.
8. Each House shall choose its own officers, and judge of
the qualification, election, and return of its own members.
A contested election shall be determined in such manner as
shall be directed by law.
9. A majority of each House shall constitute a quorum
to do business, but a smaller number may adjourn from
day to day, and may compel the attendance of absent members, in such manner and under such penalties as each House
may provide.
10. Each House shall sit upon its own adjournments, keep
a journal of its proceedings, and publish the same; determine its rules of proceedings, punish members for disorderly
behaviour, and, with the consent of two-thirds, expel a member, but not a second time for the same offence; and shall
have all other powers necessary for a branch of the General
Assembly of a free and independent State.
11. Every member of the General Assembly shall have
the liberty to dissent from, or protest against, any act or
resolution which he may think injurious to the public, or
an individual, and have the reasons for his dissent entered
on the journals; and the yeas and nays of the members of
either House, on any question, shall, at the desire of any two
members present, be entered on the journals.
213 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
12. Senators and Representatives, in all cases except
treason, felony, or breach of the peace, shall be privileged
from arrest during the session of the General Assembly,
and in going to, and returning from the same.
13. When vacancies occur in either House, the Governor,
)r the person exercising the functions of Governor, shall
issue writs of election to fill such vacancies.
14. The doors of each House shall be open, except on
such occasion as, in the opinion of the House, may require
secrecy.
15. Neither House shall, without the consent of the other,
adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other place
than that in which they may be sitting.
16. Bills may originate in either House, except bills for
revenue, which shall always originate in the House of
Representatives, and may be amended, altered, or rejected
by the other; and every bill, having passed both Houses,
shall be signed by the Speaker and President of their
respective Houses.
17. Every bill which shall have passed the General
Assembly shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the
Governor. If he approve, he shall sign it; but if not, he
shall return it, with his objections, to the House in which it
originated, which shall enter the same upon the journal, and
proceed to reconsider it: if, after such reconsideration, it
again pass both'Houses, by yeas and nays, by a majority of
two-thirds of the members of each House present, it shall
become a law, notwithstanding the Governor's objections.
If any bill shall not be returned within three days after it
214 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
shall have been presented to him, Sundays excepted, the
same shall be a law in like manner as if he had signed it;
unless the General Assembly, by adjournment, prevent
such return.
18. An accurate statement of the receipts and expendi.
tures of the public money shall be attached to, and published with the laws, at every regular session of the General
Assembly.
19. The IHouse of Representatives shall have the sole
power of impeachment, and all impeachments shall be tried
by the Senate. When sitting for that purpose, the Senators
shall be upon oath or affirmation, and no person shall be
convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the
members present.
20. The Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, and Judges of the Supreme and District Courts shall
be liable to impeachment for any misdemeanor in office; but
judgment in such cases shall extend only to removal from
office, and disqualification to hold any office of honor, trust,
or profit under this State; but the party convicted or acquitted, shall, nevertheless, be liable to indictment, trial, and
punishment, according to law. All other civil officers shall
be tried for misdemeanors in office in such manner as the
General Assembly may provide.
21. No Senator or Representative shall, during the time
for which he shall have been elected, be appointed to any
civil office of profit under this State, which shall have been
created, or the emoluments of which shall have been increased,
215 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
during such term, except such offices as may be filled by
elections by the people.
22. No person holding any lucrative office under the
United States, or this State, or any other power, shall be
eligible to the General Assembly: Provided, That offices in
the militia, to which there is attached no annual salary, or
the office of justice of the peace, or postmasters whose compensation does not exceed one hundred dollars per annum,
shall not be deemed lucrative.
23. No person who may hereafter be a collector or holder
of public monies, shall have a seat in either house of the
General Assembly, or be eligible to any office of trust or
profit under this State, until he shall have accounted for,
and paid into the treasury, all sums for which he may be
liable.
24. No money shall be drawn from the treasury but in
consequence of appropriations made by law.
25. Each member of the General Assembly shall receive
a compensation, to be fixed by law, for his services, to be
paid out of the treasury of the State.  Such compensation
shall not exceed two dollars per day, for the period of fifty
days from the commencement of the session, and shall not
exceed the sum of one dollar per day for the remainder of
the session. When convened in extra session by the
Governor, they shall receive such sum as shall be fixed for
the first fifty days of the ordinary session. They shall also
receive two dollars for every twenty miles they travel, in
going to, and returning from their place of meeting, on the
most usual route: Provided, however, That the members
216 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
of the first General Assembly under this Constitution shall
receive two dollars per day for their services during  the
entire session.
26. Every law shall embrace but one object, which shall
be expressed in the title.
27. No law of the General Assembly, of a public nature,
shall takle effect until the same shall be published and circulated in the several counties of this State, by authority.
If the General Assembly shall deem any law of immediate
importance, they may provide that the sare shall take effect
by publication in newspapers in the State.
28. No divorce shall be granted by the General Assem
bly.
29. No.lottery sLall be authorized by this State, nor
shall the sale of lottery tickets be allowed.
30. 3Iembers of the General Assemnbly sha'l, before they
enter upon the duties of their respective ofices, take and
subscribe the following oath or affirmnation: "I do solemnly
swear, or affirm, (as the case may be,) that I will support
the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution
of the State of Iowa, and that I will f;tfully discharge
the duties of Senator, (or Representati-ve, as the case may
be,) according to the best of my ability." And members of
the General Assembly are hereby empowered to administer
to each other the said oath or affirmation.
31. Within one year after the ratification of this Constitution, and within every subsequvent term of two years, for
the term of eight years, an enuimeration of all the white
inhabitants of this State shall bo made in such manner as
19
217 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
shall be directed by law. The number of Senators and
Representatives shall, at the first regular session of the
General Assembly, after such enumeration, be fixed by law,
and apportioned among the several counties, according to
the number of white inhabitants in each, and shall also, at
every subsequent regular session, apportion the House of
Representatives, and every other regular session the Senate,
for eight years; and the House of Representatives shall
never be less than twenty-six, nor greater than thirty-nine,
until the number of white inhabitants shall be one hundred
and seventy-five thousand; and after that event, at such
ratio that the whole number of Representatives shall never
be less than thirty-nine, nor exceeding seventy-two.
32. I,hen a Congressional, Senatorial, or Representative
district shall be composed of two or more counties, it shall
not be entirely separated by any county belonging to
another district; and no county shall be divided in forming
a Congressional, Senatorial, or Representative district.
33. In all elections by the General Assembly, the members thereof shall vote viva voce, and the votes shall be entered on the journal.
34. For the first ten years after the organization of the
government, the annual salary of the Governor shall not
exceed one thousand dollars; Secretary of State, five hundred dollars; Treasurer, four hundred dollars; Auditor,
six hundred dollars; Judges of the Supreme and District
Courts, each one thousand dollars.
218 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
ARITICLE. IV.
Executive  Department.-1.  The  Supreme Executive
power of this State shall be vested in a Chief MIagistrate,
who shall be styled the Governor of the State of Iowa.
2. The Governor shall be elected by the qualified electors, at the time and place of voting for members of the
General Assembly, and shall hold his office four years from
the time of his installation, and until his successor shall be
qualified.
3. No person shall be eligible to the office of Governor,
who has not been a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the State next preceding the election, and attained
the age of thirty years at the time of said election.
4. The returns of every election for Governor shall be
sealed up and transmitted to the seat of Government,
directed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
who shall, during the first week of the session, open and
publish them in presence of both Houses of the General
Assembly. The person having the highest number of
votes, shall be Governor; but in case any two or more have
an equal and the highest number of votes, the General
Assembly shall, by joint ballot, choose one of said persons so having an equal and highest number of votes, for
Governor.
5. The Governor shall be Commander-in-Chief of the
militia, the army and navy of this State.
6. He shall transact all executive business, with the
officers of Government, civil and military, and may require
information in writing from the officers of the executive
219 
CONSTITU TION OF IOWA.
department upon any subject renating to the duties of their
respective offices.
7. He shall see that the laws are faithfully executed.
8. W",hen any office shall from any cause become vacant,
and no mode is provided by the Constitution and laws for
fillicg such vacancy, the Governor shall have power to fill
such vacancy, by granting a commission, which shall expire
at the end of the next session of the General Assembly, or
at the next election by the peorple.
9. Hie  rmay, on extraordinary occasions, convene  the
General Assembly by proclamation, and shall state to both
Houses, when assembled, the purposes for which they shall
have been convened.
