a I E) RAR.Y OF THE UNIVERSITY Of ILLINOIS 1957 Co^ .2. ILLlNUlo LP to 7£f A GLIMPSE OF IOWA IN 1846 REPRINT PUBLISHED AT IOWA CITY IOWA IN 1957 BY THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF IOWA Copyright 1957 by the State Historical Society of Iowa LIBRARY OF CONGRESS NO. 57 - 12529 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY THE TORCH PRESS, CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA "^'^•^^ CN,, rue A/ a 5-0 Cllv. fVu>r. '^j-ut/t^, 19 S7^ HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION This reprint of a little-known rare lowana volume is being published by the State Historical Society of Iowa to familiarize lowans with the work of John B. Newhall — the most influ- ential promoter of Iowa prior to 1850. Newhall's A Glimpse of Iowa in 1846 must take its place with similar reprints issued by the Society over the past quarter century — Black Hawk's Autobiography, Albert Miller Lea's Notes on Wiscon- sin Territory, Particularly with Reference to the Black Hawk Purchase, or Iowa District, John Plumbe, Jr.'s Sketches of Iowa and Wisconsin, and Isaac Galland's Iowa Emigrant. Although originals of some of these reprints may command a higher figure on the rare Americana market, none can compare even remotely with the present volume in its over-all contri- bution to our knowledge of Iowa and lowans in the territorial period of our history. This book — which appeared in 1846, the "Year of Decision" for Iowa statehood — serves as a key to our territorial period and as a springboard for the study of our statehood. John B. Newhall, the author of A Glimpse of Iowa in 1846, was born in Massachusetts and crossed the Mississippi with his family in the van of the first pioneers to invade the Black Hawk Purchase. Little is known of his wife, and his exact relation to Isaac and Joseph Newhall is shrouded in mystery. The Newhall family does not appear in the first Burlington directory, nor is the name recorded in the Burlington cemetery. Despite these gaps in family history, John B. Newhall was one of the best known men in Iowa prior to 1850. This is not strange, since he devoted almost his entire life to promoting Iowa — through letters to newspaper editors, through the pub- lication of two other books in addition to his Glimpses, and by his lectures in the United States, England, and the Con- tinent. Prior to his tragic death his self-adopted newspaper iii IV INTRODUCTION nom de plume — Che-Mo-Ko-Mon [Pale Face?] — was a household expression among lowans. John B. Newhall was entranced with his new home in the Black Hawk Purchase. He arrived in Burlington in 1834 with the first spray of settlers at a time when the area was still unorganized and about to be attached to Michigan Territory for purposes of government. He saw the land become a part of Wisconsin Territory in 1836, and he must have been espe- cially proud when Burlington became the second capital of Wisconsin Territory in 1837. A few months later, on Feb- ruary 5, 1838, Newhall was elected an alderman by his ad- miring Burlington friends and neighbors. The following July Fourth, when lowans everywhere were celebrating the birth of the Territory of Iowa, John B. Newhall was selected to give a toast to Washington, Franklin, and Warren. Unfortunately, illness prevented Newhall from appearing in person but his toast was read and "warmly applauded" by Burlingtonians. A few weeks later, on July 26, the Newhall family was sad- dened by the death of their infant son. Meanwhile, Newhall established a general store with Isaac and Joseph Nev/hall. The firm inserted an advertisement in the first issue of the Wisconsin Territorial Gazette aiid Bur- lington Advertiser of July 27, 1837. During the fall of that year a firm member went east to purchase goods for the Christ- mas trade. The store apparently was well stocked, for the Gazette of December 2, 1837, began carrying a Newhall ad- vertisement under the heading "Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot" calling the attention of readers to the "choice and well selected assortment of merchandize" on hand and offering them the "best bargains" ever offered in "these Diggins" to cus- tomers who visited their store "on the corner above Charley Heckman's" and "if I don't demonstrate it, say my name is not — Newhall." Other "Cards" in the same issue indicated that the Newhalls had for sale an "extensive assortment of INTRODUCTION V men's thick boots, shoes, and brogans. — Also a fine assort- ment of gentlemen's calfskin shoes and pumps — also ladies' French slippers, a superior article." In addition to these, the enterprising Newhalls carried a "prime lot of kip calf and Morroco skins" of a quality "rarely to be met with in this market." In another card they advertised "an extensive assort- ment of miscellaneous juvenile and school books" just received and on sale "at a low price for cash." On January 6, 1838, the Gazette carried a notice of dis- solution of the co-partnership heretofore existing under the firm name Isaac Newhall & Co. John B. Newhall was au- thorized to collect all debts and settle all accounts of the firm. Three weeks later, on January 27, Governor Henry Dodge ap- pointed John B. Newhall "Auctioneer" for Des Moines Coun- ty. Possibly because of his new responsibilities, John B. Newhall sold to Joseph Newhall on August 18, 1838, his entire stock of "Dry Goods, Boots and Shoes, Hats, ready made Clothing, etc." Apparently the business was such that it could be kept in the Newhall family. From the moment of his arrival in the Black Hawk Pur- chase, John B. Newhall had become a careful student of the land and its people. He was especially mindful of the almost insuperable odds facing the frontiersmen. In 1838 the first land offices were established in Iowa at Burlington and Du- buque. Shortly thereafter Martin Van Buren set the date for the first land sales but the order of the President was not popular with the settlers. They wanted more time. Through- out the summer and early autumn claimants adjusted boundary lines and prepared to prove their claims and pay for their land patents at the designated dates. John B. Newhall, comment- ing upon conditions, reported, "Every dollar is sacredly treas- ured up. The precious 'mint drops' take to themselves wings, and fly away from the merchant's till to the farmer's cupboard. Times are dull in the towns ; for the settler's home is dearer VI INTRODUCTION and sweeter than the merchant's sugar and coffee." Just before the sale at Burlington, the "suburbs of the town" presented the "scene of a military camp. The settlers have flocked from far and near. The hotels are thronged to overflowing. Barrooms, dining rooms, and wagons are metamorphosed into bed rooms. Dinners are eaten from a table or a stump ; and thirst is quenched from a bar or a brook." Such vivid recording is characteristic of much of Newhall's writings. A gifted promoter and salesman, Newhall saw the need of focusing the attention of prospective settlers on his adopted land even before the creation of the Territory of Iowa. His boundless enthusiasm and adventurous spirit led to extensive travels throughout the Territory. He consulted the leading citizens in each community and studied the newspapers as they appeared in Dubuque, Montrose, Burlington, Fort Madison, Davenport, and Muscatine. By 1840 he was prob- ably the best informed man in the Territory on its people and resources. Only a spark was needed to kindle the literary fire that smoldered in the breast of Iowa's leading author before statehood. In 1841 John B. Newhall published his first volume — Sketches of Iowa, or the Emigrant's Guide. Within this 252- page book Newhall provided the public with "a correct descrip- tion of the agricultural and mineral resources, geological fea- tures and statistics" as well as "a minute description of each county, and of the principal towns and Indian villages." Ac- cording to the title page, Newhall's Sketches of Iowa "was the result of much observation and travel during a continuous residence of several years." The purpose of the guide was clearly stated in the preface. According to Newhall : "Perhaps no portion of this fertile valley at the present time excites more general interest, or in detail is less known, than the territory of Iowa." The book was published in New York City by J. H. Colton and was dedicated to Augustus Caesar Dodge, Delegate INTRODUCTION VU to Congress from the Territory of Iowa. Of the volume T. S. Parvin wrote in his diary : "Just finished reading Newhall — too flowery." No writer was more aware of his literary limitations than Newhall. In his preface to Sketches of Iowa he wrote : Without claim or pretensions to literary merit, having been engaged in the arduous pursuits of active business from boyhood, the author feels no slight misgivings in presenting this work to a discriminating public ; indulging the hope, however, that imperfect as it may, in many respects, be found, it will still be the means of happily directing some among the thousands who have their attention directed to the great and illimitable west. No one who has not assumed the same task can realize the difficul- ties to be surmounted, and the unbeaten paths to be threaded out, as the only sure means of obtaining accurate information for a book of this description. The flowing pen of the gifted tourist can easily indite pages while he calmly reposes in the saloons, or promenades the "hurricane" decks of our Mississippi steamers. But to know the people, their social condition, the arteries and impulses from which they derive support, riches, and happiness, he must swim their creeks, penetrate their forests, descend into the hidden recesses of their mines, eat the bread of their cornfields, in short, share the fortunes of the humblest settler of the frontier cabin. Newhall impressed his readers with his intimate knowledge of the Iowa frontier. A "hasty perusal" of his manuscript by Governor Robert Lucas elicited a letter dated August 15, 1840, expressing "hearty approbation" of his proposed Sketches which must always prove "not merely as a valuable acquisi- tion to the public, but as evincing much industry and patient research." George Wallace Jones, Surveyor-General for Wis- consin and Iowa territories, was equally impressed with the "general accuracy" of Newhall's manuscript, declaring it to be "a valuable acquisition to the public, and worthy the patronage of all who desire to become better informed as to the character and resources of one of the most interesting portions of the union." The success of his volume coupled with his own unbounded enthusiasm led Major John B. Newhall to lecture extensively SKETCHES OF IOWA, OR THE EMIGRANT'S GUIDE; COSTAININO A CORRECT DESCRIPTION OF THE AGRICULTURAL AND MINERAJ. RESOURCES, GEOLOGICAL FEATURES AND STATISTICS OF THE TERRITORY OF IOWA, A I^HNUTE DESCRIPTION OF EACH COUNTY, AND OF THE PRINCIPAL TOWNS AND INDIAN VILLAGES, PRAIRIE. AND TIMBERED LANDS, ▲ VIEW OF THE KAi'ID INCREASE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS OF THE PEOPLE, MORAL AND PHYSICAL, Traits of Indian Character y WITH SKETCHES OF BLACK HAWK. AND OTHERS : BEING THE RESULT OF MUCH OBSERVATION AND TRAVEL DURING A CONTINUOUS RESIDENCE OF SEVERAL YEARS BY JOHN B. NEWHALL, BURLINGTON, IOWA. " The West — the West^-on every breeza Is borne an echo from the West." PUBLISHED BY J. H. COLTON, MERCHANTS' EXCHANGE. Wcto="5rorft. 1841. [Title page of Sketches of Iowa] INTRODUCTION IX on "The Past, Present, and Future Resources of Iowa." (He had acquired the rank of "Major" through his activity in the Iowa militia.) Little wonder, when the steamboat Ripple arrived in Iowa City in 1841 to inaugurate steamboating on the Iowa River to that point, that John B. Newhall, one of the passengers, should become the principal speaker. An admiring Iowa City editor recorded the address of the "well-known au- thor" of Sketches of Iowa as he spoke before the citizens gath- ered at a dinner at the National Hotel to honor the crew and passengers aboard the Ripple. The enthusiastic Newhall de- clared in part : From this day forward the practicability of navigating the Iowa river remains no longer the subject of conjecture. From this day henceforth, a new era will commence in the destinies of your City. . . . That the success of this trip will be fraught with benefits incon- ceivable in their final results upon every branch of industry in your country, I cannot for a moment doubt. Let us for a moment con- template the mighty power of steam. How it triumphs over wind and tide. How it brings the distant points of our country together. How it subdues prejudice and unites the nations of the earth as one people ! But nine or ten short weeks ago I was ascending the cul- tivated valley of the Connecticut. Yesterday, and I was gliding along the placid bosom of your river, passing the confines of civilized life on the western frontier of Iowa. A few short years ago "Fulton and Rumsey" were thought to be insane for agitating the subject of propelling vessels by steam across the ocean. This too in the intelligent circles of enlightened Paris. Now gentlemen 28 days will bring you from the Grey Towers of Windsor Castle to the rude Wigwam of my friend Poweshiek. After noting that Johnson County had been transformed from "nothing" to a population of "about 2300 freemen" in two and one-half years, Newhall concluded his address with praise for the American pioneer : Look at him as he grapples with the surrounding elements ; look at his self reliance. His sole trust in his own energies that subdues the forest and makes the wilderness blossom like the rose. The man who lives and dies within the confines of his native country east of the Alleganies, knows not the character of the western man. But to these X INTRODUCTION traits of heroism, of unshrinking energies, do I attribute the mighty power that we are destined to wield. Such, gentlemen, are the wonders of the 19th century ; such the onward march of the freemen of Iowa. The page of our history will be resplendent with brightness, so long as intelligence and virtue are the basis of our actions. Such were the words carried by Major John B. Newhall, author and lecturer, as he traveled about the Territory of Iowa. On the evening of February 14, 1842, in response to a resolution of the upper house of the Legislative Assembly, Newhall delivered a lecture in the Council Chamber at Iowa City upon "The History, Resources, Present Condition, and Future Destinies of Iowa." Truly, no honor seemed too great for this self-appointed spokesman of the Hawkeye State. As a result of his lectures and his popular Sketches of Iowa, Newhall became well known beyond the borders of Iowa. On April 10, 1843, the Boston Mercantile Journal declared: "This gentleman is already favorably known to the public as author of the popular and highly valuable work entitled the 'Sketches of Iowa,' and is possessed of the most extensive as well as accurate information in regard to the great Valley of the Mississippi." Spurred on by his warm reception on the Atlantic Coast, Newhall crossed the Atlantic and delivered lectures at Bir- mingham, Liverpool, and London on the prospects afforded English immigrants by Iowa and the Upper Mississippi Val- ley. The following report in the Liverpool Albion of Novem- ber, 1843, is typical : On Thursday Evening, J. B. Newhall, Esq., of the Territory of Iowa, U. S. delivered a highly interesting Lecture, at the Music Hall, Bold Street, on the resources of the Western States of America and the mutual advantages of a free intercourse between England and the United States. The Lecturer has not been long in England ; but from his extensive knowledge of the capabilities of his country, has already Lectured with great success in various parts of the country. The Lecturer was listened to by a numerous audience, with the most marked attention. Mr. Newhall expressed himself ready to answer INTRODUCTION XI any questions upon the subjects upon which he had treated. At the conclusion, a vote of thanks was passed by acclamation. As a result of his lecture tour in England, Major John B. Newhall published his second volume, a book of one hundred pages entitled The British Emigrants' "Hand Book" And Guide to the New States of America, Particularly Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. It was printed in London in 1844, and despite its title, over three-fourths of the book was devoted to Iowa. Newhall counselled that Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa were ideal for future settlements. "And if you do not happen to have a 'Home sick Wife,' I can see no reason why, with ordinary Good Luck, blessed with patience and perserverance, you should not prosper equal to your utmost expectations." There is little doubt that Newhall's "Hand Book" caused many Englishmen to select Iowa as their home. The ink on his British Emigrants' "Hand Book" had scarce- ly dried before Newhall, upon his return to Iowa, began writing his third book — A Glimpse of Iowa in 1846. Five years had elapsed since the appearance of his Sketches. Mean- while, the population had doubled, nine more Iowa counties were recording population, and Iowa was pounding loudly at the door for admission into the Union. The editor of the Burlington Hawk-Eye, who had been favored with a "cursory glance" of the new manuscript, felt warranted in saying that the public would be "furnished with a convenient and useful compendium, well worth the patronage of every citizen in the Territory. The chapter on the 'New Purchase' alone is well worth the subscription price. The Directory Department of several of our towns is interesting and valuable." After noting that public attention was being directed across the Rocky Mountains, the editor reminded lowans that "no one Individual" had done more to impart "use- ful information abroad" concerning Iowa's capabilities and resources than John B. Newhall. THE BKITISH EMiaR ANTS' "HAND BOOK/' And Guide to the •PARTICTJLARLIf ILLINOIS, IOWA, AND WISCONSIN; Comprising a general description of the AGRICULTURAL AND COMMERCIAL FACILITIES, — MINERAL PRODUCTIONS, — RELATIVE ADVANTAGES THAT DIFFER- ENT PORTIONS PRESENT FOR SETTLEMENT, — SKETCHES OF TOV^TNS, — NEIGHBOURHOODS. ■ETC., WITH PRACTICAL Concerning the different Routes, Time of Sailing, &Ci By J. B. NEWHALL, (Author of Sketches of the United States of America, Iowa. %c.) "The possible destiny of the United States of America, bka uition of a hundred millions of free men, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, living underthe laws of Alfred, audapeak- ing the language of Shakespeare and Milton, is an august concep- r a ill. nlreJ millioi;? of freemiin, stritcht.i fronitheAt lantic t.) tile V jitic, livinsr u.ider the laws oi Al'ic'J.and speaUir the langiia.i^e of 'oiukspeare ^ind Miitoii. is an augj'ist concept" Why should we not wish to see it realized?" — Coi tiUBP" ■Or — ^^niiLISHED BY THURSTON ^ 117 GAZETTE OlT'ICE, BLilLINOrO^' 1846 [Title page of first edition of A Glimpse of Iowa in 1846] INTRODUCTION XV 1843, Studied law and was admitted to the Maine bar. He removed to Burlington in 1845, continued to practice law and became part-owner and editor of the Burlington Gazette. Thurston removed to Oregon in 1849 where he was elected the first Territorial Delegate to Congress. He died at sea in 1851 while returning from Washington to Oregon. James Tizzard, who served as Burlington postmaster for eight years, later became part-owner with Thurston of James Clarke's Burling- ton Gazette. The second edition of Newhall's A Glimpse of Iowa was reset and printed in St. Louis by Keemle & Field, but pub- lished by W. D. Skillman, who had bookstores both in Burling- ton and St. Louis. The new book embraced 92 pages, but contained about one-third more material than the original edition. In addition, fourteen pages were devoted to printing the "Constitution for the State of Iowa, Adopted in Conven- tion, May 18, 1846." Finallj', six pages were devoted to an "Advertisement Directory" containing the names of sixteen Burlington firms, eight St. Louis firms, one Fort Madison firm, and one Mount Pleasant firm. The back cover contained advertisements of a Fort Madison and St. Louis firm. To secure these advertisem.ents, which must have supplemented the author's meager income from the sale of the book, Newhall had inserted "A Card" in the Burlington Hawk-Eye requesting merchants in the Territory to send him their business "Cards or Advertisements" by July 20. Since a limited amount of space was available, and a portion of this already "pre-engaged by St. Louis merchants," the volatile Iowa press agent urged prompt action. "The present edition is 3000," Newhall con- cluded, "and will afford the best medium to merchants and others for giving publicity to their establishments, that ever occurred in the Upper Mississippi Valley. It will be cir- culated in the heart of our country and extensively abroad, through the personal efforts of the writer." XVI INTRODUCTION An amusing political sidelight arose from including the Constitution of 1846 in the second edition. The date of pub- lication had been delayed several weeks pending the receipt of a copy of the Constitution, and when the book appeared, Nevvhall advised his Whig friends among the subscribers that if they did not like the Democratic Constitution, they might tear these particular pages out. Apparently no hard feelings were entertained by the Whigs, for the Burlington Hawk-Eye of July 2, 1846 declared : Our enterprising friend Newhall has arranged with a St. Louis House for the immediate publication of this popular and useful little work. No better evidence need be adduced of the popularity of the work, than the fact, that every copy of the first Edition was disposed of in little better than two months from the day of publication. The second Edition will be out of Press the last of July, at the same price as the first but decidedly superior in variety and accuracy of informa- tion. A Directory sketch of the principal towns of Iowa will be embraced. On September 10, the editor of the Hazvk-Eye noted the arrival of the new edition in Burlington and its availability at local bookstores. John B. Newhall made his final contribution to Iowa in 1848 when he issued his outline "Map of the State of Iowa." As had been his custom with his books, Newhall secured sub- scribers for his map at twenty-five cents apiece. The project