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

Part II, Chapter XII

Red Rock Township continued - Claiborn Hall - Elias Prunty - An Adventure - A Difficulty Overcome -
A Milling Trip - Killing Wolves - Another Indian Thanksgiving

Among the very earliest permanent settlers in this township was Claiborn Hall, still remembered as a somewhat prominent personage in political and religious circles, being an active and efficient member of the democratic party, the editor and proprietor of the first paper issued in the county in support of that party, and a minister of the Gospel in the Christian denomination.

Mr. Hall was born in Virginia in 1819; moved with his parents to Boone county, Mo., in ‘29; and in the autumn of the same year moved to Menard county, Ill., where his parents still reside. In the spring of ‘43 he came to Iowa and settled four miles north of the present site of Red Rock village. Having secured his claim, Mr. Hall cleared about thirteen acres, and got it planted about the 31st of May. After harvesting this crop he sowed the ground in wheat in the fall, having brought the seed from Illinois, and harvested from it a remarkably heavy yield in the summer following. A load of this wheat he got floured a Keosauqua, distant about a hundred miles.

In the spring of ‘45 he returned to Illinois and secured the co-partnership of Miss Susan T. Duncan, a former acquaintance, with whom he immediately repaired to his western home, and converted his “bachelor’s hall” into a country residence; and, it may be equally important to state that during his residence here he organized and superintended the first Sabbath school in the northern part of the county.

In ‘46 he was elected county surveyor, held the office one year and then succeeded to that of probate judge, which he held two years. In ‘49 he was elected sheriff, moved to Knoxville and held that office two years. In November, ‘50, his wife died, whereupon he put his official business into the hands of his deputy, Isaac H. Walters, and went to Illinois, where he spent the winter at the residence of his father. In the spring he returned and resumed the duties of his office; and at the expiration of the term was elected to the triple office of recorder, collector and treasurer; held it two years, and then voluntarily retired from the field as an office seeker.

Some time during the term of his last named office he formed a co-partnership with L. D. Jackson, (now deceased), in the mercantile business, and purchased an old stock of goods from L. W. Babbitt, to begin with. This business he continued only two years, when he sold out, purchased a farm near Knoxville, to which he retired with his second wife, whom he had married shortly before.

But again, in ‘56, he brought himself into public notice by becoming the editor and proprietor of the first Democratic newspaper published in the county. Being a warm politician, and somewhat enthusiastic in the interests of his party, he purchased the press and type for a paper to be devoted to the support and dissemination of its principles in Marion county, and in June of the year above mentioned, the “Democratic Standard” made its appearance. But being entirely without experience in this line of business, he succeeded but poorly, and after a short time disposed of the concern to a company.

Soon after his retirement from the publishing business Mr. Hall was elected to the office of county superintendent of schools for two years, and with the close of this term he finally retired from the political arena as an office seeker, and has since divided his time and talents as a farmer and a minister of the gospel. In ‘64 he returned to Illinois for permanent residence, where, in December of that year, his second wife died.

The next person that succeeded Mr. Hall as a settler in the same neighborhood, was Elias Prunty. He was born in Scott Co., Ky., in 1809, moved to Morgan Co., Ill., in the fall of ‘33, and in the fall of ‘43 to Red Rock township, three miles north of the village.

On reaching the residence of Thomas Tuttle, where Pella now stands, Mr. Prunty began his search for a claim, and continued it in the direction of the river till they reached Red Rock village, then consisting of one or two small cabins. Here they found Claiborn Hall, who was camped on his claim, and proceeded at once to secure a location in the immediate neighborhood, and put up a cabin.

Mr. Prunty’s family consisted of his wife and four children, and his stock of domestic animals were two horses and two cows that he brought with him. But, like most of the early settlers, he was without a supply of provisions for the winter; and was obliged to repair to the Old Purchase for such articles of consumption as were indispensable to life. He obtained his supply of corn and meat from Round Grove, Jefferson county, and to this place he made four trips during that first winter, leaving his family exposed to whatever inconveniences might be incidental to their entire separation from neighbors, and to the annoying visits of the Indians, who made them a call every few days. they were, however, kindly treated by Mrs. Prunty and the children, and manifested no disposition to be uncivil in return.