10. lie shall communicate by mnessage to the General
Assembly, at every session, the condition of the State, and
recommend such matters as he shall deem expedient.
11. In case of disagreement between the two Houses,
with respect to the time of adjournment, thie Governor shall
have power to adjourn the General Assembly to such time
as he may thinlk proper, provided it be not beyond the
time fixed for the oeeing of the next General Assembly.
12. h'o  person  shall, wvhile holding  any other office
ndeler the Unlted States, or this state, execute the office of
Governor, except as hereinafter expressly provided.
13. The Governor shall have power to grant reprieves
and pardons, and commute punishments  after conviction,
except in case of imyeaehment.
14. The Governor shall, at stated times, receive for his
services a conmpcnsat,c n which shall neither be increased
220 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
nor diminished during the time for which he shall have been
elected.
15. There shall be a seal of this State, which shall be
kept by the Governor, and used by him officially, and shall
be called the Great Seal of the State of Iowa.
16. All grants and commissions shall be in the name
and by the authority of the people of the State of Iowa,
sealed with the great seal of this State, signed by the Governor, and countersigned by the Secretary of State.
17. A Secretary of State, Auditor of Public Accounts,
and Treasurer, shall be elected by the qualified electors,
who shall continue in office two years. The Secretary of
State shall keep a fair register of all the official acts of the
Governor, and shall, when required, lay the same, together
with all papers, minutes, and vouchers, relative thereto,
before either branch of the General Assembly, and shall
perform such other duties as shall be assigned him by law.
18. In case of impeachment of the Governor, his removal
from office, death, resignation, or absence from the State,
the powers and duties of the office shall devolve upon the
Secretary of State, until such disability shall cease, or the
vacancy be filled.
19. If, during the vacancy of the office of Governor, the
Secretary of State shall be impeached, displaced, resign, die,
or be absent from the State, the powers and duties of the office
of Governor shall devolve upon the President of the Senate;
and should a vacancy occur by impeachment, death, resignation, or absence from the State, of the President of the
19*
221 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall
act as Governor till the vacancy be filled.
ARTICLE V.
J:dicicel Deparlmert.-1.  The Judicial power shall be
vested in the Supreme Court, District Courts, and such inferior Courts, as the General Assembly may from  time to
time establish.
2. The Supreme Court shall consist of a Chief Justice,
and two Associates, two of whom shall be a quorum to hold
a Court.
3. The Judges of tl.e Suptreme Court shall be elected by
joint vote of.,oth branches of the General Assembly, and
shall hol,l their Courts at such time and place as the General Assembly may  direct, and hold their offices for six
years, and until their successors are elected and qualified,
and shall be ineligible to any other office during the term
for which they may be elected.  The Supremie Court shall
have appellate jurisdiction only in all eases in chancery, and
shall constitute a Court for the correction of errors at law,
under such restrictions as the General Assembly may by
law preseribe.-The  Supreme Court shall have power to
issue all writs and process necessary to do justice to parties,
and execise  a supervisory control over all inferior judicial
tribunals, and the Judges of the Supreme Court shall be
conservators of the peace throughout the State.
4. The District Court shall consist of a Judge, who shall
be elected by the qualified voters of the district in which he
resides, at the township election, and hold his office for the
222 
C    ONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
term of five years, and until his successor is duly elected
and qualified, and shall be ineligible to any other office
during the term for which he may be elected. The District Court shall be a court of law and equity, and  have
'jurisdiction in all civil and criminal matters arising in their
respective districts, in such manner as shall be prescribed
by law.   The Judges of the District Court shall be conservators of the peace in their respective districts.  The first
session of the General Assembly shall divide the State into
four districts, which may be increased as the exigencies
require.
5. The qualified voters of each county shall, at the general election, elect one Prosecuting Attorney, and one Clerk
of the District Court, -who shall be residents therein, and
who shall hold their several offices for the term of two
years, and until their successors are elected and qualified.
6. The style of all process shall be " The State of
Iowa," and all prosecutions shall be conducted in the name,
and by authority of the same.
ARTICLE VI,
jIiltia. -1. The militia of this State shall be composed
of all able-bodied white male citizens, between the ages of
eighteen and forty-five years, except such as are, or may
hereafter be exempt by the laws of the United States, or
of this State, and shall be armed, equipped, and trained as
the General Assembly may provide by law.
2. No person or persons, conscientiously scrupulous of
bearing arms, shall be compelled to do militia duty, in time
223 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
of peace, provided, that such person or persons shall pay
an equivalent for such exemption in the same manner as
other citizens.
3. All commissioned officers of the militia, (staff officers
excepted,) shall be elected by the persons liable to perform
military duty, and shall be commissioned by the Governor.
ARTICLE VII.
State Debts.-1. The General Assembly shall not, in any
manner create any debt or debts, liability or liabilities,
which shall, singly, or in the aggregate, with any previous
debts or liabilities, exceed the sum of one hundred thousand
dollars, except in case of war, to repel invasion, or suppress
insurrection, unless the same shall be authorized by some
law for some single object, or work, to be distinctly specified therein, which law shall provide ways and means, exclusive of loans, for the payment of the interest of such
debt or liability, as it falls due, and also to pay and discharge the principal of such debt or liability within twenty
years from the time of contracting thereof, and shall be
irrepealable until the principal and the interest thereon
shall be paid and discharged; but no such law shall take
effect, until, at a general election, it shall have been submitted to the people, and have received a majority of all the
votes cast for and against it, at such election, and all money
raised by authority of such law, shall be applied only to
the specific object therein stated, or to the payment of the
debt thereby created, and such law shall be published in at
least one newspaper in each judicial district, if one is pub
22-1 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
lished therein, throughout the State, for three months
preceding the elections at which it is submitted to the
people.
ARTICLE VIII.
Lio2:or;atfo),s.-I. No corporate body shall hereafter
be  created, renewed, or extended, with the privilege of
making, issuing, or putting into circulation, any bill, check,
ticket, certificate, promissory note, or other paper, or the
paper of any bank, to circulate as money.   The General
Assembly of this State shall prohibit, by law, any person
or persons, association, company, or corporation, from exercising the privileges of banking, or creating paper to circulate as money.
2. Corporations shall not be created in this State by
special laws, except for political or municipal purposes; but
the General Assembly shall provide, by general laws, for
the organization of all other corporations, except corporations with banking privileges, the creation of which is prohibited. The stockholders shall be subject to such liabilities and restrictions as shall be provided by law.  The
State shall not, directly or indirectly, become a stockholder
in any corporation.
ARTICLE IX.
Education and  School Land. -  1. The  General Assenmbly shall provide for the election, by the people, of a
Superintendent of Public Instruction, who shall hold his
office for three years, and whose duties shall be prescribed
225 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
by law, and who shall receive such compensation as the
General Assembly may direct.
2. The General Assembly shall encourage, by all suitable means, the promotion of intellectual, scientific, moral,
and agricultural improvement. The proceeds of all lands
that have been, or hereafter may be granted by the United
States to this State, for the support of schools, which shall
hereafter be sold or disposed of, and the five hundred
thousand acres of land granted to the new States, under
an act of Congress, distributing the proceeds of the public
lands among the several States of the Union, approved
A. D. 1841, and all estates of deceased persons, who may
have died without leaving a will or heir; and also such
per cent. as may be granted by Congress on the sale of
lands in this State, shall be, and remain a perpetual fund,
the interest of which, together with all the rents of the
unsold lands, and such other means as the General Assembly may provide, shall be inviolably appropriated to
the support of common schools throughout the State.
3. The General Assembly shall provide for a system of
common schools, by which a school shall be kept up, and
supported, in each school district, at least three months in
every year; and any school district neglecting to keep up,
and support such a school, may be deprived of its proportion of the interest of the public fund during such neglect.
4. The money which shall be paid by persons as an
equivalent for exemption fromn military duty, and the clear
proceeds of all fines collected in the several counties for
any breach of the penal laws, shall be exclusively applied,
226 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
in the several counties in which such money is paid, or
fine collected, among the several school districts of said
counties, in proportion to the number of inhabitants in
such districts, to the support of common schools, or the
establishment of libraries, as the General Assembly shall,
from time to time, provide by law.
