HISTORY: Monona 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 Monona County, Iowa Please visit the Monona County, IAGenWeb page at http://iagenweb.org/monona/ ________________________________________________________ MONONA COUNTY. This county lies on the Missouri River, and is in the fifth tier from the northern and southern boundary of the state. In extent it is twenty-four miles north and south, by an average of nearly thirty east and west, containing sixteen full congressional townships, and some four or five that are fractional, and embraces an area of about six hundred and eighty square miles. The Missouri River, which forms the western boundary, here runs in a southeasterly direction, making the southern boundary line of the county some twelve miles shorter than the northern. PHYSICAL FEATURES AND RESOURCES. A large proportion of the area of this county is bottom or valley land, there being upwards of one hundred and sixty-five thousand acres embraced in the vast Missouri River bottoms which pass through the western portion of this county. The ascent of these bottoms northward is somewhat more rapid that that of the Missouri River, which leaves a comparatively small portion of these valuable lands subject to overflow in times of high water, and renders them sufficiently dry and well drained to be susceptible of easy and successful cultivation. The eastern portion of the county is a high rolling prairie, well watered, and drained by Willow Creek, Soldier and Maple Rivers, and their numerous affluents, which are all surrounded by wide, beautiful and exceedingly fertile valleys. The uplands abruptly abut on the bottoms along the east side of Little Sioux, and present the varied and peculiar features, characteristic of the bluffs along the Missouri bottoms throughout their extent in the state. These bluffs are quite uniform in elevation, the highest point reached being not less than three hundred feet above the level of the river, or about thirteen hundred feet above the ocean level. The uplands in the immediate vicinity of the bluffs, are too broken and uneven, to be of any practical use for agricultural purposes, and are cut up with narrow wooded ravines, while the valleys of the smaller streams a few miles inland are bordered by gentle acclivities which ascend from the sloping bottoms to the well rounded and undulating divides which intervene between the water courses. Most of the streams in the eastern part of the county are bordered by beautiful bottom lands, varying from one-half to two miles in width, while the streams themselves are margined by grassy banks, with belts composed of mire or quicksand. The Little Sioux River, with several of the other streams in the county affords some good waterpowers for machinery, on which several mills have been established, while there are numerous good locations yet remaining which will doubtlessly be utilized as soon as the needs of the county may require. Wells of excellent water are easily obtained in the valleys at depths varying from ten to twenty feet, while in the upland it is often found necessary to sink through the bluff deposit to a depth of over one hundred feet before a permanent supply of water can be obtained. Springs at frequent intervals are found issuing from the bluffs, and with the small brooklets which are fed by them, and the larger streams afford plenty of water for stock, which find excellent grazing on the uplands, while the bottoms furnish several varieties of native grasses which are easily cut and cured, and make a good quality of hay. Several lakes of considerable size are found in the Missouri valley, all of which are clear and afford excellent fish. Some of them have the appearance of having once formed a portion of the channel of the Missouri River, which is now, however, several miles distant with heavy cottonwood groves intervening. The soil in the valleys is usually a deep, black mold or fine loam, is from six to fifteen feet in depth, and produces the most luxuriant crops of corn, and other grains and vegetables indigenous to the western slope. In the Missouri bottoms low sand ridges are frequently met with, which are the remains of bars formed by the currents when the river occupied the whole width of the valley from bluff to bluff on either side. The bottom deposits are quite variable in the character of their component parts, though the fine dark loam constitutes by far the greater proportion of the surface soil. This is generally underlaid by sand and gravel, and sometimes by a deposit of clay containing large quantities of partially decayed wood and other vegetable matter, which are frequently met with in sinking wells. Most of the uplands is covered by a heavy coating of dark humus-charged loam, with a subsoil of the light mulatto-colored bluff deposit. No sterile land is found in the county, for even that which is broken in the vicinity of the bluffs is very fertile and produces excellent crops of wheat, oats and other cereals, and in its native state affords fine pasturage for stock. The largest bodies of timber are the extensive groves of cottonwood, which border the banks of the Missouri, while more or less extensive groves of this and other kinds of timber are found on the Little Sioux, while many of the deep ravines running further back into the county are densely shaded with luxuriant forest growths. Like most of the counties on the Missouri slope in Iowa, Monona County has no stone or coal, while the bluff deposit furnishes an abundance of material for the manufacture of brick, which must be depended upon for the future supply of building material. The local supply of fuel, which all comes from the forests, though ample for the present wants must become scarce in time, unless the future demand is anticipated by the planting and cultivating of artificial groves. EARLY SETTLEMENT. The first permanent settler in the county was Isaac Ashton, who, in 1852, located about two miles north of the present town of Onawa, where, in 1855, he laid out the town of Ashton. Other settlers