Polk County IA Archives History - Books .....The First Of Iowa 1898
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Book Title: Annals Of Polk County, Iowa And City Of Des Moines

CHAPTER I.

THE FIRST OF IOWA.

THE State of Iowa is a portion of what is known as the "Louisiana Purchase."
This vast tract of territory, extending from the mouth of the Mississippi, in
the Gulf of Mexico, along the general line of that river to Canada and the
British Northwest territory, and west to the old line of Mexico, was originally
claimed by France, under the right of discovery, a little more than two hundred
years ago. The Spaniards had, for nearly a hundred years previous to this,
navigated the Gulf of Mexico, and had made large conquests of countries
bordering upon the Gulf, but, strangely as it now seems, overlooked the mouth of
the great Mississippi  River. They do not seem to have known of the existence of
this—the largest river upon the continent. The discovery was to be made from the
north and not from the south. When the French occupied the Canadas they pushed
their soldiers, priests, traders and trappers rapidly to the west and southwest.
These Frenchmen were the first to discover and navigate the great lakes. They
pushed down upon the headwaters of the Ohio and established Fort Duquesne, now
Pittsburg. They were on the Wabash River early in the last century, and planted
the town of Vincennes, Indiana. They kept on west and established forts and
villages at Kaskaskia and other points in Illinois, and also made settlements at
St. Louis and other points in the state of Missouri.

   The French explorer, La Salle, had pushed his discoveries from Canada along
the great lakes, and it is said that he, towards the latter part of the
seventeenth century, explored the Illinois and finally found Ids way to the
banks of the upper Mississippi River. And it is claimed that he reached the
mouth of the Mississippi in the year 1691. Iberville founded his first colony on
the lower Mississippi, in what is now the state of Louisiana, in 1699, but no
firm settlement was made until the year 1717, when the city of New Orleans was
founded. Prior to this, in 1712, Louis XIV, of France, had granted to M. Crazant
a charter to this whole immense territory, which, in honor of the king, was
named Louisiana. Four years later one of the greatest financial and real estate
"booms" known in history was started by the notorious John Law and his
associates. A company was formed in Paris, chartered as the "Mississippi
Company," in 1716, which nominally purchased the territory from the crown. A
period of wild inflation followed. Princes, nobles, merchants and peasants
fought and scrambled for the privilege of purchasing the stock and bonds of the
company. The women became as wild as the men in this mad rush for supposed
wealth, and a wild frenzy of speculation spread from Paris all over France, and
even to England and other countries. For a time John Law virtually outranked, in
public estimation, all emperors and kings. But the end soon came. "The
Mississippi Bubble," as it has since been generally called, suddenly burst,
causing financial loss, ruin and even death to many thousands of people of all
classes. There may have since been wild speculations, flush times and "booms" of
all sorts in the Mississippi Valley, but Law's first and original speculative
bubble has never been equalled for splendid recklessness, credulity and
financial wildness. After the collapse of this bubble company, Louisiana was
resumed by the crown and the commerce of the Mississippi declared free.

   The French retained possession until 1762, when the whole country was ceded
to Spain, giving to the latter the territory north to the headwaters of the
Mississippi River, and west to the Rocky Mountains. The Spaniards held control
of this great territory until 1800, and, as seems natural to them, did but
little towards settling up or developing the most fertile and productive region
of the entire continent, if not of the world. Napoleon Bonaparte was then coming
into power in France, and his genius saw at once the value of the heretofore
neglected territory, and he brought such a pressure to bear upon Spain that the
latter ceded it back to France, and the Spanish rule was forever ended in 1800.
Prior to the cession by Spain to France, and while the former held possession,
there had been much trouble between United States citizens and the Spanish
authorities, over the navigation of the Mississippi River. The western and
southern territories of the United States were being rapidly settled by a hardy,
enterprising race of people, who could illy brook the Spanish claim of the
exclusive right of navigation on the lower Mississippi. These enterprising
Americans claimed the river as the natural outlet and inlet for their produce
and goods, and demanded that it should be free for them. The haughty and
overbearing Spaniards replied by erecting forts along the river, demanding
duties on imports and establishing vexatious, irritating and expensive
regulations relative to river commerce. This brought on a threatening state of
affairs between the two countries, forecasting much trouble, if not open war.
Finally, however, a treaty was signed October 20, 1795, by which Spain conceded
to the United States free navigation of the river from its source to the Gulf,
and also the free use of the Port of New Orleans for three years, as a port of
deposit. This treaty had a quieting effect for a time but more trouble came, and
in 1802, during the administration of President Jefferson there were
apprehensions of war over the river and southwestern boundary difficulties.