On these trips Mr. P. went prepared to “camp out,” for there were but few cabins on the trail he had to follow, till he reached the Old Purchase. On one occasion, having camped on Cedar creek, he awoke in the morning under a covering of snow ten inches thick. On getting up he found the weather extremely cold, the fire extinguished, and his horses apparently nearly frozen. After feeding his team he hastily kindled a fire and prepared a drink of warm coffee, then renewed his journey with what speed he could make through the deep, unbroken snow, intending to reach home that day. But when within three miles of the place, night overtook him and he found it extremely difficult, if not quite impossible, to keep in the right direction, to say nothing of following the obscure, snow-covered path that was his only dependence for a road. But being much chilled, and comparatively anxious to reach home, he drove on until he was compelled to admit the unpleasant suspicion that he was lost. At length, not knowing exactly in what direction he was traveling, he quite despaired of reaching home that night, and proceeded to split up his wagon bed for fuel. Pretty soon he heard the barking of a dog, and, immediately setting out in direction of the sound, soon found himself at home once more. The dog had heard the noise, and gave the signal that probably saved his master’s life.

In the spring Mr. Prunty found it necessary to get a team suitable for breaking prairie, and traded his horses for oxen. Still he had no plow, and what was worse, had no money to buy one with. A breaking team would be of little use without that indispensable tool; and the difficulty had to be overcome in some way. The only thing of considerable value that could be spared, was a feather-bed; and this Mr. P. sold to Adam Goal, (many years since a resident of Monroe, Jasper county,) got the cash, went to Fairfield, purchased the plow, commenced breaking the sod in April, and succeeded in breaking, planting in corn, and fencing thirty acres that season.

In June, after getting the ground fenced, Mr. Prunty, in company with Joel Worth, made one of those long, laborious and adventurous, but not less indispensable milling expeditions that seemed inseparable from pioneer life at that early period. They had to go eight miles south of Brighton to get corn, paying twenty-five cents per bushel for twenty-seven bushels in the ear. This they had to shell, which delayed them several days at that place, and when they reached Cedar creek they found it bank full, and fording impossible. Here they remained a week awaiting the abatement of the flood, or for a chance to get ferried over, and at length obtained canoe transportation in the manner described in the fourth chapter of this work. For this service they paid the ferryman two bushels of meal after they could get it ground.

Being disappointed in getting any grinding done at the mill to which they first intended to go, they went down Skunk river some distance, to another called Sugar Creek Mill. Here they encountered another raging stream called Lick Run. It was narrow, but seemed almost too threatening to ford. But the attempt could not well be avoided; so in they plunged and succeeded in getting through with no greater loss than a slight damage to one sack of corn by getting it wet.

After two days longer delay they obtained their meal and started on their return trip. To add to their discomfort, it had rained almost incessantly form the time of leaving home, was still raining, and the roads were in an almost impassable condition. Their progress was therefore slow and exceedingly toilsome; and at length their cattle finally failed, six miles below Oskaloosa, rendering it impossible to get further without help. Help could not be obtained short of home, a distance of at least thirty-five miles; but Mr. Prunty concluded to try and get there that day on foot. He traveled as rapidly as he could but night overtook him when he was yet four miles from home, exhausted with weariness and want of food, not having had anything to eat that day. Mr. P., however still thought he could reach home, and trudged on as well as the darkness and his exhausted condition would permit. But at length he lost the trail, and commenced wandering about in search of it, and became completely bewildered. Thus he continued to do till he fell over the abrupt bank of a small creek. This unpleasant interruption completely discouraged him from further efforts to find the way home that night. So he gathered up a bed of grass, upon which he stretched himself to rest, and, notwithstanding the loneliness of his exhausted situation, in a country infest with wolves and other wild animals, and his necessarily anxious state of mind, his over-exhausted physical energies gave way to repose, and he slept soundly till daylight. On rousing up and looking about, he recognized his locality, found himself only two miles from home, and was soon there, after an absence of just twenty-one days.

