As stated in a
previous chapter, the Indian title to the lands of the
Black Hawk purchase expired on June I, 1833. A few
white men had settled in what is now Lee County prior
to that date. In the fourscore years since the white
man acquired full title to the land that scanty
population has grown to more than thirty thousand
intelligent, industrious and cultured people. Few men
are now living who witnessed the beginning of
development in Lee County. The establishment of
schools, the organization of churches, the building of
highways, the advent of the railroad, the founding and
growth of cities, are all within the memory of the few
remaining pioneers.
Some fifty years after the first white man established
his residence in Lee County, a few old timers, in
discussing the events that had occurred during the
preceding half century, decided upon organizing
an
Old Settlers'
Association
Accordingly an informal meeting was held at the
courthouse in Fort Madison on the evening of January
5, 1871, with Philip Viele presiding, and R. W.
Pitman, secretary. The following resolutions were
adopted:
"Resolved, That this meeting be adjourned to meet at
this place on the 13th day of April next, for the
purpose of perfecting said organization.
"Resolved, That all old settlers present who were
inhab : tants of the county on the 1st day of July,
1840, be invited to sign their names, and the time of
their coming into the county, to a roll."
Thirty-three men signed the roll at that meeting, viz.
: James W. Campbell, Alexander and James Cruikshank,
R. W. and Lewis G. Pitman, J. C. Parrott, Samuel
Paschall, John G. Kennedy, E. S. McCulloch, Silas D.
Hustead, John H. Douglass, J. A. Casey, Elias Overton,
Peter Miller, Jacob Abel, Jacob Vandyke, Cromwell
Wilson, Enoch G. Wilson, Hazen Wilson, James Caldwell,
Philip Viele, George L. Coleman, Philotus Cowles,
Daniel F. Miller, Robert A. Russell, J. E. Marsell,
Isaiah Hale, Robert McFarland, James T. Blair,
Ferdinand Kiel, George B. Leidy, Elkanah Perdew and R.
McHenry.
These men may be recorded as the "Charter Members" of
the Lee County Pioneers and Old Settlers 1
Association. At the meeting on April 13, 1871, a vice
president was elected from each of the six- teen
townships, as follows: Cedar, D. S. Bell; Charleston,
John Cassady; Denmark, Curtis Shedd; Des Moines,
Nicholas Sargent; Franklin, Alexander Cruikshank;
Green Bay, John Morgan; Har- rison, A. Anderson;
Jackson, Guy Wells; Jefferson, William Skinner;
Madison, Peter Miller; Marion, B. Holtkamp; Montrose,
G. Hamilton; Pleasant Ridge, J. A. Casey; Van Buren,
John Herron; Washington, D. McCready; West Point, R.
W. Pitman.
A constitution and by-laws was prepared by a
committee, consisting of D. F. Miller, Robert
McFarland and E. S. McCulloch, and July 4, 1 871, was
selected as the date for the first annual reunion of
Lee County old settlers. That meeting was held on the
fair grounds at Fort Madison, on the date above named.
Concerning the gathering, the Keokuk Gate City, which
gave a full report of the meeting, said:
"From all parts of Lee County came up the pioneers,
their wives and children. It was a gala day for them.
This retrospective view of the halcyon days, and the
sorrowful, weary, toilsome ones, would alike bring
pleasant recollections to them as they recounted their
hopes, their trials and their victories, for had they
not performed their duty as God had best given them
the knowledge, and according to their several
abilities? Venerable men were there, whose white hairs
and trembling limbs gave token of a lengthy
pilgrimage. More than a generation had passed since,
in early manhood, they crossed the Mississippi to
carry the blessings of civilization into the wilds of
Iowa. With strong arms and true hearts, they had
battled with the perils of border life and conquered.
The wilderness and solitary place today, as the result
of their labors, buds and blossoms as the rose. * All
honor to the pioneers, the heroes and heroines of the
past. Future generations will arise and call them
blessed. It was appropriate that the Fourth of July,
our national holiday, should be chosen for such a
gathering."
D aniel McCoun, J. W. Cam, Peter Miller
Fort Madison Pioneers
Judge Philip Vide, who had been selected as the orator
of the day, was unable to appear, and the principal
address was given by Daniel F. Miller of Keokuk. It
was not a long address, but was in every way in
keeping with the occasion. Following his address came
a basket-dinner, then the reading of the Declaration
of Independence, and an address by Gen. A. C. Dodge of
Burlington. Col. William Patterson was then elected
president of the association for the ensuing
year.
