The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-11-09
Fro m the Annals Of Iowa
From the Annals OF Iowa.
Sketch IS Of the Sac and Fox Indians,
and the Early Settlement Of WapeI-
10 County.
BY URIAH.BIGGs,
AGENCY AND INDIANS.

= AGENCY AND INDIANS.
The other chiefs of the tribe were Pash
e a-pa-ho and Hard Fish, who have alread
$ been incidentally noticed and also Wapel
: 10 and Appanoose who We're chiefs AM
: Wab-e-kie-sheik the prophet of the tribe
and who welded more influence in its in
a ternal affairs than any of the Musquakie
: or Foxes, and lived on the Iowa Rive
t with that portion ofthe confederated tribe
till the time of their removal West of tn
: Missouri.
will now return to the thread ofevent
proposed to follow in the c9usacace
ment OF this sketch, some of which are al
: ready noticed in introducing the actors in
? them. as
In lSi-General Joseph NJ. Street was
transferred from the agency OF the Winnie.
bagoes at Prairie-du- CHEN, to establish an
: agency among the Sacs and Foxes, and
these tribes were placed under mis- charge
r The site was selected within the present
= limits of Wapello county, and near the
present town Of Agency City," He con-
stru"tcd comfortable frame building,
with the necessary rooms for residence OF
his family, and improved a large farm with
the necessary farm buildings, at the
expense of the Indian fund. These pro-
visions were made for the support OF the
family Of the agent over and above his
salary. An additional public icoxpense was
incurred in lmprovinga and furnishing with
! the necessary implements. large farm on
n very eligible site adjacent to the Agency
farm proper. This was denominated the
: pattern farm" and a salaried agent was
employed to take it in charge and super
| intend its cultivation and the manage
ment and disposal of the crops. Theavow-
ed object OF this expenditure was to set
the Indians a pattern in agriculture, and
ennce them to its practice by the solid ad-
vantages they were to derive from the an
nual yield, in the sustenance il might af-
ford themselves and ponies during the
winter.
There was still further provisions made
for the Indians conveniences in mana
ging their crops of grain, in constructing
two mills, one on Soap Creek, and one
on small creek now called Sugar Creek.
and situated Immediately below the pres
ttlt nal INttti CEOSSlllS. ms latter
swept away by food in the stream soon
after its erection. Theone erected on Soap
Creek bad some permanency, and contin-
ueu for many years TO he Of service to the !
builder ana subsequent owners. But to I
The Indians these extensive Outiays afford !
ed no solid benefit-they were not aIlured !
-,.sar,1 .I7;s,
curing the winter as before. Capt. Geo.
Wilson, IA Sou-in-law of Gen. Street, held
the p0ssessory right of the 'pattern farm"
at the time Of the purchase of the country
from the Indians. and obtained a patent
for il by paying a small fraction over the
price of other and unmproved Govern
ment lands. The Agency farm proper,
was ceded 10 Mrs. Eliza Street. relict Of
Gen. Street, in the treaty ofeighteen hun
dred and fortv-two. by the Indians. Both
Wapello and Gen Street having died prior
to the treaty and were buried fraterualiy ,
side by side IN tbs farm garden, it was
therefore held aS sacrIlege by keO.Suk TO
permit the section of land contang these
sacred relics to run the hazard Of falling
into the hands Of a stranger. and il was
reserved for the widow, and the title sub
seIucntly confirmed.
AS attaches 10 the Agency. Joseph Smart |
the interpreter, and baker. the Black
smith, Mere permitted TO select sites and |
max" farms adjacent to it. John Goodell, !
the interpreter for Hard Fish's band, itn-
proved the site of the present residence of
II. c. Ogdens Esq, four miles below Eddy |
vile. and Jeremiah Smith, Senior, estab- |
lishcd the farm at the milf site on Sugar
Creek, now owned by the MesSrs. Wood. |
In addition to these improvements by |
white men, three of the Indian chiefs, keo- |
kuk, Wapello and Appanoose, had each
Il large iield improved. the two former on
the right bank of the Des Mones, laying
back from the river, in what is now called
the ''Keokuk Prarie." and the latter, in
opposition to the wishes of the other chiefs.
established his village on the present site
of the city of Ottunwa, and had tieldim-
proved Immediately below, embracing the
site OF the Rail Road Depot. He persisted
in selecting this side of the river for his
residence. in opposition To the expressed
wishes of KeGduk and Wapello, who de-
sired him to settle on the same side with
themselves, and, for this persistence, the
Indians give his place the name of Ot-tum-
wah-noc which, as interpreted by them
selves to the writer, signifies place of
! perseverance or self-will. From this the
| city of Ottumwa derived its name.
The old Indian trading firms established
trading houses under this agency. The
| Messrs. Ewings. of Indiana, selected for
their trading post the site of the farm now
owned by Mr.. Traul, and improved the
| field lying on both sides of the railroad
track. The Messrs. Phelps, of Illinois, es-
| tabliShed their post about one mile below,
at "a place long known as the "Old Garri-
son. These old traders had n competitor
but newly embarked in the Indian trade,
in the person of. p. Eddy, OF Saint Lou
is. who established his post at what is now
| Eddyyille. The two former were the
f;tyorites of Kenkuk's baud and the agen-
cv pets. and the latterwas most favored by
Hard Fish's band--ths chief building his
town in the immediate vicinity of Eddy's
trading house. and the prophet, who ad
hered To this faction, established his town
on the right bank the river, one mile
above. which is now owned by Mr.. Henry
O'Rielly, OF New York.
| The Indians thus circumStanced, were
thrown out of their natural element, and,
no longer accustomed 10 rely on their eX-
er,inn in the chase. looked mainly to their
annuities for sustenance, They became
idle and listIess, and III the absence OF
their natural and wopted eXcitements,