5. The General Assembly shall take measures for the
protection, improvement, or other disposition of such lands
as have been, or may hereafter be reserved or granted by
the United States, or any person or persons, to the State
for the use of a University; and the funds accruing from
the rents or sale of such lands, or from any other source,
for the purpose aforesaid, shall be, and remain a permanent fund, the interest of which shall be applied to the
support of said University, with such branches as the public convenience may hereafter demand for the promotion of
literature, the arts and sciences, as may be authorized by
the terms of such grant. And it shall be the duty of the
General Assembly, as soon as may be, to provide effectual
means for the improvement and permanent security of the
funds of said University.
ARTICLE X.
Amendments of the Constitution. - 1. If at any time
the General Assembly shall think it necessary to revise or
amend this Constitution, they shall provide by law for a
vote of the people for or against a Convention, at the next
ensuing election for members of the General Assembly: in
case a majority of the people vote in favor of a Convention,
227 
228 CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
said General Assembly shall provide for an election of
Delegates to a Convention, to be held within six months
after the vote of the people in favor thereof.
ARTICLE XI.
,Iisce7a~neous.-  1. The jurisdiction of Justices of the
Peace shall extend to all civil cases, (except cases in Chancery, and cases where the question of title to any real
estate may arise,) where the amount in controversy does
not exceed one hundred dollars, and by the consent of
parties may be extended to any amount not exceeding five
hundred dollars.
2. No new county shall be laid off hereafter, nor old
county reduced, to less contents than four hundred and
thirty-two square miles.
3. The General Assembly shall not locate any of the
public lands, which have been, or may be granted by Congress to this State; and the location of which may be given
to the General Assembly, upon lands actually settled,
without the consent of the occupant.   The extent of the
claim of such occupant, so exempted, shall not exceed
three hundred and twenty acres.
ARTICLE XII.
Schedut7e. - 1. That no inconvenience may arise from
the change of a Territorial government to a permanent
State Government, it is declared that all writs, actions,
prosecutions, contracts, claims and rights, shall continue as
if no change had taken place in this government; and all
process which may, before the organization of the judicial 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
department under this Constitution, be issued under the
authority of the Territory of Iowa, shall be as valid as if
issued in the name of the State.
2. All the laws now in force in this Territory, which are
not repugnant to this Constitution, shall remain in force
until they expire by their own limitations, or be altered or
repealed by the General Assembly of this State.
3. All fines, penalties, and forfeitures, accruing to the
Territory of Iowa, shall accrue to the use of the State.
4. All recognizances heretofore taken, or which may
hereafter be taken, before the organization of the judicial
department under this Constitution, shall remain valid,
and shall pass to, and may be prosecuted in the name of
the State. And all bonds executed to the Governor of
this Territory, or to any other officer in his official capacity,
shall pass over to the Governor of this State, or other proper State authority, and to their successors in office, for
the uses therein respectively expressed, and may be sued
for, and recovered accordingly. All criminal prosecutions
and penal actions, which have arisen, or may arise, before
the organization of the judicial department, under this Constitution, and which shall then be pending, may be prosecuted to judgment and execution in the name of the State.
5. All officers, civil and military, now holding their offices
and appointments in this Territory, under the authority of
the United States, or under the authority of this Territory,
shall continue to hold and execute their respective offices
and appointments until superseded under this Constitution.
6. The first general election under this Constitution,
20
229 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
shall be held at such time as the Governor of the Territory, by proclamation, may appoint, within three months
after its adoption, for the election of a Governor, two
Representatives in the Congress of the United States,
(unless Congress shall provide for the election of one
Representative), members of the General Assembly, and
one  Auditor,  Treasurer,  and Secretary  of State.  Said
election shall be conducted in accordance with the existing
election laws of this Territory, and said Governor, Representatives in the Congress of the United States, Auditor,
Treasurer, and Secretary of State, duly elected at said
election, shall continue to discharge the duties of their
respective offices for the time prescribed by this Constitution, and until their successors are elected and qualified.
The returns of said election shall be made in conformity to
the existing laws of this Territory.
7. Until the first enumeration of the inhabitants of this
State, as directed by this Constitution, the following shall
be the appointment of the General Assembly:
The County of Lee shall be entitled to two Senators,
and five Representatives; the County of Van Buren, two
Senators, and four Representatives; the Counties of Davis
and Appanoose, one Senator, and one Representative,
jointly; the Counties of Wapello and Monroe, one Senator, jointly, and one Representative, each; the Counties of
Marion, Polk, Dallas, and Jasper, one Senator, and two Representatives, jointly; the County of Des 5Ioines, two Senators, and four Representatives; the County of Jefferson, one
Senator, and three Representatives; the County of Hlenry,
one Senator, and three Representatives; the Counties of
230 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
Louisa and Washington, one Senator, jointly, and one
IRepresentive, each; the Counties of Keokuk and Mahaska,
one Senator, jointly, and one Representative, each; the
Counties of MIuscatine, Johnson, and Iowa, one Senator,
and one Representative, jointly; Museatine, one Representative, and Johnson and Iowa, one Representative, jointly;
the Counties of Scott and Clinton, one Senator, jointly,
and one Representative, each; the Counties of Cedar,
Linn, and Benton, one Senator, jointly; the County of
Cedar, one Representative, and the Counties of Linn and
Benton, one Representative, jointly; the Counties of Jackson, and Jones, one Senator, and two Representatives; the
Counties of Dubuque, Delaware, Clayton, Fayette, Buchanan, and Black Hawk, two Senators, and two Representatives, jointly; and any county attached to any county
for judicial purposes, shall, unless otherwise provided for,
be considered as forming part of such county for election
purposes.
8. The first meeting of the General Assembly, under
this Constitution, shall be at such time as the Governor of
the Territory may, by proclamation, appoint, within four
months after its ratification by the people, at Iowa City, in
Johnson County, which place shall be the seat of Govern.
ment of the State of Iowa, until removed by Iaw.
Done in Convention, at Iowa City, this 18th day of
MIay, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and forty-six, and of the Independence of
the United States the seventieth.
231 
CONSTITUTION OF IOWA.
In Testimony Whereof, Wre have hereunto subscribed
our names:                      ENOS LOWE, President.
Attest, WVI. TTiiOIPSON, Sec.
Thomas Dibble, Erastus HIoskin, David Galland, Sulifand S. Ross, Shepherd Leffler, Curtis Bates, Wm. G.
Coop, John Ronalds, Samuel A. Bissell, Socrates II.
Tryon, Wareham  G. Clark, William  Iubbel, John  J.
Selman, George Berry, John Conrey, Josiah Kent, Joseph
H. Hedrick, Sylvester G. Miatson, S. B. Shelledy, James
Grant, George HIobson, H. P. I-Haun, Stewart Goodrell,
Sanford Ilarned, David Olmstead, G. W. Bowie, Alvin
Saunders, William Steele, T. MIcCraney, F. K. O'Ferrall,
J. Scott Richman.
ORDINANCE.
Be it ordained by the Convention assembled to form a
Constitution for the State of Iowa, in behalf of the people
of said State, that the following propositions shall be made
to the Congress of the United States, which, if assented
to by that body, shall be obligatory on this State.
1. Section number sixteen in every surveyed township
of public lands, and where such section has been disposed
of, other lands, equivalent thereto, and as contiguous as
may be, shall be granted to the State for the use of Com.
mon Schools.
2. Seventy-two sections of land set apart and reserved
for the use and support of a University, by an act of Congress approved on the twentieth of July, one thousand
eight hundred and forty, entitled " An act granting two
232 
CONSTITUIJTION OF IOWA.
townships of land for the use of a University in the Territory of Iowa," shall be applied solely for the use and
support of such University, in such manner as the General
Assembly may direct.
3. That one quarter section of land in each township
be granted to the State for the purpose of purchasing a
Common School library for the use of such township.
4. That five per cent. of the nett proceeds of the sales
of all public lands lying within this State, which shall be
sold by Congress after the admission of the State into the
Union, shall be granted to the State, for the use of Common Schools.
That, in consideration of the grants specified in the four
foregoing propositions, it is declared, that this State will
never interfere with the primary disposal of the soil within
the same, by the United States, nor with any regulations
Congress may find necessary, for securing the title in such
soil to the bona fide purchaser thereof; and that no tax
shall be imposed on  ]ands, the property of the United
States, and that in no case shall non-resident proprietors
be taxed higher than resident.
20*
233 
STATE OFFICERS, ETC.
CHIAPTER XXV.
