Floyd County IA Archives News.....Travel in 1850s Floyd County July 31, 1902
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Chantel Schmitt chantel71@gmail.com May 7, 2012, 2:25 am

Rockford Register July 31, 1902
It was among the last days of January, 1856, that J.P. Knight, Theron Thomas, 
O.N. Robbins and the writer engaged a team of Cheney & Bracket with Morris 
Cole for a driver, and set out of a trip to the Shell rock and Lime Creek 
junction. (There was no Rockford then.) We were sojourners at Charles City and 
acting under the intructions of Mr. George Wyatt, the agent and manager of 
the "Rockford Company." Mr. Knight had about completed Kelly's new flour mill 
at Charles City and was going to inspect a mill site on the east bank of the 
Shell Rock with a view of bidding for the building job.  Mr. Thomas, also a 
carpenter and millwright, expected to share in the mill work as Knight's 
foremen.  Mr. Robbins' interest centered in the building of the dam, mine was 
to make a contract with some person to prepare a thousand stakes werewith to 
mark the lot corners of the contemplated new village of Rockford, as I had 
been engaged by Mr. Wyatt to do the company's surveying and plat the village.  
The day was cloudy and cold with a brisk westerly wind, but seemed to be 
driving away the clouds, as we had been comtemplating the trip for weeks could 
hardly put it off longer.  So deeming all things propitious, we left Charles 
City about one o'clock pm for Sprague's (S.P. Sprague, an early settler in 
Ulster township) near Flood Creek crossing, planning to go further under his 
advice.  The sleighing was good for a foot an a half of snow, but before we 
arrived at Sprague's a heavy snow squall sprang up suddenly giving us some 
uneasiness and there was some talk of turning back.  But evidently the party 
was unsuited to that kind of talk and we pushed on.  An accident to our team's 
harness delayed us a Sprague's for nearly an hour, but he thought we "could 
succeed if we didn't get lost in the woods across the creek." His words on 
parting with us were, "Well, if you get lost come back and stay all night with 
us." The snow squall having ceased we made good time into the timber but 
blundered considerable over the numerous woodhauler's woes, which seemed to 
zig-zag in every direction but the right one, the wind being our only 
comapss.  Our method of travel was two following one road, two following 
another and the team a third returning to the sleigh every tweny minutes for 
consultation, finally learning that we indeed (were) lost with no show for the 
acceptance of Mr. Sprague's kind invitation.  It was soon dark with no moon 
till towards morning and quite cold, it being difficult to keep our hands and 
feet warm. At last we resolved to make a "bee line" effort to reach the 
prairie.  So keeping the wind in our faces, we made a passage for the team by 
tramping snow and cutting brush with pocket knives and succeeded in reaching 
the prairie at half pst seven (pm). None of us could tell where we were and 
could only guess that we were probably south or west from Sprague's about 
three miles.  We were "out of the woods" for good but snow was drifted and 
packed harder and the wind fiercer on the prairie so that the team made slow 
progress.  After about two hours of tramping drifts one of the party declared 
he had seen a light for a moment directly ahead and we peered eagerly into the 
darkness for its gleam but no light appeared. However, we soon struck a fence 
corner and easily following the road alongside passed through an open gateway 
into a field, folling the scarce perceptible road to a large shed with a 
stable at the end.  Cole needed no advice about where to drive and at once the 
team at least was in shelter.  Knight and Robbins began a search for the 
house, which they found some distance west of the shed.  Mr. Robbins rapped 
loudly on the door of the small log cabin and a quick response from a gruff 
voice within asked, "What fools are here this time of the night?" Robbins 
replied, "Well, you are about right on the fools but we are five of them out 
here cold and hungry and have been lost can't you take us in? We're from St. 
Charles." "Well, just wait till I get dressed, and we'll see what can be done 
for you. Isn't your name Robbins? I think I've seen you at Charles City." 
Robbins had a peculiar, musical, pleasant high keyed voice which once heard 
