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

Part II, Chapter XVII

Red Rock Township Concluded - Saw and Flouring Mills - A False Alarm - School Houses, Etc. - Census

Among the more important enterprises established in Red Rock village and in the neighborhood, were four saw and one flouring mills. The first was a saw mill, built by Osee Matthews, junior, in 1846, on Mikesell’s creek, about three-fourths of a mile north-east of town. The next was by Daniel Hiskey, in ‘48 and ‘49, on the same stream, about two miles north of town. In ‘54 two more were erected near town, to run by steam. The one on the east side of town was built and owned by Wilson Stanley; that on the west side by J. D. Bedel.

Only one of these mills - that of Mr. Bedel - is still standing. A few remains of those on Mikesell’s creek are still visible; but of the Stanley mill, which was of a rather temporary construction, nothing remains.

The flouring mill, built by S. B. Matthews, in ‘54, stood in the northwest quarter of town. It was owned and run by Mr. M. till it was bought by Talbott and Setzer, who moved it to Otley, Summit township, in the fall of ‘69.

An anecdote is related in connection with the erection of the mill at Red Rock. It was at about the time it was finished, and preparations were being made to start it. The morning was cal, clear and frosty, and all sounds were conveyed through the air with comparative distinctness; when the settlers for miles around were suddenly startled by a terrific and prolonged scream that seemed to fill all the space, and reverberated far away. Then it would cease in a sort of die-away wail, till it would seem to recover breath, then peal forth in another unearthly scream, or succession of short, violent yells, totally unlike anything that had ever been heard in that region.

A young man, an odd genius, named Joe Copher, who happened to be in the timber, some distance from home, hunting horses, when he heard the frightful voice ran home with all his speed and reported a panther or some other wild beast in the forest. So, as soon as the report could be circulated throughout the neighborhood, a number of men got together, mounted, armed and equipped, some carrying horns for blowing signals, and attended by a retinue of dogs to assist in the hunt.

For most of the day they scoured the timber in search of the game; but were unable to discover anything capable of giving forth such a voice; and it was not till toward evening that they returned home enlightened as to the cause, and feeling as though they had been badly “sniped.”

At the same time another squad of persons imagined the mysterious voice to be of a heavenly origin. They had heard of the Millerite prediction of the end of the world, and supposed that this might be a preliminary blast from Gabriel’s trumpet. Having collected together to take counsel on the all important subject, they felt that they were hardly prepared for such an emergency and thought the only thing that could be done preparatory thereto, on such short notice, was to pray. So, strange as it may seem, they invited a rampant old sinner - one who had probably never even thought of such a thing before, to leak the solemn exercise. There was apparently no time to be lost, so the old fellow began; but hardly had he got through with the short preface to his prayer, when the glorious tidings reached them that it was only Simp. Matthews’ mill whistle. Simp. had fired up for the first time, and was trying his whistle under a strong pressure of steam. Of course the praying was indefinitely postponed, and the meeting adjourned sine die.

Apropos to the foregoing we are tempted to relate an anecdote that transpired in the neighborhood of Red Rock at an early date. One of the settlers who happened to be hunting on the Des Moines bottom, not far from the river, was surprised at an unusual noise. He stood still and listened for a few minutes, when the strange sound grew louder and louder every instant, as though the monster was coming rapidly through the forest, from down the river. Its breathing resembled the labored respiration of a wind broken horse, only much louder and more boisterous, and seemed to be well nigh exhausted by a long run. Our hero listened till he thought the creature, by the rapidly increasing distinctness of its breathing, and the sound of its footsteps, was coming directly toward him. His fears thus excited, he could readily imagine that it was in pursuit of him; and so he thought it would not be advisable to remain there an instant longer. With the same reasoning that taught Falstaff that “discretion was the better part of valor,” he fled, making his way home as rapidly as he could get through the trackless woods. Now and then he would halt a little to listen for his pursuer, whose terrible blowing seemed to indicate that it was gaining upon him; but much to his relief, after gaining the upland timber, fatigued and excited, the breathing of the might beast indicated that it must have taken another direction. The sound was more distant, and rather past the point where the flight commenced.

He therefore pursued his way homeward more leisurely, and there related the adventure much tot he surprise of the folks, who were as ignorant as himself of the character of the animal. However it was not long after that they were enlightened. It was about, if not quite, the first attempt at steamboat navigation of the Des Moines, and a little stern-wheeler was slowly making her way against the strong current of that stream during a freshet.

These incidents were related to us as facts, though it may be supposed that they were more or less exaggerated. But, when the fact is known that some of the early settlers had never heard a steam whistle, nor seen a steamboat, nor were even advised of the existence of such wonders in their neighborhood, their mystification, if not actual alarm, is not to be wondered at. The story is, at least, not without a foundation in fact.

The first regular school house in Red Rock village, was built in 1854 or 1855, but was burned soon after. Since then the citizens have put up a large two-story building for the purpose and the schools are well attended. The place also contains several other good buildings, among which is a substantial brick church erected by the Methodists, in 1856 or ‘57. Two dry goods and one or two grocery stores received the trade of a large extent of the surrounding country, on both sides of the river. Red Rock must ever remain a permanent crossing place. During low water the fording is easy and safe and at all other times a good ferry boat is ready to accommodate travelers.

The population of Red Rock township by the U. S. Census of 1870, is as follows:

Native . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1308
Foreign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1334

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