STATE OFFICERS AND CONGRESSMEN~ FROM THE ADMIS    SION INTO TIHE UNION TO THE PRESENT TIME.
GOVERNoR.-Term, 4 Years.
Beginning of Term.
1. Ansel Briggs.......................... November 30, 1846.
2. Stephen Hempstead.......................... December 2, 1850.
3. James W. Grimes................................ " 3, 1854.
SECRETARY OF STATE.-Termn, 2 Years.
1. Elisha Cutler, Jr......................... November 30, 1846.
2. Josiah H. Bonney...............................December  2, 1848.
3. George W. McCleary (3 terms,).............    "  2, 1850.
AUDITOR OF STATE.-Term, 2 Years.
1. Joseph T. Fales (2 terms,)....................November 30, 1846.
2. William Pattee (2 terms,).....................December  2, 1850.
3. A. J. Stevens.....................................  3, 1854.
TREASURER OF STATE.-Term, 2 Years.
1. Morgan Reno (2 terms,)........................November 30, 1846.
2. Israel Kister.....................................December 2, 1850.
3. M. L. lorris (2 terms,)......................... 2, 1852.
SUPERI%NTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.-Term, 3 Years.
Elected.
1. James Harlan, (election declared illegal,).......... April, 1847.
2. Thomas H. Benton, Jr., (2 terms,)...................."    1848.
3. James D. Eads........................................ "   1854.
234 
STATE OFFICERS, ETC.
BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKs.-Term, 2 Years.
Elected.
1. Hugh W. Sample, President,........................ August 2, 1847.
1. Charles Corkery, Secretary,........................ " "
1. Paul Bratton, Treasurer............................. " "
2. William Patterson, President,......................... "   6, 1849.
2. Jesse Williams, Secretary,..........................  
3. George Gillaspy, Treasurer......................... " "
The second Board was legislated out of office on the 1st of
February, 1851.
CO0IMISSIONER AND REGISTER or THE DES MOINES RIVER
IIPROVEMENT.-Term, 2 Years.
1. V. P. Antwerp, Commissioner,... appointed from Feb. 1, 1858.
2. Josiah H. Bonney,       "............elected, April 4, 1853.
1. George Gillaspy, Register..........appointed, February 1, 1851.
2. Paul Jeffers,        ".........        "    "         1852.
3. George Gillaspy,   ".........      elected, April 4, 1853.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL.-Term, 2 Years.
1. D.C. Cloud.............................................August 1, 1853.
2.   ".............................................August 7, 1854.
THE EXECUTIVE, IN 1855.
JAMES W. GRIMiEs, of Burlington, Governor.
George W. McCleary, Iowa City, Secretary of State.
A. J. Stevens, Fort Des Moines, Auditor.
M. L. Morris, Iowa City, Treasurer.
James D. Eads, Iowa City, Superintendent of Public Instruction.
D. C. Cloud, Muscatine, Attorney-General.
Wm. McKay, Commissioner of the Des Moines River Improvement.
'John C. Lockwood, Register of the Des Moines River Improvement.
Anson Hart, Register of the Land Office.
THE LEGISLATURE.
MIaturin L. Fisher, President of the Senate.
Reuben Noble, Speaker of the Ilouse of Representatives.
235 
STATE OFFICERS) ETC.
CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION.
George W. Jones, of Dubuque, Senator,....... Term expires, 1859.
James HIarlan, of Mt. Pleasant,  ".......   "    "   1861.
Augustus Hall, of Keosauqua, Representative.
James Thorington, of Davenport,    "
THE JUDICIARY
Supreme Court.
George G. Wright, Keosauqua, Chief Justice.
W. G. Woodward, Muscatine, Associate Justice.
N. W. Isbell, Marion,     "   "
George S. Hampton, Iowa City, Clerk.
District Court for Iowa.
J. J. Dyer, of Dubuque, Judge.
J. C. Knapp, of Keosauqua, District Attorney.
Laurel Summers, of Le Claire, A3lrshal.
Warner Lewis, of Dubuque, Surveyor-General.
ATote.-The election for Governor, State Officers, and Board of
Public Works is held on the first Monday in August. The term
of service of the Governor and State Officers commences on the
first Monday in December following the election.
Times of  rolding Eections.
1. General Election -Is held 1st Monday in August,
every two years. Time of holding next General Election
will be August, 1856. Officers elected: A Governor, once
in four years; a State Senator, once in four years; a Secretary, Treasurer, and Auditor of State, Prosecuting Attorney,
Clerk of the District Court, Representatives to the General
Assembly, and Representatives to Congress, every two
years.
236 
STATE OFFICERS,  ETC.
2. Avgzst ~Eection -Is  held 1st Monday in August,
every two years, alternate with the years of the General
Election. Officers elected: County Judge, once in four
years; Sheriff, Coroner, Recerder, and Surveyor, every two
years.
3. April Electiho-Is  held annually, 1st Monday  in
April. Officers elected: Judge of District Court, once in
five years; Superintendent of Public Instruction, once in
three years; School Fund Commissioner, once in two years;
three Township Trustees, a Clerk, two Constables, and an
Assessor, every year; two Justices of the Peace (or as many
as the Trustees of each township may direct,) every two
years (one being elected each year).
4. Presidential Election -Is holden 1st Tuesday after
the 1st MIonday in November, 1856, and every four years
thereafter, for the election of Electors of President and VicePresident of the United States, the number of whom is equal
to the number of Senators and Representatives in Congress
to which this State may be entitled.
5. City Elections - Held at such times as fixed by the
charter, or as regulated by ordinance; electing Mayor, Mar.hal, Clerk, Treasurer, and Aldermen.
237 
POLICY OF GOVERNMENT.
CHAPTER XXVI.
POLICY OF GOVERNMENT.
Ex-GOVERNOR HIIEMPSTEAD, in his Message to the Legislature last winter, remarked:
" In concluding this communication to the General Assembly of Iowa, I may be permitted to refer to the policy
of government, under which we have increased in population
and wealth, unsurpassed in the history and settlement of
Western States; and, it must be conceded, that for the
high position which we now occupy, as a sovereign State
of the American Republic, we are principally indebted to
the Constitution and laws for that prosperity.
"Of the Constitution of this State, it may with justice
be said that it is republican in its character, and designed
to protect the people against abuses and evils which have
crept into the government of other and elder States.  It
prohibits any association or corporation from exercising the
privilege of creating paper to circulate as money. It dedclares that corporations shall not be established by special
laws, except for political or municipal purposes; and for all
others, that general laws shall be passed for their organization, reserving to every one the privilege of forming companies for the transaction of all lawful business, and limiting State indebtedness in such a manner as to prevent great
238 
POLICY OF GOVERNMENT.
loss or repudiation. These restrictions, it is believed, have
done much to build up this State, and to assure citizens that
they are not to be oppressed by monopolies, bankruptcy, or
extraordinary taxation."
The stand Iowa has taken on the subject of Slavery, may
be inferred from the following extract from Gov. GRIMES'S
Inaugural Address last session:
"' The removal of that great landmark of freedom, the
MIissouri Compromise line, when it had been sacredly observed until slavery had acquired every inch of soil south
of it, has presented the aggressive character of that system
broadly before the country.  It has shown that all compromnises with slavery, that were designed to favor freedom, are
mere ropes of sand, to be broken by the first wave of passion or interest that may roll from the South.
"It has forced upon the country an issue between free
labor, political equality, and manhood on the one hand;
and, on the other, slave labor, political degradation, and
wrong.   It becomes the people of the free States to meet
that issue resolutely, calmly, and with a sense of the momentous consequences that will flow from its decision.  To
every elector, in view of that issue, might appropriately be
applied the injunction anciently addressed to the Jewish
King:'Be strong, and show thyself a man.'
"It becomes the State of Iowa,- the only free child of
the Missouri Compromise,-to let the world know that she
values the blessings that compromise has secured to her,
and that she will never consent to become a party to the
nationalization of slavery."
239 
POLICY OF GOVERNMENT.
The following returns (as far as heard from  up to the
date we write,) will exhibit the present politics of Iowa:
Apri El~ection.
Anti- Prohibitory law.
Counties.
Lee..............................
Des Moines..........................
Muscatine............................
Scott..................................
Clinton................................
Cedar..................................
Jackson...............................
Mlahaska..............................
Clayton *..............................
Linn....................................
