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Iowa News from across the
Country
- 1843 -
Farmers' Cabinet
West Virginia
April 21, 1843
DIED
In Burlington, Iowa Territory, March 17, after a brief illness,
Mr. Nehemiah Chase, aged about 30 years, formerly of New
Hampshire, and late one of our most enterprising merchants. Mr.
Chase was the son of Henry B. Chase, Esq. of Warner, in Merrimack
county.
[transcribed by C.J.L., July 2005]
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Farmers' Cabinet
West Virginia
May 12, 1843
MISCELLANY, MEN, MANNERS, and THINGS IN IOWA
IOWA TERRITORY, March, 1843
It is a matter of surprise how little the intelligent inhabitants
of New England know of the country west of the Mississippi,
especially of this territory. Ask the first intelligent man you
meet for the geography of Iowa, and, in nine cases out of ten, he
can give you no definite idea of its position. He knows it is a
territory lying "somewhere out West," and this is about
the sum of his knowledge on the subject. Tell him that in 1832
the white man made his first permanent settlement on its soil,
and that, now, it contains a population of over seventy thousand
distributed among nineteen different counties, each thoroughly
organized with its seat of justice, its judicial and executive
officers, its schools and churches; tell him that Iowa contains
several cities, already risen to commercial importance, and
exporting annually millions of dollars in value of the
productions of the soil; tell him that through its whole extent
are scattered flourishing inland towns, where may be found taste,
refinement, and education and your auditor will listen with
incredulity if not with positive unbelief. Such is, or rather
was, two years ago, when I was among you, the state of
information in regard to this portion of the United States. I
have neither the leisure nor the inclination at this time to shed
any elaborate light on the subject, but propose, within the
limits of my sheet, to give you some rambling thoughts on matters
connected with this Territory, and refer your readers for further
information to "Newhall's Sketches of Iowa," published
by J.H. Colton, New York, in 1841, advising them however, that it
is much behind the times as would be sketches of Connecticut
published fifteen years ago.
I suppose you of the East consider the present resident of Iowa
the very pioneers of the West. Never was a greater mistake; the
true Western pioneers have pushed on beyond us or if hear and
there, one still lingers, it is only that he may dispose of his
farm and "improvements" to push for a "new
country." Strange restless beings are the genuine pioneers.
Among them you may find some who have helped to lay the
foundation of every State from the "old thirteen"
hither, men who have successively held seats in every legislature
from
Virginia to Iowa, inclusive, but who are now moving to a new
country again to "make a claim," again to act a
conspicuous part in the community in which they live, again to
run the political race, become a member of a legislature of some
future State, find themselves thrown in the shade by those of
greater attainments, who follow in their wake and again push for
the "new purchase." The recent purchase is attracting
considerable attention at this time; we have just heard of the
ratification of Gov. Chamber's treaty made last autumn with the
Sac and Fox Indians, by which they ceded to the United States a
large tract of country lying on the Desmoines river, west of the
present settled portion of this Territory. This is a part of
Iowa, and by this cession comes
under the territorial jurisdiction. It is a valuable purchase,
having an excellent soil, well watered and abounding in timber
conveniently interspersed throughout the prairie. The Indians are
to yield possession on the first of May. Now comes a rush and a
scrambling for town sites, mill privileges, county seats, and
spring tracts, such as no one but an eye witness have any idea
of. For more than eighteen months past settlers have been
crowding to the frontier in anticipation of a purchase; during
that time, singly, and by companies, they have travelled over a
whole tract, selecting for himself a 'claim' according to his
fancy.
I was through the country, hunting buffaloes, last June, and saw
with some surprise that even there, on both sides of the
Desmoines from the line to Racoon forks, a distance of 90 miles,
settlers had been before me and "claimed" every
eligible tract of land. The sign adopted to signify others that
any individual had "claimed" a particular tract, varied
according to the taste of the claimant. In some instances a
simple blaze on the trees was the only sign, in others the
settlers had cut his initials in the bark, while the more warlike
had decorated
the blaze with the figures of a bowie knife and pistol crossed,
signifying, I suppose, that the gentleman who had put that bark
there, would, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, maintain
his right against the ????. The "knowing ones" have a
sign ??? to either of the above; they ????? "claim,"
driving the stakes, with the ??? their visit cut in them, so deep
in the earth as not to be visible, the object being, in case of
dispute, to refer to the stakes for evidence of the priority of
their claim.
You must know, (or perhaps you do,) but your readers must know
that the laws of the United States forbids that any white man,
except licensed traders, to settle or hunt on Indian lands, or to
be on them for any purpose except to pass and re-pass. You must
know further, that after the Indian title is extinguished and
possession yielded up, the first person who builds or in any
other way improves a particular tract, not exceeding three
hundred and forty acres, has a pre-emption right to the same, at
the minimum price of one dollar and
twenty-five cents per acre. These pre-emption rights are, in the
language of the country, called "claims." They are
often quite valuable, the holder sometimes selling a mere claim
as high as one or two thousand dollars.
The settlers are so eager to get on and secure their favorite
selection that even before the treaty hundreds had gone on and
commenced their "improvements." But by the energy and
firmness of Gov. Chambers, (by the way a high minded
gentleman,and excellent officer, who executes the law regardless
of personal
consequences,) these trespassers were driven out of the country,
and their improvements destroyed. This was not accomplished
without the aid of a corps of United States dragoons, whose
presence has, since, been constantly required to keep the
settlers within the boundary line. Consequently they are crowded
along
the frontier just within the line, some two or three families in
a cabin, each ready, when the day arrives, to hasten to his
favorite spot, put up his cabin and confirm his claim. There will
be warm work on the purchase, on the first of May. Some
individual, who long before has marked out his claim will be on
the spot, bag and baggage by half past twelve o'clock in the
morning of that day, and will find some other man has reached the
place, five or ten minutes before him, who with material
provided, has got a cabin half up. Then comes the strife; he who
first picked it out will assert his right on the boy's principle
of "I dubs first," while his competitor will as
pertinaciously maintain his claim because he "squatted"
first under the law. Of course the more audacious and obstinate
will prevail, but when two unyielding bold spirits come in
collision, the rifle and the bowieknife will act as umpires and
settle the dispute.
[transcribed by C.J.L., July 2005]