Nodaway County, Missouri - Chapter 1: Prefatory, 1882

Chapter 1: Prefatory

More than forty years have passed, since the first white settlement was made within the bounds of that territory now known as Nodaway County, Missouri.

Nearly a half a century since, the uncivilized aborigines roamed the prairies wild and free, unfettered by the restraints of common or statutory law, and uncircumscribed by township boundaries and county lines. The transformation which has taken place in the physiognomy of the country alone, is beyond the comprehension of the finite mind ; luxuriant groves, where there was the wide stretching prairie ; cultivated fields where was the primeval forest ; orchards, vineyards, and gardens where waved the tall prairie grass. So marked has been the change in the physiognomy of the country that there has been a decided change in the climatology. The elements themselves seem to have taken notice of the g^eat change, and have governed themselves accordingly. While the annual rainfall and the mean annual temperature remain the same in quantity, they are entirely different in quality, and although imperceptible and independent of man's will, they have, nevertheless, come under the same civilizing power which has changed the wilderness into a fruitful land.

The great change which has taken place in the development of the material resources of the country is more noticeable, as man can more readily discern the changes which take place by detail in his own circumscribed field of activity than he can those grand revolutions in the boundless domain of nature.

These changes can be best estimated by the institution of a brief contrast : Then the material resources consisted simply in the streams of water which quenched the thirst of the aborigines, wherein was found the fish which he ate, and upon which floated his frail canoe ; the forest, where he procured his fuel and the material for the construction of his rude weapons, and which sheltered the game, which afforded him a meagre and uncertain sustenance. Such were the material resources then made available to the owner of the soil. The social condition of the people was scarcely more advanced than is that of certain orders of the lower animals, whose social attainments are comprehended in the ability to unite for mutual offense and defense. In intellect and morals, there was a people somewhat above the brute, but on the lowest round ot the ladder.

Now the material resources of the country include in their number the soil, with every useful and ornamental product known to the temperate zone ; the forest with every specie of manufacture, useful and decorative, known to the civilized world ; the water in the streams and the currents of air above us are alike trained to do man's bidding, while from the depths of the earth beneath our feet is brought forth hidden treasure which was hoarded by the turmoil of ages. A city with its thousands of people, a country with its thousands of inhabitants, while in city and country the lofty spires of churches and school houses are evidences of the social, moral and intellectual condition of the people to-day.

All this change in material things has been brought about by the incoming of a new people from the far-off East and South, and that, too, within the space of less than half a century. History furnishes no parallel to the rapid development of this western country ; it has been a chain whose links were ever recurring surprises, and among the astonished there are none more so than those whose throbbing brains have planned, and whose busy hands have executed the work.

The settlement of the new world, alluded to by the writer, has, as a whole, fully met the conditions of that prophesy, but not till the past half century did the onward march of empire culminate in the settlement of Northwest Missouri.

With the exception of a few mining towns in the gold regions of California and the silver districts of Colorado, nothing has been like it before and will not be exceeded in time to come.

This has not been by an accident. All kinds of material development follow recognized and well established laws, and in nothing does this fact more reveal itself than in the settlement of a country.

Whoever has made it his business to study the " Great Northwest," as it has unfolded itself in history during the last quarter of a century, has doubtless met with ever returning wonders. The story of its unparralleled growth, and almost phenomenal development, has so often been repeated that it has become a common place platitude ; but a careful study of the country will suggest questions which have, thus far, not been answered, and cannot be. Why, for instance, have some sections filled up so rapidly, and certain cities sprung up as if by magic, while others, seemingly no less favored by nature, are still in the first stages of development ? These questions cannot, in all cases, be answered ; but whoever has studied the matter carefully, cannot fail to have discovered a law of growth which is as unvarying as any law of nature.