got underway during the winter of 1847-1848 but was halted by the illness of Newhall's engraver. In a "Card" in the Burlington Hawk-Eye of April 27, 1848, Newhall apologized for the delay and hoped his friends would not consider it due to any remissness on his part. "If, however, any subscriber's patience has become exhausted, I most cheerfully release him from my subscription list, 'having more than doubled the expense of outlay, beyond my original design, (in additions, extensions, &c. ;) my only regret is that my Prospectus, (in justice to myself,) had not announced 50 cents per copy, in lieu of the trifling sum of 25 cents." He thereupon ap- INTRODUCTION XVU pended a "N. B." offering persons at a distance four copies of the map for $1.00 if addressed postpaid. The Burlington editor, in another column of his paper, praised the map for its "remariiable accuracy" and felt it would make a "useful ornament" in his office. It is the only full and accurate map of Iowa in existence, and we consider it a most praiseworthy undertaking, and knowing Major Newhall deserves large credit for getting it up, we most cheerfully recommend it to the public. It is well worth double the subscription price, and knowing the expense it has been to the Major we hope many of his friends will exercise their liberality by paying him, not what he asks, but what his Map is really worth. During the winter of 1848-1849 John B. Newhall suc- cumbed to the Gold Rush fever, a fever that had attacked scores of his fellow townsmen. Perhaps he saw the possibility of becoming the chief pamphleteer for California, just as he had been for Iowa. At any rate, on February 15, 1849, he penned a letter to the editor of the Hawk-Eye saying he was throwing aside his "sketches" and "doings" of Bloomington, Iowa City, the New Purchase "and many other places" for the "all exciting subject of the glittering gold !" He prefaced his letter, describing "Gold Fever" among the "Suckers" in Illi- nois, with the following parody from "Oh Susannah." I'm going to California, The gold dust for to see ; I'm going to Sacramento, With my wash-bowl on my knee ! On March 8, 1849, the Burlington Hazvk-Eye called atten- tion to the latest publication of the indomitable Major — Newhall's Emigfrani's Guide to the Gold Region. This work by Major J. B. Newhall will be found very interesting to the general reader, but to those who intend going to California and who have no other work of the kind it will be invaluable. The Major has made up quite a useful compendium. The emigrant will find on its perusal almost all the information he needs. The price of the work, which contains 32 well filled duodecimo pages, is only XVlll INTRODUCTION 25 cents, and it may be had at Abraham's Bookstore, Tallant's Drug Store and at the Major's Room, at the Western Hotel, and also at this Office. We commend the work, and as the edition is quite small we advise all who desire a copy to apply soon. Before leaving for California, Newhall made a trip to Keokuk aboard the steamboat Anthony Wayne. After grop- ing his way "among sacks, Pork barrels, wheel barrows, mules, mud and water," Che-Mo-Ko-Mon declared he found himself safely on "the piazza of the Keokuk House." He found Keokuk "the place to see everybody, (i. e.) for an individual like my- self who knows everybody." After recording the many notable lowans whom he encountered in Keokuk, Newhall spoke briefly of the French Icarians at Nauvoo, regretting his inability to visit with Etienne Cabet. He did, however, meet a British army officer bronzed by "twenty summers" in India, who had chosen the Burlington area for his home. Upon inquiry, Newhall found Captain McMahon had been directed to Iowa by Newhall's British Emigrants' Guide. Shortly after this trip Newhall left Burlington aboard the Edward Bates for St. Louis, planning to ascend the Missouri to the most expeditious jumping-off-place for the gold mines. On April 18 Che-Mo-Ko-Mon wrote the Hawk-Eye of his trip up the Missouri on the Belle Creole. Newhall found fifty- odd members of the "Sagamore Mining and Trading Com- pany" of Massachusetts among the three hundred California- bound passengers aboard the boat. The group was organized in Newhall's native town, and "a finer set of energetic fellows never left the old Bay State," Newhall records. You can imagine better than I can describe, how peculiarly interesting it was to be thus, unexpectedly brought in contact with 40 or 50 sturdy sons of old Massachusetts, many of them my old school mates — boys that I had known from early childhood, and here on the dark waters of the Missouri, we met once more to mingle our congratula- tions and live ever again the halcyon days of our youth. The Massachusetts company left the Belle Creole at Boonville (where their wagons and mules had been assembled on INTRODUCTION XIX April 19) amid stirring cheers for Newhall's "fellow towns- men," the "glorious boys from Boston and Lynn." The Belle Creole continued up the tawny Missouri, Newhall faithfully recording his impressions of Lexington, Kansas City, Inde- pendence, Fort Leavenworth, and Weston, where the steam- boat arrived on April 22. Newhall observed that while most of those aboard the Belle Creole were quite healthy, "all the eastern adventurers have complained more or less of slight attacks of diarhooea, caused undoubtedly, by change of water and long confinement on board the boat." On April 30 Newhall wrote a long letter from St. Joseph, Missouri, telling of the arrival of the Burlington and Des Moines County Forty-Niners at that "thriving young city of the western frontier." He closed his colorful description with the names of all the men from Burlington, Bloomington, Farmington, Ottumwa, Oskaloosa, Mt. Pleasant, Toolsborough, etc. After describing a soiree at Dr. White's marquee, where he was entertained by the music of the doctor's "accomplished daughters," Newhall concluded : "But enough, I leave for Independence to-morrow, from which point you may expect to hear from me, until then, adieu." Unfortunately these were the last words from Che-Mo-Ko- Mon. Even before his arrival in Independence he began to complain of his health — he had seen the ravages of small pox and cholera all along the Missouri and at St. Joseph. On May 24, the Burlington Hawk-Eye received the following letter from a man who proved to be a "friend indeed" in the last hours of John Newhall. Independence, May 8th, 1849 To the Editor of the Hawk-Eye: — I have the painful intelligence to announce to you that our friend Mr. J. B. NEWHALL, of Bur- lington, is dead. He died yesterday about 12 o'clock, at the "Inde- pendence House" in Independence, with the Cholera. I met him some two or three weeks since, at St Joseph. He told me that the Cholera and the Small Pox were in the camp and in the city, and manifested some alarm with regard to himself. It seemed to me that he had a XX INTRODUCTION foreboding of the fate which met him. He spoke of his chances of meeting the monster, and said if it should be his lot, he wishes I would be with him. I stopped but a short time, while he remained a number of days in St Joseph, and returned to Independence, and stopped at the same house with me. The Cholera was charging all around us — two lay dead in the house at the time he was taken, and some three or four others were down. — The evening before he was taken, I went to church with him, and he congratulated himself that he felt so well, though he had felt slightly and singularly unwell in his bowels for a number of days. About 12 o'clock he came to my room and said he had got the Cholera, and was considerably excited. I got up and went with him to his room. I found he had not been to bed, but was writing to his wife, and had all the symptoms of a plain case. I got the doctor immediately, (Dr. Belt.) He soon began to cramp and by and by to sink until he seemed to sink away and die with utter weakness. He was sick about 12 hours. It is on such an unhappy note that this brief introduction of John B. Newhall in Iowa must close. This reprint of the second edition of A Glimpse of Iowa in 1846 has been repro- duced line for line and page for page, with photographic copies made of the cover, title pages, and six pages of ornate typo- graphical advertising. It is set up in Old Style type, which most closely approximates the original. A few obvious errors in type-setting have been corrected and occasional incorrect word divisions at the end of sentences changed. Some unusual errors in assembling the book apparently occurred : pages 85-88 are missing from one of the Society's two original copies ; the four pages of "References and Testimonials" and "Preface" included in the present reprint are missing from the other. The color of the binding and the dust jacket of this book closely approximates the color of the paper cover of the second edition. The printing on the dust jacket is a reproduction of the front and back covers of this same edition; these covers also reappear in the reprint itself. Wright Howes, of Chicago, a leading authority on Western Americana, considers a good copy of the original second edi- tion worth $350, compared with a price of $500 for a perfect copy of the 80-page first edition, none of which is known to INTRODUCTION XXl exist. In addition to the few copies available in Iowa, copies of the second can be found in the Wisconsin Historical Society, the Newberry Library in Chicago, and the New York Public Library. The present reprint will fill a long felt need, adding immeasurably to a better understanding of Iowa. Office of the Superintendent State Historical Society of Iowa Iowa Citv, Iowa William J. Petersen A GLIMPSE OF IOWA IN 1846 A GLIMPSE ;; or IOWA IN 1846; OB, THE EMIGRANT'S GUIDE, AND STATE DIRECTORY ; WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW PURCHASE : GMBBACINO MUCH PRACTICAL ADVICE AND USEFUL INFORMATION TO IK- TENDING EMIGRANTS. ALSO, THE NEW STATE CONSTITUTION. BY J. B. NEWHAIili, Author of "Sketches of Iowa,'* "Emigrant's Haod Book," &c. "The ponibl* dentiny of the Va\f'A SUtes of Americi, as a nition of i hundrej milliotiJ of fifemen, ilrtlchioj from the Atlantic to thr I ,4C, living under the Uwt of Alfred, and tpeakini the laojiua^ o« Shak>peare and Miiton, li an augutt couceptioa. Why should wa uat with lo is* It mlizad I" SECOND EDITION. BURLINGTON, IOWA: W. D. SKILLMAN, PUBLISHER. i 1846. K««inle k FMd, Pnolert, St. Loiut, Mo. f :^i i ^^ t,. m-- iS' ?^t^^ [Front Cover] A GLIMPSE OF IOWA IN 1846; OB, TBB EMIGRANT'S GUIDE, AND STATE DIRECTORY ; WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW PURCHASE XMBftACINO MUCH PRACTICAL ADVICE AND USEFUL INFORMATION TO IN- TENDING EMIGRANTS. ALSO, THE NEW STATE CONSTITUTION. BY J. B. NEWHAIili, Author of "Sketches of Iowa/' "Emigrant's Hand Book," &c. "TV pMtible dutiaf of the Duited States of America, u a nation of a baii'lred mtlliooi of f/seuien, ftntcbinjf from the Atlantic to the Pacific, livixig under tiie \x\n of Alfred, ajod speaking the language of KtiltpeoK iiiid Miltoo, It la lugvit ccuccptioa. Wby ihould we not wisb to ec« it realusd }" SECOND EDITION. BURLINGTON, IOWA. W. ». SKILLMAN, PUBLISHER. 1846. Kocailt fc Field, rnnten, St. Loub, Mo. [Title Page] Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1846, by J. B. Newhall, in the Clerk's Office, of the first Judi- cial District of the Territory of Iowa. REFERENCES AND TESTIMONIALS. The writer begs to subjoin a few notices and testimonials; not that they are deemed necessary at home, but that it may be more satisfactory to the distant reader (who may chance to peruse these pages) to know the position he has occupied as a delineator, and the zeal with which he has pursued his researches. Extract of a Letter from Ex-Governor Lucas, in reference to a former work: Executive Department, Iowa Territory, Burlington, August 15th, A.D. 1840. John B. Newhall, Esg. — Dear Sir: A partial perusal of your manuscript, together with an examination of your map, has afforded me much gratification. The design you have adopted in the arrangement of your subjects cannot fail to enlighten and instruct all who may feel desirous of obtaining a more familiar acquaintance, not only of the productions, and vast mineral resources of Iowa, but of the intelligent character of her population. I shall ever take pleasure in giving my hearty approval to the laudable enter- prise of my fellow-citizens in all that will redound to the character and prosperity of our interesting territory. And that testimony I most cheerfully bestow upon your efforts in the present instance; not merely as a valuable acquisition to the public, but as evincing much industry and patient research. With sincere respect, I am, your obedient servant, ROBERT tUCAS. Letter from Geo. Catlin, Esq., author of "Notes on North American Indians," &c., in reference to a work published in London, in 1844: J. B. Newhall, Esq. — Dear Sir: I am glad to learn that you are about to publish your contemplated "Hand Book" on the Western States, before your return to America. — From your early acquaintance with, and general knowledge of, the country, the result of long and continued residence, and from the additional circumstances of your having devoted much valuable time in delineating its vast resources, both by your pen and your very instructive Lectures, I feel confident that your work will prove a valuable acquisition to the British public, and will likewise commend itself to all those who desire a more extended acquaintance with one of the most interesting portions of the United States. I am dear sir, yours truly, GEORGE CATLIN. Egyptian Hall, London, July 27th, 1844. IV OPINIONS OF THE BRITISH PRESS. The subjects embraced in Mr. Newhall's Lectures are of a highly interesting character, respecting: the vast resources and capabilities of "Western America." He comes before us with letters and testimonials of the higfhest character from official personages in the United States to gentlemen of distinction in this country, and being entirely disconnected with any Land Company, or speculative enterprise, the information he imparts must prove highlj' interesting to those who contemplate emigrating." — Midland Counties Herald, Birmingham, 1843. "On Thursday Evening, J. B. Nkwh.^ll, Esq., of the Territory of Iowa, U. S., delivered a hiehly interesting Lecture, at the Music Hall, Bold street, on the resources of the Western States of America, and the mutual advantages of a free intercourse between England and the United States. The Lecturer has not been long in England; but from his extensive knowledge of the capabilities of his country, has already Lectured with great success in various parts of the Kingdom. The Lecturer was listened to by a numerous audience, with the most marked attention. At the conclusion, a vote of thanks was passed by acclamation. — Liverpool Albion, Nov. 1843. OPINIONS OP THE AJ^ZERICAN PRESS. Mr. Newhall's Lectures. — This gentleman is alre.ndy favorably known to the public as author of the popiilar and highly valuable work entitled the "Sketches of Iowa," and is possessed of the most extensive as well as accurate information in regard to the Great Valley of the Mississippi." — Boston Mer- cantile Journal, April 10th, 1843. "With the character of the utilitarian, Mr. Newhall unites the love of all that is romantic and picturesque in the country where he has sojourned, and he communicates the results of his observation in an easy conversational style, which commands the undivided attention of his audience. — Boston Democrat, April 17th, 1843. "Seldom have we listened to a more interesting or instructive Lecture. Mr. Newhall, though a native of this State, has passed many years in the great Valley of the Mississippi, and from his extensive travels, and habits of obser- vation, has especially qualified himself to speak with understanding on the subject upon which he treats." — Ibid. Extract from "Bennett's" N. Y. Herald, 1841. Newhall's Sketches of Iowa. — This is an interesting and very valuable book. The Territory of Iowa promises, at no distant day, to become a member of the Union, and a knowledge of its position, resources and capabilities, is im- portant. The book evinces careful and persevering research, and is very well written. Froin the Louisville (Ky.) Journal, 1841. Newhall's Sketches of Iowa. — We particularly commend this little volume to the attention of those who may be in search of an abode in the "Far West." Mr. Newhall has given us an attractive, interesting, and we doubt not, a correct picture of a Territory of which very little is generally known, but which will ere long rank high among the vigorous young States of the West. PREFACE. At a time when the public mind is directed, with more than ordinary interest, to the almost unexplored regions be- yond the Rocky Mountains, it may appear a trite subject, and devoid of interest, to write, at this day, upon a subject so well known as the great Valley of the Mississippi. Obser- vation, however, has brought the writer to a different conclusion. True, much has been said and written upon the West — the "Great West" — and yet I doubt if there is any one subject, where the people of this nation are equally interested, so little known and understood ! You may take the greater portion of the professedly intelligent part of the community in the Atlantic States, from Maine to Georgia, and they know but little more concerning our immense re- sources, and the unparalleled rapidity with which they are being developed. I say they know but little more of all these, and of the rapid progress we are making in all the arts of civilized life, than they do of the obscure States of Europe, or of British India. Let the man of expanded views traverse our country, and view, on every hand, the rich gifts of a munificent Provi- dence — let him behold the wide field that is opened for the exercise of Christianity and philanthropy, and, in short, for the exercise of every civil and religious principle, that is nearest and most deeply implanted in the American bosom, and, in wonder and delight, he is compelled to exclaim — "This is God's chosen area of freedom, of intelligence, and enterprise!" He beholds a country of free institutions rushing up to a giant manhood, with a rapidity and power never before witnessed upon the face of the earth ; and he is conscious that, if she carries with her the elements of her preservation, the experiment will be glorious — radiant with a holy light that will emancipate the world ! We may search history in vain for scenes which we daily witness in this fertile valley. The nations of antiquity were subjugated by the sword before they could flourish. Here we behold the emigrant crossing the majestic river with the VI Bible, the axe, and the plough — emblems of peace, prosperity and power. You may point me to Caesar, to the armies of Alexander and Napoleon, triumphant with the laurels of victory; yet history never presented a spectacle half so sub- lime as the long train of moving emigrants, going forth to consecrate the pathless prairie to freedom and a lofty civili- zation. This is no fiction — I write not from books, or with the pen of romance. Ten years ago, I beheld the western shore of the Mississippi a primeval wilderness ; the boundless prairies were blooming in solitude. I participated in rearing the first land-marks of a young and rising State — new cities have sprung up before me — I have witnessed the great work of civilization in all its various stages, from the lone cabin of the frontier settler to a happy and intelligent population of 100,000 souls! Such is a meagre picture of the rapid advancement of Iowa within twelve years. While my bosom thrills with delight and patriotic emotion, in beholding the immense multitude of Anglo-Americans annually going forth to people the plains of Oregon, and to plant thereon the germs of our cherished institutions, I would have my countrymen still remember that the Valley of the Mississippi presents as happy a combination of every requi- site calculated to conduce to man's happiness, as is presented in any other region on the face of the earth. J. B. Newhall. Burlington, July 4th, 1846. Note Referring to Boundaries. — In defining the boundaries of Iowa, (page 10th,) I have quoted those adopted by the Convention of 1844. Subsequently, the Convention of May, 1846, adopted the parallel of 43 degrees and 30 minutes as the northern boundary, instead of St. Peter's river, (see Constitution, page 93,) in accordance with the act of Congress defining the permanent boundaries of Iowa. ADVERTISEMENT TO THE SECOND EDITION. In presenting to the public a second edition of this little work, the author is happy of the opportunity of expressing his grateful acknowledgments for the kind manner in which it has been received. To inflict upon his readers a tedious preliminary would be a work of supererogation. The fact that, in little more than two months from the day of publication, to the final disposal of the entire edition, is, of itself, a sufficient commentary of its favorable reception, and affords the writer the most gratifying evidence that the spirit of enquiry is still abroad, to learn more and more of the con- dition and vast resources of this highly favored region. Much time and attention has been devoted, by the author, to a thorough and careful revision of the work, retaining the spirit of the first edition, but surpassing it both in variety and accuracy of Information. Among the topics of peculiar interest, at the present moment, the reader will find the new State Constitution, adopted in Convention, May 18th, 1846. Although the fate of this instrument is not officially known, the presumption is that it has been ratified by the people.