Recipes for Living Jackson Township

Much of this report is due to the contributions made by Lynette Davis, who supplied information and pictures. The compiler owes a large debt of gratitude to Lynette.

The Woodland Indians were early settlers in the area that became known as Iowa. Later cultures were the Oneonta tribe and the three Great Plains tribes — the Iowa, Santee, and Yankton. The Sauk and Fox tribes were forced into the Mississippi Valley from Wisconsin and Illinois by the westward movement of the white settlement. Those tribes defeated the Iowa Indians and occupied their lands in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Following the Blackhawk War of 1832, the resistance of these tribes to white settlers was broken, and the land was opened to pioneer settlement. The first legal settlement west of the Mississippi, took place in 1833. The last confrontation with the Indians over the land purchases was the Spirit Lake Massacre in 1857. The only remaining intact Indian tribe is the Mesquaki, a Fox tribe, whose settlement covers 5 square miles near Tama.

In 1846, the Territorial Legislature of Iowa established Clarke County which was totally uninhabited except for some roving bands of Indians. The county was named for James Clarke, the last terrirotial governor of Iowa. The actual boundaries of Jackson Township were established by a government survey September 30 to October 7, 1947. There were no indications of any roads, and no signs of settlement within the borders of the township. For almost 3 years, the township was in Lucas County, the present boundaries were established in 1849.

The first road in the township was a trail across the prairie in a general east and west direction, keeping mostly on the high ground to avoid streams which had to be forded. The road came into existence to connect settlements in counties to the east with ones in the west. The road became the established Government Stage Route as early as 1848, and entered the township at a place called the Turner farm in Lucas County. It became known that the road was changed to avoid this place, and this for many years was known as the Whiskey Cut-off. The general name of the road was the Chariton-Osceola Road for the towns it connected.

The early settlers entered the lands from the government office in the Land Office at Chariton. They paid $1.25 per acre, and moved into an area that was undeveloped — no schools, doctors, churches, and almost no contact with the world they had left behind. It took about 2 months for a letter to travel from Iowa to Pennsylvania. They used no envelopes, only the outside fold of the paper on which the letter was written. Postage on a letter was about 35¢ and was paid by the one who received the letter. During the first 20 years of settlement, the only method of communicating was via the Western Stage Company that ran east and west. In 1855, it ran 3 times a week, and from 1858 until 1868 it ran daily until the coming of the railroad. An early stage driver was John W. Reese, who came to Iowa in 1856, with his parents, Simon and Mary Ann Reese. (John later married Ellen Carson.) His route was through the southern section of Iowa, and his parents' farm near the Lucas-Clarke County line in Jackson Township contained a large barn which was used to keep the horses for the stage when they switched the teams. The stage driver was expected to drive the stage to its destination, through streams, floods, deep snow, blizzards, and outlaws, while protecting the lives, property, and mail entrusted to him. The Western Stage Company dissoved on July 1, 1870, with the coming of the railroads. The once handsome coaches, built at a cost of $1000 each, were sold for scrap at $10 apiece, ending an era in Iowa history.

John Lewis is generally accepted as the first settler of Jackson Township. He first came in 1850, and entered land in the fall in Franklin Township and Jackson Township. He returned in April 1851, from Indiana with his wife and three children and planted corn that spring.

During the next five years, settlers poured in to Jackson Township. John McDonough visited Iowa in 1854, and built his five room walnut log house. (The lumber was sawed by a portable sawmill that was stopped on Otter Creek.) He returned with his famly in 1855 and they settled in this home, the first frame house in the township. Abraham Carson entered 80 acres of government land in 1855. He and his wife were from Pennsylvania and had nine children. The many Carson families in the county are descended from this family. (Thes saying used to be that the cockleburrs and Carsons would take over Jackson Township.)

In 1857, a band of about 300 Pottawattamie Indians camped for a time on Otter Creek. No mention was made of the reason for passing through. We can only assume they were moving west to other lands.

The early settlers lived on pork, wild game (rabbits, squirrels, prairie chickens, deer), honey, wild strawberries, small wild plums and grapes/ Their gardens consisted of wheat and corn, the seed being obtained from counties to the east. In most cases, the method of lighting their homes was a dish of lard with a twisted piece of cloth dipped into it and lit at the free end. Some people had tallow candles, made with a tin can with a string suspended. As for their clothing, women wore dresses and bonnets, sometimes hoop skirts. The men wore boots that came to their knees, and after they became available wore overshoes made from buffalo hide with the hair inside.

