Pioneers of Marion County by Wm. M. Donnel, 1872

Chapter I

Dragoons - Trading Houses - Indian Payments, and How Made - Incidents - Character of the Traders.

Soon after the purchase of 1842, or about that time a garrison of United States dragoons was quartered at Ft. Des Moines, between and at the junction of Des Moines and Coon rivers, for the purpose of guarding the Sac and Fox Indians, the late proprietors of the lands, against the warlike encroachment of the Sioux, who had long been known as their implacable foes; and also to prevent the settlement of those lands from the Whites previous to the first day of May, 1843, and the eleventh day of October, 1845, agreeable of the stipulations of the treaty made at Agency, in the autumn of 1842. There was also a garrison at Agency, whose duty was to guard the agency and prevent immigrants from crossing the line before the first of May, as above stated.

But it is evident that no extraordinary vigilance was exercised by the garrison to enforce this restriction. Many crossed the line, either with or without their knowledge; but with the understanding on the part of the immigrants themselves, that they would be subject to arrest and seizure of their property by the dragoons, small squads of whom were scouting here and there over the country. Those who found their way into the forbidden territory, could do nothing toward making a permanent settlement, except fix upon some locality that suited their fancy, and be ready to establish a claim upon it at the proper time. They dared not erect a house; and in some cases, it was advisable to secrete their wagons and such other property as was likely to betray their intentions to become settlers.

Little was known of the country previous to its actual occupation in 1843. Some hunters and trappers had passed through it, from whom reports were received of its beautiful prairies, luxuriant vegetation and rich soil. A few trading houses had been established at different times and places, mostly along the Des Moines river, on a trail most frequently traversed by the Indians, between Des Moines and Hard Fish, an Indian town located where Eddyville now is, and Agency.

The remains of one of these houses is still visible, near the eastern border of the county. Another, known as the “Phelps’ Trading House,” stood somewhere near the same locality. The proprietor, William Phelps, previously kept the same kind of establishment at Farmington, Van Buren county, and moved up when his Indian customers receded before the advance of civilization. At a somewhat later date others were established at and in the neighborhood of the present site of Red Rock. One of these by a person named Shaw, stood on the opposite side of the river from the village, and another a short distance above it, was kept by John Jordan. At the last named place was once the scene of a dreadful Indian tragedy, the details of which will be given in another part of this work. About a mile and a half above Red Rock, was another trading house kept by Turner, and north of town about the same distance was yet another, known as the firm of Gaddis & Nye. Some others, who still live in the county, traded much with both the Indians and Whites after the settlements commenced, among whom were G. D. Bedell, of the village, and G. H. Miksell, of the town of Red Rock. Indeed, so far as we can learn, only the three first mentioned establishments existed previously to the date of the settlement.

The houses were generally mere shanties designed for temporary occupation. That of Gaddis & Nye was but a shelter made of poles, and roofed with bark or brush. The chief business of the proprietors, especially those of the earliest date, was with the Indians, exchanging whiskey, tobacco, pipes, guns, powder and lead, blankets and a few cheap dry goods, for fur, deer skins and such other products of the hunting grounds as were of any commercial value. After their customers began to receive their yearly payments, old Mexican dollars came into circulation, and many of them very aptly found their way into the pockets of the traders. About eighty-four thousand dollars constituted a payment, and one custom was to distribute this sum among the numerous families of the tribes, each head receiving an amount proportioned to the number of his family. But the Indians sometimes adopted a different mode of payment, called “Chief payments,” making their chief the recipient and treasurer. This made him a sort of a financial agent for his tribe, and, therefore, to some extent, responsible for individual debts frequently contracted with the traders in anticipation of their payments. In most cases such debts were promptly paid, the savages manifesting an honesty in such transactions that seemed in strange contrast with their usually treacherous characters.

On occasion of one of these payments a contest arose between the Indians as to how it should be made. Keokuk, chief of the Sacs, was in favor of an individual payment, contrary to the wishes of other chiefs and their followers. As pay-day approached the contest grew so hot that an appeal to arms seemed probable; and when it came, the hostile parties mustered their forces and even rode up in line of battle. But, just then, through some agency or other, seen or unseen, the fight was postponed indefinitely. A compromise was effected, and a chief payment decided upon. This event took place at Ft. Des Moines, but precisely at what date we are not advised, although it must have been in 1844 or 1845. We have the account from an individual who went there to collect money due him for produce and other articles he had sold the Indians on credit. But for some cause he failed to get any, and other traders also lost heavily.