* In this event, Iowa assumes a new and highly important position in her political relations. Putting off the swaddling garments of her infancy, she goes forth, like a fair bride, to take her place as one of the "sisterhood" of our glorious confederacy — an event that will form an epoch in our history, and be viewed with interest by every State of the Union. Several additional subjects, of an interesting character, were prepared for this edition, but were necessarily pre- cluded, to give place to the Constitution. In conclusion, the writer begs leave to tender his grateful acknowledgements to his fellow citizens for the kind manner in which they have uniformly encouraged all his former efforts. To them this little volume is most respectfully sub- mitted. Should It meet their approval, then his time will have been usefully occupied, and his highest object attained. J. B. N. * Subsequent information has confirmed the general expectation. The Con- stitution has been adopted, and Iowa will henceforth shine in the bright galaxy of the Union. CONTENTS. PAGE. General description of the Valley of the Mississippi, 9 Iowa — situation, boundaries, &c., — 10 General Description, 11 Face of the Country, 13 Soil, 14 Productions, 14 Timber, 15 Rivers, 16 Prairies, 16 Climate, 19 Public Lands, 20 Counties — Lee County, 21 Des Moines County, 23 Louisa, 25 Muscatine, 26 Scott, 27 Clinton, 27 Jackson, "^ Dubuque, 29 Clayton, 30 Buchannan, Fayette and Delaware, -_30 Jones and Cedar, 31 Lmn, -'^ Johnson, 32 Henry, 33 Jefferson, 34 Washington, 35 Van Buren, 36 The Turkey River Country — Ft. Atkinson, &c., 27 Winnebago School, 38 The New Purchase, 40 Counties in the New Purchase, 41 Wapello, 41 Ottumwa, 42 Davis County, 43 Appanoose County, 43 Keokuk County, 43 PAGE. Mahaska County, 44 Statistics of do., 45 Polk County, 46 Fort Des Moines, 48 Monroe County, 48 Iowa " 49 Poweshiek County 49 Black Hawk " 49 What productions are most profi- table to cultivate, 50 Remarks upon Wool Growing, &c., 50 Statistics of the Lead Region, 55 Zinc Ore, 56 Iron Ore, 58 Average Prices of Cattle, Cows, Sheep, &c., 59 Prices of Articles of Family Consumption at retail, 60 Prospects for Mechanics and La- borers, 61 Persons best qualified to emi- grate, 62 Government, 63 Judiciary, 63 District Prosecutors, 64 Time of holding Courts, 65 Chief Towns, 67 Burlington, 67 Dubuque, 72 Fort Madison, 79 Bloomington, 81 Davenport, 83 Keosauqua Directory, 85 Mt. Pleasant " 87 Fairfield " 88 Keokuk " 89 Iowa City " 90 The Constitution of Iowa, 93 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA, IN 1846. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE GREAT VAL- LEY OF THE MISSISSIPPI. Although information of a specific rather than a gen- eral, character, is the object of this little work, yet it may not be deemed foreign to the subject, or devoid of interest to the reader, to take a brief glance of the great Valley of the Mississippi. This vast and magnificent region includes about two thirds of the United States, and contains more than a million and a quarter of square miles ; and is capable of sustaining a pop- ulation of more than one hundred and fifty millions of souls. There is no part of the globe, of equal extent, which has so small a portion of waste land and so great an amount of soil susceptible of cultivation. It is not only the Garden of Ameri- ca, but of the world I And well and truly might M. De Tocque- ville, that learned French statesman, exclaim, "It is the most magnificent dwelling place prepared by God for the abode of man." This wide and fertile domain is at least six times as ex- tensive as the whole of France, and ten times larger than the island of Great Britain. It is watered by rivers that have been formed on the same corresponding scale of vastness and grandeur; these, taking their rise in the far off mountains on either side — the AUeghanies on the East, and the Rocky Mountains on the West — meander through the rich plains below for hundreds, and frequently for thousands, of miles, until they are merged in that ceaseless flood which rolls along the bottom of the valley called in the simple yet eloquent 10 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. language of the aborigines, "Misse se-po" (Mississippi,) the "Father of Great Rivers." The great Valley of the Mississippi may, with propriety, be divided into four sub-divisions or sections: that portion which lies below the Ohio river, possessing peculiarities of surface, soil and climate, is called the Lower Valley. This constitutes a portion of the cotton, tobacco, hemp and sugar growing States, and embraces Kentucky, Tennessee, Mis- sissippi, and western Alabama on the East, and Louisiana, Arkansas, southern Missouri, Nebraska and northern Tex- as upon the West. That portion which lies above the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi is called the "Upper Valley," and embraces Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, upon the East, and Iowa, and Missouri on the West. These may be denominated the Grain and Stock growing States — abounding with great natural meadows of exhaustless fertility, affording the rich- est herbage for cattle, hogs and sheep. The country watered by the Ohio and its tributaries, is frequently denominated the Ohio Valley — while that wide and fertile region which lies along the Missouri is appropriately termed the Valley of the Missouri. The country described in the following pages embraces that portion of the Upper Mississippi Valley lying north of the State of Missouri, and west of the Mississippi river, known as the TERRITORY OF IOWA. Situation, Boundaries, &c. — The present territorial limits of Iowa embrace all that portion of country lying north of the State of Missouri, and west of the Mississippi, to the Missouri and White Earth rivers. Its northern boundary is the line dividing the British Possessions and the United States, thence west along said line to the White Earth river; thence down said river to its junction with the Missouri; thence down the Missouri, to the northern boundary of the State of Missouri ; thence eastwardly along said boundary to the Mississippi river, embracing the Half Breed Reser- vation of the Sacs and Foxes. A bill has been introduced, during the present session of Congress, (1846) defining the permanent boundaries of Iowa. The provisions, in reference to extent, are ample, A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 11 and it is believed will give general satisfaction to the citizens of Iowa.* This bill defines the boundaries of the future State as follows : "Beginning in the middle of the main channel of the Mis- sissippi river, opposite the mouth of the Des Moines river, thence up the said river Des Moines, in the middle of the main channel thereof, to a point where it is intersected by the old Indian boundary line, or line run by John C. Sul- livan in the year eighteen hundred and sixteen ; thence westwardly along said line to the 'old north-west corner of Missouri ;' thence due west to the middle of the main chan- nel of the Missouri river ; thence up the middle of the main channel of the river last mentioned, to the mouth of the Sioux or Calumet river; thence in a direct line to the middle of the main channel of the St. Peter's river, where the Watonwan river enters the same ; thence down the middle of the main channel of said river, to the middle of the main channel of the Mississippi river ; thence down the middle of the main channel of said river, to the place of be- ginning." GENERAL DESCRIPTION. Time of Settlement, &c. — The rapid progress and present condition of this fertile region, stretching its verdant mead- ows and wooded banks along the majestic Mississippi, the variety and excellence of its agricultural productions, its richness of mineral wealth, its countless rivulets and streams, which are destined to pour out its exhaustless treasures, and carry back comfort and luxuries to its remotest borders ; its whole physical aspect, in short, combines as many re- quisites for human enterprise, as is developed in any tract of country of the same extent on the face of the globe. The country embraced in the territory of Iowa has been purchased by the United States, of the confederated tribes of Sac and Fox Indians, at four successive treaties. The first was made in 1832, at the termination of the "Black Hawk" war, generally known as the "Black Hawk Pur- chase." The second purchase, known as the "Keokuk Reserve," situated on both sides of the Iowa river, was made * These boundaries are the same as those embodied in the first Article of the proposed Constitution of Iowa, and adopted in Con- vention, Nov. 1st, 1844. 12 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. by Gov. Henry Dodge, at Rock Island, in 1836. The third was made at the city of Washington, in 1837, and the fourth and last in 1842, by Gov. Chambers. The country ceded to the United States by the last treaty, known as the "New Purchase," embraces some fifteen millions of acres of land. It is probably the richest and most desirable region of country ever obtained by the nation, cither by treaty or conquest. It is well watered and tim- bered, possessing abundant mill power, and is settling up with a rapidity scarcely paralleled in the annals of history. Further notice will be given of this interesting portion of the territory under the head of "New Purchase." Soon after the termination of the Indian War of 1832, (generally known as the Black Hawk War) many of those hardy and enterprising pioneers, ever to be found in a frontier country, began to perambulate the western shore of the Mis- sissippi in search of choice "claims" eligible Town Sites, Mill Seats, &c. ; and, for a season, it was quite difficult for the small garrison of U. S. troops, then stationed at Rock Is- land, to keep the white men from trespassing upon their Indian neighbors. The time at length arrived, agreeable to treaty stipulations, for the Indians to leave their ancient hunting grounds. The first day of June, 1833, may be considered the first perma- nent settlement of Iowa by the "Pale Faces." The "flood- gates" of emigration were now opened, and scarcely had the "Red Man" set his footsteps in the order of march, towards the "setting sun," ere the settler began to cross the Missis- sippi with his flocks and herds, to make a "new home" on the fertile plains of Iowa. The tide of emigration seemed now fully set for the Black Hawk Purchase. A Tide, which up to the present moment hath known no ebb: till it hath poured over the blooming prairies of Iowa a population of one hundred thou- sand souls ! The writer of these pages, frequently having occasion to traverse the great thoroughfares of Illinois and Indiana, in the years of 1836-7, the roads would be literally lined with the long blue wagons of the emigrant slowly wending their way over the broad prairies — the cattle and hogs, men and dogs, and frequently women and children, forming the rear of the van — often ten, twenty, and thirty wagons in company. A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 13 Ask them, when and where you would, their destination was the "Black Hawk Purchase." I well remember, one beautiful autumnal evening in 1836, crossing the "Military Tract" in Illinois. The last rays of the sun was gilding the tree tops and shedding his mellow tints upon the fleecy clouds, as my horse turned the short angle of a neighboring "thicket," I encountered a settler "camped" for the night. How little do the trans-Alleghanians know of such "scenes." I'll try to give them the picture — not coleur de rose, but from the life — breathing and real. The "old lady had just built her "camp fire," and was bus- ily engaged in frying prairie chickens, which the unerring rifle of her boy had brought to the ground; one of the girls was milking a brindle cow, and that tall girl yonder, with swarthy arms and yellow sun-bonnet, is nailing the coffee mill on the side of a scrub oak which the little boy had "blazed" out with his hatchet. There sat the old man on a log, quietly shaving himself b)' a six-penny looking-glass, which he had tacked to a neighboring tree. And yonder old decrepid man sitting on the low rush bottomed chair, is the aged grand-sire of all ; better that his bones be left by the way-side than that he be left behind among strangers. He sits quietly smoking his pipe with all the serenity of a patriarch — apparently as ready to shuffle off this "mortal coil" that very night, as to sit down to his prairie chicken supper. What a picturesque group for the pencil of the painter ; yet these are the "scenes" that we frequently witness in the "Far West." This is "Emigrating." 'Tis not going away from home', the home was there, that night, v/ith the settlers on "Camp creek," under the broad canopy of heaven, by that gurgling brook, where the cattle browsed, the dogs barked, and the children quietly slumbered. FACE OF THE COUNTRY. The predominant features in the landscape of Iowa are prairie and timber ; the face of the country is beautiful in the extreme. It is what may be termed moderately undu- lating, no part of the territory being traversed by mountains, or even high hills (if we except the northern or mineral region, where the hills are of considerable magnitude) ; on the margin of the rivers there are frequent ranges of "bluffs," or calcareous strata of lime rock, intersected with ravines. 2* 14 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. The southern portion of the territory may be termed the most picturesque, abounding with grassy lawns and verdant vales, interspersed with groves and meandering rivulets. — The northern part presents more bold and rugged features in its scenery. It is a rare and singular feature in the min- eral region of Iowa, that the country abounding in the richest ore is frequently in the neighborhood of the most fertile fields of grain. This territory is remarkably well watered b)'^ beautiful rivers and creeks, the margins of which are skirted with woodlands and groves. A striking character- istic of Iowa and Wisconsin over many prairie countries, is the admirable distribution of prairie and woodland to the wants and convenience of the husbandman. Although probably nearly three fourths of the territory is without trees, yet so happily and conveniently are the waters and timber arranged throughout, that nature appears to have made an effort to arrange them in the most desirable manner possible. SOIL. The soil of the prairies of Iowa, and particularly the allu- vial bottoms is extremely rich and fertile. It is a black vegetable mould, sometimes intermixed with a sandy loam, easily cultivated, and stands a drought remarkably well. The soil on the upland prairies will average from 18 to 24 inches depth, and on the rich bottom lands from 30 to 48 inch- es depth. The surface is nearly black, but becomes lighter in descending, until it imperceptibly mingles into a bed or under layer of reddish clay, sometimes mixed with gravel or sand, sufficiently compact to preserve moisture, and capable of being converted into excellent soil. Good water is usually obtained in the upland prairie, from 20 to 30 feet below the surface. PRODUCTIONS. All the grains, fruits and plants, of the temperate regions of the earth, grow luxuriantly in Iowa. The agricultural productions consist principally of corn, wheat, rye, oats, buckwheat, potatoes, turnips, beans, melons ; all kinds of garden vegetables. Clover, timothy, and every description of tame grass grows luxuriantly, and well repays the labor of the husbandman. No country can excel this in its adaptation A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 15 for rearing all the choicest fruits and fruit-bearing shrubbery. Wild fruit, crab-apples, wild plums, berries, strawberries &c. ; are remarkably fine and plenty, and are very conve- nient for the judicious wife in spreading her board with excellent preserves. Corn may be considered a staple pro- duction, and the comparative ease with which it is cultivated would astonish a New Englander. Foreign vines are susceptible of easy cultivation. The indigenous vines are prolific, and produce excellent fruit. Both hemp and tobacco may be successfully cultivated in Iowa. Thus far, all experiments of the kind have proved eminently successful, and it only requires the attention of the enterprizing to embark in this profitable branch of cultivation. The castor bean may likewise become a profitable crop. The cultivation of the sugar beet root, and the manufacture of the sugar may be carried on advantageously and with great profit in Iowa. The introduction and manufacture of lard oil in the West, as an article of merchandize, promises to be an important event, and may be regarded as a new feature in the value of swine. No portion of the upper Mississippi valley presents greater inducements for the introduction of sheep, and the raising of stock of every description, than the fertile prairies of Iowa. For Mineral Productions, see Sta- tistics of the Lead Regions. TIMBER. The growth of the uplands consists of every variety of oak, sugar maple, hickory, hazel, cherry, white walnut, mulberry, linn, hackberry, &:c. The bottom or interval lands produce ash, sycamore, black walnut, mulberry, bur oak, elm, cotton- wood, pawpaw, grape vine, plum, dogwood, spice bush, sumac, and a variety of other descriptions of trees and shrubs. The black walnut is much used for building materials, cabi- net work, &c., and sustains a fine polish. The sycamore is the "buttonwood" of New England, is frequently hollow, and in that state used by the farmers; being cut in various lengths, it is cleaned and used as depositories for grain, well- curbs, casks, beehives, &c. In the northern portion of Iowa and Wisconsin are im- mense pineries, where mills are already established, and large rafts of pine lumber are floated down the Mississippi river, and sold out at the different growing towns. By this means. 16 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. the whole country will be supplied with the best building materials at very low rates. Even at the present time, lumber can be obtained at less than one-half the price that it could seven years ago. RIVERS. The principal rivers of Iowa are the Mississippi, which forms the eastern boundary, and separates it from Illinois. The Des Moines, which is a beautiful stream and susceptible of slackwater navigation for about 200 miles from its mouth. The Iowa, which is navigable for light draught steam boats, to Iowa City, about 90 miles from its mouth. The Red Cedar, Checauque (or Skunk), Wapsipinicon, Maquoketa, Turkey and Yellow rivers ; all emptying into the Mississippi. There are numerous smaller streams, presenting admirable facilities for mills and machinery. The neighborhoods are generally well supplied with mills for sawing various kinds of lumber, grinding Indian corn, wheat, &c. PRAIRIES. Beauty of the landscape similar to many views in England, France, and Belgium. Errojieous ?iotions of their sus' ceptibility for cultivation. "These, the unshorn fields, boundless and beautiful, For which the speech of England has no name — The Prairies." — Bryant. Undoubtedly one of the most captivating features in the landscape scenery of a great portion of the upper Mississippi valley, is the unique and beautifully diversified Prairies, or unwooded tracts. They are, in fact, the gardens of nature. And who that has been an eye witness can ever forget the impressions made upon his feelings, when, for the first time, he gazed with rapturous delight upon the boundless prairie? The characteristic peculiarity of the prairies, is the entire absence of timber; in other respects they present all the vari- eties of soil and surface that are found elsewhere. Sometimes they are spread out in boundless plains ; at other times they are gently rolling, like the swell of the sea after a subsiding storm. A diversity of opinion exits as to the origin of prai- ries. Their undulating and finished surface, crowned with the richest alluvial mould, bears ample proof, (in the writer's mind) of their having been, at some anterior period, sub- A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 17 merged beneath the waters of vast lakes, or inland seas; and these, subsequently receding, have formed the natural chan- nels through which our vast and numerous rivers flow. Hence the rich alluvial deposit, and fossil remains that so frequently occur;* also, the laminae formation of secondary lime rock ; and successive strata of soil, are all evidences of a once submerged country. These meadows of nature are covered with a rich coat of natural grass, forming excellent grazing for cattle; and, in the season of flowers, present the most captivating and lovely ap- pearance. The traveller now beholds these boundless plains, untouched by the hand of man, clothed with the deepest ver- dure, interspersed here and there with beautiful groves, which appear like islands in the ocean. The writer has often travel- ed amidst these enchanting scenes, on horseback, for hun- dreds of miles, long before civilization commenced ; some- times threading a narrow defile made by the "red man," through the tall grass, and again suddenly emerging to a broad expanse of thousands of acres covered with ever varie- gated flowers. It has been urged by some that, however our prairies may have added to the beauty of the landscape, they are impedi- ments to the settlements of a country. Ten years ago, this objection was urged much more strenuously than at present. For in that length of time many prairies, both in Illinois and Iowa, have been converted into highly cultivated farms, upon which the "croakers" of early times predicted that no settler would ever venture; and in ten years more, that such an objection ever did exist will be a matter of wonder. A little calculation would convince the most skeptical that it is cheaper, in the proportion of four to one, to haul fencing [rail] timber two or three miles (which is about the extent that any Iowa or Wisconsin farmer need go,) than to expend eight or ten years of toil and labor in clearing the heavily timbered lands of Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Canada. I have often inquired of those individuals who reason * The writer, a few years since, in one of his reconnoitering jour- neys in the northern part of the Territory, obtained from a friend, in the neighborhood of Dubuque, the tusk of the Mammoth, or Mastodon, of immense size ; and which he had obtained one hundred feet below the surface of the earth, imbedded in clay and lime rock; the enamel of which was as perfect as on the day of his death. Quere: Was his Mammothship of the antediluvian race, or not? 18 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. against the settlement of prairies, if they ever knew a man to leave the Prairie for the Timber 'i I have always inquired in vain. But we do know that tens of thousands annually leave the Timbered countries to settle upon the Prairies. A popular error has prevailed, to a considerable extent, in the Atlantic States, that our prairies were universally low, wet, swampy lands ! Prairie does not imply wet or flat lands. Our rolling prairies present all the undulating features and diversity of surface that are to be met with in many other countries. The associations of the New Englander, and most of the inhabitants of the Atlantic States, (respecting a new country,) are woods — interminable woods. The English, the French, and the Belgians, have a better simile of comparison with their own landscape. I well remember my first impressions, some three years ago, the first hour I set my foot upon the shores of old England, landing upon the shore of a beautiful bay on the coast of Sussex.