The two leading factors in the problem of municipal growth, are, location and character of first settlers. The location of Nodaway County was most favorable, and what is true of Nodaway County, is true of the whole state. More than half of the state is surrounded by two of the most renowned water courses of the world, and one will readily see that it possesses advantages enjoyed by no other state in the Union. These conditions, so favorable to the past and future development of the country, are beautifully illustrated by an ingenious little poem, entitled "Two Ancient Misses," written by a gentleman who has won a widespread reputation at the bar. We here quote it, as it well illustrates our point, and is of sufficient merit to be preserved :

Two Ancient Misses

Who ever onward go, From a cold and rigid northern clime, Through a land of wheat, and corn, and wine, To the southern sea where the fig and the lime,

Among the beauteous hills; They never cease their onward step, Though day and night they're dripping wet, And oft with sleet and snow beset,

The one is a romping, dark brunette. As fickle and gay as any coquette ; She glides along by the western plains, And changes her bed each time it rains ; Witching as any dark- eyed houri, This romping, wild brunette, Missouri .

The other is placid, mild and fair, With a gentle, sylph-like, quiet air, And voice as sweet as soft guitar; She moves along the vales and parks Where naiads play ^iolian harps - Nor ever go by fits and starts - No fickle coquette of the city, But gentle, constant Mississippi.

I love the wild and dark brunette Because she is a gay coquette ; Her, too, I love of quiet air, Because she's gentle, true and fair; Land of my birth ! the east and west. Embraced by these is doubly blest - 'Tis hard to tell which I love best.

In entering upon the work before us, we have not underestimated the difficulty and importance of the task. The chief difficulty lies in the fact that the events to be treated, while they have to do with the past, are so intimately interwoven with the present that they are properly a part of it. The writer of history, as a general thing, deals wholly with the affairs of past generations, and his aim is to pause when he arrives at that realm bounded by the memory of men now living. The whole field of our investigation lies this side of that boundary line, as there are a few who will doubtless peruse this work, who, from the first, have witnessed and taken part in the events we shall attempt to relate.

While there are a few who came to Nodaway County as early as 1839-40, its permanent settlement did not properly begin until 1845. Assuming 1845 to be the beginning of the history proper, there have elapsed but thirty-six years, and a few who came at that time, or shortly afterwards, still live in our midst. And such, while they have grown prematurely old in body by reason of the hardships and privations incident upon a life of more than ordinary activity and trial, have not grown old in spirit. Each one of such knows the history of the county, and, be it said, with due reverence for their hoary heads and bended forms, each one knows the history better than anyone else. Such readers are very uncharitable critics ; and a work of this kind, absolutely accurate in all its details and particulars, were it within the scope of human possibility to make such a work, would undoubtedly be pronounced, by many well meaning and honest persons, faulty and untrustworthy. This results from the fact that thirty-six years, though not a long period in the his- tory of the world, is a long time in the life of an individual. Events occurring at that length of time in the past, we think we know perfectly well, when the fact is we know them very imperfectly. This is proved and illustrated by the reluctancy and hesitation manifested invariably by old settlers, when called upon to give the details of some early transaction ; the old settler usually hesitates before giving a date, and after having finally settled down upon the year and the month, when a certain event occurred, will probably hunt you up, in less than a day, and request the privilege of correcting the date. In the meantime, you have found another old settler, who was an eye witness of the act in question, and the date he will give you does not correspond with the first date nor the corrected date as given by the first old settler. There are some marked exceptions, but as a rule the memory of the old settler is not trustworthy ; his ideas of the general outlines are usually comparatively correct, but no one who has the grace to put the proper estimate upon his mental faculties when impaired by age and weakened by the many infirmities of years will trust it to the arbitrament of questions of particulars and details.