In those days, traders were required to obtain a license for their business, though the requirement was not compulsory. Those who chose to do so could sell to the Indians on credit, and when pay-day came, presented their claims to the agent and drew. But those who failed to fortify themselves with this legal authority had to run the risk of being swindled by absconding debtors, or having their claims repudiated altogether.

Not unfrequently these unsophisticated savages, not having the shrewdness to detect a cheat, or to understand the proper value of an article in trade, were made the victims of gross impositions and unscrupulous traders. A little incident that occurred near Red Rock will illustrate this: An Indian traded his blanket for a melon, promising to bring the article in a given time. It was a good one, and apparently made the most of his scanty wardrobe. But he had eaten the melon, and thought it was good enough to be worth the blanket that he did not feel so much the need of then, and true to his promise, paid it over at the time stipulated.

Another incident permit me to relate, illustrative of the reckless improvidence of a race of people that must consequently ere long, degenerate to a mere remnant, in contrast with the wicked shrewdness that seeks to victimize them for the sake of gain: On occasion one of these chief payments - the last one perhaps - an individual living near Fort Des |14|Moines, who had had extensive intercourse with the Indians, knew their character and spoke their language, conceived a plan to get some of their money on terms that some might call a fair exchange.

On the day following the payment, he sent a polite invitation to the chief and his five braves to come and dine with him. He had made ample preparations for the feast, and among other articles acceptable to the Indian palate, was a good supply of whiskey. At the proper time his guests appeared, and were most flatteringly received and entertained. After dinner, when the hearts of his victims had been softened, to a consistency of great liberality, he invited them to an examination of his ponies. Thereupon half a dozen handsomely equipped animals were brough tfrom the stable and paraded before the admiring guests. The next act in the performance was to invite the chief to accept the finest one of the number as a present, which the grateful sovereign readily did. It is said to be a custom among Indians on receiving a present, to return something of supposed proportionate value. Agreeable to this custom, and, perhaps, actuated by an overwhelming sense of gratitude, the chief immediately placed in the hands of his host a box containing one thousand dollars in gold, which he had just received from the Government, in behalf of his tribe, for their lands. Then another pony was presented to one of the braves, which was in like manner acknowledged. Then another, and another, till each of the five braves were supplied with a pony, and their white brethren - the traders - had six thousand dollars of their hard cash.

We are not informed whether the matter terminated thus, or whether the embezzlement was discovered to the tribe, and the unworthy chief tried and punished, as he should have been. If not, it was no fault of the tribe, who were usually not slow to bring judgment upon offenders.

Most of the trading houses were abandoned soon after the Indians left the country, which was upwards of a year after the settlement commenced. What became of all the traders can only be conjectured. Jordan went to California, but returned and is now supposed to be in Missouri. Shaw died at Red Rock, many years ago; Gaddis & Nye expressed their intention of following the Indians, and the last known of them they were descending the Des Moines in a canoe, and it is possible that their success in trade induced a majority of those who left the country about that time to follow their old customers.

In speaking of the character of these traders, perhaps all that we ought to say might be said in palliation of the truth: Isolation from surroundings and restraints of civilization was by no means calculated to improve their morals. If, in some respects they resembled the savages, the fact must be attributed to association. Yet in one particular they were as wholly distinct from the savages as other men; they had a specific object in life, a business upon which was founded anticipations of pecuniary advancement. Not scrupulous as to the means, so the end might be attained, they adopted a calling condemned by the better sentiment of all mankind, as degrading and tending to evil results. Away from the restraints of law and the beneficent effects of reformatory agitations, they were free to indulge their cupidity in debauching the simple savages with adulterated whiskey, and cheating them in trade. We might here particularize, but there is no need of it. We have made these statements as matters of history that, perhaps, some to whom they apply, might be willing to forget. The traders have had their day, and their victims are no more.*

*NOTE. - The statements made in the above paragraph are not intended to apply to all persons who traded with the Indians, but to the majority of those whose only business was that of traders. There are still some good citizens living in the county, who dealt more or less with the natives, but not exclusively as traders.

Transcribed by Mary E. Boyer, 11/06, reformatted by Al Hibbard 12 Oct 2013.