For several years the Old Settlers' Association held
its meetings at different places in the county. In
1872 the reunion was held at Pitman Grove, near West
Point. At that meeting Daniel F. Miller was elected
president of the association. The exercises on that
occasion were similar to those of the preceding year,
the principal address being delivered by Judge Joseph
M. Casey. In 1873 the reunion was held at Sargent's
Grove, on the Des. Moines Valley Railroad, thirteen
miles west of Keokuk. On this occasion the program was
varied somewhat by the introduction of personal
reminiscences and anecdotes of old times. Isaac R.
Campbell mentioned the fact that some years before he
had killed a bear almost on the identical spot where
the meeting was then in session. And John Hiner, a
pioneer butcher of Keokuk, amused the gathering by
telling of two cub bears he bought for $25, and about
a year later took them to St. Louis to offer them for
sale, having previously received an offer of $100 for
them. Upon reaching St. Louis he found his prospective
customer out of the city, and while waiting for his
return paused near a millinery shop. A mischievous boy
got hold of a hoop-pole, and, as Mr. Hiner expressed
it, stirred up the animals. The bears became excited
and tore down the awning in front of the millinery
shop, but the boy was having fun, and Mr. Hiner was so
busy in trying to control the bears that he could not
compel the urchin to desist. Just in this emergency a
man came along and offered $5 for the two bears, which
Mr. Hiner promptly accepted. As he was paying the
money and turning to get away, he noticed Col. William
Patterson of Lee County leaning against a lamp-post
and laughing. Hiner says he lost his temper then, but
was glad to get away without being arrested for the
destruction of the awning.
Other places where meetings were held during the early
years of the association were at the old Keokuk fair
grounds and at Warren Station, in Harrison Township.
In more recent years some meetings were held at
Donnellson. After this migratory existence, which
continued for several years, the upper public square
in the City of Fort Madison was selected as the place
for holding the annual reunions, and this square has
become known as "Old Settlers' Park." The reunion of
1914 was held on September 17th, having been postponed
one week on account of bad weather. The feature of
this meeting was the flight of an aeroplane, in which
several citizens were carried up at different times by
the aviator. Hon. J. D. M. Hamilton of Topeka, Kansas,
a native of Lee County, had been selected as the
orator of the day, but was unable to attend on account
of illness. Mr. Hamilton died a few days after the
meeting, and his remains were brought to Fort Madison
for burial. Through the work of the Old Settlers'
Association many interesting facts in early history
and many relics of pioneer days have been preserved
from oblivion and destruction. In connection with this
association, it is deemed appropriate to mention a few
of those who assisted in its formation:
James C. Parrott was born in Talbot County, Maryland,
May 21, 181 1. When twenty years of age he went to
Wheeling, West Virginia, where he joined the First
United States Dragoons, and in 1834 was ordered west
to subdue hostile Indians. In September of that year
he went into winter quarters at Fort Des Moines, where
Montrose now stands, and, liking the country, became a
resident upon the expiration of his military services.
In 1861 he raised a company in Keokuk and entered the
army as captain of Company E, Seventh Iowa Infantry.
He was promoted to colonel of the regiment, and at the
close of the war was made brevet brigadier-general. In
1867 ne was appointed postmaster at Keokuk and was
reappointed four years later. Colonel Parrott was one
of the public- spirited, influential citizens of Lee
County, and he is still well remembered by old
residents. His death occurred on May 17, 1898.
Alexander Cruikshank was born on February 2, 1805, in
Norway, though his father was a native of Scotland, a
millwright by trade, who went to Norway about 1787. At
the age of twelve years, Alexander went to sea, and
during the next seven years sailed under the flags of
England, Prussia, the United States, Russia and
Mexico. In 1832, in company with a shipmate, John
Thompson, he landed in New York, and after visiting
various parts of the country, located the following
year in Hancock County, Illinois. In 1834 he married
Keziah Perkins, and shortly after his marriage came to
Lee County. He was the first white settler in Pleasant
Ridge Township. but in the fall of 1834 sold his claim
there and removed to what is now Marion Township.
Still later he removed to Franklin Town- ship, where
he continued to live for many years. Some of his
descendants are still living in the county. James W.