Taxes and marriage licenses had to be paid in cash. Other debts were more often paid in farm produce, or return of work. A bushel of wheat was payment for a day's work or payment for the Justice for performing a marriage ceremony. Minister's salaries were often paid in cabbage or other vegetables, sometimes supplemented by a coonskin or a brace of prairie chicks.

The people had no means of disposing of their surplus stock except by driving them to some of the river towns for sales. Sometimes a drover would come through buying hogs and neighbors each side of the road for 4 to 6 miles would sell some of their hogs. After he had collected 300 to 500 hogs, he and his drovers and would take the hogs to market. The drive could only move five or 6 miles a day, owing to the slowness of hogs.

At the beginning of the Civil War. a large number of immigrants had come from other states and the government land was all taken. The price of land advanced at this time to $2.25 an acre. The 1856 census for Jackson Township shows 232 people.

A Seventh-day Adventist church was established about 1870, in Jackson Township and a building was erected in section 30 in the Lewis district. About 1880, a Christian church was erected in this district in section 31. As it was in many areas of that time, church services were often held in the schools until the congregation could afford a building of their own. Many times these services were non-denominational, and everyone felt welcome.

The first serious crime attempted in Jackson Township was in 1864, when 3 unknown men entered the home of Joseph Chambers and demanded his money. (It was known that he had lately sold a flock of sheep in Missouri.) In the altercation which followed, Mr. Chambers was shot, but he finally recovered. Three local men were suspected of the crime and arrested. They were cleared in the Justice Court and also by the Grand Jury.Years afterward, a man was who was being hanged in Missouri confessed that he was one of the men who had attacked Mr. Chambers.

The history of Woodburn would not be complete without a history of the town of Ottawa, as this small town was the forerunner of Woodburn. In fact, many of the buildings at Ottawa were moved to Woodburn, when that town sprung up as a result of the westward movement of the railroad. The railroad followed the natural valley which was about a mile south of Ottawa resulting in the demise of the town.

In 1854, Benjamin Coppock and his brother, Lindsay, came to Clarke County and entered land. Benjamin had 200 acres and Lindsay 160 acres, the town of Ottawa being founded on Benjamin's acres. At the time the Coppock brothers arrived in the county, there was only one house between them and the town of Osceola. On May 2, 1855, Benjamin and Catherine Coppock deeded land to the town of Ottawa on sections 14 and 23. The town plat shows a layout with nine blocks, the center one being a public square. Lots were 132 feet deep and most were 66 feet wide with streets that were also 66 feet wide.

The Ottawa Post Office was established June 30, 1855, and operated until 1867. Barclay Burrows was the Postmaster around 1858, and also operated a small store. John L.Morrison was the first blacksmith. The first merchant in Ottawa was William Creighton, who bought 19 acres of land for $592.50 from the Coppock brothers. The second merchant, Thomas Miller, kept a tavern and also taught the first school, and turned the first soil at Ottawa.

Catherine Coppock sold land on August 18, 1855, to School District 2 for the Ottawa school. This school is located on lot 8, block 7 and was built of logs. Methodist Church services were held in the school after its construction.

A United Brethren Church was established at Ottawa and in section 23 of Jackson Township. It was built in 1890, and dedicated June 8, 1890.

There was an Ottawa Band in 1880.

Dr. T. S. Harding located at Ottawa in 1857 or 1858, and carried on farming and practicing medicine until his death in 1882: He was also something of a Preacher. During the Civil War, Dr. Calvin Blythe located at Ottawa, and later continued his practice at Woodburn.

Ottawa United Brethren Church

In 1870, businesses listed in section 14 of Jackson Township were a lumber dealer and merchant, wagon and carriage manufacturer. By this time, the town of Ottawa was but a few buildings, most of them having been removed to the new town of Woodburn. A survey of Ottawa in 1875, shows a far less grandiose town than originally planned. Thus the railroads made a definite impact on the changing landscape of America. New towns seemed to spring up overnight along their path, while most towns outside of their route withered away into ghost towns.