Davis.................................
Johnson..............................
Dubuque..............................
Henry.................................
Van  Buren..........................
Jefferson..............................
Jones *................................
VWashington..........................
Louisa.................................
WIapello...............................
Alonroe...............................
Warren...............................
M'Ctdison..............................
Jasper.................................
Black IHawk.........................
Delaware.............................
Powasheik...........................
Story..................................
Tama..................................
WVinnesheik..........................
Lucas.................................
Marion...............................
IMajority so far for K. N. State Ticket.................. 5207.
,,,, " ProhibitoryLaw..................... 3310.
* Those counties marked with an asterisk are reported, tho
remainder are official.
t
i
240
AntiK. N.
Prohi'bit
For.
644
498
392
630
206
363
o,y L,,w.
Agai.st.
K. N.
o'27
419
108
846
45
464
152
266
400
352
337
323
874
181
50
277
318
29
1 504
i 178
231
28
145
95
79
73
9
88
100
300
724
225
316
399
448
788
660
171
250
339
230
210
136
22
66
175
130
285
37
57
112
35
8
19
32
285
1189
143
446
2789
6896
6049 
EDUCATION.
CHAPTER XXVII.
EDUCATION.
School S'ystemn.-A very liberal provision is made for
the permanent support of common and academic institutions
in this State. By an act of Congress, 500,000 acres of
land have been set apart for the promotion of the cause of
education. Some of these lands have been sold, and the
proceeds safely invested for the benefit of schools.  Much,
however, remains still in the market, and will be disposed
of as the wants and interests of these nurseries of knowledge
demand.
There is to-day about one million of dollars in the hands
of the School Fund Commissioners, within the State, which
is loaned at ten per cent., yielding an income of nearly one
hundred thousand dollars. This amount, distributed among
the schools of the Commonwealth, places them upon a footing not surpassed by any new State in the north-west.
State Uhtiversity of Iowa.
This institution opened in some of its departments recently. It has been permanently located at Iowa City,
the site of the Capitol, and is to have the use of the
public buildings, together with ten acres of land, on which
the same are situated. Two townships of land, granted by
act of Congress, July 2Oth, 1840, for the support of a uni       21
241 
EDUCATION.
versity, have been donated by the State to this institution,
and  constitute a permanent  and  munificent fund, upon
whose interest to lean for support.
2;'a:~Tees of tle State t h'iversit.
Tire ]Jefeical Dela)rti?e,2, of the State University, is the
College of Physicians and Surgeons, located at Keokuk, in
Lee County. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction says:' The best interests of the State University demand that the law making the College of Physicians and
Surgeons the medical department of the State University of
Iowa, should be repealed, and that the entire University
Fund be concentrated upon one object, and the building up
of one institution, and not have it squandered by dividing
it on different schools in various parts of the State, as by
sueh means we will not be able to sustain a respectable instituti,n in the State.  One institution of learning, well
susta;.ined, is of more advantage to the people at large, than
twenty only in name, as many of our colleges are in this
Stlate.  One university, with an able corps of professors,
and properly managed, will be sufficient for the accommodation of all the students who will attend a State University,
and besides that, will1 be a credit to the State."
-T);c,nc' at f(ifiyjc,l>.-One branch of the State Univers'ty is established at Fairfield, Jefferson County, and is put
upon the same footing with respect to funds and other details, as the present Seminary.
Briach7 at Dubeulte.-Another branch of the State Universitv is to be established at Dubuque.   The trustees have
2 4'' 
EDUTJCATION.
been appointedl, the site selected, and most of the measures
necessary to the enterprise taken.
.'Avo~mal 2ScItoo7s.-The State is divided into three districts, in each of which there was to be established a Nornmal School, for the education of teachers for our conmmon
schools.   The law establishing these schools, located them
at OsLkaloosa,?ic.unt Pleasant, and Andrew.
Disti~'ct   oo0.S-Of these, Jas. D. Eadt, Esq., late
State Superintendent, says: " In  many of the older counties that I have travelled through, the citizens have gone to
work with a liberal and praiseworthy spirit, in erecting large
and commodious buildings for educational purposes. The
city of Keokuk takes the lead in having the finest building
in the State, in the erection of which the citizens have expended nearly ten thousand dollars; and with a liberal spirit, they pay the Superintendent of the school eight hundred dollars per annum.
"' Fort MIadison, Burlington, 3Iuseatine, Davenport, Lyons, Anamosa, Colesburgh, iMarion, Roehester, Tipton,
Denmark, Primrose, VWest Point,  Centreville, Oskaloosa,
Cedar Falls, and many other towns, have erected buildings
which will stand as lasting monuments of the liberality of
those eng,aged in so glorious an enterprise, and an honour to
cur young State.
" Iowa, young as she is, already commands a prominent
posi;tion, not only in referencee to the magnitude of her
Schlool Fund, but in the progress she has made in the organization of her districts, and the general establishment of
free schools.
243 
EDUCATION.
"According to the returns of the County Commissioners,
there are twenty-three hundred and fifty-five organized
school districts in Iowa, and over one hundred and eleven
thousand children between the ages of five and twenty-one
years.  When we consider, in connection with these facts,
that our population is increasing with a rapidity almost unparalleled in the history of any country, and that in a very
few years we shall equal in numbers the most populous of
the Eastern States, it becomes apparent that we cannot be
too active and vigilant in all that pertains to the education
of the youth of our State, who are so soon to control the
destiny of a great Commonwealth.
"While we congratulate ourselves upon the possession
of so magnificent a school fund, as has been secured to us
by the action of the General Government, and our State
Legislature, we must not forget that much remains to be
done on the part of the people themselves, before we shall
fully enjoy the advantages of a universal system of free
schools, of a c.,haracter commensurate with the object of their
erganization, viz.: to give to every son and daughter of
Iowa a thorough knowledge of all the essential elements of
a good practical education.
"I have had the pleasure, during the past season, of
visiting a laorge number of union or graded schools, in the
larger towns of th e State, and have been very highly gratified in witnessing tlheo many advantages they possess, when
properly conducted, over those schools which maintain
separate organizations.
"As appears froni the returns of the County Commis
c) — t 4 
EDUCATION.
sioners, the average sumn paid to the district school teacher
is less than twenty dollars to the male, and less than ten
dollars per month to female teachers."
In all the thickly settled counties, common schools are
convenient, and should the tide of immigration continue to
flow as it has done, in five years not one county in ten will
be destitute of the facilities for a sound education.   The
number and condition of public schools are given more par ticularly in the sketches of the counties, in another portion
of this work.
Blind Asyum. —An institution for the instruction of the
blind was organized and put into operation in Iowa City, in
the spring of 1853. It has been impossible, thus far, to
procure suitable buildings for the accommodation of those
wishing to attend, and an appropriation of $6000 has been
made for the erection of appropriate buildings.   The number of pupils at present in attendance is twenty-three.
.DI)eaf and.Dutib As.y7um.-An institution for the instruction of the deaf and dumb, has recently been opened
in Iowa City, which bids fair to do great service, even the
present year, in extending to this unfortunate class, the
light and knowledge which, but for education, they must be
deprived of.
.Acaldemies and  Co7Tceyes.-TThis State is well supplied
with acadamies and colleges, some of which will compare
favorably with those in the Atlantic States, while all reflect
credit upon the patriotism and enterprise of the HIawkeye
State.   W~e give herein a skletch of the condition of those
21*
".) 4 5 
EDU I)CATION.
of the principal schools of this class, concerning which we
have been able to gain satisfactory data:  Tihe,lio,t ozive,crsit,?.-This is a literary institution of the Baptist denomination, located at Burlington, in
April, 1852.   The college edifice was erected in 1853-4,
and dedicated on the 4th of July, 1854. This building is 44
by 65 feet, three stories high, and its style of architecture
and economic arrangement reflect great credit upon its founders and architects.  The first annual catalogue of the institution was issued on the first of January, 1855, which
reports 167 pupils, and a faculty of eight different teachers,
with Geo. b. Gunnison, A. M., as principal.   The school
is now in a flourishing condition.  The institution possesses
available property to the amount of $20,000, and is nearly
free from debt, besides $5000 secured and drawing interest,
as the commencement towards a fund for enlarging their
buildings.  The plan of the institution provides for preparatory and collegiate departments, with courses of study for
gentlemen and ladies. The gentlemen's course embraces 7
years-3 preparatory, and 4 collegiate; the ladies' 5 years
-1 primary, and 4 advanced. Those desiring further information of the institution, may address the Principal, at
Burlington, or Rev. Jas. A. Nash, President of the Board
of Trustees, at Ft. Des Moines.