Campbell was a son of Isaac R. Campbell, who settled
at Nashville (now Galland) in 1830. James W. Campbell
attended the first school ever taught in Lee County,
where he resided practically all his life. In his
address to the old settlers' meeting in 1875 he
recounted many interesting incidents of early days,
and his address was afterwards printed and
preserved.
William Patterson, although not one of the original
thirty-three who signed the roll, but was the second
president of the association, was born in Virginia,
May 9, 1802. Four years later his father removed to
Kentucky, and later to Missouri and Illinois. In 1837
Mr. Patterson came to Lee County, first locating at
West Point. In 1846 he removed to Keokuk and engaged
in the mercantile and pork-packing business. He was a
member of the first Territorial Legislature of Iowa
and was influential in securing a settlement of the
boundary line dispute between Iowa and Missouri. He
was commissioned colonel of militia by Governor Lucas
and authorized to raise a regiment to resist any
invasion from Missouri. He after- wards served several
terms in the Legislature, was a member of the
Constitutional Convention of 1857, was three times
mayor of Keokuk, postmaster of that city for several
years, and was otherwise identified with the political
affairs of the county.
Elias Overton, who settled in Marion Township in 1836,
was a native of Hartford County, North Carolina, where
he was born on January 12, 1807. Upon coming to Lee
County he lived in a rail pen until a cabin could be
erected. He afterwards became one of the large land
owners of Marion Township.
Exum S. McCulloch was born in Davidson County,
Tennessee, July 3, 1812, and removed with his parents
to Illinois in 1826. He served in the Black Hawk war,
and in the fall of 1835 came to Lee County and
selected a claim. He returned to Illinois, but the
next spring, in company with two brothers and his
parents, came back and took possession of the land,
being one of the earliest settlers of Harrison
Township. He served several terms in both houses of
the Legislature, and assisted in the revision of the
Iowa Code. His death occurred on April 5, 1877.
R. W. Pitman, who was secretary of the meeting at
which the Old Settlers' Association was organized, was
one of the pioneers of West Point Township. He was
born in Kentucky, April 27, 1827, and came to Lee
County with his parents when about nine years of age,
making the trip from Kentucky with an ox team. They
crossed the Mississippi River, nearly opposite the
site of the penitentiary at Fort Madison, on April 20,
1835. Although his opportunities to acquire an
education were limited, Mr. Pitman, by self-study,
became a well informed man. He was noted for his
generosity and public spirit, and was active in
promoting the interests of the Lee County Agricultural
Society.
Peter Miller, another "charter member 11 of the Old
Settlers 1 Association, was born in Maryland, March 9,
1808. After a residence of several years in Ohio, Mr.
Miller came to Iowa in the fall of 1836 and soon
afterward started the first blacksmith shop in Fort
Madison. He was elected the first county treasurer of
Lee County in 1838; was appointed postmaster the next
year, and served three years as mayor of Fort Madison
shortly after the town was incorporated. The latter
years of his life he was engaged in the lumber and
mercantile business.
Nicholas Sargent, a native of Essex County,
Massachusetts, came to Lee County in 1837, when he was
about forty-two years of age. Fie settled near the
present Village of Vincennes, where he cleared and
developed a fine farm. He had thirteen children, eight
of whom grew to maturity, and some of the family are
still living in the county.
Two of the thirty-three men who signed the original
old settlers 1 roll were natives of Lee County. John
H. Douglass, a grandson of General Knapp, the founder
of Fort Madison, was born in that town on June 20,
1836, and James Cruikshank, a son of Alexander, was
born in Marion Township on May 7, 1835.
The Mormons
It is not within the province of this history to
discuss the early career of the Mormon Church. On May
9, 1839, Dr. Isaac Galland presented Joseph Smith, the
Mormon prophet, a tract of land where the Town of
Nauvoo, Illinois, is now situated. Smith laid out the
Town of Nauvoo under a charter that conferred
extravagant and dangerous powers upon the city
officials. At that time the Mormons were a political
power in Illinois, and both the leading parties were
afraid to antagonize them. Under the circumstances
Nauvoo became a breeding place for outlaws, and
probably the true story of all the outrages committed
by these outlaws will never be told. Fugitives from
justice sought refuge there, and if anyone should be
arrested witnesses could always be found to prove an
"alibi."
Nauvoo being just across the river from Lee County,
there was a large number of that faith, or
sympathizers called "Jack Mormons,' 1 who lived on the
west side of the river. Among these was Bill Hickman,
whose home was near the present village of Galland.He
was a member of the famous Danite band, which it has
been said "was composed of the most desperate members
of the church- men whose very souls were steeped in
blood, and who would scruple at nothing commanded by
their more desperate leader, the prophet."