* I involuntarily exclaimed, (casting my eyes over the bright and verdant landscape,) how much the scenery of Britain reminds me of the prairie scenery of America. Subsequently, I was often forcibly reminded of the striking similarity of scenery. For instance, the vale of Worcestershire and Herefordshire ; likewise the scenery of the Thames above London, affords a striking resemblance of many beautiful spots upon the banks of the Des Moines. And that charming panoramic view from "Richmond Hill" may justly be compared to the scene which the traveller be- holds from the grave of Julien Dubuque, or from the "Cornice Rocks" above Prairie Du Chien. The American tourist who has or ever may travel over that pleasant road, from Brussels to the Field of Waterloo, along the forest Soigoine, will have an admirable standard of comparison for much of the scenery of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. Performing a pedestrian tour through that picturesque and highly cultivated country, in the summer of '44, I often stopped by the road side to contemplate the scene before me. It required no stretch of the imagination to shadow forth many of the identical spots that I was wont to look upon in my native land. * Pevensy Bay. A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. CLIMATE. 19 Perhaps, among all the long catalogue of benefits and pri- vations respecting emigration, none is more worthy of consid- eration than climate, and I doubt if upon any one topic there has been more conflicting testimony. The salubriousness of climate, in all the new States, depends much upon the locality. The thermometer does not range more widely here, if as wide, than in similar latitudes east of the Alleghanies. We are exempt too, from those easterly winds, so searching and blasting in their effects to the invalid of pulmonary complaints, upon the seaboard. Along the low "bottom lands," which are occasionally subject to inundation, there will be more liability and predisposition to bilious diseases, fever, ague, &c. But upon the uplands, and broad rolling prairies, the atmos- phere becomes salubrious and free from "miasma." In short, there is, almost every day, in the elevated portions of the coun- try, a breeze from some quarter as refreshing as that from the ocean. It would be presumption on the part of the writer, to advance the opinion that any new country is entirely exempt from disease. Neither can I endorse the "sweeping" asser- tion often ascribed to the new States "that it is impossible for people to enjoy good health." One year of general sickness, or of some prevailing epidemic, is not a criterion of the gen- eral health of a country. That our new States are not unfa- vorable to human life, may be inferred from the unprecedented increase of their population. The number of inhabitants in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, cannot be less than six or seven millions! Had they been unhealthy, it is quite incredible so great a number could have congregated within their borders, since the brief period of their first settlements. A vast number of people in emigrating to a new country, get sick from expo- sure, by living in damp uncomfortable houses, change of diet, water, &c., and attribute it all to the climate. Mr. Peck observes — and he is good authority — "The same causes for disease exist in Ohio as in Missouri ; in Michigan as in Illinois; in Kentucky and Tennessee as in Indiana. All have localities where intermittents and agues are found, and all possess extensive districts of country where health is en- joyed by a large proportion of emigrants. There is some difference between a heavily timbered and a prairie country, 20 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. in favor of the latter, other circumstances being equal. Changes, favorable to continued health, are produced by the settlements and cultivation of the country. In fine, I am pre- pared to give my opinion, decidedly, in favor of this country and climate. I would not, certainly, be answerable for all the bad locations, the imprudence and whims of all classes of emi- grants, which may operate unfavorably to health." PUBLIC LANDS, SYSTEM OF SURVEYS, LAND OFFICES, &c. In all the new States and Territories, the lands which are owned by the general government are surveyed and sold under one general system. The government price of land is 1 25 cents per acre. The system of surveys is one of great accuracy and beauty ; Meridian lines are established and sur- veyed in a line due north, from some given point — generally from some important water course. These are intersected at right angles with a base line. On the Meridians, the "town- ships" are numbered north and south from the base lines, and on the base lines, "ranges," east or west of the Meridian. Township lines are then run, at a distance of six miles, par- allel to the Meridian and base lines. Each township contains an area of 36 square miles ; each square mile is termed a sec- tion, and contains 640 acres. The sections are numbered from 1 to 36, beginning at the north-east corner of the town- ship, as the following diagram will illustrate : 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 8 9 10 11 12 18 17 16* 15 14 13 19 20 21 22 23 24 30 29 28 27 26 25 31 32 33 34 35 36 * The 16th section in each township is appropriated for schools. A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 21 When surveyed, the lands are offered for sale at public auction, but cannot be disposed of at a less price than one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. That portion not sold at public auction is subject to private entry at any time, for the above price, payable in cash, at the time of entry. Pre-emption rights give the improver or possessor the privilege of purchasing at the minimum price. I have thus endeavored briefly to elucidate, in the preceding diagram, the system of the surveys of public lands, that to strangers unacquainted with the sections and subdivisions appears perplexing and intricate. The Surveyor General's office for the Territories of Iowa and Wisconsin is located in Dubuque, lov/a. The Territory of Iowa is divided into two land districts. George W. Jones, Surveyor General. LAND OFFICES. Northern District, at Dubuque, Dubuque County. Register, Warner Lewis, Receiver, S. Langworthy. Southern District, Fairfield, Jefferson " Register, Bernhart Henn, Receiver, V. P. Van Antwerp. DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES LEE COUNTY. This is the most southern county in Iowa ; being situated in the junction of the Des Moines and Mississippi rivers, embracing the "Half Breed" reservation of the Sacs and Foxes. Lee county is bounded north by Des Moines and Henry counties, west by Van Buren, south by the Des Moines river, which separates it from Clark county, (Mis- souri,) east by the Mississippi, which separates it from Illi- nois. It is v/ell watered by the Des Moines and its tributar- ies, Sugar creek, Skunk, (or Checauque) and Lost creek. Population, in 1844, 10,000. The principal towns are Fort Madison, Keokuk, West Point, Montrose, Franklin, &c. Fort Madison is the seat of justice, and the most important town in the county. It is beautifully situated on the Mis- sissippi, twelve miles above the Des Moines Rapids. It contains the Territorial Penitentiary, supports a weekly 3 22 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. newspaper, several churches, three good hotels, and has one of the best ferries that crosses the Upper Mississippi. (For details, see Fort Madison Directory.) Keokuk, although laboring under some disadvantages re- specting validity of titles, is having a most rapid growth. Its situation is rough, yet highly romantic. From its eligi- ble and commanding position, at the foot of the "Lower Rapids," and near the junction of the Des Moines and Mis- sissippi rivers. Nature appears to have chosen it as one if not the favored depository for the treasures of one of the richest valleys of the "Far West" — the valley of the Des Moines. (See Keokuk Directory.) West Point is beautifully situated on the edge of a delight- ful prairie about the centre of the county. It has been for several years the seat of justice of Lee county. The coun- try in the vicinity is in a high state of cultivation, and the traveler would scarcely imagine that twelve years ago it was the home of the elk and the deer. Montrose is delightfully situated on the Mississippi nearly opposite "Nauvoo," the celebrated city of the Mormons. It occupies the site of old "Camp Des Moines," formerly a frontier station of United States Dragoons. The prairies of Lee county are elevated, dry and rolling, well adapted to the grazing of stock sheep &c. Several en- terprising individuals of this county have already embarked extensively into the raising of sheep. As the subject of "Wool Growing in the West" occupies the public mind to considerable extent, it may not be uninteresting to the reader to insert a brief statistical sketch concerning the INTRODUCTION OF SHEEP INTO LEE COUNTY. In 1841, Wm. Brownlee, of Pennsylvania, drove to Lee county some 800 sheep, of a fine quality, nearly full blooded Saxon sheep. In consequence of a deficiency of suitable shelter from the cold rains and sleet, the following winter, he lost nearly one half of them. Since that period he has re- plenished his flock by driving from Pa., and now has on his farms nearly 2,000 head of sheep, with good success in keep- ing them and raising lambs. Subsequently, several large flocks have been driven into the country by various indi- viduals. Messrs D. W. & E. Kilbourn purchased, in 1843, some 1,100 — most of them of a fine quality. Since then, they A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 23 have added to their flock some 550 sheep. In 1843-4, O. S. X. Peck, Esq., purchased 1800 sheep, which, together with a flock of some 4 or 500 belonging to a brother of the latter gentleman, residing near West Point, made upwards of 2,000. Mr. Seely, of Lee county, drove from New York state 800 fine merinoes ; and, in 1844, Mr. Colt, of Norwich, Conn., drove from Ohio about 1,400. In addition to the above, nu- merous other flocks have, from time to time, within the last two or three years, been driven into the county; a fact which will apply to numerous other counties of the territory. "Regarding the success and profits of sheep," says an extensive wool grower of Lee county [I will use his own language,] "Regarding the success and profits of wool grow- ing in this territory, there can be no doubt, notwithstanding it has often been asserted to the contrary. Sheep grow large and uniformly do well, without the least deterioration in the quality of the staple, but rather an improvement in the tex- ture. If they are driven far, great care should be taken or they will do poorly the first winter. We shall ship from this county, the ensuing year, 20,000 lbs. of wool. For fuller details upon this interesting subject, the reader is referred to the article on "Wool Growing, Tobacco, Hemp," &c. — See Contents. DES MOINES COUNTY. Des Moines is one of the oldest and most populous counties in the territory. It originally embraced all that portion of "Black Hawk Purchase" south of the old county line of Dubuque, and is frequently known by the familiar appellation of "Old Des Moines." It is bounded north by Louisa, east by the Mississippi, which separates it from Henderson county. 111. ; south by Lee, and west by Henry county ; being about 24 miles in length, and from 15 to 22 in breadth, and containing an area of about 410 square miles. The Mis- sissippi washes the entire eastern shore of Des Moines co. Flint Creek, receiving in its course the waters of various tributaries, meanders diagonally across the central portion of the county, discharging itself into the Mississippi about a quarter of a mile above Burlington. No county in the territory presents a happier combination of prairie and timber to suit the wants and convenience of the husbandman. In short, from its earliest settlement, it 24 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. has been justly esteemed one of the most desirable portions of the territory bordering upon the Mississippi. With one of the largest towns as its depository of export and import, it requires no prophetic wisdom to teach the farmers of Des Moines the intrinsic value of their fertile fields. Casey Prairie is a rich, level tract, well settled, and in a fine state of cultivation, lying along the north side of the timber on Flint Creek, and terminating in the neighborhood of Dodgeville. Taime Town Prairie, (which is the last resting place of "Taime," or "Taiomah," a Sac chief,) lies northeast of Casey, bordering upon the Mississippi bluffs. It is encircled with a heavy body of excellent timber, and is similar in character and cultivation to Casey Prairie. The Round Prairie is in the northern part of the county, and is one of the best settlements in the territory. It is moderately undulating, abounding with excellent springs, abundance of timber, and is in a high state of cultivation. Skunk River Bottom is a rich alluvial soil of remarkable fertility, and its proximity to Burlington gives the farmers of that neighborhood a sure market for their surplus pro- ductions. The settlements about Danville are composed principally of New Englanders, who are rapidly covering over the prai- ries with fine farms and excellent neighborhoods. Burlington, the seat of justice of Des Moines co., and the metropolis of southern Iowa, is a place of extensive and in- creasing trade, supported by a densely populated country. It is the residence of the Executive and Chief Justice of the territory, and contains a population of upwards of 3,000 inhabitants. — [For minute details, see Burlington Directory.^ Augusta is a flourishing town, situated in the southern portion of the county, on the north side of Checauque (Skunk) river. Here are several mills, both for sawing and grinding. A large stone building has been erected by L. Moffit, Esq., designed for manufacturing purposes. Augusta contains several stores, and a good hotel kept by Mr. Hepner. This village is destined to become a place of much importance, when its natural advantages are thoroughly developed. Dodgeville is pleasantly situated in the northern part of Casey prairie. It contains a post office, a good house of A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 25 entertainment, and is the residence of some of the earliest settlers of the county. LOUISA COUNTY. This is a rich and fertile county, and is bounded north by Muscatine and Johnson, east by the Mississippi, south by Des Moines, and west by Washington and Henry counties. It embraces an area cf about 442 square miles. The Iowa river runs diagonally, in a southeasterly course, entirely across the county, and empties into the Mississippi opposite New Boston. Wapello Prairie, on the south side of the Iowa river, is unrivaled in picturesque beauty. It commences near the village of Florence, the site of the old Sac village, and, crossing a small rivulet skirted with woods, it breaks forth upon the eye of the traveller in picturesque grandeur, ter- minating in the north-west with the town of Wapello, the county seat of Louisa. This county embraces a principal portion of the Keokuk Reserve, which was purchased by Government in 1836. It is a remarkable fact, that almost the whole tribe of Sacs and Foxes v/ere congregated here until after the first, or Black Hawk, purchase of 1832; notwithstanding they had almost a boundless region from which to select their villages and hunting grounds. Wapello the seat of justice, is handsomely located on the old site of "Wapello's" village, a Fox Chief, who resided there until the summ.er of 1836, as chief of his band. — There are several sm.all villages in Louisa, among which are Toolsboro', Columbus City, Harrison, Florence, Fredo- nia, (5:c. Toolsboro' (formerly Black Hawk), is situated upon the north side of the Iowa, about three miles from the Mississippi. It has two steam mills, several stores, a num- ber of mechanic shops, and bids fair to become a place of considerable trade. This village is also celebrated for its ancient mounds and fortifications. Florence derives its principal notoriety as being the resi- dence of Black Hawk until the Indian hostilities in 1832. Here repose the bones of his ancestors, where they have rested for centuries. 'Twas here that he sounded the war- whoop, and rallied his countrymen to the last deadly conflict, in defence of the homes and the graves — 3* 26 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. "Where sleep their warriors ; where rival chieftains lay, And mighty tribes, swept from the face of day." But they were conquered, and this illustrious warrior was doomed to wander, a stranger in the land of his fore- fathers. His lodge was still standing at the time the country was surveyed.* MUSCATINE COUNTY. Muscatine county occupies a central position in the Ter- ritory. Its situation upon the Mississippi, at the apex of one of its great bends, gives it a commanding position and proximity to markets over most other counties of the Ter- ritory. This county extends, from north to south, about eighteen miles, and, from east to west, eighteen to thirty ; forming an area of about four hundred and forty square miles. It is watered by the Cedar fork of the Iowa, and its tributaries, which runs entirely across the county. The Wapsinonock is a beautiful stream, and the region of coun- try skirting its borders is among the most beautiful and in- teresting in the county. Pine river discharges its waters into the Mississippi above Bloom.ington. It affords eligible sites for mills and machinery. The mouth of Pine is wide and deep, and affords an excellent harbor for steam boats. A portion of the Muscatine slough is in this county, but ter- minates in Louisa. It is about eighty yards wide, with a gentle current, the channel of which is about four feet deep. Muscatine Island is a widely extended plain of exhaustless fertility, richly carpeted with verdure, affording excellent grazing for cattle, horses, &c. Bloomington is the seat of justice of Muscatine county, and one of the most important points in the Territory. It is a place of extensive trade, supports a weekly newspaper, and contains about 1800 inhabitants. It has a handsome brick court house, spacious stores, and many tasteful residences. (See Bloomington Directory.') * The writer lingers with peculiar interest upon this, almost, conse- crated spot, having been among the first white men to set the land- marks of civilization upon the Keokuk Reserve, and being associated in the ownership of this celebrated "Indian Council House," from its transfer from the Indians. We kept it nearly two years, in a good state of preservation, and strangers from far and near came to look upon this last monument of Black Hawk. But, in an evil hour, the sacrilegious work of innovation had taken its unsparing sway, and the thoughtless denizens razed it to the ground, for the more profitable culture of the corn field! A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 27 SCOTT COUNTY. This is one of the river counties, situated north of Mus- catine, and occupying nearly a central position in the Ter- ritory, from north to south ; there being four counties below and four above, bordering upon the Mississippi. In the interior of Scott, remote from the river, there is a deficiency of timber. Probably the prairies are among the largest of any of the surveyed portions of the Territory, although handsomely undulating and fertile. Nature, as if to compensate for the absence of timber in the interior, ap- pears to have selected the region bordering upon the Mis- sissippi, as one of her chosen spots. Ever since the earliest settlement of Iowa, this portion has been justly esteemed among the most desirable and fascinating regions of the boundless West. Being entirely free from low bottom lands, (the usual causes of disease,) it was early selected by the sagacious pioneers, among the favored spots of the upper Mississippi valley. Perhaps no country in the world presents so happy a combination of picturesque beau- ties, blended with excellence of soil and salubrity of cli- mate, as the vicinity of Rock Island. All, who have ever visited this charming region, concur in expressing their ad- miration of the surpassing beauties of nature's inimitable works. Davenport is the seat of justice of Scott county, and the most important town in the county. It is beautifully situ- ated, on a plain upon the western shore of the Mississippi, directly opposite the town of Rock Island, Illinois. It con- tains a handsome brick court house ; a large and spacious hotel, constructed at a cost of about $30,000; sustains a weekly newspaper, numerous mercantile establishments, and all the various mechanic arts, trades, &c. (See Daven- port Directory.) Rockingham is also a beautifully located village, situated upon the Mississippi, about three miles below Davenport. Population of Scott county in 1838, 1252; in 1840, 2193; and in 1844, 2750. CLINTON COUNTY Is situated immediately north of Scott, bordering upon the Mississippi river. It is about forty miles in extent from 28 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. east to west, and eighteen to twenty from north to south. The face of the country is moderately undulating, though not broken. The soil rich and fertile, and well adapted for agricultural pursuits. The Wapsipinicon meanders through the southwestern portion of the county, furnishing an extensive neighborhood with good timbered land. The water courses are generally small, the principal of which are Spring, Mill, and Elk creeks, all emptying into the Mississippi. Prairie Pen de Tan is a beautiful meadow, in the north- east corner of this county, abounding with large and finely cultivated farms. De Witt is the seat of justice for Clinton county, situated on a beautiful prairie, near the centre of the county. Camanche, Nev/ York, and Lyons, are small villages situated upon the Mississippi. Population of Clin- ton in 1838, 445; in 1840, 800; in 1844, 1,201. JACKSON COUNTY Is bounded north by Dubuque county, east by the Missis- sippi, south by Clinton, and west by Jones, and contains an area of about six hundred and twenty-eight square miles. This county is well watered by the Makoqueta and its va- rious tributaries. There are several fine creeks which flow into the Mississippi, among which are the Tete De Morts, Mill, Spruce, and Duck creeks. The principal towns are Bellevue and Charlestown, both situated on the Missis- sippi. Andrew is the seat of justice of Jackson county, situated near the geographical centre. Bellevue has a good landing, delightful location, and a rich country to sus- tain it. Jackson county may be considered second only to Dubuque in its mineral resources. Iron ore, copper, tin, zinc, gypsum, and porcelain clay have been discovered in various parts of the county, particularly about the forks of the Makoqueta. Dr. Owen, in his geological report, pro- nounces the iron ore of this district of excellent quality, and unlimited abundance. Some of the specimens from these localities are the richest and most beautiful variety of pipe ore imaginable, exhibiting a miniature resemblance to the basaltic columns of Staffa, or the Giant's Causeway.