would likely to be remembered by most people.  The door was soon opened, a 
fire started in the cook stove and we found ourselves in the home of Alanson 
H. Bailey. We learned that the family had retired at half past nine and the 
light that we had a glimpse of was from the candle which Mr. Bailey had placed 
in a new position just before extinguishing it.  Mrs. Bailey was soon up 
cooking us a supper the quantity of which she knew well would be the most 
important part for us. We got to bed a little after twlelve, two in the small 
loft and three on the floor round the cook stove in which we kept a fire 
nearly till morning.  We had plenty of buffalos and blankets and slept not 
uncomfortable till sunrise.  Cole and Bailey were the first out to see to and 
feed the live stock and team, and when I went out soon after I saw a very 
unusual spectacle in the yard near the shed; Cole and Bailey were hurrying 
towards each other with large stakes in their hands, running that way I soon 
found the cause of the strange proceedings.  Mr Bailey against Cole's wishes 
had turned his team of work oxen out of their warm stalls and put our team in 
their places. One of the oxen had lain down on a heap of manure in the yard 
and had become cast and Cole and Bailey were trying to turn him over to 
possibly save him as he was yet quite warm but to no purpose, he was quite 
dead, and the great, strong useful animal was a sad loss.  Bailey said that 
the oxen often spent colder nights in the yard and the accident might happen 
almost any day or night, refused remuneration but slightly charged us for our 
entertainment.  He showed us the way to Green's Grove about three miles north-
west of his place, which we made in the clear, cold morning, arriving at 
Green's about ten am where we put our team in a stable and accompanied by Mr. 
Green proceeded at once to our several tasks.  By directions from Mr. Green I 
visited a man named Walker (possibly William Walker) who lived in a small log 
cabin in the north-west part of the contemplated town site with wife and four 
children all sick with measles and had not seen a neighbor for several days.  
He was a hunter and trapper, very poor, said he had hardly anything in the 
house to eat and could not leave his family to get food or medicine, was out 
of money and seemed in a sad plight generally. He was pleased to make a 
bargain to prepare the stakes, and out of pity, I paid him the five dollars in 
advance and left promising to send someone to help him.  He had some furs but 
could not get away to sell them.
  On my return to our party I found them all at the house of Mr (Horace) 
Stearns just below the mill site on the river bank, where I laid before them 
all the case of Mr. Walker.  Our several missions having been served as best 
we could we found dinner waiting us at Mr. Green's, after which we were soon 
ready for our homeward ride. Just as we were hitching the team Mr. Walker came 
along with a bag of furs, concluding to send them to market by me, as he did 
not think a better opportunity would offer, as a neighbor, a Mr. Dean and 
wife, had arrived at his house and would stay till he returned.  Walker 
estimated the value of the furs at about thirty-five dollars and gave me a 
list of articles he wished me to purchase at Charles City and send to him by 
the first chance.  I accepted the trust and was pleased to return him the sum 
of forty-four dollars for his furs.  Walker told me afterwards that he was 
greatly but pleasantly surprised.  There was nothing but a cold expanse of 
snow and ice bound rivers on the site of the present good village of Rockford, 
but the imagination could easily grasp the possibilities of the location.  We 
all made some new pleasant and lasting aquaintances here which have stood the 
test of years and to the present I hold them among the pleasantest of my 
life.  Under directions from Mr. Green we took the route by Welch's and (John) 
Ball's on Flood Creek finding a good road most of the way.  We arrived at 
Charles City in good time and all expressed pleasure in what we had seen of 
the new town site and the people we had met.

                   A.R. Prescott
                   Postville, Iowa

Additional Comments:
Alvah Prescott comentary on travel in 1850's Floyd County.  

From: Vala, Michael F. The Story of Rockford, 27.  M.F. Vala Publishing, 
Dubuque, IA. 1970.
ORIGINAL CITATION: Rockford Register (July 31, 1902).

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