Hickman was at one time captain of this band. He owned
a fast horse, and scarcely a public meeting was held
at which he was not present, carefully listening to
everything he could overhear. He and his followers
appropriated the property of anti-Mormons, or
Gentiles, without compunction, and where such property
could not be taken by stealth they took it by force.
Hickman was indicted for stealing meat from an old man
named John Wright and sent to the Lee County jail, but
was never tried.
The Mormon outrages in Lee County culminated on May
10, 1845, in the murder of John Miller, a Mennonite
preacher, and his son-in-law, Henry Leisy, who lived
about three miles southwest of West Point. A cap found
on the premises was recognized as belonging to one
William Hodges, and upon this clue William and Stephen
Hodges, two brothers living near Keokuk, were
arrested. On May 15, 1845, five days after the murder,
the Hodges brothers and Thomas Brown were indicted by
the grand jury at West Point for the murder of John
Miller, by stabbing him, on the Saturday previous. The
case was finally tried in Burlington, a change of
venue having been granted, the jury returning a
verdict of guilty in the case of William and Stephen
Hodges, and they were hanged by the sheriff" of Des
Moines County on July 15, 1845.
The excitement following the murder of these two
inoffensive citizens was increased by the murder of
Colonel Davenport on July 4, 1845, at Rock Island,
Illinois, and resulted in the organization of the
people into a band of vigilantes, which commenced a
war of extermination. It is not certain that any
citizens of Lee County belonged to these vigilantes,
but it is certain that many of the people on this side
of the river sympathized with that organization.
Public indignation in Lee County found expression in a
meeting on October 16, 1845, at which stringent
resolutions denouncing the cruelties of the Mormons
were adopted, and an Anti-Mormon ticket was nominated.
Judge Edward Johnstone was the principal speaker at
the meeting, and one of the resolutions was that the
Mormons should be expelled from the country —
"peaceably if possible, forcibly if necessary."
The Anti-Mormon candidates for the Legislature were
Col. William Patterson and Capt. Jesse B. Browne. An
address to the voters and taxpayers of Lee County was
issued immediately after the meeting, calling
attention to the merits of these candidates, their
pledge to use every effort to expel the Mormons, and
asking the support of the people.
The Anti-Mormon ticket was elected by a substantial
majority, and the Mormons, seeing the handwriting on
the wall, began making their preparations to leave the
country. After the real Mormons were gone their
sympathizers, still remaining in the community,
continued horse stealing, petty larceny and
counterfeiting, but the assassination of reputable
citizens was ended. One incident that made the
expulsion of the Mormons easier was the fact that
Prophet Joseph Smith had been assassinated on June 27,
1844, while confined in the jail at Carthage,
Illinois, and the loss of the leader had left the
members of the Mormon Church in a somewhat
disorganized condition.
Matthew Spurlock,
Counterfeiter
Among the noted characters of early days in Lee County
was Matthew Spurlock, generally referred to as "Old
Spurlock, the counterfeiter." He was a native of
Virginia, but spent his early manhood in Eastern
Kentucky, where he first became known as a
counterfeiter. From Kentucky he went to Alabama, but
got into trouble in that state, and some time in the
'30s located at Augusta, on the Skunk River. There is
no positive evidence that Spurlock was ever engaged in
the actual production of counterfeit money, but the
reputation he had won he turned to good account. He
nearly always carried some bright, new silver coins,
which he exhibited as samples of his own make, and
when he found some one desirous of making some "easy
money" offered to sell him counterfeit coins at
greatly reduced prices. After the deal was made, some
friend of Spurlock would impersonate an officer of the
law and frighten the purchaser out of the community.
It is said that in one case Spurlock secured $1,500
from a Burlington man by this method. The money
received through this channel rarely did him much
good, as he was an inveterate gambler and nearly
always lost. After a residence of some years at
Augusta, he removed to Schuyler County, Illinois,
where he lived until about 1843, when he went to
Jefferson County, Iowa, and died there in 1858. Some
of his children continued to live in that county and
became good citizens.
Constitutional
Conventions
In the first constitutional convention, which met at
Iowa City on October 7, 1844, and continued in session
until the 1st of the following month, Lee County was
represented by Charles Staley, Alexander Kerr, David
Galland, Calvin J. Price, James Marsh, John Thompson,
Henry N. Salmon and O. S. X. Peck. The constitution
framed by this convention was rejected by the people
at an election held on August 4, 1845.