* * The writer of these pages, in visiting Europe a couple of years since, took a specimen of the Jackson county iron ore with him (picked up on the surface of the earth, near the forks of the Ma- koqueta). In traveling through the iron districts of Staffordshire, A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 29 Jackson county offers many inducements deserving the attention of the emigrant. In addition to the mineral wealth, it is an excellent agricultural region, abundantly supplied with timber, abounding with springs of pure and living water, and one of the healthiest counties in the Territory. DUBUOUE COUNTY. Dubuque is one of the old original counties, and is, to the north, what Des Moines is to the south. All the adja- cent counties having been organized from what was former- ly within its limits. It is bounded north by Clayton, east by the Mississippi, which separates it from Illinois and Wisconsin, south by Jackson and Jones, and west by Dela- ware ; and contains an area of about six hundred and forty square miles. Dubuque county embraces the most noted portions of the mineral region. The lead mines worked in this county are sources of great profit, and lead is the great staple of ex- port. Copper and zinc have also been discovered, but, as yet, neither capital or enterprise have been directed, to any extent, to their successful development. The mining operations are, at present, principally confined to the rais- ing of lead ore. Dubuque is a well timbered county. The face of the country is much more uneven than the southern counties ; yet, in the aggregate, it can hardly be considered a broken county. Much of the soil, in the very heart of the mining country, is of the most productive character. Perhaps few mineral countries in the world present the pe- culiar features of a rich agricultural country, with such boundless treasures beneath its surface. But few sights can be presented, more pleasing to the eye of the traveller or more fraught with the wisdom of Omnipotence, than to be- hold, in the same valley, the husbandman gathering the rich harvest of the earth, and the miner raising the richest treasures from beneath its bosom. Dubuque is the seat of justice of Dubuque county; is un- der the municipal regulations of a city charter, and is one of the most important points in the Territory, and of the upper Mississippi. (For details, see Directory of Dubuque.) England, I had occasion, repeatedly, to exhibit it to the iron masters of that celebrated district. Its richness and beauty universally ex- cited their admiration and astonishment. 30 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. History. — The first lead ore discovered in Iowa was in Dubuque county, by the wife of Peostas, a Fox chief ; sub- sequently, the Indians granted a wide strip of land to Julien Dubuque, at a council, held at Prairie Du Chien, in 1788. In 1796, the Indian title to these lands was confirmed by Baron De Carondelet, Governor of Louisiana, in which they were designated as the "Mines of Spain." Julien Dubuque died on the 24th of March, 1810, aged 45 years and 6 months. A stone monument, with a Spanish inscrip- tion, still marks the spot of his resting place, on a high bluff, a mile or two below the city which bears his name. CLAYTON COUNTY. This is the most northerly county within the organized limits of the Territory. It is bounded on the east by the Mississippi, which river separates it from Wisconsin ; north by the Neutral Grounds of the Sacs and Sioux ; south by Delaware and Dubuque ; west by Fayette and the Neutral Grounds. Its principal water courses are Yellow and Tur- key rivers, Volga, Buck creek, and Bloody Run. Turkey river is among the most beautiful and placid streams of the Territory; it affords most excellent water power for mills and machinery, and is susceptible of steam boat navigation to the forks. This county is well worthy the attention of emigrants. Much choice land can yet be obtained at $1.25 per acre. Prairie la Porte is the seat of justice for Clayton. It is handsomely located upon an elevated bank of the Missis- sippi, a few miles above the mouth of Turkey River. BUCHANAN, FAYETTE, AND DELAWARE COUNTIES. These are the extreme northwestern counties of the "Old Purchase," and but recently organized. The popu- lation is at present sparse, although they present great in- ducements to the enterprising emigrant. The timber is good, the water power is abundant; possessing, also, one of the best climates in Iowa. This region is destined, at no distant period, to form a very important portion of the Ter- ritory. Many eligible locations, unclaimed, can yet be pur- chased at $1.25 per acre. Land Office, at Dubuque. A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 31 JONES AND CEDAR COUNTIES. These two counties occupy a very central position in the old organized portion of the Territory. Jones county will rank among the first in Iowa, in point of manufacturing privileges, and abundant water power. It likewise posses- ses a good farming country, good timber, and a healthy climate. The "military road," established by Congress, running from Dubuque to the Missouri line, crosses Jones county, nearly diagonally. The falls of the Makoqueta (now the village of Cascade) presents a combination of grand and beautiful scenery, rarely, if ever, surpassed. The village of Cascade, although immediately on the bor- ders of Jones county, is, in fact, in Dubuque county, on the north side of the Makoqueta ; the counties being divided by the river. The village is rapidly improving, and already contains two hotels, an extensive flouring mill, four dry goods stores, three blacksmith shops, two tailor shops, one wagon maker, one saddler, post office, &c. There are, also, two church edifices in the village, a Methodist Episcopal, and a neat structure has been erected the past year by the Congregational Society of that place. Cascade also contains a flourishing Temperance Society, embracing more than 100 members. The country around is highly picturesque, and rapidly settling by a virtuous, intelligent population from many of the eastern States. Cedar county is situated immediately south of Jones. It is twenty-four miles square, and contains an area of 576 square miles. But few counties, in their physical aspect, present more attractions than Cedar. The face of the coun- try is gently undulating, interspersed with groves of white and black walnut, bur oak, hickory, linn, sugar trees, &c. The Red Cedar runs through this county in a southeasterly course, receiving the tributaries of Rock, Sugar, and Clear creeks. Tipton is the seat of justice of Cedar county. It has a delightful location near the geographical centre, and bids fair to become a thriving and important village. Population of Cedar county in 1838, 557; in 1840, 1,225; and in 1844, 2,217. 32 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. LINN COUNTY. Linn county has become proverbial for the excellence of its soil, its salubrity of climate, abundance and admirable adaptation of woodlands to the wants and convenience of the settler. The prairies are remarkably fertile, and of moder- ate extent ; the timber equally and amply apportioned, gen- erally of full growth, consisting, principally, of red and white oak, black and white walnut, linn, sugar maple, &c. Linn county is famous for its extensive sugar orchards, from some of which 500 to 1000 weight have been annually made. It is well watered by the Red Cedar and its tributaries, affording abundance of mill power, much of which is already improved. Marion, the seat of justice, is located near the centre of the county, about four miles east of Cedar, at the edge of a beautiful grove, on a gentle prairie roll. It contains several stores, a commodious hotel, post office, various mechanical establishments, and is a place of considerable importance. JOHNSON COUNTY. This county was organized in 1839. It occupies a posi- tion nearly in the geographical centre of the settled portions of the Territory. The principal part of Johnson is embraced in the purchase of '37. It is bounded north by Linn, east by Cedar and Muscatine, south by Washington and Louisa, and west by Iowa county, and contains an area of about six hundred and ten square miles. As a whole, Johnson may be estimated an excellent county of land, well watered and timbered, and abounding with excellent springs. The main branch of the Iowa flows through this county, and, with its numerous tributaries, furnishes abundant water power, not only for mills and machinery, but for all the purposes of agriculture. Big Grove commences near Iowa City, and ex- tends to the borders of the old Indian boundary line. It has been pronounced among the best bodies of timber in the Ter- ritory. Johnson county is abundantly supplied with excel- lent building material; both lime rock and superior clay for brick. The Iowa City (or Bird's-Eye) marble, as it is fa- miliarly called, is one of the most rare and unique forma- tions ever discovered. It is of the encrinite or coraline A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 33 formation, and may be regarded as a geological wonder.* This celebrated quarry is situated within the limits of Iowa City. Johnson county has derived more than ordinary notoriety from the circumstance of the seat of government being located within its borders, at Iowa City. During the first few years of its settlement, about the time the public buildings were commenced, the current of emigration in this direction was immense ; hundreds of enterprising ad- venturers were continually wending their way to the city. In fact, it was the El Dorado — the "promised land ;" and probably the results witnessed, in a fev/ short months from the first settlement of this county, is without a parallel in the growth of countries. Iowa City is the seat of justice of Johnson county, and political capitol of the Territory. (See lozua City Directory.') HENRY COUNTY. Henry county has, deservedly, the character of one of the most healthy, fertile and productive counties of Iowa. It is situated immediately west of Des Moines, and contains an area of about four hundred and thirty-two square miles. The face of the country is generally high, dry and rolling. Prairie generally predominates, although the water courses abound with some of the best bodies of timber in the terri- tory. Many of the farms of Henry bear the aspect of an old settled country. Much attention has been devoted, by several enterprising individuals of this county, to the intro- duction of an excellent and superior quality of fruit; several extensive nurseries are already established, where every variety of fruit trees may be obtained. In horticulture, Henry will probably take the lead as the fruit county of Iowa. STATISTICS. It appears, from the Marshal's returns for 1840, that there were, in Henry county, 1,086 individuals engaged in agricul- tural pursuits ; 26 in commerce ; 99 in manufactures and trades; 18 in the learned professions; 7 primary schools; 920 horses and mules, 2,634 neat cattle, 2,538 sheep, 12,714 swine, and $3,220 worth of poultry. Productions — 11,375 * The writer presented specimens of this singular formation to the National Institute, Washington, and to the British Museum, London ; where they were regarded with extreme interest for their unique beauty. 4 34 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. bushels of wheat, 23,500 bushels of oats, 280 bushels of buckwheat, and 283,200 bushels of Indian corn. It may be safe to add, at the present time, 200 per cent., at least, on the foregoing statistics. Population in 1840, 3,784; in 1844, 6,017. Mount Pleasant is the seat of justice of Henry county, and the most important town in the county. It may be re- garded as one of the most healthy locations upon the west side of the Mississippi. [See Mount Pleasant Directory.^ Salem is also a pleasant and thriving town, situated In the southern part of the county. It has a charming location on a beautiful prairie of gentle undulation, and commands a wide and expansive view of the surrounding country. Salem is interesting from the fact of its being the nucleus of a large and respectable settlement of Friends, or Quakers. Here, also, is the extensive fruit nursery of the Llewellyns. There are several smaller villages in Henry county, among which are New London, Trenton, &c. JEFFERSON COUNTY Is bounded north by Washington, east by Henry, south by Van Buren, and west by Wapello ; containing an area of about three hundred and eighty square miles. In point of fertility of soil, excellence of timber, and healthy location, Jefferson will rank among the most desirable counties of Iowa. No better evidence can be adduced in favor of its combined excellences, than the fact that, previous to Octo- ber 21st, 1837, more than one-half of the whole county be- longed to the Sac and Fox Indians, (consequently not sub- ject to occupancy by the whites,) since which time the population has increased to upwards of six thousand inhabi- tants ! Jefferson is well watered by the Checauque or Skunk, and its various tributaries, the principal of which are Big Cedar on the south, and Walnut, Richland and Brush creeks on the north. These streams abound with excellent timber, embracing the usual descriptions of oak, hickory, walnut, locust, linn, &c., with a sufficiency of water power to supply the demands of the adjacent country both for sawing and grinding. Near the forks of Walnut creek is a heavy body of tim- ber called the Rich Wood ; the soil is excellent, with abun- A GLIMPSE OF IOWA, 35 dance of rock and stone coal, and will admit of large and extensive settlements. Locust Grove, near Big Cedar, and adjacent to the old In- dian boundary line, is beautifully situated about seven miles west of Fairfield. It is about five miles in extent, and one mile wide, encompassed by broad and gently rolling prairies. Here is a large settlement of intelligent and enterprising people, possessing well improved farms, good schools, good preaching, and all those appendages that give a charm to social and civilized life. The Round Prairie, in the southeastern portion of the county, is a charming strip of country. Here are farms not inferior in extent and cultivation to the old counties on the Mississippi. Fairfield is the seat of justice of Jefferson county. It is a place of rapidly increasing trade, situated in the heart of one of the richest agricultural counties of Iowa. Here is located the United States Land Office for the southern district of Iowa. [See Fairfield Directory.] WASHINGTON COUNTY Is bounded north by Johnson, east by Louisa, south by Henry and Jefferson, and west by Keokuk county. Washington county is well supplied with timber, consist- ing of the usual descriptions generally found in other por- tions of the territory. The county is high and rolling, cli- mate salubrious, the soil exceedingly rich and productive. Washington county is well watered by the Checauque and its tributaries, likewise by English and Crooked creeks. Several mills are in successful operation upon these streams, and others are erecting in different sections of the county. Crooked creek and its tributaries abound with excellent building rock. The Iowa river flows through the north- eastern corner of the county. The old "Black Hawk" boun- dary of 1832 crosses diagonally through Washington county, dividing it east and west nearly equally. This county has had a steady and vigorous growth, and is fast settling up with an enterprising and intelligent popu- lation. Notwithstanding the rapid settlement, however, many eligible locations yet remain, presenting the most inviting prospects to the industrious and enterprising. Washington is the seat of justice; located in 1839. It is 36 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. pleasantly situated, on the margin of a beautiful prairie ; contains a population of upwards of two hundred inhabitants; several stores, hotels, schools, religious denominations, &c. Brighton is a thriving little village, pleasantly situated, near the Checauque (Skunk) river, and commands con- siderable trade. Population of Washington county, in 1838, 283; in 1840, 1,572; and in 1844, 3,120. VAN BUREN COUNTY. This is one amongst the most populous counties of Iowa, and is bounded north by Jefferson, south by the boundary line of Missouri, east by Henry and Lee, and west by Davis county. For beauty of scenery, extent of cultivation, and fertility of soil, Van Buren county stands unrivalled; and, if we ex- cept the mineral productions of Dubuque and Jackson county. Van Buren county combines more variety in its geo- logical features than any other county in the territory. Quarries of the best building material abound in the bluffs of almost every stream; bituminous coal, of excellent quality, has been found in great abundance ; tin, copper and iron ore have also been discovered ; and it only requires the proper development of the abundant resources of Van Buren to in- sure wealth and comfort to her favored population. Van Buren county was organized in 1837-8. Population in 1840, 6,166; in 1844, 9,019. Keosauqua is the seat of justice. It is handsomely situ- ated, on a beautiful plateau, in the great bend of the Des Moines. It carries on an extensive trade with the Indian country, and has been the residence of some of the most en- terprising merchants and explorers in the country. [See Keosauqua Directory. \ F armington is also a thriving town, with much enterprise and business activity. It is situated on the Des Moines, below Keosauqua, in the midst of a fine agricultural coun- try, abounding with rock and coal. Here are several mills, both for grinding and sawing, in successful operation. Bonaparte, (formerly Meeks' Mills,) situated on the Des Moines, about twelve miles below Keosauqua, is an inter- esting village, containing several stores, a good hotel, &c. Here, also, is situated one of the finest and most substantial A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 37 flouring mills in the western country. It is six stories high, designed for six run of stones, and is the property of Judge Meeks & Sons, the original proprietors of the town. Bona- parte is rapidly improving, and presents a good field for mechanics. THE TURKEY RIVER COUNTRY. FORT ATKINSON, ETC. This is one of the most desirable, healthy, and picturesque regions of the West. It derives its name from the placid stream that irrigates its borders. Turkey River, like all the rivers of Iowa, flows in a south-easterly course, having its sources in the Sioux country, north-west of the "Neutral Grounds." It pursues a diagonal course through a portion of Clayton county, and empties into the Mississippi directly op- posite Cassville, Wisconsin territory. That portion of the coun- try subject to occupanc)^ by the whites, already contains some of the finest farms in the territory. Fort Atkinson, a United States military post, occupies a cen- tral situation, about midway north and south, in the "Neu- tral Grounds." This region is, at present, occupied by the Winnebago Indians. The situation of the Fort is highly ro- mantic and picturesque — possessing ample accommodations for quartering a full regiment of troops, and stabling for sev- eral hundred horses. In journeying from Prairie Du Chien to this post, you travel a little north of west, over one of the best natural roads in the country. To the tourist of leisure, who desires a few weeks respite from the fatigues and restraints of city life, I know of no place that holds out more attractive in- ducements, or greater variety of rural sports than the Turkey River Country. The tributary streams, uniting with Turkey River, north of the Fort, abound with the most delicious moun- tain trout. Perennial springs, of the purest water, gush from every ledge. Prairie hens, (grouse,) wild turkeys, rabbits, deer, &c., abound. Wild honey can be obtained in profusion in the hollow trees of the forest. Should the traveller desire the more exciting sports of the buffalo chase, or the elk hunt, the buffalo country may be reached in two days' travel north- west of the Fort. Measures are now in progress, by the United States Government for the acquisition of this valuable coun- try. Should a treaty be effected, (of which there is scarcely 4>|c 38 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. a doubt,) It will throw open to settlement one of the finest do- mains that has ever been offered to the American people. WiNNEBAGOES. — The Winnebagoes temporarily occupy the country known as the "Neutral Grounds." This tribe was formerly one of the most numerous and warlike of the many tribes of North America. Like the rest of their race, they are now reduced to a mere handful — probably not more than 3000 souls. Like the Sacs and Foxes, wars, to a great extent, have lessened their numbers ; but the greatest scourge that ever found its way among this unfortunate race, is "whisky." It is a disgrace to the