Chapter Twenty

HISTORY OF EAST DES MOINES TOWNSHIP.

EAST DES MOINES.

Des Moines township is known in the surveys as township 74 north of range 16, west of the 5th principal meridian. The township lines were surveyed by William A. Burt in August 1843, and the section lines by William Dewey January, 1845. It took its name from the Des Moines river, which runs across the township diagonally toward the southeast, dividing it into two almost equal parts. From 1845 until 1885 it was known on the county records as Des Moines township. Ephraim Munsell was elected the first clerk. In the latter year the territory on the east side of the river was organized under the name of East Des Moines township. This division was made necessary by, the river, which formed such a barrier as to prevent its citizens from effectual co-operation.

There is quite a growth of white oak, walnut and cottonwood timber along the bottoms of the Des Moines river.

In point of settlement this township was one of the very first. A party of six white men came into that section on April 26, 1843. It was composed of Ephraim Munsell, Isaac De Witt, Harvey Case, Phillip Schuyler, Mr. Scribner and Harry Brewer. They found Indian huts scattered along Muchakinock creek. The dragoons, mostly on horseback, were at that time patrolling the country, just as the mounted police do in Canada at this time. It was their business to keep order in the new country, but especially to prevent the whites from making their way into the New Purchase before May 1, 1843, the date fixed by the government when all restrictions should be removed and everyone who cared could have his choice of the rich lands. These men had doubtless been granted the liberty to come into the country without their wagons and learn something of the choicest locations in the territory. They carried their axes in their knapsacks, and improvised handles when they were needed. On their way up the river they passed a burning wagon, which had been set on fire by the dragoons for venturing to trespass on forbidden territory. It was a pretty severe loss to some bold spirited fellow who hoped to escape the vigilant and somewhat reckless dragoons. These men were well treated by the Indians, who kindly took them to a fine spring of water and showed them about the country which they loved so well. With their hearts already breaking to part with their humble homes and the dear old scenes of their childhood, yet they refused not to make the newcomers happy. One night the men camped in the hollow trunk of a large fallen tree. Some days later a number of the settlers found temporary homes in the abandoned Indian huts until they could build a claim cabin.

John L. Hennis, Hollom Price, Daniel Downing and a Mr. Anderson were other settlers who had taken claims up on Six Mile Prairie. Colonel Rose and John Dusenberry were located on North Muchakinock, and on the south were the Benedict brothers, who had built a saw mill on the lower Muchakinock in 1843 and had added a pair of corn crackers the next year. The mill was built in the simplest manner and did the coarsest kind of work. The burrs were made of the hard stone found in the river bottom. The old settlers say there was a larger flow of water in Muchakinock creek then than there is at this time, which was evidently true. Crude as was the old mill, settlers came to it with grists from beyond Fort Des Moines.

The first justices of the peace were Holland Benedict and John Brown. Des Moines and Harrison formed a single precinct for holding the first election, which was held at the home of Colonel Vance. The first school was taught on Six-Mile bottom about the winter of 1844 or 1845, in a log cabin. The first schoolhouse was built by private enterprise in 1848 and the school was taught by Adelaide Schuyler. We have not been able to obtain any particulars of this school except the above facts. The timber along the river was an inviting retreat for game of all kinds, and many a reminiscent story is related of the hunting feats of the early days. A sad incident occurred to a family by the name of Clayworth, who owned a home near where Muchakinock is now located. The father was working about an old well near the home when he chanced to drop the bucket into the well and went down to recover it. He was overcome by the poisonous gases which had accumulated at the bottom. Mrs. Clayworth missed her husband and when she discovered his condition she also descended into the well in the hope of rendering him some assistance. There were several children in the family, the oldest being but nine years of age. They gave the alarm to the neighbors and A. J. Baughman undertook the perilous task of rescuing the parents. Mrs. Clayworth was still alive, and with sublime heroism was holding her husband's head above water. Mr. Baughman was not sufficiently overcome to prevent him from rescuing both of them, but before they reached the upper air both were beyond recovery.

East Des Moines township has one hundred and fifty-four farms whose value is $78,535, with personal property to the value of $16,527. It has a population of 900 persons.

GIVIN.

This village was laid out by Harry Brewer in 1870 and was so named in honor of John Givin, of Keokuk, then superintendent of the Keokuk & Des Moines Railroad. The first store was built by Mr. Brewer in that year. There was a postoffice at this point as early as 1862, Hiram Ethridge was the first postmaster. It was made a railroad station in 1871. At the time that Givin was laid out it was on land owned by Mr. Brewer. As stated above Harry Brewer was one of the very early comers to this township and entered one hundred and sixty acres just east of Givin on the hill where himself and his good wife patiently wrought, raising their family and maintaining a generous and orderly home. It was an informal home but always having an air of restful hospitality. Like many such western homes it was founded in open-hearted pioneer spirit and so remained until both father and mother were laid to rest in Forest cemetery. The old farm is now owned and occupied by the youngest son of the family, Harry A. Brewer.

The early settlers greatly dreaded the venomous bite of the rattlesnake. While there were comparatively few deaths resulting from its poison, whenever there was a victim the whole community held its breath until the danger was past. Every family had near at hand its home remedies to counteract the poison until the services of a physician could be secured, which was always done in the greatest possible haste. E. D. Brewer relates an instance which occurred in his father's family. His brother George chanced to have been bitten by one of those dreaded reptiles. His father at once saddled a spirited young horse, a favorite of the family, and riding to John Harper's, his closest neighbor (neighbors in those days meant much more than it has come to mean in these later years), he told Mr. Harper to bring a doctor in the fewest possibie minutes, even if it cost the life of his valiant charger. Mr. Harper covered the six miles to Oskaloosa in just twenty minutes, and fortunately found Dr. Rhinehart sitting in his buggy ready to make a call somewhere in the country. He gave the Doctor the same message and in another twenty minutes both were at the Brewer home. Whether by the skill of the good doctor or the potency of the home remedies which had been applied in the meantime, or both, the boy was saved. We doubt if our marvelous telephone could equal this record for swiftness.

MUCHAKINOCK.

This place took its name from the creek on which it is located. The work means muddy water and is of Indian origin. It is now a mere village, but twenty-five years ago it was the home of two thousand people, mostly colored, who worked in the coal mines. In 1873 the large coal fields in this section came into the possession of H. W. and W. A. McNeill and under their management reached an unexpected development. Between four and five thousand acres of land lying in East Des Moines and Harrison townships were mined, averaging the owners at least one hundred dollars per acre without entirely destroying the lands for farming purposes. Muchakinock was the center of these operations. In 1881 the stock of the coal company controlled by the McNeill brothers was sold to the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Company for $500,000. The company extended a branch of its railroad from Belle Plaine into these coal fields and built a depot and railway yards at Muchakinock. These mining operations were a great source of income to the people of Oskaloosa and Mahaska county because of the thousands of dollars that were continually changing hands in the community. With the extension of the road to Buxton and other coal fields across the Des Moines river Muchakinock has almost ceased to exist.