The second convention met at Iowa City on May 4, 1846.
The Lee County delegates in that convention were David
Galland, Josiah Kent, George Berry, Enos Lowe,
Shephard Leffler and George Bowie. This convention
adjourned on May 19, 1846, and the constitution was
ratified by the people on August 3, 1846, by a
majority of 456.
Under this constitution Iowa was admitted as a state.
It remained the organic law of the state until 1857,
when the present constitution was adopted by a
convention which assembled at Iowa City on January
13th, and remained in session until March 5th. Lee
County was represented in that convention by Edward
Johnstone and William Patterson, and the district
composed of Lee and Van Buren counties was represented
by Squire Ayres.
Flood and Storm
Fortunately for the people of Lee County, the greater
portion of the surface lies high enough that no flood
of the Mississippi River has ever wrought great damage
to property, yet it may be of interest to know at
least the dates when some of the great floods have
occurred.
The old French archives at Kaskaskia, Illinois,
contain mention of a great flood of 1724, but all
accounts of the event are based on Indian tradition
and are not altogether reliable. The same archives
contain an account of a great flood in 1772, and
mention the fact that the crops around Kaskaskia were
completely destroyed by the flood of 1785.
The years of 181 1, 1824 and 1826 are noted in history
as times when the great Father of Waters wrought
considerable damage along its course, but the first
great flood of which there is any authentic account
regarding Lee County occurred late in the winter of
1832-33. That winter was one of unusual severity, ice
forming in the Mississippi more than thirty inches in
thickness. It was broken by a sudden rise in the
river, and at the foot of the Des Moines rapids, in
front of Keokuk, a great ice gorge was formed. An elm
tree three feet in diameter standing on the levee was
cut more than half off by the floating ice, about four
hundred cords of wood were carried away, and a large
quantity of pig lead piled up at the boat landing was
buried under the mud and not recovered until the fol-
lowing June. Several steamboats were seriously damaged
by floating ice and some smaller craft were completely
wrecked.
The great flood of 1844 is still remembered by a few
of the oldest residents. Nearly all the streams in the
county overflowed their banks, and again there was an
ice gorge at the foot of the rapids, where the ice was
piled up to a height of more than thirty feet.
Considerable damage was done to river shipping, and
several weeks passed before all the ice melted
away.
The flood in the spring of 191 2 attracted more
attention than any preceding one, for the reason that
the great dam at Keokuk was then in process of
construction and many expected to see it carried away.
The winter of 191 1-12 was severe, and the ice in the
river was much thicker than usual. About 2 P. M. on
Sunday, March 24, the ice broke and came over the
rapids in huge volume. It piled up against the
coffer-dam to a height of thirty feet or more above
the top of that structure, and the banks of the river
were crowded with people, expecting every minute to
see the destruction of the work, in which they were
happily disappointed. The coffer-dam resisted the
pressure, but a small army of men were on guard day
and night during the next two weeks to protect the
work against the high waters. On April 7th a storm
came down the river, which threatened to complete the
destruction the ice had failed to accomplish. Several
cars loaded with sand, ready for just such an
emergency, were rushed to the scene, and more than
five thousand sacks of sand were piled on the
coffer-dam, thus enabling it to resist the action of
the wind and water.
One of the greatest storms in the history of Lee
County was the cyclone of July 4, 1876, which did
considerable damage. Probably the greatest one
instance of destruction wrought by this storm was the
unroofing of St. Mary's Church at Fort Madison, and
otherwise damaging the building.
Illustrious Sons
In the chapters devoted to literature, the bench and
bar, and the medical profession, extended mention is
made of a number of men and women of Lee County who
have won distinction in those professions. The county
has likewise been well represented in politics and
diplomatic affairs.
In national politics Samuel F. Miller served for many
years as one of the judges of the Supreme Court. John
N. Irwin, who was elected mayor of Keokuk in 1876, was
appointed territorial governor of Idaho in 1883, by
President Arthur; governor of Arizona in 1 890, by
President Harrison ; and on April 1 8, 1 899, was
appointed minister to Portugal by President McKinley.