Dave~nort Fenale Universitjy.
FeCmale  Ec7ectic lnstitute. -This  institution,  still in
the first year of its history, is the only female seminary
in the United States which,  in the character and extent
246 
EDUCATION.
of its instruction, is founded upon the broad basis of a
university.
By the scheme of its organization, provision is made for
1st, Twelve professorships in the sciences and letters, viz:
,)ne each in Mathematical Sciences, Experimental Sciences,
Natural Sciences, Ancient Languages, Modern Languages,
English Language and Literature, Historical and Political
Sciences, Logical and AEsthetical Sciences, Moral and Mental Sciences, Vocal and Instrumental Miusic, Drawing and
Painting, Chirography and Book-Keeping.
2d. Two professorships upon the professions of the sex,
viz: one upon the Principles of Study in general and in
particular; one upon the Principles of Teaching in general
and in particular.
3d. One professorship upon Conversation and the Proprieties.
4th. One professorship upon the Trades taught in the
University.
5th. One professorship upon Domestic Economy and
Domestic Duties.
By the scheme of its organization provision is also made
for granting e.yAzhteen species of diploma.
WVe cannot better exhibit the leading features of the Davenport Female University, than by an extract from a letter
addressed by the talented and accomplished principal, 3Mrs.
Caroline P. Lindsley, A. M., to the editor of the "Rock
Islander."  In her communication she states that the University "is designed to supply not only the great wants in
the female educational systems of the times, but the wants
247 
ED U CATION.
of divers c7lasses of our countrywomen, the wealthy as well
as the indigent, genius as well as mediocrity.   To this end
it will furnish an extensive and thorough training:
"1st.  For those who  aim chiefly at distinction in the
field of science and letters
"2d. For those who aim chiefly at distinction in the professions permitted to woman;
"3d. For those who aim chiefly at distinction in the
trades taught in the institution;
"4th. For those who aim chiefly at superior knowledge
of the duties of domestic life;
" 5th. For those who aim at commendable eminence in
each of these general divisions of female effort and
enterprise."
Three departments of the University are already opened,
and if demanded by the proficiency of applicants, eight will
admit pupils by the first Wednesday of September next,
the commencement of the collegiate year.
The character and extent of the instructions, unapproached as they are by any female institute in the country,
do not constitute, however, the only evidence of superiority.
The University, while it takes the title of a great school of
industry and learning, does not overlook the interests of
those who have claims upon its beneficence. Accordingly
it opens its halls, with scarcely the shadow of tribute, to
those who seek its groves, to lessen the expenses of instruction by the pursuit of some trade, or to enjoy its advantages
at reduced consideration.   Hence  1. Employment at the trades taught in the University is
248  
I                  ii  liii -                                                                                                              I  ill        Ij;!                    i             \;HLII
FE3IALE COLLEGE, UNDE              R TIIE AUIC ES OF TIlE I. 0. 0. F, OF IOWA, 
EDUCATION.
invariably given at 7[v;i,'g rates to young ladies who may
desire to support themselves, in part at least, while prosecuting their studies.
2. The daughters of the clergy, without regard to faith,
are entitled to tuition at ha7f the established prices, and,
upon the opening of the fall term, will receive their tuition free, in every branch except painting and instrumental
music, provided they board with the Principal.
Iowa Fema7e Collegiate Institute, at Iowa Cit, under the
auspices of the 1 O. of 0. F.
"Articles of incorporation were adopted and recorded on
the 29th of July, 1853, which place the institution under
the particular auspices of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows of Iowa, and secures in the instruction and government of the school the same broad and liberal basis, and the
same freedom from every species of sectarianism, which distinguishes that Order.
"It also offers to all Lodges and Encampments, contributing one hundred dollars to the funds of the institution,
a perpetual scholarship; and to each individual contributor
of the same amount, a scholarship for twenty years, or
during his natural life. By this arrangement we hope to
be able, at some future day, to offer free i?struction to all
poor orphan daughters of the Order in the State.  This,
indeed, is a primary object had in view by the Board in the
establishment of their institution, and will not be lost sight
of in their future plans and labor for the permanent organization of their school.
249 
EDUCATION.
"During the past year the attention of thle Board has
been directed chiefly towards the collection of funds, and to
the preparations for the erection of a suitable College eclifice for the use of thle institution.
" In this effort, very gratifying success has rewarded their
labor.  Notwithstanding thle protracted illness of their agent
has deprived the Board of his services for nearly one-half
of the past year, yet they are happy to report the collection
of about $8000 in cash, notes, valid subscriptions, and other
property, as the result of their efforts.
" The City Council at Iowa City, at their regular meeting
in September, 1853, donated to the Board an eligible site
for their College edifice; and the Grand Lodge of the
I. O. of O. F. of the State of Iowa laid the corner-stone of the
College, October 27th, 1853, with the usual ceremonies of
the Order."
The edifice will be completed and ready for occupation by
the first of July, 1855.
For further particulars, address F. I-. Lee, Secretary,
Iowa City.
See particulars of "Iowa Conference Seminary," of 5[t.
'Vernon, and of the "' Iowa WVesleyan University," " 5t.
Pleasant  Hio-l  School, and Female Academy," in  the
sketches of Linn and iHenry Counties.
[&wt a C,7vhc,t.
This College is located in the city of Davenport, and
occupies grounds of great natural beauty, overlooking a wide
250  
LADIES' COLLE(E, DAVENPORT.
I 
EDUCATION.
expanse of prairie on the north, and commanding on the
south a fine view of the AIississippi River, and the adjacent
cities.
It was founded in 1848, and is sharing in the general
prosperity attending every enterprise in this attractive
State.
The institution, under the care of well-qualified instructors, is furnished with a chemical and philosophical apparatus, and has a library of some 2000 volumes.   WTith the
new building soon to be erected, and a commodious boardinghouse already in use, the College will be prepared to offer
facilities for a thorough education, both in the preparatory
and college departments.
'Lac7ies' Coll,ye."
The above is the name of an institution soon to be opened
in the city of Davenport, (we write under date of April lIst,)
under the direction of T. H. Codding, Esq., who is also its
proprietor.  The  building, when  completed, at a cost of
$20,000, will present a front of 120 feet, and four stories
in hei.ght, with a depth of 80 feet.  The main building will
be ready for the reception of scholars on the 1st of May.
Upon  the selection of the site for the "Ladies' College,"
too much praise can scarcely be bestowed. Standing upon
a lofty bluff, it commands a sweep of landscape scarce excelled throughout the region of the Upper  M3ississippi,
while the broad summit of the hill, whose centre it decks,
affords ample room for extensive promenades, and the gentle
251 
ED U CATION.
slopes which decline towards the lowlands, render it easy
of access to pedestrians and carriages.
The aim of the "Ladies' College" is to pr( pare young
ladies for the active practical duties of life, which aimrn it is
proposed to effect by a judicious combination of mental,
moral, and physical training.  Its proprietor says:
" The course of instruction will be thorough and cornplete, and at the same time very discriminating and select,
avoiding everything of an entirely useless character, and
substituting those branches whose tendency is to give vigor
and elasticity to the youthful mind.
"The manner of teaching will be the most approved(
and inproved known in our country or in Europe, giving
the pupil the full understanding of her subject, while it is
presented by the teacher in a style entirely new and fascinating."
To insure to pupils a thorough English and classical education, and familiarity with the languages, a large corps of
experienced and accomplished teachers have been engaged
as assistants to Mr. T. HII. Codding and MIrs. O. Codding,
the Principals and Superintendents of the Institute.
252 
RELIGIOUS WORSHIP.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
RELIGIOUS WORSHIP.
Congregational Churc7tes.-The State of Iowa is divided
into five associations. The latest reports are from the proceedings   of the annual Association,  in  June,  1854, as
follows:
No. of Memnbers.