came in the Summer of 1855, among whom were Josiah Sumner and Aaron Cook, the former locating in the vicinity of Onawa. Among others who came prior to 1855, were C. E. Whiting, Robert Lindley, Timothy Elliott, J. E. Morrison, J. B. P. Day, and B. D. Holbrook. Several of the early settlers came from the eastern part of Iowa, while others were from Illinois and the Eastern States. Among the early settlers of the county, was one Charles B. Thompson, a Mormon leader, who, with a number of followers, located on Soldier River, in what is now called Spring Valley Township, about fifteen miles southeast of the present town of Onawa. They commenced their settlement in 1854. Thompson called the place Preparation, as he designed here to prepare his disciples for the "good time coming." As Charles B. Thompson was an important man in the early history of Monona County, some account of him, and of the enterprise in which he was the leader, will be interesting to the reader. He had been a follower and disciple of Joe Smith at Nauvoo, but went to St. Louis in 1852, and organized a church. In the Summer of 1853, he sent some of his followers as commissioners to look for and select a location for his people in Iowa. They finally made selection of the valley of the Soldier, in the south part of Monona County, all the land at that time being vacant. In 1854 he brought some fifty or sixty families, and pre-empted several thousand acres of the best land to be found in that region. Some of the land he subsequently entered. Thompson regulated and controlled all the affairs of the colony, both temporal and spiritual, pretending that he had authority to do so under the direction of a spirit which he called Baneemy. Among other assumptions, he pretended that he was the veritable Ephraim of the Scriptures, and taught his people to call him father Ephraim. A strict compliance with his teaching divested his followers of all worldly care, and prepared them for the further essential doctrine of his religion—that, in order to obtain the kingdom, they must sacrifice all their worldly possessions. They accordingly conveyed to him all their lands and other property, including even their wearing apparel and the right to their services. Under this arrangement "Father Ephraim" and Baneemyism progressed swimmingly until the Fall of 1855, when a little rebellion appeared under the leadership of an Elder named Hugh Lytle. This man, and some twenty others of the disaffected, commenced a suit in the courts for the recovery of their property, but they failed, and the matter was subsequently adjusted by a compromise, whereby the Lytle party received a portion of their property and withdrew from the society. The remainder adhered to Thompson without further serious difficulty until the Fall of 1958. During the Summer of that year, most of the male adults of the society were absent in other states preaching the doctrines of Baneemyism to the Gentiles. Thompson, who arrogated to himself the title of "Chief Steward of the Lord," took advantage of the absence of his friends, and conveyed all the realty to his wife, Catherine Thompson, and to one Guy C. Barnum, reserving only forty acres as a homestead for himself. His disciples, hearing of this transaction, returned and immediately called on "Father Ephraim,""Chief Steward of the Lord" to render an account of his stewardship. Being unable to obtain a satisfactory adjustment of the matter, they notified him that on a stated day he would be expected to meet them in Preparation to make a settlement. In the meantime they sent word to the Lytelites, and all others who had from time to time withdrawn, to appear on the day of settlement and present their claims. But the "Chief Steward of the Lord," and Barnum whom he styled his "Assistant Chief Steward of the Lord," had not the courage to meet the gathering of the tribes on that occasion, and so they found it convenient to be absent at Onawa. On the next day, however, they started for Preparation, hoping that the people had dispersed. About a mile from the village they were met by a young woman, whose faith in "Father Ephraim" seems to have remained unshaken, who told them that they must not come in, as the people were all there and would surely hang them if they made their appearance. At that moment they saw the men coming from Preparation at full speed on horseback over the hill toward them. They sprang from the wagon in which they were riding, unhitched the horses, and mounting them bare-back, wheeled about for Onawa. After a lively race of fifteen miles, not excelled in thrilling interest by that of John Gilpin, across prairies and over creeks and ravines, the "Prophet" and his "Assistant" arrived about a half mile ahead of their followers. Thompson remained at Onawa two or three days under the protection of the citizens, and then went to St. Louis. Barnum remained at Onawa until the next Spring, when he removed to Nebraska, where he became a prominent citizen. Thompson while at St. Louis again made conveyances of all the lands to his brother and other parties. He then attempted to found another religious society, but failed to obtain followers. He wrote and published a book on the Origin of the Black and Mixed Races, pretending to translate largely from the Hebrew and Greek, of which languages it is said he was utterly ignorant. This seems to have been the last heard of him by his old friends in Monona County until in 1867, when they learned that he was in Philadelphia, in destitute circumstances. After his flight from Preparation, his former followers sent his family with a feather bed and a few household effects after him to Onawa and then divided all the balance of the personal property among themselves, each taking what he could identify as his own. The same Fall they commenced an action in chancery to set aside the conveyances of the real estate. The suit was contested in all its stages by Thompson's grantees, and not finally settled until December, 1866 being eight years in litigation. At that time the Supreme Court of the