William W. Belknap served as secretary of war under
President Grant, and George W. McCrary in the same
office under President Hayes. John B. Howell, the
veteran journalist, who was born in New Jersey, July
4, 1816, came to Lee County in the spring of 1849. He
was editor of the Keokuk Gate City until 1870, when he
was elected United States senator to fill the vacancy
caused by the resignation of Hon. James W. Grimes of
Burlington. In the lower house of Congress the First
Iowa District was represented by Daniel F. Miller,
from 1849 to 1 85 1 ; by Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, from
1857 t0 ^63; by George W. McCrary, from 1869 to 1877,
an d by Samuel M. Clarke, from 1895 to 1899. Mr.
Clarke was a son of Rev. Samuel Clarke, the Methodist
minister who held the first quarterly meeting in
Keokuk, and was associated with Mr. Howell for some
time on the editorial staff and later as part owner of
the Gate City. In 1906 Charles A. Kennedy of Montrose
was elected congressman from the First Dis- trict, and
was reelected at each succeeding election, still
holding the office in 1914.
In the political affairs of the state, Ralph P. Lowe
served as governor and judge of the Supreme Court;
Joseph M. Beck and John F. Kinney also served upon the
Supreme bench of the state. Jesse B. Browne, one of
the pioneer lawyers, who came to Lee County in command
of a company of Dragoons stationed at old Fort Des
Moines, was the speaker of the house in the First
State Legislature in 1846. William A. Hornish was
state printer from January to May, 1853, when he
resigned. Daniel S. Lee became adjutant-general on
April 3, 1851, and served for four years. This office
was also occupied by Noble Warwick, a Lee County man,
from June 27, 1878, to the following August, when he
resigned. James D. Eads was superintendent of public
instruction from 1854 t0 I %57- And Drs. J. A. Scroggs
and Walton Bancroft, of Keokuk, each served for some
time on the state board of health.
In all walks of life, whether as farmer, artisan,
merchant, professional man or public official, the
sons of Lee County have, as a rule, given to their
calling their best endeavors and have left behind them
reputations for character and ability that reflect
credit upon themselves and the county in which they
lived.
Statistical Review
More than a century has passed since Louis Honore
Tesson, in 1796, established the first white man's
domicile within the confines of what is now Lee
County, and more than three-quarters of a century
since the county was organized by the Territorial
Legislature of Wisconsin in 1836. The growth in
population, as shown by the United States since 1840,
the first official census after the county was
organized, is shown in the following table:
| 1840 |
6,093 |
| 1850 |
18,861 |
| i860 |
29,232 |
| 1870 |
37,210 |
| 1880 |
34,859 |
| 1890 |
37,715 |
| 1900 |
39,719 |
| 1910 |
36,702 |
From this table it will be seen that the greatest
proportionate growth during any decade was from 1840
to 1850, when the increase in population was over two
hundred per cent. Twice in the history of the county
there has been a decline between the years of the
census — once from 1870 to 1880 and again from 1900 to
1910. The decrease in population during these periods
is due chiefly to the opening of new lands in other
parts of the country, which offered inducements to men
of moderate means to acquire homes. This change has
effected all parts of the county about alike, A as may
be seen by a comparison of the last three official
census reports relating to the population, given by
townships, to wit:
TOWNSHIP
|
1890
|
1900
|
1900
|
Cedar
|
835
|
827
|
863
|
Charleston
|
990
|
935
|
786
|
Denmark
|
817
|
717
|
674
|
Des Moines
|
1,061
|
1,004
|
799
|
Franklin
|
1,457
|
1,397
|
1,290
|
Green Bay
|
727
|
898
|
744
|
Harrison
|
835
|
735
|
614
|
Jackson
|
15,511
|
16,243
|
15,446
|
Jefferson
|
894
|
796
|
607
|
Madison
|
7,911
|
9,278
|
8,920
|
Marion
|
980
|
861
|
746
|
Montrose
|
1,788
|
1,813
|
1,780
|
Pleasant
RIdge
|
752
|
795
|
588
|
Van Buren
|
878
|
876
|
613
|
Washington
|
863
|
994
|
910
|
West Point
|
1,426
|
1,880
|
1,342
|
In the above table the cities of Keokuk and Fort
Madison, and the incorporated towns, are included in
the townships in which they are situated.
Notwithstanding the decrease in population, the wealth
of the county has not fallen off, but statistics
concerning the various industries indicate a steady
and substantial increase in the amount of capital
invested and the value of the output of farms and
factories, and more money was expended for schools and
road buildings in 1913 than in any preceding year of
the county's history.
