Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1871-08-24
TOLEDO
AND TAMA COUNTY.
Historical and Descriptive
Sketches.
Attractions, Resources, and
Population.
The Town as it Is, and q
Prospective Look into
the Future.
BY c. J. HOPKINS.
BY c. J. HOPKINS.

BY c. J. HOPKINS.
This sketch makes no pretensiona
as an exhaustive treaty on any one Of
the many subjects but it is ss nearly
correct as the information received
can make it. We find it difficult to
give anything in the way Of history
Of the county that has not been writ
ten, and consequently must repe.t
that which may seem some ewhat stale
to many. We have learned much
about the e,rly history Of Toledo
which we think has never before
been written and will give IL to the
readers Of the REPUBLICAN in the
shortest possible space, that we may
z We some attention to the many 9th
er matters that cannot be omitted.
We should say before proceeding
that work like this cannot be en-.
urely correct. and even after spend.
ing many days of arduous labor in
seeking information we are misin-
formed on many subjects and our
work is incomplete. People see the
same occurrence from different stand
points, consequently whatever we
might write would meet with some
fault finders. Then asking at the
outset friendly criticism, we know
the many readers Of the REPUBLICAN
will grant our request and we pro-
ceed to our task feeling in advance a
fricndliness on the part Of all.
Perhaps the first point to be set.
tied ia tho
LOCATION OF rAMA COUNTY.
Lying one county east Of the center
Of the State it is almost IN the center
north and south. It is in :he fifth
tier of counties from the north line Of
the State and the fifth county west
from the Mississippi river. 1t is
bounded on the north by Blackhawk
and Grundy counties, on the east by
Benton, on the south by Poweshiek
and on the west by Marshall and
Grundy. The county is twenty -four
miles wide by thirty long, and con
taius an area Of 46O.S00 acres of land.
1t is sub.dividcd into twenty .onc civil
townships, namely: Buckingham,
Carleton, Carroll, Clark, Columbia,
Crystal, Geneseo, Grant, Highland,
Howard, Indian Village, Oneida, OF.
ter Greek, Perry, Richland, Salt
Creek. Spring Creek, Tama, Toledo,
and York.
We have the first settlement Of
Tama county correctly g7vgh in .
sketch written some years ago by N.
c. Wieting, merchant OF Toledo
and formerly publisher Of the Tule
do Transcript. We find it to be
good authority and copy 1t:
"The first permanent settlement in
tins county was made by Anthony,
William, and Robert Wilkinson with
their mother aud three sisters, who
cmigrated from Coshocton county,
Ohio, and arrived here in October,
1S49. [We hear that this part Of
Mr.. Wleting's sketch is incorrect,
and that others came TO the county
before the Wilkinson Brothers. How
true it is we cannot say.l Anthony
and William had served IN the Mex.
lean war and with their land war.
rants obtained for that service, pur.
chased land Of the Government in
what is now Richland township in
the southeast part of the county
Robert purchased near them at the
same time. About tho same time
Isaac Asher settled on the western
boundary Of the county about two
and q ha1 miles northwest Of what !.
now the village of Indiantown. II
the summer OF 1859 John Duly, Ell
Daily and Anthony Britcher settled
in what is now Indian Village town
ship; also. David, Jacob, aud Lew
Appellate north OF them IN what j,
Carleton township. In the fall o
the Same year, n. 5. Osborn settled
on Wolf Greek in the present town
ship Of Perry, and David Dean it
what il now Buckingham townsh lp
In the tall of this year Christian
Bruner settled upon lands on Dee
Creek in Howard township. In tn,
spring OF 1862, Col. John Connell
Jonas Wood and William Hitchner
settled in what IS now Perry town
ship. Other settlers soon followed
and during the year following th'
county settled up quite rapidly"
Soon after settlements commenced
=
more rapidly in Indian Village town
ship. Among the first settlement
there should be mentioned the name
of N. ]. Blodgett. J. H. Voorhees,
William Taylor, William Houston
Washington Abbott and Isaac But
ler. The FIRST settlers about what i
now Tama City and Toledo wer
John G. VcrmiIya, who was the couu
ty's first Judge, J. H. Hollen, one 0
tho originators Of the town Of Tam,
City, r. A. Redman, B. A. Hal
now living ct Tama City, Judg
Graham, George Carter, John Ross
Myron Blodgett, DR.. Wesley Dau
! iels. and others not remembered"