State of Iowa declared all the conveyances fraudulent, and set them aside, the court holding that Thompson only held the property as trustee. The property was sold under the order of the court, and the proceeds divided among the original contributors in proportion to the amount contributed by each. Of the sixty families that Thompson brought to the settlement at Preparation in 1854, only three or four remain. Thus ended Baneemyism in Monona County. The county was organized in 1854, by the County Judge of Harrison County, who appointed Charles B. Thompson the first County Judge. This was before the location of the county seat, so that the first county business was transacted at Preparation. In the Fall of 1854, the county seat was located by commissioners appointed by the Legislature. They gave the place selected the name of Bloomfield, but there being another town of that name in the state, it was changed to Ashton. The county seat remained there until the Spring of 1858, when it was removed to Onawa by a vote of the people. The following were the first county officers; Charles B. Thompson, County Judge; Guy C. Barnum, Treasurer; Hugh Lytle, Clerk; and Homer C. Hoyt, Sheriff. Monona County then embraced what is now the west range of townships of Crawford County, but the change was made in accordance with the vote of both counties in the Fall of 1865. In 1860, a vote was taken on the question of the removal of the county seat from Onawa to Belvidere, and another vote in 1862, on the removal to Arcola. Both attempts failed, and the question is doubtless finally settled by the location of the Sioux City & Pacific Railroad. THE PRESS. The first newspaper was published at Preparation by Charles B. Thompson, and was called Zion's Harbinger and Weekly Messenger. He also published a monthly periodical. During the continuance of this paper, it flourished under several different names, being at one time called the Weekly News and Messenger, and then the Democratic Messenger. This paper was started in 1854. In 1858, Thompson published a paper called the Onawa Adventure. In November, 1860, a paper was commenced at Onawa by A. Dimmick & D. W. Butts, called the Monona Cordon. It was a six column, independent sheet, devoted to the interest of Northwestern Iowa and the Missouri Slope. The next paper was called The West Iowa Gazette, and was started about the beginning of 1863, by D. W. Butts. It was discontinued in 1865, and was succeeded by the present Monona County Gazette, the first number of which was issued December 2, 1865, F. M. Howendobler and C. H. Aldridge. The senior member of the firm died at the residence of his father in Clarinda, Page County, on Christmas day, 1867. W. A. Green, formerly local editor of the Council Bluffs Nonpareil, succeeded him, and in May, 1868, Aldridge & Green became the publishers of the Gazette. It is now Republican in politics, neatly printed, and under the editorial management of McCaskey & Aldridge. The Peoples Press made its first appearance in Onawa as a small advertising sheet in 1870, and has by numerous enlargements become a good sized, well printed paper, having a good circulation, advertising and job patronage, and is ably conducted by S. R. & C. A. Bassett, two wideawake, enterprising and experienced young journalists. This county enjoys a very good railroad facilities, as the Sioux City and Pacific Railroad runs up the Missouri valley, nearly parallel with the river, having stations at convenient distances. This road connects with the Chicago & Northwestern at Missouri Valley Junction, and with the Illinois Central and the Sioux City and St. Paul at Sioux City, with which road it forms a connecting line from St. Paul to St. Louis. COUNTY OFFICIALS, 1875. JOHN K. McCASKEY, Auditor. W. R. HANSCOM, Clerk of the Courts. WILLIAM L. RING, Treasurer. M. W. BACON, Recorder. JAMES WALKER, Sheriff. MISS SARAH FULTON, Sup't of Com. Schools. W. G. KENNEDY, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. ONAWA. This is the County Seat, and is situated near the middle line of the county, north and south, and about eight miles east of the Missouri River, but only about four miles from the nearest point on the river south-west. It was laid out by the Monona Land Company in 1857, and embraces an area of about 600 acres, with about 600 acres additional of out-lots, each containing two acres or less. The principal streets run east and west, and are one hundred and fifty feet wide, while the others are eighty feet, and alleys sixteen feet wide cross the blocks north and south. Two blocks 396x264 feet have been reserved in the north part of town for public parks. The first house was raised on the 2d day of July, 1857, by S. S. Pearse. The next was the Onawa House, raised on the 4th of the same month by J. E. Morrison. Among the first settlers were Judge C. E. Whiting, J. E. Morrison, Timothy Elliott, R. G. Fairchild, and S.S. Pearse. The leading Religious Organizations, Congregational, Presbyterian, Methodist and Universalists have good churches, while good graded schools under charge of a competent and experienced corps of teachers, provide ample accommodation for educational wants of the children and youth. The Masonic and Odd Fellow orders have organizations, and large memberships. The Sioux City and Pacific Railroad have a good depot building, with telegraph office, and all the facilities for the convenient transaction of business. Surrounded by an excellent farming country, with plenty of timber within two or three miles, Onawa can not fail to become a point of considerable importance. It has been duly incorporated, and since the completion of the railroad has steadily improved. Several good substantial buildings have lately been erected, and many more are in contemplation. It is 37 miles from Sioux City, about 65 from Council Bluffs, and 38 from Missouri Valley Junction. The other villages and post offices are; Arcola, Belvidere, Blencoe, Castana, Grant Centre, Hall Creek, Maple Landing, Mapleton, Moorhead, Saint Clair, Soldier, Ticonic, and Whiting.