Chronology
In the foregoing chapters a conscientious effort has
been made to show the progress of Lee County along
industrial, educational, professional and religious
lines, as well as her part in the military and
political affairs of the state and nation. As a
fitting conclusion to this work, the following list of
the principal events leading up to the settlement and
organization of the county, or having some bearing
upon its more recent history, has been compiled for
ready reference. At first glance, some of these events
may seem remotely connected with the county's story,
but each one wielded an influence in shaping its
destiny.
June 21, 1673. Marquette and Joliet landed near
Montrose, on their voyage down the Mississippi, and
were the first white men to set foot upon Iowa
soil.
, 1796. Louis Honore Tesson settled where the Town of
Montrose now stands, on a grant of land given him by
the Spanish Government of Louisiana.
April 30, 1803. Treaty of Paris, by which Napoleon
transferred the French Province of Louisiana to the
United States. The present State of Iowa was included
in the territory thus acquired.
October 31, 1803. Congress passed an act authorizing
the President to take possession of the region
purchased from France and establish a temporary
government therein.
October 1, 1804. Louisiana divided into the Territory
of Orleans and District of Louisiana. That part of the
new purchase now comprising the State of Iowa was by
this act made subject to the Territory of
Indiana.
January 11, 1805. Territory of Michigan established by
act of Congress. Later in the year Lieut. Zebulon M.
Pike passed up the Mississippi River, on an exploring
expedition to its headwaters, and on August 21st held
a council with the Indians about where Montrose is now
situated.
1807. Iowa made a part of the Territory of
Illinois.
September, 1808. Fort Madison established by
Lieutenant Kingsley.
1812. Territory of Missouri established and Iowa
included in the new territory.
September 3, 1813. Fort Madison evacuated and
burned.
September 13, 1815. Treaty of peace with the Sac and
Fox Indians of Iowa concluded at Portage des Sioux.
1820. Dr. Samuel C. Muir built the first house in
Keokuk. In this year Lemoliese and Blondeau, French
traders, established posts on the Mississippi River in
Lee County.
August 4, 1824. The Half-Breed Tract, embracing the
southern half of the present County of Lee,
established by treaty with the Sacs and Foxes.
July 1$, 1830. Treaty establishing the "Neutral
Ground' 1 between the Sacs and Foxes on the south and
the Sioux Indians on the north.
1832. Capt. James White made a claim and built a house
on the site of the present Town of Montrose.
August 2, 1832. Last battle of the Black Hawk war, in
which the Indians were defeated.
September 21, 1832. A treaty concluded at Davenport,
Iowa, by which the Sacs and Foxes ceded to the United
States the strip forty miles wide across Eastern Iowa
known as the "Black Hawk Purchase."
June I, 1833. Title to the lands of the Black Hawk
Purchase becomes fully vested in the United States. In
this year the first post office in Iowa was
established at Dubuque.
June 28, 1834. President Jackson approved the act
attaching Iowa to the Territory of Michigan.
September, 1834. The Legislature of Michigan created
two counties — Dubuque and Des Moines — in what is now
the State of Iowa. Lee County was a part of Des
Moines.
1834. In this year Fort Des Moines was established by
Lieutenant Crosman, where the Town of Montrose is now
situated.
April 20, 1836. President Jackson approved the act of
Congress creating the Territory of Wisconsin, which
included all the present State of Iowa, the act to
take effect on July 4, 1836.
May 11, 1836. The Dubuque Visitor, the first newspaper
ever published in Iowa, made its appearance, with John
King as editor.
December 7, 1836. Lee County established by an act of
the Wisconsin Legislature.
March 27, 1837. First term of the District Court in
Lee County began, with Judge David Irvin
presiding.
April 3, 1837. First election for county officers in
Lee County.
April 17, 1837. First meeting of the board of county
supervisors held in Fort Madison.
January 19, 1838. Special act passed by the Wisconsin
Legislature for the incorporation of the Town of Fort
Madison.
May 7, 1838. First election for president and board of
trustees of Fort Madison — Philip Viele elected
president.
October 3, 1838. Chief Black Hawk died.
November, 1838. First sale of Government lands in the
Black Hawk Purchase conducted at Burlington. A large
number of Lee County settlers attended the sale.
January 25, 1839. Governor Lucas approved the act of
the Iowa Legislature locating the penitentiary at Fort
Madison.
March 9, 1840. The commissioners appointed by the
Legislature to locate the permanent seat of justice of
Lee County reported in favor of Franklin.
