HISTORY: Louisa Co., IA From the A.T. Andreas Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Iowa, 1875 This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Pat April 2003 ************************************************* Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************* ________________________________________________________ NOTE: For more information on Louisa County, Iowa Please visit the Louisa County, IAGenWeb page at http://iagenweb.org/louisa/ ________________________________________________________ LOUISA COUNTY. This county lies on the Mississippi River, which forms its eastern boundary, is in the third tier north from the Missouri line, is of a somewhat irregular shape, and contains an area of about 380 square miles. The principal interior water course is the Iowa River, which is swelled by the influx of the Cedar in the northern part of the county. There are many smaller streams, among which may be mentioned Goose, Short and Crooked Creeks in the northwestern, Long Creek in the center, and Otter in the southern—all on the west side of the Iowa River, while on the east the Indian is the principal stream, being in the central and northern part. There are several bayous, the largest of which is Muscatine Slough, which has a course of about fifteen miles in the county. These creeks are all small, but being, with the rivers and sloughs, skirted with bodies of timber of various extent, this county is one of the best timbered portions of the state, being nearly equally divided between prairie and timber. That in the bottoms is principally cottonwood, maple, walnut, hackberry, hickory, birch, and some kinds of oak, while the upland timber consists largely of white oak and hickory. The general character of the surface is rolling, with bluffs bordering the Mississippi and Iowa River bottoms. The soil is generally a deep loam, not easily exhausted by tillage, and is well adapted to corn and other kinds of grain, as well as root crops, grass and fruits. In the southeast portion of the county there is a plentiful supply of limestone, of excellent quality for ordinary building purposes and for the manufacture of quick-lime. There is no difficulty in obtaining good clay for brick. Some of the streams afford good water-power. The bottoms afford excellent range for cattle, rendering stock raising a lucrative branch of business. As an agricultural county it ranks among the first in the state. Near the mouth of Iowa River are the remains of an ancient fortification, and also mounds, which are objects that have excited the interest of the curious. HISTORY. The celebrated aboriginal chiefs Black Hawk, Wapello, Keokuk, and Poweshiek lived in this county, which was considered by them as among their best hunting grounds. As to when and by whom the first white settlement was made there seems to be some disagreement, although it is generally conceded that Christopher Shuck, who located near Toolsborough, was the first permanent settler, although the following persons all located here as early as 1835; Wm. L. Toole, P. Harrison, W. Crayton, S. Smith and L. Thornton, near the mouth of the Iowa; John Ronald, at Port Louisa; William Kennedy at Harrison, where he built the first mill. The following season they were followed by Benson, Hooker, McCleary, Childers, Storms, and Robert Williams—who was the first to build a cabin in the Indian reserve west of Wapello-Irwin, Marshall, Parsons, Diehl, Hook, Hale, Guest, Crow, Isett, and others. In common with the other early settled counties of the state, and up to the time of the first sale of land by the United States, the people had their frequent claim difficulties, some of them serious and others quite amusing. Organizations were formed for mutual protection up to the time of the first public land sales, when the settlers secured their claims and held them undisturbed. Soon after that event the pioneers and old settlers of the county met and organized an Old Settlers' Association. At the first meeting Jacob Minton was made the President, and William L. Toole, Secretary; the following persons, with their families, located in different parts of the county early in its history- most of them prior to 1840; Francis Springer, Colonel Garner, A. Gamble, N. M. Letts, Henry Rockafellow, Judge Coe, John Drake, Jacob Minton, M. Jamison, David Hurley, William Brown, Reverend Josiah Vertrees, Joseph Marshall, John Marshall, James Gamble, Abraham Hill, and the Jarvises. Louisa County was named, at the instance of the representative of this district in the Legislature, after Louisa Massey, who had about that time made herself notoriously popular by shooting a villian to save the life of her brother.