So soon as possible Thomas Black was sent with a yoke of cattle to the assistance of Worth, and the provisions were finally got home without any further serious difficulty, though it was found that some of the meal was materially damaged by the dampness and heat of the weather.

During the absence of Mr. Worth on this occasion his family became reduced to short rations in the way of food; and the rain and flooded state of the streams rendered communication with the neighbors difficult. The nearest neighbors to the Worths was a German family named Metz, living a short distance across a narrow stream. This stream was sometimes filled to overflowing, rendering it dangerous if not quite impossible for the ladies of either house to pass and re-pass, no matter how urgent the need; and borrowing, if it ever was excusable, was then. The pouring rain would extinguish the fire on the ground hearth during the night, and there was no such a thing as a friction match about the house to re-light it with. And what was worse than this, Mrs. Worth had neither bread nor meal, and between her and her neighbor was the impassible gulf. She, however, could communicate a knowledge of her needs; then the two women would wade in on each side of the stream so far as they dared, and Mrs. Metz would throw a loaf bread or a fire-brand into the extended apron of her neighbor.

Mr. Prunty relates an instance of wolf-killing that may serve to illustrate what we have already said of the great number and boldness of these animals. An ox belonging to James Harp died and the carcass was left within easy gunshot of a claim pen belonging to one of the Harps. Mr. P. was then invited to participate in the sport of shooting the wolves that came in large numbers to feed upon it. A bee-tree had just been found, and the sportsmen sat up all night eating honey and firing upon the wolves, a large number of which they killed by partially random shooting by star light. The slaughter had been fearful, for morning light revealed the ground strewn with the dead and wounded, though the number of living did not seem to have been diminished, as they continued to swarm about the bait night after night, heedless of the danger.

But we may not conclude this chapter before relating another Indian thanksgiving feast, as witnessed by Mr. Prunty. The event took place in the autumn of 1844, at a place near Red Rock village, and on the line between the United States and the Indian Territory, as designated by an inscription on a board fastened to a post. Some fifty warriors had collected at the place, under the leadership of Kish-ke-kosh, and participated in the ceremonies. A couple of long logs had been placed together and a fire was burning between them, over which was the carcass of a dog fastened to a stick by which it was rolled from one end of the fire to the other till it was well singed and roasted, and was swollen to a rotundity that made it rather an unpalatable looking object.

During the roasting process, the warriors sat in a circle around an upright pose midway up which were fastened bears’ claws, birds’ claws, dogs’ feet, and bunches of tobacco; and on the tip birds’ wings and beaks; and all were slowly burning by the aid of some combustible material. They seemed to be engaged in a sort of conference meeting around this singular sacrificial altar, each brave rising, one at a time, and speaking a few words with the solemnity peculiar to a religious exercise. And their appearance was not less remarkable than their performances; each one wore a string of bear and eagle claws around their necks, and had polecat skins tied bout their knees.

So as soon as these exercises were finished, they partook of the dog, and then retired, probably for the purpose of holding a dance; for such gala days were usually closed with this performance, the braves alone participating in it. The dance was performed in a circle, each performer following the other in a half bent attitude, keeping step to the tap of some kind of instrument by one who occupied the centre, and singing a sort of chorus. the step was not rapid, nor intended to be musical, but they were alternate as in walking, uniform as in military marching, and each foot was brought down with a force that sounded upon the beaten earth like the stroke of a sledge. The performance was not altogether unpleasant.

In addition to being a thanksgiving occasion, it was a preparation day for a two or three months hunt, and the sacrifices were to propitiate the favor of the Monatou, that he might give them success.

Several years later Mr. Prunty moved to near Vandalia, Jasper county, where he resides at this present writing.

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