February 12, 1842. The Legislature of Iowa passed an
act grant- ing the Town of Fort Madison a new
charter.
April 4, 1842. Isaac R. Atlee elected the first mayor
of Fort Madison.
September 8-10, 1842. First agricultural fair in Lee
County held near Keokuk.
March 20, 1843. The county seat of Lee County located
at West Point by a board of three commissioners
appointed by the Legislature.
June 27, 1844. Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet,
killed while a prisoner in the jail at Carthage,
Illinois. The event created great excitement in Lee
County.
August 4, 1845. An election held to decide the county
seat question. Fort Madison made the permanent seat of
Government by a decisive majority.
1846. First bank in Lee County opened at Keokuk by
George C. Anderson.
December 28, 1846. Iowa admitted into the Union as a
state.
December 13, 1847. Keokuk incorporated and the
incorporation was approved on February 23, 1848.
January 3, 1848. First election for city officers in
Keokuk. William A. Clark elected mayor.
April 1, 1855. Two hundred Mormons from England and
Wales reached Keokuk on their way to Salt Lake. Two
hundred more arrived ten days later. They remained in
camp for several days at Keokuk before starting on
their journey across the plains.
, 1857. The cities of Keokuk and Fort Madison
connected by a line of railway.
April 17, 1861. The first "war meeting" in Lee County
held in Keokuk.
April 18, 1 861. A large and enthusiastic "war
meeting" at Fort Madison.
May 14, 1 861. The First Iowa Regiment mustered into
the United States service at Keokuk for three months.
Lee County was represented in four companies of this
regiment.
August 5, 1 861. Battle of Athens, Missouri, near the
Iowa border. Some Iowa men were engaged.
February 20, 1868. The first artesian water in Lee
County struck at Keokuk in a well drilled by Joseph
Kurtz at his brewery on the plank road.
July 4, 1870. A fire in Keokuk destroyed several
buildings at the corner of Fourth and Blondeau
streets.
January, 1871. First railroad completed across the
state to Council Bluffs.
January 14, 1871. One of the greatest snow storms that
ever occurred in Iowa. The snow drifted to the depth
of six or eight feet in places and travel was impeded
for several days.
April 13, 1871. Lee County Old Settlers' Association
organized. Annual reunions have been held since that
date.
April 19, 1871. The first railroad train crossed the
Mississippi River on the bridge at Keokuk.
July 4, 1881. Corner-stone of the Keokuk Public
Library laid bv the Grand Master of Iowa Masons.
December 7, 1887. The first train of cars crossed the
Mississippi on the bridge at Fort Madison.
February 27, 1888. Commencement of the big strike on
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
lines.
August 28, 1890. First electric street car appeared in
Keokuk.
1893. The Cattermole Memorial Library in Fort Madison
opened to the public.
1895. Electric street cars introduced in Fort
Madison. The street railway in Fort Madison was
completed in July, 1887, and cars were drawn by mules
until 1895.
May 17, 1898. The Fiftieth Iowa Infantry mustered into
the United States service at Des Moines for the
Spanish-American war. Lee County was represented in
Companies A, F and L.
October 1, 1907. President Roosevelt visited
Keokuk.
November 5, 1912. Presidential election. Woodrow
Wilson, the democratic candidate, carried Lee County
by 1,662 plurality.
August 25-28, 1913. The big dam across the Mississippi
River at Keokuk formally opened with a big
celebration. Thousands of people came to witness the
ceremonies.
June 1, 1914. The new post office building at Fort
Madison opened to the public.
Postscript - In Lieu
of a Preface
In bidding the reader good-by, the editors and
publishers of this work desire to say that every
effort has been made to give to the people of Lee
County an authentic and comprehensive history
—authentic, because so far as possible the officials'
records have been used as sources of information, and
comprehensive, because, it is believed, no important
event in the county's history has been
neglected.
The work has been one involving great care and labor
and much of the credit is due to old residents for
their ready and willing cooperation in the collection
of data regarding events of by-gone years.
The editors and members of the Advisory Board take
this opportunity to express their obligations to the
county officials and their assistants, and especially
to thank the librarians of the Cattermole Memorial
Library at Fort Madison and the Keokuk Public Library,
for their uniform courtesies while the work was in
course of preparation.
Source: History
of
Lee County, Iowa, by Dr. S. W. Moorhead and
Nelson C. Roberts, 1914
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