DUNCAN ELDRIDGE, ANTOINE LECLAIRE, GEORGE DAVENPORT

ELDRIDGE, LECLAIRE, DAVENPORT, DODGE

Posted By: Carol Bawden (email)
Date: 4/2/2007 at 14:12:57

In 1838, an election was held to decide the Scott County, Iowa (US) seat, which, was a political entity before the City of Davenport was actually incorporated in 1839. Both Davenport and Rockingham vied for the honor. Duncan Eldridge, Antoine LeClaire, George Davenport, and other prominent citizens waged a fierce campaign on behalf of Davenport. Both cities imported "legal residents" from surrounding territories.

Rockingham Township brought in 6 wagon loads of Dubuque, Iowa, (US) coal miners - Cornish, Welsh, Irish, and German, with the promise of food, whiskey, and a dollar a day. These were undesirables in character, dress and language...but they lived and worked 'here'...Each group had it's prejudices against each other and English was not the common language. On the west side of Rockingham Twnshp were several successful coal mines. The miners often loaded coal in their wagons to sell to Davenporters. The mines are now filled with successive land owner's garbage. That part of Scott County was called Jamestown or "Jimtown" and there is still a road with the current county designation and the original Jamestown Road.

Money was still territorial. The 6-square-block of Davenport was set up on land given to Marguerite Davenport from the Indians. She was a half-breed who supported her husband's enterprising land claims with the French-and- Indian Antoine LeClaire. Blackhawk was anti-white and hated the idea of settlement in his Saukenuk, a well-established village with longhouses stretching as far north as Wisconsin - this was all part of Wisconsin Territory. Blackhawk was over 6 ft and 240 lbs....sounds like he was in good shape. Keokuk was pro-white and a highly intelligent individual.

Governor Dodge annulled the elections twice due to "stupendous frauds". He was sworn in at Mineral Point, Wisconsin, US, in the town park. A brass plaque marks the spot. The third referendum was a charm. Davenport won.- Rockingham Township was becoming down-in-the-heels. Many people were leaving to make their homes in Davenport because it had become much more enterprising. By 1860, Davenport's population had grown to 20,000.

To put things in perspective, Stephen's (1) family arrived in the summer of that year with his wife and their 5 children, sister Matilda and sister-in-law Elizabeth and her daughter, and 2 adolescent servants (18-year-old Mary Douglas and 14-year-old Eliza White)...and a partridge in a pear tree. They missed the excitement of the Blackhawk War that lasted less than a year and ended in 1833. Bet I can tell ya who lost???