The stranger who comes into the county with none of the information which those possess who have resided here for years, works at a great disadvantage in many respects. He does not at first know whom to interview, or where to find the custodians of important records. However, he possesses one great advantage which more than makes up for this : he enters upon his work with an unbiased mind ; he has no friends to reward, and no enemies to punish ; his mind is not preoccupied and prejudged by reports which may have incidentally come into his possession while transacting the ordinary affairs of business ; and when in addition to this, he is a person whose business it is to collect statements and weigh facts of history, he is much better qualified for the task, and to discriminate between statements, seemingly of equalweight, than those who either immediately or remotely are interested parties, and whose regular employment lies in other fields of industry: This is true, even though the former be a total stranger and the latter have become familiar with men and things by many years of intercourse and acquaintanceship. He is best judge and best juror who is totally unacquainted with both plaintiff and defendant, and he is best qualified to arbitrate between conflicting facts of history who comes to the task without that bias which is the price one must pay for acquaintanceship and familiarity. The best history of France was written by an Englishman, and the most authentic account of American institutions was written by a Frenchman, and it remained for an American to write the only authentic history of the Dutch Republic.

them, it may truthfully be said that "truth is stranger than fiction." Especially is this the case in respect to those facts of local history belonging to their own immediate county and neighborhood. This is, perhaps, not so much the fault of the people as a neglect on the part of the book publishers. Books, as a rule, are made to sell, and in order that a book may have a large sale its matter must be of such a general character as to be applicable to general rather than special conditions - to the nation and state rather than to county and township. Thus it is that no histories heretofore published pertain to matters relating to county and neighborhood affairs, for such books, in order to have a sale over a large section of country, must necessarily be very voluminous and contain much matter of no interest to the reader. After having given a synopsis of the history of the state, which is as brief as could well be, we shall then enter upon the history of the county. The physical features of the county and its geology, will first engage our attention ; then the act under which the county was organized and the location of the county seat. We shall then speak of the first settlements. Pioneer times will then be described, and incidents related showing the trials and triumphs of the pioneer settler. Then the settlement of the townships. The county organization, courts and first records, the early bench and bar, crimes and trials, California emigrants, old settlers' reunions, the political history and finances, etc. Then we shall speak of agriculture, the growth and prosperity of the county, manufactures, newspapers, schools, churches, railroads, public buildings, enterprises, citizens, etc. We shall give a biographical directory, the value of which will increase with years, and conclude with a chapter of facts and miscellaneous matter.

The compiler of a history of a county has a task which may seem to be comparatively easy, and the facts which come within the legitimate scope of the work may appear commonplace when compared with national events; the narration of the peaceful events attending the conquests of industry as may seem tame when compared with accounts of battles and sieges. Nevertheless, the faithful gathering, and the truthful narration of facts bearing upon the early settlement of this county, and the dangers, hardships and privations encountered by the earl)- pioneers, engaged in advancing the standards of civilization, is a work of no small magnitude, and the facts thus narrated are such as ma)- challenge the admiration and arouse the sympathy of the reader, though they have nothing to do with the feats of arms.

The Name

It has been intimated by one, that there is nothing in a name, but a name sometimes means a great deal. In many instances it indicates, in a measure, the character of the people who settle the country, and have given to it its distinctive characteristics. Names are sometimes given to towns and countries by accident ; sometimes they originate in the childish caprice of some one individual, whose dictate, by reason of some real or imaginary superiority, is law. However, in this instance, the county was not named by accident, but the christening took place after mature deliberation. At the period (1841) when the first act, naming and defining the county, was passed by the legislature, the territory now called Nodaway County, had been inhabited by the Indians for a number of years - at least since the treaty of Prairie du Chien, in 1830. The principal tribes, located by the government here, were the Ioways, Sacs and Foxes, and a small band of the Pottawatomies. Many of the streams, which flow through this portion of the state, were named by these Indians ; for instance, White Cloud, Kihoga, Tarquio, Nishnabotna, Nodaway, etc. Nodaway County takes its name from the river Nodaway, which is an Indian name, signifying placid. It is a beautiful, placid little stream, which flows south, through the western portion of the county ; its banks, fringed as yet with a native growth of timber, including all the varieties known to this latitude. The stream itself, is not only gentle and tranquil upon its surface, but the entire face of the country, through which it winds its sinuous way, presents a charming picture of quiet, pastoral beauty, fascinating the beholder with its ever varying scenes and topographical attractions.