American name, that the benevolent and humane designs of government have been so long counteracted and thwarted by a horde of unprincipled and mercenary whis- ky sellers, who, under the guise of friendship, have triumphed in the downfall of this once noble race. Many of the chiefs and principal warriors are fully sensible of the melancholy fate to which they have been reduced by the introduction of the "Fire Water," * by their civilized white brethren. The Winnebago Sub-Agency Station is situated about four miles below the Fort, and occupies a delightful situation. In the immediate vicinity is the celebrated Wi7inebago School. — This excellent institution is at present under the management of the Rev. Mr. Lowery, who was its founder. The zeal evinced in behalf of these untutored chil- dren, and the efforts made in imparting instruction, have been attended with the happiest results. Showing conclusively that the "children of the forest" are equally as susceptible of ac- quiring an education, as the more favored ones of the Anglo- Saxon race. From 60 to 120 scholars are in daily attend- ance. Their aptness in acquiring a knowledge of geography, and the various branches of learning, is truly astonishing. All the usual branches of education commonly taught in our schools and seminaries are taught here. Connected with the school is the department of Domestic Economy, at present under the superintendence of Mrs. A. Lockwood, late of Bloomington. This lady will be favorably remembered, by many of the citizens of Iowa, as the former attentive hostess of the "Burlington House," Burlington, Iowa. All the females of the establishment devote a portion of each day in acquiring a knowledge of needle work of all * Or, "Water that burns" — Indian name for whisky. A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 39 descriptions. This branch of the institution, under its pres- ent worthy matroness, furnishes all the clothing necessary for the school children. Some 20 or 30 girls spend a considera- ble portion of each day in this highly useful and excellent de- partment. It is an interesting spectacle to behold, in the midst of the forest, far beyond the confines of civilization, an assemblage of one hundred children of Nature, eschewing the wild excite- ment of savage life, throwing aside the bow and quiver, and bowing to the shrine of learning. Through the kindness of a friend, who has recently visited the "School," I have been favored with a few fugitive scraps of original composition — the productions of two little Indian girls, from twelve to thirteen years of age. Although trivial effu- sions, every one will be struck with the artlessness and simplic- ity of description which marks the child of Nature. Winnebago School. I like to see another Spring come; I love to see all the beautiful flowers grow- ing. I like to take a walk in the woods, and hear the birds singing upon the trees. In a little while all the Indians will come back, and fix their wigwams with new bark. I like to go and live in a new bark wigwam. When all the children come back from hunting, they are glad to come in school again. A great many school children have died. When any one dies, they paint their face, then put every thing new on; then dress them very fine, and bury them. Then they take goods, and put it on the grave; and if it is a woman, the women gather then together and play games; if it is a boy, the boys gather themselves, and play ball; and if it is a girl, the girls gather themselves together and play. The Indians have a great many things to do. They say the white people when they die go to one place, and the Indians go to another place. At a medicine feast they have an otter skin, or some other skin, which their medicine is in, and call them medicine bags; they shoot themselves down, and say those that join the feast that God would forget their sins, and those that stay out are sinners; and they must fix themselves very nice if they go to the feast, if they dont fix themselves God would not like them. Margaret Porter. Winnebago School. I am very glad that Spring is coming, for it is so pleasant to see the flowers when they begin to spring up; then the birds begin to build their nests. I like to roam about the Indian graves. When any of the Indians die, they put on all the best garments they have, then they wrap them up in a new blanket, if they have any; then they dig the grave about two feet deep. As soon as they lay the body into the grave, the friends of the one that died walk over the grave, then they go off mourning: sometimes they fast five days; they carry fire to the grave; they put it at the head of the grave four nights, so that the spirit might keep away from the wigwam, and they carry food to the grave, and put it on top of the grave, under the boards which they lay over it; then they play the game which the one that died liked the best; they say if they dont prepare things, that the spirit wont keep away from the wigwam; sometimes they say that they see the spirit sitting in the wigwam in the night. They say that our spirits dont go with white spirits, they go to another place; they go to good hunting grounds, where they have plenty of game and running streams. E^LIZA Gleason. 40 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. THE NEW PURCHASE. The country ceded to the United States in 1842, usually known as the New Purchase, is one of the richest and most desirable regions of country to be found in the v/hole Valley of the Mississippi. In picturesque beauty, general configura- tion, fertility of soil, and salubrity of climate, the New Pur- chase is probably without a rival, not even excepting the fer- tile valleys of the Columbia, the plains of California, or the luxuriant prairies of Texas ! The adventurous pioneer, whose watchword is "onward," may look in vain for a more favored region than this. The ideal El Dorado is ?iever reached ; it is always, and ever will be, a little farther. This country is settling up with a rapidity hitherto unknown. As an evidence of the estimate in which the people held this country, it may be well to observe, that the 1st of May, 1843, was the time specified by the treaty for the Indians to leave ; and, as in the days of the earliest settlements of Iowa, scarcely had the "red man" turned his face towards the setting sun, ere the settler, with his flocks and herds was following his footsteps, to make a new home upon the fertile prairies of the New Purchase. For weeks and months previous to the 1st of May the whole frontier border was lined with settlers, who, with their families, had made encampments in sight of the "promised land." So great was their anxiety to secure an eligible spot for their fu- ture homes, that, from 12 o'clock, midnight, until sunrise of the morning of May the 1st, the whole country was literally settled up with claims. The tide of emigration poured in like the "rush of mighty waters," and well might the wayfarer exclaim in the language of holy writ — "Who hath heard such a thing? * * Shall a nation be born in a day? The New Purchase is laid ofF into counties, several of which are organized ; among which are Wapello, Mahaska, Davis, Keokuk, Appanoose, Marion, Polk, &c. A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 41 DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES IN THE NEW PURCHASE. WAPELLO COUNTY. This is one of the earliest organized counties of the New Purchase. It is situated immediately west of and adjoining Jefferson, and is bounded on the north by Keokuk and Ma- haska, west by Kishkekosh, and south by Davis county. Wapello county was opened for settlement to the white popu- lation on the 1st of May, 1843, and was organized into an independent county in April, 1844. It is regarded as being one of the best counties of land in the Territory of Iowa. The writer of these pages has traveled extensively over this county, both before and subsequent to its organization, and can bear corroborating testimony to the high reputation it has so deservingly attained. The Dos Moines river passes, diagonally in a southeasterly course, entirely through the county. The timber is of excellent quality, consisting of white and black oak, ash, hickory, cherry, black and white walnut, sugar, and all the varieties usually found in other portions of the Territory. The water power is abundant; the county likev/ise contains building material — both sand and limestone of the very best quality. But few counties have had a more rapid growth than Wapello, Its present population is estimated at about 5,000, with a voting popu- lation of 800. Ottumzva (the Indian name for rapids, or rapids place) is the seat of justice. It is situated upon the Des Moines river at the Appanoose rapids, about three quarters of a mile from the centre of the county, twenty-five miles from Fair- field, and seven miles from the old Sac and Fox Agency, now Agency City. Ottumwa contains a population of about 200 inhabitants, several stores, two hotels, a respectable frame court house, two churches, a good school, an extensive mill for grinding and sawing, one tannery, one blacksmith shop, a cabinet-making establishment ; likewise several other mechanical establishments. In August, 1845, a survey of the Appanoose Rapids, at this place, was made by David Armstrong, Esq. ; when it was ascertained that there passed at the rapids, every minute, 42,000 cubic feet of water; a 42 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. sufficient quantity to fill a lock 42 feet wide, 150 feet long; being a sufficient quantity to run 28 pair of burrs 4 feet diameter, under a head of six feet water. There is a fall of 4 feet at these rapids in one mile, and a dam 5 feet high, would give 6 feet 10 inches rise and fall. There is already in successful operation at this place, a steam mill, making from 1,500 to 2,000 feet of lumber, and grinding from 150 to 200 bushels of grain every 24 hours. When the capa- bilities of this water power shall be fairly developed, Ottumwa will rank among the most flourishing towns in the interior of Iowa. OTTUMWA DIRECTORY, 1846. Merchants. — S. Richards & Co., A. J. Davis, and Thomas Devin. Lawyers. — H. B. Hendershott, George May, Joseph J. Taylor, and James Baker. Physicians. — Chas. C. Warden, V. W. Coffin, Hiram H. Taylor. Churches. — 1 Methodist, 1 Congregationalist. COUNTY OFFICERS. Sheriff. — Joseph Hayne. Judge of Probate. — Paul C. Jeffries. Coroner. — Milton S. Wright. Treasurer and Collector. — James Caldwell. County Commissioners. — Jas. B. Wright, Henry Smith, John C. Evans. County Commissioners' Clerk. — Chas. Overman. County Surveyor. — Walter Clement. Clerk of District Court. — John V7. Ross. District Prosecutor. — H. B. Hendershott. Agency City, formerly the old Sac Agency post, is also situated in this county. In beauty of location it will chal- lenge a comparison, in natural scenery, with the most favor- ed spots in the country. This point was selected by the late Gen. Street, as the most desirable and judicious location for the establishment of the late Indian Agency. The town is principally built on one street, commencing with the old Agency mansion (now the residence of the Street family). The traveller will find it much easier to imagine himself A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 43 approaching the venerable mansion of some old Virginia planter, than that he is in reality entering a frontier village in one of the frontier States of the Union. Agency City is a post town, and contains two or three stores, one lawyer, one doctor, and a number of mechanics. It is situated about three miles from the Des Moines river, on the main road from Fairfield to Ottumwa. Eddyville occupies the site of an old Indian village and trading post, on the Des Moines. It was laid off by T. P. Eddy, Esq., the late Indian trader, now of St. Louis. The site is eligible and beautiful in the extreme. It is destined, in a few years, to command a vast trade from the surround- ing country. The buildings in Eddyville, in proportion to their numbers, will not suffer by a comparison with any other point in the Territory. Several brick warehouses are already in progress of erection. DAVIS COUNTY Is situated directly west of Van Buren county, and is in- creasing rapidly in population. The soil of this county is of an excellent quality. Bloomfield is the county seat, and promises to become a thriving inland town. A considerable portion of the population of Davis have emigrated from Mis- souri, to which State it is adjacent. APPANOOSE COUNTY. Appanoose county lies immediately west of Davis, and is quite new. It is bounded north by Kishkekosh, south by the State line of Missouri, and west by Lucas county. The soil is represented to be of an excellent quality ; the timber and prairie well arranged for the convenience of the agricul- turalist. Appanoose is well watered by the Chariton and its tributaries, among v/hich are Shoal and Walnut creeks. This county is well worthy the attention of emigrants, being situated in the most southern range of counties of the terri- tory. The climate will be found mild and agreeable. Many eligible locations might be made for the trouble of "staking them off" and fulfilling the "claim" regulations of the coun- try. KEOKUK COUNTY Is situated immediately west of Washington, and north of Wa- pello, and is settling up with an industrious and enterprising 44 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. population. This is also a beautiful county of land, being traversed by the Checauque and its tributaries, and having a good supply of timber. Sigourney is the county seat. This county, though fast filling up, has many excellent locations well worthy the attention of the emigrant. The village of Richland is situated in the southeastern corner of the county. This neighborhood has a numerous settlement of Friends, or Quakers. MAHASKA COUNTY. This is one of the most interesting counties of the New Purchase. It is situated immediately west of Keokuk, and is bounded north by Poweshiek, south by Wapello and Kishke- kosh, and west by Marion county. The Des Moines passes diagonally through the southwestern portion of the county. The northern part is well watered by the Checauque (Skunk) river and its various tributaries. Oskaloosa is the seat of justice ; situated about the geograph- ical centre, at a point called the "Narrows," where the Des Moines and Checauque river timber approximates to within a mile and a quarter of each other. The surrounding country is highly beautiful and picturesque. The neighboring farms, with their extensive enclosures and cultivated fields, carries the impress of a country settled for years ; although it is only about twenty months since civilized man held dominion over any part of the domain. It is but two years since the first frame house was erected in Oskaloosa. It now contains more than seventy handsome frame buildings, most of them neatly painted white. A court house, two hotels, five dry goods stores, two groceries, mechanics' shops, &c., &c. Such is the thrifty and rapid growth of some of the towns of this New Purchase, which can hardly be realized by those who are not familiar with the rapid growth of new countries. Within the past year, Mahaska has increased with a ra- pidity unsurpassed by any county in the New Purchase. This region abounds with fine mill power for grinding and sawing; and mills are already established and doing a profitable business. Much good land still remains in Ma- haska to be taken up by settlers. MARION COUNTY. This county is quite new, having been organized on the 1st day of Septerriber, 1845, and contained, at that time, 720 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 45 Inhabitants, and, on the 1st of April of the present year (1846), it contained 1,450 souls. Marion is situated direct- ly west of Mahaska county. Marion is not only one of the best counties of the "New Purchase," but may be regarded as one of the most attrac- tive portions of the Territory of Iowa. The river Des Moines flows, in a southeasterly course, entirely across the county. Cedar, English, White Breast, and what is termed "Lower river," all run through the county, emptying into the Des Moines. Cedar, White Breast, and Lower creek, all afford sufficient water power to keep one run of stones constantly in operation ; English creek will afford sufficient water to run a mill three-fourths of the year. The prairies of Marion are generally high, dry and undulating. Soil excellent, the timber well distributed, tall, straight, and good size. This county offers strong inducements to the explor- ing emigrant. There are many excellent "claims" yet untaken on the Lower river, English, Whitebreast, and Cedar creeks. STATISTICS IN APRIL, 1846 The prices of "claims" range from 50 to 600 dollars, according to the amount of improvement, location, &c. Wheat is worth 56 cents per bushel, in cash, when de- livered at any point on the Des Moines ; Indian corn 22 cents per bushel, cash; good milch cows $10; sheep $1.50 per head ; day laborers, 50 cents per day and boarded. Knoxville is the seat of justice of Marion, and is situated within one mile of the geographical centre, on a high ridge of prairie. It has but just commenced improving, and pre- sents a favorable and promising appearance. A merchant or two would do well to locate in Knoxville, as there was not, in April last, a store in the county ! and what is still more remarkable, but 07ie lawyer, at the same period. A good blacksmith is much needed in Knoxville, and would be well patronized ; likewise, mechanics generally would meet with success. There is an extensive vein of bituminous coal in the bluffs of the Des Moines, near the centre of the county. The stratum is nearly eight feet thick. 5 46 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. COUNTY DIRECTORY, 1846. Sheriff. — James M. Walters. Clerk of District Court, and ex-officio Clerk of the County Commissioners' Court. — L. W. Babbitt. County Commissioners. — Conrad Walters, David Durham, William Welch. Treasurer. — David T. Durham. Recorder. — R. S. Lowery. Assessor. — Geo. GlUaspy. Judge of Probate. — F. A. Barker. Notary Public. — L. W. Babbitt. Coroner. — W. Norseman. POLK COUNTY. FORT DES MOINES, ETC. Polk county embraces that celebrated region known as the "Raccoon Fork" of the Des Moines ; and in many respects is one of the most interesting, as well as one of the most recent- ly organized portions of Iowa. When the reader reflects that Fort Des Moines was in pos- session of the United States troops as late as the 10th of March of the present year — then a frontier out post in the midst of the Indian hunting grounds — he cannot fail to be surprised at the unparalleled advancement it has already made in every depart- ment of civilized life. Polk county contains twenty townships, and embraces 720 square miles. The principal rivers are the Des Moines, Rac- coon, Checauque, Upper, Middle, and Lower rivers, and nu- merous other tributaries, uniting with the Des Moines. The Des Moines river pursues a diagonal course, south-easterly, entirely across the county. The Prairies of Polk county, generally, are remarkably fertile and productive, partaking more of a sandy admixture (not too light, however,) than some of the eastern counties. The most extensive prairie is the intervening scope of coun- try, situated between the Des Moines and Checauque rivers. Upon the south side of the Des Moines, perhaps, no portion of Iowa is more susceptible of heavier settlements. The streams approximate to within one to three miles of each other, fringed with narrow belts of timber, and presenting that park-like appearance, so captivating to the eye of the traveller. A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 47 WATER POWER. This county is amply supplied with water power, both for mills and machinery. A mill has been erected on the Mid- dle river, owned by Capt. Allen, U. S. A., and J. D. Parmle, at a cost of about $7,000. There is also an extensive mill in progress of erection by Messrs. Ehle and Hall, immediately adjoining Fort Des Moines, the county seat — intended for saw- ing, grinding, and carding — at a cost of $10,000. To the enterprising capitalist, who desires to establish him- self in the milling business, I know of no interior point pre- senting more flattering prospects. He could, at trifling ex- pense, possess himself of all the advantages that Nature has so lavishly bestowed — water power, bituminous coal, and wood, in abundance. Likewise, the certainty of a home market, for some years to come, and when the home demand ceases, good flat boat navigation to the great "Father of Waters." CLAIMS. The prices of claims vary, according to their location, ex- tent of improvements, &c. ; they will range from $50 to $1000. Good claims can be purchased within five miles of the county seat, for one dollar per acre, possessing good soil, and every natural advantage. POPULATION. The population, at a recent census, was 1,301 ; but is believed at the present period (July) to exceed 1,600. In a country increasing so rapidly, no precise estimate can be made of the number of inhabitants. Even while the statistics are being penned, the population is continually increasing. STATISTICS, PRICES, ETC. The number of persons who paid poll tax, this Spring, 354. The number of votes cast in April (the first election ever held), 180. Prices. — Indian corn, 25 cents per bushel; corn meal, 50 cents per bushel ; flour, $5 per barrel ; bacon, 7 cents per pound; hogs, $1.50 per hundred; sheep, from $1 to $1.25 per head; neat cattle, $8 to $15 per head; horses, $30 to $60. Fort Des Moines is the seat of justice of Polk county. This place was evacuated by the U. S. Dragoons on the 8th 48 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. and 10th of March of the present year, 1846. After the troops left, the permanent settlers consisted of four families, embracing a population of about 20 souls. There are now, 1st of July, 24 families, and 130 inhabitants. The increase would have been much greater could accommodations, of any description, have been obtained. FORT DBS MOINES DIRECTORY. Dry Goods and Groceries. — B. T. Hoxie, A. Mitchell. Hotel. — Des Moines House, M. Tucker. Lawyers. — Col. Baker, W. D. Frazer, Wm. McKay, L. D. Winchester. Physicians. — Dr. Fagan, Dr. Kirkbride. Churches. — Two regularly organized, viz : Methodist and Baptist ; one resident minister. Rev. E. Rathburn. There are likewise two groceries, exclusively ; one car- penter's shop, one wagon maker, one cabinet maker, one plasterer, bricklayer, &c. COUNTY DIRECTORY. Sheriff. — Thomas Mitchell, Clerk of the District Court. — P. L. Grossman. Recorder. — Thomas McMuUen. Treasurer. — Wm. F. Ayers. Coroner. — Jacob Minter. County Surveyor. — A. D. Jones. County Commissioners. — W. H. Meacham, Benj. Taylor, Eri Fonts. County Commissioners' Clerk. — Wm. McKay. MONROE COUNTY. Monroe county is situated west of and adjoining to Wa- pello, being in the second range of counties from the Mis- souri line. It is the same county that is frequently alluded to as Kishkekosh ; the name having been changed during the recent session of the Legislature (1846). The land of Monroe is represented to be of an excellent quality, although portions of it will be found more broken than several of the neighboring counties. Monroe county will present admi- rable facilities for extensive stock farms. The writer, dur- ing the past summer, while journeying through Kishkekosh A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 49 (Monroe), spent the night with an old friend,* whose exten- sive improvements, barns, enclosures, &c., would do honor to the best improved portions of Pennsylvania, or the cele- brated Miami Valley, although but eighteen months had elapsed since the face of nature had been disturbed. IOWA COUNTY. Iowa county is situated west of Johnson and north of Keokuk. The Indian boundary line (cession of 1837) passes through the eastern portion of this county. Its physical aspect is similar to that of Johnson. The main branch of the Iowa waters the northern portion of this county. Poweshiek's band of Indian warriors had their village in this county, and resided there up to the treaty of 1842. Iowa county is attached to Johnson, for judicial pur- poses. POWESHEIK COUNTY Is situated directly west of Iowa county ; and is bounded north by Tama, south by Mahaska, and west by the unor- ganized portions of the Territory. Its general appearance and configuration resembles the adjacent counties. The soil is of an excellent quality, the climate temperate and favorable to health, being situated on a parallel with Rock Island. Powshiek county will present a wide field, to the adventurous emigrant, for claim-making. In a few years, this comparatively new and uninhabited region will be spread over with finely cultivated farms, and extensive fields, teem- ing with the bountiful harvest. BLACK HAWK COUNTY. This county, named in commemoration of the illustrious chief whose name it bears, is situated north of Benton and Tama, and is bounded east by Buchanan, and north by the Neutral Grounds of the Sac and Sioux Indians. Black Hawk is situated in the same range of counties with Du- buque, and is the fourth county from the Mississippi river. The Cedar fork of the Iowa flows diagonally, in a south- easterly direction, entirely across the county. Black Hawk, although situated somewhat remotely in the northwestern * John B. Gray — well known as one of the earliest merchants of Burlington. 