The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-07-20

Methodist Divine, by the name OF
Hesswood held religious services at In
diantown as early as July, 1862, in the
different cabins of its settlers, but mace
no regular organization.
SECRET ORGANIZATIONS.
The first Lodge of Free and Accepted
Masons," was organized at Jndiantown.
Their dispensation was received August
4th, 1857. Their charter was received
June End, 1858. and called polar Star
Lodge, No. 49," Their charter members
were W. G. Salisbury, w. NJ; Charles
Gray, Jr., S. W; S. Cronk, j. w.
The second Lodge of Masons was or.
ganized at Toledo, and received their dis
pensation October 18th, 1857. Their char
ter was received June Bird, 1868, charter
members were Lafayette Cheney, W. NJ;
S. NJ. Wadlsy, S. W G. NJ. Fox, j. W;
Joseph Powell, II. A. Williams and ]. B.
Louthan were among the charter men,
bers. Lewis Merchant was the first can
didate to take degrees in the Toledo lodge.
Hiram of Tyre lodge, No. sO3 at lama
City received its dispensation, December
goth, 1866, and charter was granted
| June 5th, 1867.
MARKETS, sc.
The coming 10 new county neecssitat.
ed the settlers to depend on distant mar
ket, until ground could be broken and
fenced and their crops planted. And
most all of the settlers being poor in purse,
they could make but small beginnings.for
several years. and had to purchase their
supplies of flour bacon, &C., from the
older towns.
The nearest market for those in north
ern Tama was Cedar Rapids, Muscatine
and Iowa City, and the same places were
frequented by nearly all OF the settlers in
the county, who made these trips, gener-
ally occupying week, camping out and
making their own bridges or floating their
wagons over streams and carrying their
supplies over their backs, and so on until
they reached their homes, where they
were met by friends and generously di-
vided their loads, until they sometimes
had but scanty supply left for their own
families. This they did until some one
else returned with more supplies and thus
they lived and acted for years: almost as
one family, sharing the last morsel and
making room for one more weary one to
rest on their cabin floors and permitting
no one to go away without fully sharing
their humble, but generous hospitality.
To be generous under these circumstances
was fulfilling the true meaning of the
word. For great hardships and sutferings
were endured ON many of these trips, for
sometimes they were made i'll mid winter
by our settlers. Frozen limbs frequently
attested their labors aud sometimes death,
while the anxiety of these who remained
in their cabins awaiting the return of those
who went out, sometimes became painful
with suspense and frequently their worst
fears were realized. But such good feel
ing has never been cXcelled and the
strongest bond of sympathy existed. To
refuse favor was then unknown but to
render one WAS the first impulse of their
hearts.
After a few years, stores were opened
and better facilities were offered to pur-
chase, but it was long time before they
had home market at which TO sell their
grains.
SAC AND FoEX INDIANS.
a history of the county cannot be COM
plete without casual notice of the In
dams who were found here occupying the
soil by our first settlers.
The original tribe wele called "Sacs and
Foxes of the Mississippi" and &C :upi d
formerly large tract of land in the States
of Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin In
1916 they numbered 241S souls. They
were once famous for their prowess il
war. Tile inst treaty with the tribe 10
on Novembet 3rd, 1904 2nd treaty, DC
tober 2lst, 1887 and 3rd treaty, Oct der
l4th, 1912. They were removed from
these States by virtue of treaty slipula
tons to q reservation within the preseat
boundaries of the State of Kansa ). After
remaining in Kansas awhile tI.cy ce,le.l
all their lands in the years 1859 and 1853
to the Government for the lands now nc-
cupied as a rcservat'o on for original tribe
| Three hundred and seventeen Intlians of
this tribe after their removal returned to
Iowa and settled in Tama county and
have received the misnomer ofs'Nffsauas
les" The Government permitted them to
remain and by virtue of an act passed
March End, 1867, they are permitted 10 re-
ceive their share of the tribal funds, which
is the interest only on the amount due
them from the Government for their
lands. This branch ofthe Sacs and Foxes
own 419 acres of land, purchased with
their annuity and held IN trust for them,
situated in lama township, and BOW oc-
cupied by them RS their home The
strongest local attachments exist among
them for their present home, it being the
home Of their fathers. They cannot for
get the past with all Of its ASSOCIATE ions
and will never consent to remove from
their present place. They have from the
earliest moment been friendly to our set
tiers and while no marked degree of civil
ization has followed them lowing in a
measure to no particular effort in their
behalf in the past,) yet they are q peace
full, honest, and contentcd people possess
ed with good degree of moral character
and have brighter out look for the fu-
ture.
CRIMES, &C.
| lama county has not had many marked
scenes of violence and crimes, which is a
good feature to record; but like all new
counties where the laws were in embryo,
and the powers within feeble to enforce,
passion, ayarice and wrong would some
times break over the law and leave q dark
stain on our history
In the mid-winter of 1857, the settlers of
northern Tama, in Buckingham township
were startled by the exposure of cold
blooded murder of a young boy, who was
brought to that neighborhood by two
men. One of them was German by the
name of Olleslaugher and the other NAM
ed Butler, who was man of more than
ordinary education and attainments, and
a professional lawyer They occupied a
small cabin and the three lived together.
They came from Cincinnati, Ohio, here.
They caroused and drank and spent their
time in cruelty abusing the boy. One