Council Bluffs Association, 40   No. of Ministers in the State, 57
Davenport          "      471       "  Churches  "    "   72
Denmark            "      7o9   Meeting Houses built          39
Des Moines River  "       862'"        It  building      6
Dubuque            "      604
Estimated addition in 9 2236
months..................... 250
2486
Congregational churches are thus located: Council Blttffs
Association.-Civil Bend, Council Bluffs, Tabor, (Florence,
N. T.). Davenport Association.-Anamosa, Copper Creek,
Davenport, Deep Creek, De Witt, Le Claire, Lyons, Marion, Muscatine, Sabula, Sterling, Sugar Creek, Summit,
Tipton, Toledo. Dennmark Association.-Brighton, Burlington, Clay, Columbus, Crawfordsville, Danville, Denmark,  Flint, Hillsboro',  Long  Creek,  Mount Pleasant,
North Marion, Old Man's Creek, Salem, Trenton, Wapello,
Warren, Wayne.   Des Jloines River Association.-Ben.
22
F,    n"
253 
RELIGIOUS WORSIIIP.
tonsport, Chariton, Edcyville, Elk Creek, Fairfield, Farm
ington, Keosauqua, Ki(,xsville, 3Iarysville, Oskaloosa, Ot
tuniwa, Pleasantville,  Fed Roek.   Dubufue Association.
-Bellcavue, Bowen's Prairie, Cascade, Centre, Colesburg,
Cottonville, Deeorah, Dubuque, Durango, Farmersburgh,
French Settlemuent, Garnaville, Lansing,  NIanona, MIaquo
keta, Quasqueton, Sherold's Mound, Teroli, WAVest Union,
Yankee Settlement.
Stt(tist&cal Tail)le of Bal)tists in Iotca.
| ~Ass~oviatioo~s.  St~ ~ =..h,$ F  Date of Report.
Associations.
Des   oine s............. 21   11   247   1159 Aug. 25, 1854.
Datvenport............... 24   17    73   1078 Sept. 15, 1854.
Oskaloosa............16    5    32    502 Aug. 30, 1854.
Central Iowa........... 14    6    98    384 Sept. 29, 1854.
Fox River............... 17    7    69    628 Sept. 8, 1854.
Ed     en...................... 10    3  300
6 Associations........102   49   519   4051
Not included in above    3   11           49 A low estimate.
105   60   519   4100
Statistical ]Hstory of t7te Iowa Baptist Convention.
l~ nniser'v   Mnnrratnr..  In.   Preacher.
iev. It. Johnson.
"  A.  Sherwtood.
C.E. Brown.
W. B. Morey.
J. N. Seely.
"  1t. Burnett.
D". P. Smith.
C. E. Brown.
T. H. Archibald.
". G. Johnson.
W.A..Wells.
J. A. Nash.
G. J. Johnson.
W. Elliott.
l3th-ISM.
'54: 
RELIGIOUS WORSHIP.
Presb~terican g(,ttrches.-The Synod of Iowa is divided
into three Presbyteries.   According to the statistical reports for 1854, this Synod consists of the following:
oNo. Churches.
24
47
100
171
No. Members.
1. Presbytery of Iowa.................... 247
2. Presbytery of Ced,r.................. 7'9
3. Presbytery of D)es Mloines............ 787
In Synod of Iowa...................... 1833
Location of Presjyteeician Churches.
First Presh terj. —Keokuklc, West Point, Mliddletown,
Morning Sun, Mount  Pleasant, Charleston,  Burlington,
Lowell, Spring Creek, Fort i1adison, and Kossuth.   Secon(d  PIresbysery.- - Iuscatine, West Liberty,  Farmer's
Creek, Tipton, Scotch Grove, Cascade, Grandview, Miarion,
Lime Grove, Dubuque, Davenport, Iowa City, Le Claire,
Solon, Blue Grass, MIaquoketa, Postville, Franckville,
Colesburg, Lybrand, Pleasant  Grove, Vinton,  Independence, Hopkinton, Lisbon, Princeton.   Thi;rd  Presbytes.
-Fairfield, Libertyville,  Sigourney,  Birmingham, Winchester, Oskalocosa, Washington, Brighton,  Albia, Crawfordsville, Troy, Keosauqua, Bentonsport, Kirkville, Indianolo, Ottumwa, Knoxville, and Ft. Des 3Moines.
Protestanit ~p)scopal Church7.-The territorial limits of
the diocese embrace the entire State.  The Right Rev. 11.
W. Lee, D. D., is the bishop of the same.  It was organized into a diocese, August lSth, 1853, under the provisionary charge of the 11t. 1ev. J. Kemper, D. D. The
present bishop was elected June ist, 1854.
255 
RELIGIOUS WORSHIP.
There are organized parishes in the following places:
Dubuque, Bellevue, Davenport, Mluscatine, Burlington, Ft.
3Iadison, Keokuk, Ft. Des Moines, WTashington, Iowa City,
and Cedar Rapids. Churches are built in the following
places:-Dubuque, Davenport, M3uscatine, Burlington, and
Keokuk, and one is in progress at Cedar Rapids.
The number of clergy in the diocese is 11; number of
communicants, about 300. Immigration is adding to families and communicants every month. Number of Sunday
Schools not ascertained as yet.  The second annual conven
tion meets at Burlington, on the 29th of May next.
et7ltodist (churches.
In the following table we give a full history of the con
dition of the Methodist Churches in Iowa, as rendered at
the Eleventh Annual Conference, held September 27th,
18S54:
MI. E. CIIUIRCIIES.
DISTRICTS
4171
2830
1518
1332
1374
Iowa City......
Ft.  De    s  M0oil1es
Council Bluffs
Total.........
DIiSTRICTS.
Keokuk.........
Burlington....
Dulbuque.......
I Upper Iowa...
i -It. V'ernon....
Mc. vernon....                      al........50
AI. E. SABBATII SCHOOLS.
DISTrICTS.                               DITRICTS.                    
KeokL........  52  2650  6263 112   Ft. Des 3loines   4].
Burlington....9   2496  5615  94   Council Bluffs   11
Bubuque.......   8  1163   465  9   9   Scatteri ng 4....  4
Upper Iowa...  42  1851  4595  38]
MIt. vernon.....3L 1146  4229  48        Total.......271 
Iowa City...... 39  1215  3715  35 I
I
I
I
256
11
0I
R
7
10
5
4
4
t
I
PI
49
35
21
21
30
I 9
;z
11
PI
14 6
7 9
3 0
80 41.
I I
PI I
33 1948
41 2882
13 408
222 15131
22
23
8
15
4
,  4
E 
I,'e,.,
16r,C, 4151 3
417 850 3
430 100 6
--- I — -
13,2'54 i 35,1,- 3398 
RELIGIOUS WORSHIP.
Ca7holic ChuurchIes aid Clerlyy.
The diocess of Dubuque, comprises the State of Iowa, and
is administered by the Rt. Rev. Mlathias Loras, D. D.   The
principal buildings at Dubuque embrace the "Cathedral of
St. Raphael," now nearly completed, the " Holy Trinity,"
(German), and a new and spacious church in the upper part
of the city, "under the patronage of St. Patricek."   Also
the "'1iount St. Bernard Theological Seminary," situated
four miles friom Dubuque, with ten seminaries and three
professors; the " Cistercian Monastery of Our Blessed Lady
of La Trappe," New inelleray, near Dubuque; "Brothers
of Christian Instruction," at New Paradise Grove, four
miles from Dubu(jue, and " St. Joseph's Femnale Academty,"
situated eight m1iles from D)ubunqie.   Besidle the above, the
Catholics have the " Convent and Academy of the Visitation," at Keokuk, and churches and stations at the follow
ing named places:
.D.L]) qqe Co..~'y, at Dubuque, Cascade, Green Oak, New
Vienna, St. JoseLh's, S       hellsniound, St. Nicholas, and Tetede-Mi,rt;
Jl,C,7.?.' o   ~,' at Girry Owen, St. Lawrence, Cascade,
Belleview, and Sabila;
Jones 6botii, at Castle Grove, and St. Thomas;
Dean  it g ie C1l., at Buffalo Grove;
C[.yso1l (0'I,/~, at Carnovillo, and Guttenberg;
Cl:'.toi  C~Il!y, at Lyons, and Camanche;
o)o,
257 
RELIGIOUS WORSHIP.
Scott County, at Davenport,* and Le Claire;
JIlt.scatiLie Cootly, at MuIscatine;
Joheson Chovzty, at Iowa City, English River, and Old
.Ian's Creek;
)es Jloires  County, at Burlington,  Dodgeville, and
Augusta;
Lee County, at West Point, Fort Madison, Keokuk, and
Farmington;
l;it7estheik County, at Big Springs, and Old Mission; at
Ottumwa, WVapello County; Ft. Des MIoines, Polk County;
Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, and New Paradise
Grove, near Mount St. Bernard.