5* 50 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. portion of the Territory, possesses some of the finest soil and the best timbered land. The county is quite new, and offers a tempting field to the enterprising. Eligible loca- tions can be made, consisting of choice lands, for those that are willing to make the sacrifice, for a few years, of the comforts to be obtained in the more densely populated por- tions of the country. Game will be found in abundance in the forests. The streams abound with all the varieties of fish usually found in the clear streams of the north, and every autumn the adventurous pioneer will be richly re- warded in his annual peregrinations of "bee hunting." Among the new counties recently laid off on our western frontier, may be enumerated the counties of Dallas, Jasper, Madison, Warren, Wayne, Marshall, Story, Lucas, Clark, Decatur, and Boone. The general features of these new counties are similar to those previously described ; so much so, that a detailed description might appear superfluous. They are generally salubrious, dry and elevated, affording abundant range for pasturage ; equally susceptible of produc- ing all the various grains and fruit that yield so abundantly elsewhere. Thus, another wide and unoccupied field is laid open to the advancing tide of emigration that is an- nually spreading over our fertile prairies, and which is des- tined, ere long, to render Iowa not merely prosperous and happy, but, from irresistible causes, to place her in an eleva- ted position among the States of this vast confederacy. WHAT PRODUCTIONS ARE MOST PROFITABLE TO CULTIVATE WITH REMARKS UPON WOOL-GROWING, HEMP, TOBACCO, ETC. B^^ I commend the reader's attention to the following article. Men's minds are now turned to this interesting subject: "Can wool-growing be pursued with profit in the West?" This is the question. The rapid changes that are now annually taking place in filling up the western A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 51 prairies with fine wooled sheep, render it very evident that wool is, henceforth, to become one of our most im- portant articles of export, and one of our greatest sources of wealth. It will, and must be a cherished interest, (with us in the West,) and there is no cause why it may not con- tinue for ages. Many people appear to entertain an idea that we (in the West) can grow nothing but Indian corn and wheat. How often some friend in the Atlantic States has remarked to the writer, "What signifies your productive country, without a market?" Let us glance at this subject for a moment. Our country is as happily adapted for the culture of hemp, wool- growing, tobacco, hops, the castor bean, and the raising of all kinds of stock, as any portion of North America — not to enumerate our vast mineral resources. It is by no means merely the field of Indian corn, or even wheat, that will con- stitute all the sources of wealth to the Iowa farmer. For instance, wool-growing is one of the most profitable enter- prises the emigrant could enter into ; and what branch of ru- ral life can be more agreeable than the superintending of a thousand head of sheep, with a boundless range before them'? Adaptation of our country to the rearing of Sheep. — The thriftiness of sheep on our prairies is remarked by every ob- server ; and wool-growing commends itself to the interest of every farmer : in the first place, because of the home mar- ket furnished in the West, and in the second place, because of the trifling expense of getting wool to the principal mar- kets — say New York or Boston. Another advantage the Iowa wool-grower possesses, is the low price of his land. He can the more easily compete with the eastern farmer in wool (because of the small cost of transportation,) than almost any thing else, and for the present, while his flocks can have the unlimited range of the prairies without expense, there is no question but he can deliver his wool in New York or Boston, at a cost much less than the eastern farmer. And, for many years, the greater interest on land at the East will more than cover the cost of transportation. An able correspondent of the New York Journal of Com- merce, (and one of the most extensive wool dealers in Amer- UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY 52 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. ica,) thus speaks of the future prospects of the West, in regard to wool-growing : "The growing of wool in this country is receiving, from year to year, more and more attention. Hundreds of thousands of sheep, instead of being slaughtered as formerly, are now annually driven from older and cultivated lands, as fast as their increase exceeds their pasturage, to newer grounds, where they are distributed to emigrants from the older States, accustomed to take care of them, and there they form the germs of other flocks growing up in millions. An im- petus has thus been given which must long continue, because consistent with the interest of those concerned. The room and the inducements are sufficient. In the northwest, between the Alleghany and the Rocky mountains, we have a vast region, stretching over the extent of empires, where the soil is composed mostly of vegetable mould, the accumulating deposit of various herbage from year to year, since the Creation. The earth contains nothing approaching it in vastness and fertility. This deposit is a mine of material which may be turned into wheat by planting wheat upon it, or into wool by pasturing sheep upon it. It lies open to every hand that will partake of it. "Its position is secure from the desolations of war. Its extent and quantity are such that it must pass to other generations of men before exhausted. But, like all great tracts of interior territory, the transportation of its products to the ocean, and the markets of other climates, is laborious, costly, hazardous, and uncertain. Wool forms the only exception. Wool, which is worth ten times as much as iron of equal weight, may be sent forward from the place of its growth thirty times cheaper than wheat of equal value. The necessities of densely peopled countries insures its steady consumption. Of all the articles of com- merce, wool is the most staple in its nature, and has always been the most generally used by civilized man, from times the most remote, of everj' nation, tongue, and race. Of all the staple articles of the world, wool requires the least labor to produce it, the least care and cost in its preservation and trans- portation, and is the most suitable, profitable, and reliable production for the great interior of this country, where labor is scarce and dear, and fertile lands cheap and plenty. Hence, its growth will long continue to be a cherished interest, and the export demand, at the prices of other countries, will last for ever." It will be of importance that the emigrant judge correctly as to the breeds best adapted to our prairies ; that, in com- mencing the wool growing business, those breeds be intro- duced which will be most profitable. I should recommend the emigrant's attention to the introduction of the Cotswold and Southdowns, as being the best adapted to our lands. Traveling, somewhat extensively, in the north of France, and through Belgium, towards the frontier of Prussia, during the summer of 1844, I could not perceive our flocks upon the prairies would suffer, by comparison, with those on the continent of Europe. Mr. Gay, in speaking of the American fleeces, remarks that "the wool itself is of superior staple, and, while upon the sheep, is inferior to no other in the world, of equal grade," but suffers, in the foreign market, in consequence of the unclean condition in which it is put up and shipped. Probably one of the most successful and experienced wool growers of the western States is Geo. Flower, Esq., of A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 53 Albion, in the southern part of Illinois. For twenty-five years, Mr. Flower's flocks have, for seven months in the year, pastured on the wild grasses of the prairie, and have kept fat and in fine health. Mr. Flower has exercised much skill, as a breeder, and the results of his experiments show, conclusively, that our prairies are well adapted to the pro- duction of the finest wool. It may be interesting to the reader to learn the history of Mr. Flower's flock ; and, as I consider his experience and statements entitled to the highest consideration, I will give his own words : "The history of my own flock, kept in the southern part of Illinois, is favorable to the fine wooled breed. They are from the Merinoes of Spain, procured just before the French overrun the country. Sir Charles Stuart, the English Am- bassador, purchased the Royal flock. He shipped them, after a hurried drive, scarcely out of reach of the pursuing enemy, some hundreds of miles. Six thousand, only, reach- ed the shores of England ; and, after the lapse of a year, two thousand sheep survived. These were purchased by my father. * * Some additions were afterwards made from the Paular and Escurial flocks. When I emigra- ted to this country, in 1817, I brought with me six of the finest animals of the wool bearing species ever brought to this country. This is the origin of my flock; they have been kept on the same district and on the same farm, where I now reside, ever since. No deterioration of the wool has taken place; on the contrary, the wool fibre of them is somewhat finer. Eighty ewes, purchased of Mr. Beecher, at Lancaster, Ohio, formerly from the Steubenville stock, has been the only addition to the pure bred stock." In 1842, Mr. Flower carried his wool to Lowell, Mass., where it was purchased and stapled by the Middlesex Com- pany. The wool proved to be of a very superior quality, and received the highest prices. The cost of transporting Mr. F.'s wool, from his resi- dence, in Illinois, to Lowell, Mass., was $2.12 per hundred pounds, (inland navigation) or $42.50 per ton. Compared with the cost of transporting the same value of any other product, this sum, the reader will perceive, is a mere trifle, and shows, most conclusively, how little the effect of distance from market affects the value of this article. 54 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. Advice, &c., concerning the Preparation of the Fleece for Export. — The first important operation, in preparing fleece wool for export, is to properly cleanse it before shearing. The sheep should be washed in clear running water — the water must run freely through every part of the fleece and the wool and every part of it should be pressed and worked with the hands while under water, until the dirt and oil are removed, and the water runs off clear. The shearing should then take place as soon as the sheep become dry after washing. In most prairie countries there is a fine black dirt, which becomes closely incorporated and matted in the wool, fre- quently making the fleece look worse than it really is. Too much attention cannot be paid to a thorough washing of flocks, in a prairie country. Advantages of Keeping the Flocks in Good Condition. — Sheep should be kept, as nearly as possible, in uniformly good health and flesh, because every portion of the staple or fibre of the wool which grows while the sheep is very poor, from disease or want of food, has so little strength as to break in working; and, if this weak growth takes place in the fall of the year, it destroys the fleece for many valuable purposes. Let the western wool-grower attend to these instructions, and, my word for it, he will never have cause to complain that he has embarked in an unprofitable pursuit. Many of our most enterprising agriculturalists, both in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin, have embarked extensively into the raising of sheep, and, in most cases, the enterprise has proved eminently successful. [See article on the IntrO' duction of Sheep into Lee county, Iowa', page 22.] Although treating somewhat at length on the advantages of wool-growing, the territory of Iowa is equally adapted to neat cattle of ever)^ description, swine, &c. Hogs are raised with little or no trouble, having almost a boundless range, both in forest and prairie, and feeding upon grass, roots, acorns, and the various nuts of the forest, which are very nutricious. Little difficulty is experienced, as the time approaches for slaughtering, (each owner having his respec- tive marks) ; he hunts them up from the range, and feeds A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 55 them, for a few weeks, with Indian corn, before slaughter- ing, or driving them to market. Until recently, tobacco was considered a staple exclusively adapted to the southern States ; a doubt had existed in the minds of most people respecting its successful cultivation as far north as the central portion of Iowa and the Rock river region, Illinois. Experiments, however, in both States, have proved it a most successful crop. I think I never beheld finer fields of tobacco than those upon the rich margins of the Des Moines river, in Iowa Territory, or more promising indications of a favorable soil and genial climate for its growth and excellence. The castor bean is likewise easy of cultivation, and is susceptible of becoming a source of great profit. STATISTICS OF THE LEAD REGION. In enumerating the various agricultural productions of Iowa, I have not as yet touched upon the vast mineral treasures ; and I regret still more, that the limits of my little work will prevent my furnishing the reader with the details and vast importance (in a commercial point of view) of the lead trade of the Upper Mississippi. Dr. Owen states, in his geological report made to Congress in 1840, that this country (which he examined) was one of the richest min- eral regions known in the world ! "A review of the re- sources and capabilities of this country," says Dr. Owen, "induces me to say with confidence, that ten thousand miners could find profitable employment within its confines." If we suppose each of these to raise daily one hundred and fifty pounds of ore, during six months only of each year, they would produce annually upwards of one hundred and fifty million pounds of lead ; more than is now furnished by the entire mines of Europe, those of Great Britain included. This estimate, founded upon reasonable data, presents, in a striking point of view, the intrinsic value and commercial importance of this country — emphatically the lead region of Northern America. 56 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. If, then, we assume the annual amount of lead obtained at thirty millions of pounds, we are furnished with the data of comparison between the produce of this region and that of the mining countries of Europe. The amount of lead produced in the Island of Great Britain, in the year 1828, was, according to a statement made by Mr. Taylor, in his "Records of Mining," as fol- lows : North of England mines, 56,070,000 pounds. Derbyshire and Shropshire, 10,080,000 Devonshire and Cornwall, 4,200,000 Flintshire and Denbighshire, 25,200,000 Scotland, 2,100,000 Ireland, Isle of Man, &c., 1,050,000 Total, Great Britain and Ireland, 98,700,000 pounds. The exact amount of lead produced in the rest of Europe I have not the means of ascertaining. But, in an article on lead, with many statistical details, given in the Penny Maga- zine, it is stated that "England produces, annually, nearly three times as much lead as all other countries of Europe put together." This would make the annual produce of the rest of Europe about thirty-three millions of pounds. If these data be accurate, it follows: 1st, that the Wis- consin and Iowa lead region already produces nearly as much lead as all Europe, with the exception of England ; and, 2dly, that it produces nearly one-third as much lead as Eng- land, hitherto the great miner for the civilized world. If such be its actual produce, it is difficult even to set bounds to its capabilities. A thousand obstacles have hith- erto opposed its progress. ZINC ORE. This ore, found both in Iowa and Wisconsin, usually occurs in the fissures, along with the lead. It is chiefly the electric calamine — the carbonate of zinc of the mineralogist. Though a solid ore, it has an ochreous, earthy aspect, often resembling the cellular substance of bone ; hence, it is familiarly known among the miners by the name of "dry bone." A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 57 Notwithstanding its intrinsic value, which will, before long, be duly appreciated, it is, at present, an object of espe- cial aversion to the miner of Iowa and Wisconsin. It fre- quently happens, in both Territories, that the lead ore in a fissure gradually diminishes, and, eventually, is entirely replaced by this zinc ore ; or, as the disappointed workman, sometimes with a hearty curse, not very scientifically ex- presses it, "the dry bone eats out the mineral." At some of the diggings, large quantities of this carbonate of zinc can be procured. Thousands of tons are now lying in various locations, on the surface, rejected as a worthless drug — indeed, as a nuisance. It is known but to a few of the miners as a zinc ore at all. An analysis * of this ore proves it to be a true carbonate of zinc, containing forty-five per cent of the pure metal. Sulphuret of zinc (sometimes called blende, and, by the English miner, "black-jack,") is also abundant in the Wis- consin mines. It contains from fifty-five to sixty-five per cent, of zinc, but is more difficult of reduction than the calamine. Sheet zinc is becoming an article of considerable demand in the market, for culinary purposes, and as a covering for valuable buildings, instead of lead. But the chief consump- tion of this metal is in making brass, well known to be a compound of copper and zinc. In this process, the carbo- nate of zinc, previously calcined, is mixed with charcoal and granulated copper, and then exposed to a suitable heat. The common brass imported from England contains up- wards of thirteen per cent, of zinc ; that of Paris, a little less ; and the fine brass of Geneva, used in the nicer parts of watchmaking, contains as much as twenty-five per cent. of zinc. Large quantities, both of copper and zinc, are now im- ported from Europe into the United States, to supply the * Resulting thus : Carbonic acid 31.00 Protoxyde of zinc 56.70 Silex 1.00 Oxyde of Iron 5.00 Alumina 5.00 Water absorbed after pounding - - - 1.00 Lost .30 g 100.00 58 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. continually increasing demand for brass. It is not improba- ble that the district now under consideration might furnish, of both metals, a sufficient amount, at least for many years to come, to supply the entire United States with brass of home produce and manufacture. Of zinc, at least, there is assuredly a sufficient supply, not only for that purpose, but also for exportation. All the zinc now produced in Great Britain is trifling in quantity, and quite Insufficient for the demand, so that a large quantity is imported, annually, into that island, chiefly from Germany and Belgium. The importation of zinc into England, in the year 1833, exceeded six millions and a half of pounds — a fact which may give us an idea of the importance of this metal as an article of commerce. Among the productive mineral resources of Iowa and Wisconsin, the (at present) despised zinc