   In the year mentioned, however, a sudden change came in the situation. It was
learned that, by a secret treaty made in 1800, two years previous, between
France and Spain, the latter had ceded Louisiana again to France. It was at
first supposed this cession included the Floridas, then in the possession of
Spain. In his message to congress, in 1802, President Jefferson mentioned this
cession to France, and congress promptly passed resolutions declaring the right
of the citizens of the United States to the free navigation of the Mississippi
River and a free port of entry and deposit. President Jefferson had long seen
the absolute necessity that this country should, at the earliest possible day,
secure the absolute and undisputed control of this valuable territory. He had
previously instructed the American minister to France, Mr. Livingston, and in
January, 1803, he appointed James Monroe, with orders to proceed to Paris and
act in this matter in conjunction with Mr. Livingston. The instructions only
asked for the cession of the City of New Orleans and the Floridas, with the free
navigation of the Mississippi. Bonaparte was then in power in France as First
Consul, and was preparing for a serious war with England. He knew that when the
war came he could not hold the mouth of the Mississippi or New Orleans against
the English. He promptly informed the American ministers that he would not cede
New Orleans alone, but would cede all of Louisiana to the United States, upon
favorable terms and conditions. This offer to cede so vast a region of country,
with the largest river in North America, was more than the American ministers
were authorized to ask for or accept. They had asked for a small town and an
insignificant amount of territory, and were met by the offer of a mighty
territorial empire.

   The times were critical. There were grave dangers in delay. The ministers
wisely decided, as it were, to overstep their limited powers. Bonaparte urged
the negotiations forward, and a treaty was concluded on the thirtieth of April,
1803, and a few days later signed by the respective ministers. The United States
was to pay for this vast territory only $15,000,000. In the congratulations over
the treaty Bonaparte made a remark which showed his keen insight into the
future, and one of his guiding reasons for making the sale. He said: "This
accession of territory strengthens forever the power of the United States, and I
have given to England a maratime rival that will sooner or later humble her
pride." Spain demurred for a time to the treaty, but finally waived all
objections, and in October, 1803, the United States senate ratified the treaty
by twenty-four votes for to seven against.

   The country ceded by this treaty was at the time estimated to exceed in
extent a million square miles, all occupied more or less by Indians, except a
few sparse settlements, aggregating less than 100,000 inhabitants, all told, and
of these about 40,000 were negro slaves. The whites were mostly French, or of
that descent, with a sprinkling of Spaniards and a few thousand natives of the
United States who had penetrated the country from bordering states and
territories. The "Louisiana Purchase" embraced not only the present state of
Louisiana, but all the vast region of country between the Mississippi River and
the Rocky Mountains, running as far north as the British Possessions. The states
of Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana,
Idaho, the two Dakotas, and the greater part of Minnesota, were carved from this
cheaply acquired territory.

   This newly acquired territory was, by act of Congress, October 1, 1804:,
divided as follows: All south of the 33d parallel of north latitude was called
the Territory of Orleans, and all north of this line the District of Louisiana,
the latter being placed, for the time being, under the jurisdiction of the
officers of the then Indian Territory. July 4, 1805, the Territory of Louisiana
was given a territorial government of its own. In 1812 the Territory of
Louisiana became the state of Louisiana, and the territorial name changed to
that of Missouri. July 4, 1814, Missouri Territory was divided—that part now
comprising the State of Arkansas and west of it was made the Territory of
Arkansas. In March, 1821, a part of Missouri Territory was organized as the
State of Missouri, and admitted into the Union. June 28, 1834, the territory
west of the Mississippi River and north of Missouri, embracing Iowa, was made a
part of the Territory of Michigan, and so continued until July 4, 1830, when
Wisconsin Territory was organized. This embraced within its limits the present
states of Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota. An act of Congress, approved June 12,
1838, created the Territory of Iowa, embracing not only the area of our present
state, but covering much of Minnesota, and extending north to the British
Possessions. In December, 1840, Iowa, with her present limits, was admitted into
the Union as a sovereign state.

   To briefly sum up Iowa: 1st. Belonged to France by right of discovery. 2d.
Was transferred by France to Spain. 3d. Transferred back to France by Spain.
4th. Sold by France to the United States 5th. Made part of the Province of
Louisiana. 0th. Temporarily attached to Indiana Territory. 7th. Made part of
Louisiana Territory. 8th. Became a portion of the Territory of Missouri. 9th.
Attached to the Territory of Michigan. 10th. Annexed to Wisconsin Territory.
11th. Made the Territory of Iowa. 12th. Became the State of Iowa. It has been
under the rule of: 1st. Indians. 2d. French. 3d. Spaniards. 4th. French. 5th.
United States. And all these changes except the first two have been made in the
lifetime of men now living!



Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

ANNALS OF POLK COUNTY, IOWA,
AND
CITY OF DES MOINES
BY WILL PORTER.

"And this volume, dedicated to its people, sets forth in attractive style all
the facts and incidents that go to make up the history of which all citizens are
justly proud."
—Major Hoyt Sherman.

GEO. A. MILLLER PRINTING COMPANY,
PRINTERS AND PUBLISHERS,
DES MOINES, IOWA,
1898.


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