In later years at the Ottawa site, there was a barbershop, a restaurant and a gas station. The gas station was a building that had been moved in from Jay. This gas station was the last remaining business, and was later used as a repair shop, then as a feed store. There was an implement store at Ottawa.

The old U.B. church was on the southwest side of the intersection between highway 34 and R69, down the road from the intersection. It had been used as a community building after services were discontinued and dances were held there. They also brought in a portable platform that was used by the church as a skating rink. The church was bought by Earl Mason in 1931, and made into his garage business. Herman Ewoldsen had a filling station in the southwest corner also — it was farther west on what is now Highway 34. The switchboard office was run by Fern Mason DeVore out of their home and in this corner section also.

From the Woodburn News section of the Osceola Sentinel newspapers, 1911: Woodburn, third city in size in Clarke County, Iowa. Thirty miles from the southern boundary of the state. On the main Chicago to Denver route of the CB&Q railroad. Population 420. Station on the Bluegrass automobile route. Three churches, a fine school system, bank, 3 general stores, wholesale and retail, mail routes, up-to-date opera house, and no saloons. It is the seat of 2 manufacturing concerns, is located in a edge of the coal country. About 50 trains daily. Surrounded by rich farm lands ranging in value from $50-$100. Woodburn is not booming. It is growing as a healthy town should do. Watch Woodburn for opportunities.

The iron horse was slow in reaching southern Iowa. For nearly 20 years after its first settlement, Clarke County communicated with the outside world only by stage lines. The Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad came into Clarke County in 1867. It was decided to steer its course through the natural valley south of Ottawa. In days of slow transportation, this inconvenience of a mile was a hard blow for the merchants. Most of the merchants and residents immediately moved to Woodburn. In July of that year, the railroad came as far as what is now Woodburn, at the fork of the Brush and Gooseberry creeks. It is said that the little town that sprang up around the railroad station was called Woodburn because of the great piles of wood that were placed along the track near the station to fuel the engines. This was the only station in Jackson Township. The first train arrived in Osceola from the east on January 15, 1868.

From Grace Oneall Marquis Edmondson's written memories, 1982: The name given to this new settlement has an interesting story. When it was first laid out, this part of the county had a post office and a settlement at Ottawa corner, but when the railroad was laid out, it didn't go through Ottawa. So several decided they should be on the railroad. A few settled there and it was in timber land, so was easy to cut trees and make ties for the railroad. When several ties were made up ahead„ a fire got started in a shack where several of the workers lived. They never knew what started the fire, but it spread rapidly and soon the railroad ties were all burned. They had been trying to think of a new name for the town. Several said, during the fire, "Let's call it Woodburn."

The town, containing 22 lots, was laid out in the autumn of 1867, on 40 acres of land owned by the railroad and became known as Sigler's Addition. Sigler's Addition was named for the first banker in Osceola, who perhaps had the greatest influence in bringing the railroad through this part of the county.

The first building in Woodburn was a store owned by J.L Tedrow and O.L. Palmer. Later, W.J.. Smith bought out Palmer. The first hotel was built by Haywood in 1868; John Morrison was the first blacksmith and later built Swans hotel. The first carpenters were T.E. Johnson, J.R. Felger, and W.S. Randolph. John Boden owned the first harness shop established in 1873. D.N. Smith built a grainhouse in 1868, and also sold salt. J.L. Tedrow was the first grain buyer. The first school was taught by E.M. Lash.

On June 11, 1878, the town of Woodburn was incorporated. The Mayor was ET. Knight.

The Osceola Coal Company was incorporated March 30, 1876, A shaft was sunk 4 foot by 6 foot to a depth of 200 feet at Woodburn. At this point they came to a lake of water. The water rose to within 50 feet of the top of the shaft. They pumped for a week but could not lower the water level and so abandoned the shaft and coal mine

The Woodburn Argus was the first attempt at journalism in the town. Stier and Mills were the first publishers, with the first paper appearing January 15, 1885. It was a six-column folio issued on Thursdays, at a cost of $1 a year, and independent in politics. It was discontinued May 1, 1886. In that year, these businesses were active in Woodburn: 2 physicians, 1 druggist, 2 black-smiths, 1 wagon maker, 2 harness makers, 1 grain buyer, 2 hotels, 1 livery. 1 wood and coal seller, 1 mill, 1 restaurant, and 1 drayage and express.