Recapitulation.-Churches, 35; stations, 17; clergymen,
29; religious communities, 5; Catholic academies, 4; Catholic population, 20,000.
* The Catholic is the largest church in Davenport, covering an
area 44 by 84 feet. The cost of the edifice was about $10,000.
Number of members, 3000, (many of them residing in the country.) Connected with the church is a youths' school, conducted
by Rev. J. A. M. Pelamourgues, and three assistant teachers.
The entire square upon which these buildings are located, was
donated to the church, by Antoine Le Claire.
258 
BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES.
CHAPTER XXIX.
BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES.
Free and Accepted Masons.
Location       No. of MIembers.
Burlington...............50........ 50
Aluscatine...............63......... 63
Dubuque................44.......... 44
Iowa City............... 28........ 28
Wapello............................... 23
Mlarion................................. 49
Augusta.................18......... 18
Mount Pleasant...........35....... 5
Keosauqua...............46........ 46
Tipton.................................. 26
Keokuk................. 29.......... 29
Fort Madison.................... 18
Bloomfield...............................33
Fairfield.................35......... 5
Ottumwa................25..........25
Salem................................. 49
Oskaloosa................47........ 47
Lyons............................. -
Burlington...............23........ 23
Agency City..................... 34
Ft. Des Moines..........18.......18
Grandview...............17........ 17
Rochester........................ 17
Cedar Rapids.................... 28
NOTE.-This table is taken from the Report made to the Grand
Annual Communication, June 6th, 1854. Other lodges have been
259
Locaf,ion. No. of Members.
Washington...................... 30
Farmington...................... 1 6
New London..................... 32
Keokuk........................... 23
Muscatine........................ 37
Iowa City........................ 20
Sigourney........................ 80
Winchester....................... 21
De Witt........................... 23
Kirkville.......;.................. 24
Maquoketa....................... 16
Davenport........................ 28
P,ichland.......................... 11
Sabula............................ 20
Troy............................... 16
Libertyville...................... 23
Centreville....................... 14
Wintersett........................ 15
Le Claire......................... 13
Crawfordville.................... 1.3
Anamosa......................... 11
Bentonsport..................... 7
Cedar Falls...................... -
r,:, "   -I 
BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES.
organized since, and numerous members added to the Order, but
this is the latest reliable data accessible.  In this list the lodges
are arranged according to their age and No., except that one (No.
9), "revoked," is omitted; so that Mount Pleasant is No. 8, Keosauqua, 10, Tipton, 11, &c.  The next session of the Grand Lodge
of Iowa, will be held in Keosauqua, Van Buren County, the first
Tuesday in June, 1856.
Icdepecnc7eit Orc7er of 0(OdZ i-eFlos.
There are of the I. O. of 0. F. in this State, sixty-one
lodges, which are located in the following counties:
Appanoose,
Buchanan,
Black ttawk,
13renmer,
Clayton,
Cedlar,
Clinton,
Delaware,
Dubuquce,
Des                     Maoines,
D)avis,
J eahaska,
Madison,
M,uscatinle,
Pottawattamie,
Polk,
Sott,
Van Buren,
Wappello,
Washington,
Winnesheik,
Warren.
Sons of Tegn?pega2?ce.
The number of divisions of Sons of Temperance in the
State, as near as we can ascertain, is not far from one hundred and fifty, most of which are located as follows:
Counties.
Appanoose............................
Black Hawk,..........................
Cedar,................................
Clinton,.................................
Davis..................................
Del awar e..,..........................
260
Fa,yette,
Ileiir.y,
Jackson,
Jefferson,
Johnson,
Jones,
Keokuk,
Le,-,
Loui.,a,
Li-na,
l,larioii,
Towi,is.
Centreville.
IVaterloo.
P,,-,cl-iester, Spririgdale.
De'il,itt, Cai,,iancl-ie.
Bloonl,le'id.
Dellil, llol)"-inton, Uniontown. 
BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES.
Counties.
Des MAloines.........................
Dubuque,.............................
Ieenry,...............................
Jack soa.n,...........................
Towns.
Burlington.
Dubuque, Hogansville.
Mount Pleasant, Salem.
Andrew, Bellevue, S. Fork, Sa  bula,  Lamotte.
New         ton.
Fairfield, Glasgow.
Iowa City.
Sigourney.
Keokuk.
Toolsboro'.
Chariton.
Hopewell, Oskaloosa.
Knoxville.
Albia.
Silver Creek, Glenwood.
Ft. Des Moines.
Davenport, Le Claire, Blue
Grass.
Keosauqua, Famington, Pitts   burg.
Ottumwa, Dahlonega, Agency
City, Eddyville, Bentonsport,
Bonaparte, Birmingham.
Washington, Richmond.
Indianola.
Jasper,................................
Jefferson,.............................
Johnson,..............................
Keokuk,...............................
Lee,....................................
Louisa,.................................
Lucas.................................
Mlahaska............................... o
MIarion,................................
MAonroe...............................
Mills,.......................................
Polk..................................
Scott,...............................
Van Buren,........................
Washington,..........................
Warren,................................
James Thorington, of Davenport, is G. WV. P. of Iowa.
261
IV, apello............................ 
BAN K ING-IIO 110 USES.
CHAPTER XXX.
BANKING-IHOUSES.
IN Iowa, the issue of bank-notes is prohibited by law,
consequently we  have no  home currency, and depend entirely upon other States for a circulating medium.   Although we occasionally receive the refuse of the East, yet
large quantities of notes of the safest banks are continually
sent west for circulation.  Henee, every State, from iIaine
to Georgia, and from  the Lakes to the Gulf of 31exico
contributes to the assortment, while at the same time the
proportion of coin is greater here than at the East.  This is
in a nmeasure owing to the immigration from the Eastern
States and Europe.
There are banking houses at most of the important towns
in the State, where  banking, exchange, and lawns agency
business is transacted, and to them we refer the reader, a;
every way worthy of confidence and patr:r.aGe.  Of   these,
we would mention  At BBur7linyton.-Green, Thomas & Co., successors to I;.
W. Clark, Bros., & Co., bankers, dealers in exchange, and
land agents;
At Cedar Rapids.-Green & Weare, bankers, colleot~cf
and general land agents;  Ward &  Bryan, bankers  vnd
land agents;
262 
BANKI NG-IIOU SES.
At Cou),cil BI~iFs.-Green, Weare & Benton, bankers,
collectors, and general land agents;
At Dabztge.-3I. 3Iobley, exchange and banking house;
F. S. Jessup & Co., bankers, dealers in eastern and southern
exchange, land warrants, &e.; WI. J. Barney & Co., bankers, dealers in exchange, and general land agents;
At Da ucn1)ort.-Cook &  Sargent,  bankers, dealers in
eastern and southern exchange, and general land agents;
3IeGregor, Lawes & Blakemore, bankers, exchange and real
estate brokers; ilaclot and Corbin, bankers and dealers in
exlchange; Yerby & Barrow, bankers and dealers in domestic and foreign exchange, and land agents;
At Fort Des _/Voines.-Cook, Sargent & Cook, bankers,
dealers in exchange, and land agents; Green, Weare & PRice
bankers, collectors, and general land agents; Miaclot, Corbin
&  White, bankers, exchange brokers, and land  agents;
Hoyt Sherman, banker and dealer in exchange and land
warrants;
At i11'7fizc7. -Henn, Williams & Co., dealers in land
warrants and exchange;
At Ioica CLty.-Cook, Sargent &I Downey, bankers and
general land agents;
At Til)to,.-W. IH. Tuthill, banker, and dealer in exchange and land warrants.
At each of these banking-houses, interest is paid on special deposits; bills of exchange on all the principal cities of
the United States and Europe are bought and sold; gold
and silver are bought and sold, loans effected, and all other
263 
BANKING-HIOUSES.
banking business transacted, save the issue of bills.  As
land agencies, they buy and sell warrants, select and enter
vacant lands, examine titles, &c.
One species of coin is not current in this State; we allude to the cent and half-cent, while even the three-cent
piece is barely tolerated, and is seldom seen except in churchplates, and at the post-office.
THE END.
~
I.. I,, Ii i, X,.
264