ore may claim no contemptible rank. IRON ORE. The richness of the iron veins, in this district, cannot be correctly known until mines shall actually be opened ; which has not yet been done in any part of it. But more encour- aging or more numerous surface indications of an abundant supply of this useful metal, can hardly offer themselves to the notice of the geologist. In a country more thickly set- tled, and with skill and capital to spare, these would speedi- ly cause and justify the employment of whole villages of workmen. To incidental causes alone, and not to any natural defi- ciency of material, must be attributed the custom of import- ing, annually, from England into this country, millions of dollars worth of iron for railroads and other purposes. Enormous as is the produce of Great Britain's iron furna- ces, (amounting, in 1833, to fifteen hundred millions of pounds) we might rival it in America. How little, here in the West at least, we have improved our natural resources in this branch of commerce, is proved by the thousands of tons of rich ore which lie, unappropriated and useless, scattered over the Territories of Iowa and Wisconsin. A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 59 AVERAGE PRICES Of Cattle, Cows and Sheep, and the necessary Farming Im- plements for a Beginner. Good milch cows may be bought for $10 to $15. A yoke of oxen, (used in preference to horses in breaking prairie, ploughing, &c,,) from $40 to $60. Sheep may be purchased at from $1 to $1.50 per head. Farm wagon, from $75 to $80. Prairie plough, $18 to $20; small Cary or Diamond plough, $6 to $8. Harrow, $4. Scythe, axe, pitchfork, spade and rake, $3.50. Double log cabin, $50 to $70. Seed corn for ten acres ; do. five acres of wheat ; do. five acres of potatoes, turnips and garden seeds, $5. Poultry and a young pig, $3. Family expenses until a crop is raised, (provided the emi- grant commences in early spring, so as to plant a small crop,) estimating three to five in a family, say thirty weeks, $75. Eighty acres of prairie, at $1.25 per acre, $100. A good saddle and cart horse, $50 to $60. Log stable and other out-buildings, premising the emigrant has his own team, will not be subjected to any outlay. Thus you will perceive that, within the sum of $400, you can be comfortably settled upon your own eighty acre tract, in Iowa, furnished with a comfortable log house, a good yoke of oxen, a horse, cow, tv/elve sheep, poultry, pigs, &:c. ; like- wise farm wagon, plough and farming utensils generally, with thirty weeks' provisions laid in, until a small crop is raised for subsistence. Here, then, you are not a "tenant at will," but reposing, as it were, beneath your "own vine and fig tree," with none to molest or make you afraid. And, if you do not happen to have a "home-sick wife," I can see no reason why, with ordinary good luck, blessed with patience and perseverance, you should not prosper equal to your utmost expectations. To a far more humble beginning than this may be traced the history of nine-tenths of those who now wield the power, wealth, and, I might almost say, the destinies, of the mighty West. 60 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. AVERAGE PRICES Of the usual Articles of Family Consumption, at retail, in the principal (River) Towns of Iowa. Refined (Loaf) Sugar, 16 cents per pound. Brown Sugar, (New Orleans,) from 8 to 10 cents per lb. N. O. Molasses, 50 cents per gallon; Sugar House, 60 cents. West India and Rio Coffee, 10 cents per lb. Java Coffee, 15 to 16 cents per lb. Teas — Young Hyson, 75 to $1 per lb. Imperial, Gun- powder, &c., $1 to $1.25. Raisins, 18 to 25 cents per lb. Rice, 6 cents per lb. Corn Meal, 25 to 31 cents per bushel. Buckwheat, $1.50 per cwt. Flour, $4 to $4.50 per bbl. Bacon Hams, 5 to 8 cents per lb. Lard, 7 to 10 cents per lb. Butter, 10 to 12 cents per lb. Eggs, 5 to 10 cents per dozen. Cheese, 10 to 12 cents per lb. Candles, (tallow,) 10 to 12^/2 cents per lb. Fresh Meat, (from the butcher,) 4 to 6 cents per lb. Potatoes, 16 cents per bushel. Honey, 40 cents per gallon. Wearing Apparel. Men's thick boots, $1.87 to $2.25 per pair. Men's thick Brogans, $1.12 to $1.25 per pair. " Kip Women's leather shoes, 87 cents to $1 per pair. Ladies' Morocco or kid dress slippers, $1.12 to $1.37. Unbleached sheetings and shirtings, 10 to 18 cts. per yard. Bleached long cloths, 12 to 20 cents per yard. Printed calicoes, from 10 to 20 cents per yard. Gentlemen's hats, $2 to $6. Gentlemen's boots, $3 to $5. Wood, $1.25 to $1.50 per cord. The object of the above is merely to give the distant reader an idea of the price of a few of the most prominent articles of daily consumption. It may be proper to observe that, in all the principal towns of Iowa, most every article, both of neces- A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 61 sity and luxury, will be found at the stores, in almost as great variety as at the large establishments of the eastern cities. PROSPECTS FOR MECHANICS AND LABORERS. With respect to mechanical pursuits and trades, it will be obvious to the reader that the older States offer a wider scope for a greater variety of occupations than the new ones. But for all persons connected with mechanical pursuits, where utility is concerned, there is, generally, a certainty of employ- ment and fair wages in most of the towns of any importance in Iowa. The following list will exhibit a pretty accurate statement of the average prices, (i. e.) journeymen's wages in the different towns. Of course, local and other incidental causes will frequently produce fluctuations in prices, and occa- sion variations from any fixed rule. Stone Cutters, from $1.25 to $2 per day. Bricklayers and Plasterers, from $1.25 to $2 per day. Blacksmiths, a good trade in town or country. Wages, $1.25 per day, and found. Carriage Makers and Wheelwrights, $1.25 to $1.50. Cabinet Makers, Shoemakers: Journeymen's wages good, in town or country. Tailors : considerable competition in the principal towns. Hatters : too much competition from the merchants. Saddle and Harness Makers, good in town or country. Bakers, good in the towns. Coopers : a good trade ; materials plenty. Millwrights : experienced workmen in demand. Tinners, good in the towns. Gunsmiths, good in town or country. Printers : prospects limited to the large towns. Carpenters and Joiners, in town or country, $1.25 to $1.50 per day. Painters, good in the large towns. Tanners, who understand their business in all its branches, will succeed. Day Laborers, in the towns, wages 75 cents to $1. Dairy Maids, who thoroughly understand making butter and cheese, and salting butter for a distant market. Respectable board and lodging will be obtained in any of the towns at from $1.50 to $2 per week. 62 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. PERSONS BEST QUALIFIED TO EMIGRATE. ADVICE, ETC. It is undoubtedly true that some descriptions of emigrants will succeed better in a new country than others. Those who have been accustom.ed to a country life, and to the labor of a farm, are, of course, better fitted to cultivate land and endure hardships, at first attendant upon a residence in a frontier country, than artisans, traders and people whose habits of life have become somewhat delicate by a long residence in cities and work-shops. But every individual who, to health and vigor of manhood joins perseverance and industry, will ulti- mately prosper. Mechanics, of all kinds, cannot fail to do well in Iowa, for, when not employed in cultivating their farms, (if they choose to make one,) they will find it quite easy and convenient to gain a little money by working at their various trades ; they will likewise have the advantage of being able to improve their dwellings and repair their farming utensils, without expense. Married persons are generally more comfortable, and succeed better, in a frontier country, than single men ; for a wife and family, so far from being a burden to a western farmer, may always prove a source of pe- cuniary advantage in the domestic economy of his household, independently of heightening the enjoyments of domestic happi- ness. Of course the reader will understand that I speak of country life, and not that of the large towns, where artificial distinctions and "conventionalisms" have crept in, and, too fre- quently, destroy that simplicity and frankness of character which is the charm of social life. Many is the wife, whose cheerful countenance now glad- dens the fireside of the "Iowa farmer," that once beamed brightly in the gay saloons of the crowded city. I believe every candid traveller will concur in the foregoing views. In fine, it must be the settler's own fault if he does not enjoy, in large abundance, every substantial comfort and enjoyment of life, and rear around his frugal board all the choice blessings of a land flowing with "milk and honey." A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. 63 TERRITORIAL DIRECTORY DEPARTMENT. GOVERNMENT. The law of Congress, authorizing the Territorial Gov- ernment of Iowa, took effect on the 4th day of July, 1838. From that time, Iowa assumed a separate Territorial exist- ence from Wisconsin, to which she had hitherto been at- tached. The organic law, which is in fact the Constitution of the Territorial Government, provides that the Governor, Secretary, Chief Justice, and two Associate Judges, District Attorney of the United States, and a U. S. Marshal, shall be appointed by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Governor is also Superintendent of Indian affairs for the different tribes of Indians within the Territory. It is made his duty to see that the laws be faithfully executed — to be Commander-in-Chief of the Militia of the Territory — to appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly, all Territorial officers, not otherwise provided for in the organic law — and to approve all legisla- tive enactments before they become laws. It is made the duty of the Secretary of the Territory to receive and dis- burse all public funds, appropriated by Congress, for the payment of the expenses of the Legislative Assembly — to keep and preserve a record of all Legislative enactments — to record and preserve a record of the official acts of the Governor, in his official capacity as Executive of the Ter- ritory. The Secretary is acting Governor during the ab- sence, resignation, or death of the Governor : Executive — James Clarke, Governor, and Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Jesse Williams, Secretary of the Territory, Gideon S. Bailey, U. S. Marshal. Delegate in Congress, Augustus C. Dodge. Judiciary. — The judicial power is vested in a Supreme Court, consisting of a Chief Judge and two Associate Judges, who hold a term, annually, at the seat of govern- ment. 64 A GLIMPSE OF IOWA. The Territory is also divided into three Judicial districts, and a judge assigned to each, who is the Presiding or Circuit Judge. There is a District Prosecutor, appointed by the Governor, for each county, whose duty it is to prosecute for all offences against the laws of the Territory. The district Attorney of the United States also attends the circuit courts, and prosecutes in the name and in behalf of the general gov- ernment. Supreme Court. — Chief Justice, Charles Mason. Associate Judges, Jos. Williams, Thos. S. Wilson. Clerk, George G. Hampton. Circuit Courts. — Charles Mason, Presiding Judge first judicial district. Jos. Williams, Presiding Judge second judicial district. Thos. S. Wilson, Presiding Judge third judicial district. Ed. Johnston, U. S. District Attorney. Gideon S. Bailey, U. S. Marshal. DISTRICT PROSECUTORS. Lee county. 1st c listrict. J. r. Kinney. Van Buren, 2d II Joseph C. Knapp. Davis and Appanoose, 3d (C James H. Cowles. Des Moines, 4th a J. C. Hall. Henry, 5th 11 Wm. Thompson. Jefferson, 6th li Sam'l. ShufHeton. Wapello and Kishkekosh, 7th (( H. B. Hendershott. Louisa, 8th 'on, Wareham G. Clark, William Hubbel, John J. Selman, George Berrj', John Conrey, Josiah Kent, Joseph H. Hedrick, Sylvester G. Matson, S. B. Shelledy, James Grant, George Hobson, H. P. Haun, Stewart Goodrell, Sanford Harned, David 01m- stead, G. W. Bowie, Alvin Saunders, William Steele, T. McCraney, F. K. O'Ferrall, J. Scott Richman. ORDINANCE. Be it ordained by the Convention assembled to form a Constitution for the State of lov/a, in behalf of the people of said State, that the following propositions shall be made to the Congress of the United States, which, if assented to by that body, shall be obligatory on this State. 1. Section number sixteen in every surveyed township of public lands, and where such section has been disposed of, other lands, equiv- alent thereto, and as contiguous as may be, shall be granted to the State for the use of Common Schools. 2. The seventy-two sections of land set apart and reserved for the use and support of a University, by an act of Congress approved on the twentieth of July, one thousand eight hundred and forty, entitled "An act granting two townships of land for the use of a University in the Territory of Iowa," shall be applied solely for the use and support of such University, in such manner as the General Assembly may direct. 3. That one quarter section of land in each township be granted to the State for the purpose of purchasing a common school library for the use of such township. 4. That five per cent, of the nett proceeds of the sales of all public lands lying within this State, which shall be sold by Congress after the admission of the State into the Union, shall be granted to the State, for the use of common schools. That, in consideration of the grants specified in the four foregoing propositions, it is declared, that this State will never interfere with the primary disposal of the soil within the same, by the United States, nor with any regulations Congress may find necessary, for securing the title in such soil to the bona fide purchaser thereof ; and that no tax shall be imposed on lands, the property of the United States, and that in no case shall non-resident proprietors be taxed higher than resident. ADVERTISEMENT DIRECTORY. BARRET HOUSE, CORNER OF JEFFERSON AND THIRD STREETS, BURLINGTON. J. C. FLETCHER, Proprietor. THIS House i'» one of ihe largest and most commodious iti the Western country. Cr' Visitors from the South and elsewhere, can at all times bo accoinmodttted witli pleasant and airy rooms, and on reasonable terras. •WlLtJAM GAHEETT. M. B. COX. WHOLESALE cSc RETAIL DEALERS, CORNER MAIN AND JEFFERSON STREETS, DURLINOTONj IOWA. DX3AZiSB.S IXf Dry Goods, Groceries^ Hardware, Boots^ Shoes, Hats, Caps, Ready Made Clothing, tj-c. jf'C. f ORWARDL\G & COMMISSION MERCHANTS WATER STREET, BURLINGTON, IOWA. LUKE PALMER, WHOLESALE & RETAIL DEALER, MAIN STREET, BURLINGTON, lOWA^ DEALER IN— Dry Goods, Groceries, Hardware, Quicnsvwt, Boots, Sh«u, HatS} Caps, tf'c, if-e. JOdHUA COPF.] [t. L. PAB30M9. ©@[p[F (i, [p^[^S©[KIi, DEALERS IN PRODUCE & GENERAL MERCHANDISE, JEFFERSON STREET, BURUNGTON, IOWA. D. W. EWING.] [j. F. EWIJfG. ©♦ M. iWOMa (^ ©©•, DEALERS IN DB.ir GOODS, <^ZlOC££VIZ!S, HAHDWARE> BOOTS, SHOES, HATS, CAPS, fitC, BURLINGTON, IOWA, South side of Jefferson, 2d door below Main street. SURGEON & MECHANICAL DENTIST, BURLINGTON, IOWA. SAMUEL LINDEMDTH.] [PETEB UNDEMUTH. S. Sl p. lindemuth, COMER OF COLUMBIA & WATER STS., BULISGTOF; IOWA. General Steam Boat Agents; Forwarding- and Commission Merchants; Wholesale and Retail Dealers in Foreign and Domestic Dry Goodsy Groceries^ Hats, Caps, Boots and Shoes, Queensware, Hardware, SfC. 'Steam Boats supplied at all hours with every article they may require, such as Meats, Ice, Butler, Eggs, Hams, Oils, Paints, Rigging, etcetera- J. S. KIMBALL & CO., CORNER WATER AND JEFFERSON STREETS, BURLINGTON, IOWA. DEALERS IN — ^Dry Goods, Groceries, Hardware, Queensware, Boots, Shoes, Hats, Caps, &c. A W CARPENTER MAIN, NEAR THE CORNER OF JEFFERSON STREET, BURLINGTON, IOWA. JOHN G. FOOTE. iLQd© m(^m h^B MML ^Y©UEp BURLINGTON, IOWA. DEALER IN— Iron, Steel, Tin Plates, Copper, Sheet Iron, BlacksmitLa' Tools, Stoves of all Descriptions,— Also, Jewotl's Patent Gary Ploughs. LAW NOTICE. DAVID RORER, ATTORNEY AT LAW AND SOLICITOR IN CHANCERY, BURLINGTON, IOWA. REFERENCES.— Chouteau & Valle; Tevis, Scott & Tevi.=; Crow, Mc- Crery & Barksdale; M. B. Cox; St. Louis, Mo. Brown. Robb & Co.; Wood & Abbott; Philadelphia; J. R. Coram & Co., Cincinnati, O. Wm. Lazier, Morgantown, Va. M. Andrews, Steubenville, O. J. W. Burbridge & Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Jamkb W. Gkimes.] [Henry W. Stark. GRIMES & STARR, ATTORNEYS AT LAW, BURLINGTON, IOWA. ATTORNEY AND COUNSELLOR Aff LAW, BURLINGTON, IOWA. H. T. Reid.] [Ed. Johmstom. REID & JOHNSTON, ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELLORS AT LAW, FORT MADISON, IOWA. Wm. Thompson.] [John T. MoniOK. THOMPSON & MORTON, ATTORNEYS AT LAW, MOUNT PLEASANT, HENRY CO., IOWA. f;^ Land and Collection Claims, and Land Agencies generally, will bo punctually attended to. .^5 REFERENCES.— His Ex. Gov. C'luike, Hon. A. C Dudyc, Builin^'ton, Iowa. Mcssr.s. Collins A Kellogg, Asa Farr, Jr., IJt. Ivouis. IMc^sr*. Browning & Buslinell, John Tiileon, Esq., Quincy, Ills. Hon. C. Delano. Columbus, O. 11 COLUMBUS INSURANCE CO., (CAPITAL, $138,000.) AGENTS, ST. LOUIS, MO. lEJ^City and Country risks taken..4;35 SAMUEL HUTCHISON, ^ucttott antr ©ommfssCou Merchant, No. 57, Main Street, ST. LOUIS, MO. J. P. EDDY & CO., COMMISSION MERCHANTS, JVh. 83 Water Street, ST. LOUIS, MO. |;;^Particular attention paid to sales of Produce. .^2 DOAN, KING & CO., WHOLESALE DEALERS IN DRY GOODS, 131 Main Street, ST. LOUIS, MO. RICHARD BIGELOW, New York. J. P. DOAN, St. Louis. W. J. KING, " lBy[^LO[r^aT©[N] [B©©[1CS¥©[^[E* w. D. skTllman, BOOKSELLER AND STATIONER, Respectfully informs the Ladies and Gentlemen of Burlington and vicinity that he has opened a BOOKSTORE under the Corner of the Barret House, Burlington, loira. Where may always be found an extensive and careful assortment of MEDICAL, LAW, SCHOOL, RELIGIOUS AND MISCELLANEOUS For sale at St. Louis Prices. f;^All NEW WORKS received and for sale as soon as publisbed^H PAPER, OF ALL KINDS, BLANK BOOKS, INK, SLATES, QUILLS, AND. STATIONERY OF EVERY DESCRIPTION, Constantly on hand, and for sale at the LOWEST PRICES FOR CASH. Joshua Tevi., Philadelphia, j!c\'TEyil'!' ] ^^- ^°''^'' TEVIS, SCOTT & TEVIS, WHOLESALE DEALERS IN FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC DRIT GOODS, HATS. CAPS, BONNETS, &C., &C. No. 95, North Main Street, ST. LOUIS, M O. Lewis Beach.] [j. a. Eddy. BEACH & EDDY, WHOLESALE DEALERS IN FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC DRY GOODS, BOOTS, SHOES, BONNETS, HATS AND CAPS. No. 151, Main Street, ST. LOUIS, MO. FOR THE SALE OF ALL GENUINE BY DR. E. EASTERLY & CO., ;N0. 76 CHESNUT STREET, ST. LOUIS, MO. 53=* Dr. E. EASTERLY & CO., having been appointed, by the various pro- prietors, General Agents for the Western States and Territories, for all the most popular Medicines now in use, are enabled to furnish Druggists and Wholesale Dealers on more advantageous terms than they can be procured from any other establishment, or, in general, from the proprietors themselves. We name only a few of our articles below, to which the attention of the public is invited — viz; Buchan's Hungarian Balsam of Life; Dr. Smith's (sugar coated) Indian Vegetable Pills; Dr. Swayne's Compound Syrup of Wild Cherry; Dalley's Magical Pain Extractor; Jew David's, or Hebrew, Plaster; Upham's Vegetable Pile Electuary; Wynkoop's Compound Tonic Mixture, And, in fact, every other popular Bledicine in general use, can be had, wholesale or retail, at this Family Medicine Depot, at the lowest possibln prices. DR. E. EATSERLY &. CO. 23" OFFICE-.-No. 76 Chestnut Street, betwcew Third and Fourth &!reelsy jiearJy opposite the Post Office, St. Louiii, Mo. for Fever and Ague; Thomson's Compound Syrup of Tar and Wood Naptha; Detterer's Magic Hair Oil; Morrison's Hygean Universal Pills; IMcAlister's All-Healing Ointment; Hemsley's Worm Syrup; T^r. Fleming's Abdominal Supporters; Dr. Banning's do. do., NO. m NO. 190. ©® & ^@ affi w^ WHOLESALE Corner of Green Street, St. Lonis, Mo. N. B. — We manufacture our own Goods in New York, and can and will sell cheaper than any other concern in St. Louis. NO. 190. NO. 190. INTERESTING APPENDIX CONCERNING THE INTERESTS OF IOWA. CoNGBEfiS has recently passed a Law for the establishment of a new Land Office in Iowa, (probably to be located in some portion of the New Purchase.) Chableb Nealky, Esq., has been appointed Register, and Enos Low, EJsq., Receiver of Public Moneys. The Act for the admission of Iowa into the Union, also gircs her two Representatives in Congress — passed both Rouses and received the signa- ture of the President. The extensive domain belonging to the Potawatamies, situated East of the Missouri, containing about 5,000,000 of acres, has been purchased by the Government, and will, ere long, open (still another) and one of the finest regions for settlement ever presented in the West. The Mineral Lands at the North, upon which so much litigation haa taken place between the Government and people, will speedily be brought into market for sale— (See act of Congress for the sale thereof.) Provision has been made, by act of Congress, for improving the naviga- tion of iha Des Moines river, by,lib9fial grants ef Public Lands. '^^^^^ O. S.X. Peck.] ^ ^y^ i i ^ .i^g^^^S£«i [R. C. Downing. PECK & DOWNING, AT LAIV, AND SOLICITORS IN CHANCERY. Will attend to Sueiucss, ia the line of their Prciecsiou, iu tlic several Courts of Iowa, REFERENCES. Bahkey &. Mitchell, Esqs.. 49 William streetj New Vork City. MiNOTT MnfKELL, Esq., White Plains, N. Y. Hon. J. H. Anderson, " " " W. W. Peacock, Esq., Buffalo, N. Y. J. P. Sears, ■ « « « J. T. NOYE, " « <: John Staog, Esq., St. Louis, Mo. Alex. IMonTgomery, St. Louis, Mo. H. I^.,WiK5JiiOW') Chicago, Ills. Hon.. Charles Mason, Buviinston, Iowa. D. W. K^^atOVRNE, Esq., Fort Madison. Charles BRE.wstER, " " FOURTH ST.BEET BOOKSTORE. BOOKSELLER AND STATIONER, N©. 55 FOURTH STKEET, OPPOSITE THE planters' HOUSE, ST. LOUIS, MO., Keeps couslantly for sale as large an asscrtment of AS CAN BE FOUND IN THE WEST. 53" Purchasers are invited to call at the above house, and are assured that ^M(l he PRICES, at wholesale and retail, will be found to be '^ AS ILOW AS THE ILOVVEST. The proprietor is determined to be undersold by NO houoe whatever. f'^^^^r^l^f^^^^^'^^^^^^f^ii^^^ [BacA Cover]