Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-07-26
FIRSTLlNCS IN IOWA HISTORY
Davenport Gazette, Centennial Extra.

Inc lrst known settlement in Iowa
of Il white man was that of Julien
Dubuque, in l7SS, on the site of the
city which now bears his name. lie
died in 1910. Louis Honori settled
on the present site of Montrose in
1899, where he remained until 1905.
The first settlement in Lee county
was made in 1928.
Col. George Davenport made the
first land claim, where the city bear
ing his name now stands, soon after
the treaty with the Indians in 1882.
As early as 1927 he established a fiat
boat ferry between the Island and the
Iowa shore, for the purpose of carry
ing on trade with the Indians.
The first settlers of Davenport were.
Antoine lie Claire, Col. Davenport,
Major Thomas Smith, Major VIM
Gordon, Philip Hambough, Alexander
w. McGregor, Levi S. Cotton, Capt.
James May, and others.
In Clayton county the first settle
ment was made in the spring of 1882,
on Turkey river, 10y Robert Hatfield
and VIM. Wayman. No further set
tlcment was made in this part of the
State till the beginning of 1886.
In that portion of the Territory
now known as Muscatine county. set
Elements were made in 1884 bv Ben
jamin Nyc, Jno. Vawatcr, and G.. w.
kascv, who were the first settlers.
d. e. Fay, William St. John, N. Full
lington, ii. Reece, Iowa Pettibone, II.
P. Lowe, Stephen Whicher, Abijah
Whiting, j. E. Fletcher, w. ID. Aber-
nathy, and Alexis Smith were early
settlers of Muscatine.
The first woman who came to this
part of the Territory with view to
permanent residence, was Mrs. No
bic +. Dean, in the fall of 1882. and
she is still living, in the enjoyment of
good health.
1t is claimed that Margaret Still
well, now Mrs. Ford, was the first
white American child born i'm the ter
ritory embraced within the limits of
Iowa. She was born where Keokuk
now stands, in 1881.
Puck-a-che-tnck was the euphoni-
Gus name of the Indians for the low
er rapids of the Mississippi.
The first Governor of Iowa. dis
tinctively from Wisconsin. was Rob-
ert Lucas, who was appointed by
President Van Buren,.
The first Governor of Iowa, as a
State, was Ansel Briggs.
Charles Mason of Des Moines conn
ty, was the first Chief Justice of Iowa.
He was appointed under the Terrific
rial Government, and resigned in
1888.
Jabez A. Birchard, of Scott county.
was the first representative of Scott
and Clinton counties in the Territori-.
al Legislature which met at Burline-
ton in 1888.
At the date of the admission of To-
wa as state into the Union il had
twcnty-seven organized counties, and
a population of about 100000.
The first mass of the Roman Cath
olic church i'm the Territory was cel-c
ebrated at Dubuque, in the house O
Patrick Quigley, i'm the fall of 1898
The first Methodist society in the
Territory was formed at Dubuque.
on the 18th of May, 1884, and the first
class meeting was held June 1st of
that year.
The first meeting house was built
by the Methodist Episcopal church, |
ut Dubuque, in 1884.
The first church bell brought into
Iowa was in March, 1884.
The first school house in the Terri
tory was erected by the Dubuque
miners in 1888.
The first newspaper in Iowa was
the Dubuque Visitor, issued May IL,
1886; John King, afterward Judge
King, was editor, and William &.
Jones, printer.
The first sale of lots at Iowa CITY.
which had been designated as the fn-
ture capitol of the Territory of Iowa,
was made on the 10th of August, 1886.
The capitol had arrived at state of
completion to permit ses-
slons of the Legislature in 1912.
The city of Des Moines was de-
clared the permanent capital of the
State on the 18th of October, 1857. by
proclamation of Governor Grimes.
From lS46 to 1868, Iowa had two
representatives in the lower House
OF Congress; from 1863 to 1873, six.
Since 1873 her representation has
been nine.