* It was organized in 1837, and the first District Court held the same year, Judge David Irving presiding, with W. W. Chapman as United States District Attorney, and Zadoc C. Ingham, Clerk. David Irwin was the first judge who held courts within the jurisdiction of Iowa. He was a native of Albemarle County, Virginia, and commenced his legal career in that state at Harrisonburg. In 1834 he was appointed by President Jackson judge of that portion of what was then Michigan Territory lying west of the lakes. His district embraced all the country from the lakes west to the Missouri and White Earth Rivers, and north to the British possessions. When the Territory of Wisconsin was organized in 1836, Irwin became one of the three judges, and was assigned to the district west of the Mississippi River, and until the Territory of Iowa was organized, made his home in Burlington. He then returned to Wisconsin, and retained position as judge until 1848. When Wisconsin became a state, and his term of office expired, he removed to Texas, where his death occurred at Victoria, in the Spring of 1872. At the time of his death he was seventy-four years of age. The room in which Judge Irwin held his first court in Louisa County was a log cabin, while the shade of an adjacent grove furnished a retreat for the jury. There was but little business for the first term. The following were the first county officers; William L. Toole, L. Thornton and Robert Williams, Commissioners; Z. C. Ingham, Clerk of the District Court; C. McDaniel, Sheriff; John Gilliland, Treasurer and Recorder, and also Surveyor. The county was represented in the first Territorial Legislature, which convened at Burlington on the twelfth day of November, 1838, by Levi Thornton and William L. Toole, in the House, and J. M. Clark in the Council. The first Legislature divided the territory into three judicial districts, Louisa County being in the second district, with Hon. Joseph Williams as Judge. The first newspaper published in the county was The Wapello Intelligencer, commenced at Wapello, in 1841, by Clark & Noffinger. The first regular minister of the gospel who officiated was Rev. C. R. Fiske, and the first school was taught by John Ferguson. The first marriage was that of H. Long and Nancy Lacey; the first birth that of John McCleary, and the first death that of E. Shuck. THE PRESS. The Columbus Safeguard, published at Columbus Junction, was established in 1870 by R. H. Moore, the present editor and proprietor. It is an intensely local paper, Republican in politics, and ably edited and managed, having a wide and growing influence in Louisa and adjoining counties. The Morning Sun Reporter made its appearance November 18, 1874, under the management of its present accomplished and experienced editor and publisher, T. N. Ives. It is a well-conducted local paper, with a good circulation, and is growing in favor and influence. The Wapello Republican, established in 1860, is a wide-awake, ably- conducted and edited Republican paper, owned and published by L. W. Myers, an accomplished and experienced newspaper man, who thoroughly understands what is necessary to make a good readable local paper. The Louisa County Record, by Burr & Brown, first made its appearance in 1870. It is a good advertising sheet, and receives a large amount of local patronage. WAPELLO. This was the first town laid out in the county, and was surveyed and platted by John Gilliland in 1838 by order of the County Commissioners, Toole, Thornton and Williams. Among the earliest settlers of the place were John Drake, Jacob Minton, John Gilliand, E. Isett, C. McDaniel, S. Townsend and William Thomas. Among the first attorneys were James Clark, E. Thomas and Francis Springer. By an act of the Territorial Legislature, approved January 12, 1839, the people of the county were authorized to make permanent location of the county seat, by a vote to be taken on the first Monday of March of that year. The election resulted in favor of Wapello. It is situated on the west bank of the Iowa River, some eighteen miles from its site of an Indian village of the Musguakas, where their Chief, Wapello, resided for some time and for whom the town was named. It was incorporated under a special act of the legislature, passed in 1855, is on the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Minnesota Railroad, has a good water power, which by improving might be made one of the best in the state, and is a good business town. COLUMBUS JUNCTION. This is a thriving shipping and business point at the junction of the Chicago & Southwestern and the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Minnesota Railroads. The other villages and post offices are CAIRO, CLIFTON, COLUMBUS CITY, FREDONIA, GRAND VIEW, LETTS, MID PRAIRIE, MORNING SUN, PORT ALLEN, PORT LOUISA, TOOLSBOROUGH and TWIN OAK. *See an account of the affair in the history of Dubuque County.