The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1876-07-20

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being put on up and down: the,
were sometimes occupied for month
without batting or plastering; tn
occupants suffered much from the in
tenscly cold winds, which prcvailet
unobstructed in those early days
The only barns were formed by plant
ing forked sticks in the ground witt
poles for rafters and covered witt
slough hay, the sides being sheetet
with the same material, or straw, b,
leaning up poles and piling the ha,
or straw up on them; often the side
were formed by stacks os hay o
straw.
In 1851 the society Of Friends bull
near Springdale, the first meeting
house in the township, and it is sale
to have been the first in Cedar coun
ty. The house was built of grave
with cement roof, and answered al
q place OF worship for number 0
years. There were only few fam
lies at that time, and the worshiper
often came to meeting in the middle
OF the week just as they left thei
work--bare-fo footed, and without Goa
or vest; and it was no un usual thing
for families to come in wagon drawn
by oxen. Su n were some of the
characteristics Of those early days.
In this same year, a number o
families settled in the northwestern
part Of the township. Some of these
were Jos. X. Quaintance, Isaiah Nor
ris and Samuel King. Within thu
next two years came VIM. Townsend
Samuel Abbott, Eli Hoover, Jas
Townsend, Thos. Darlington, and
Joseph Steer. The first Post Office
and grocery were kept by Samue
King in his house. Joseph Stec'
was the first to engage in genera
merchandising. Jas. Townsend KEEP
the Travellers Rest, where many
weary traveller found repose and re
freshment.
One great impediment which tn,
carly settlers encountered, was tht
soft and miry condition Of the slough'
in many places. They were bottom
less SO far as was known at that time;
most of them were without channels
and the water spread out over the
entire bottom. Where there were
channels, the only bridges were oi
poles and went down stream every
heavy rain, and had to be hunted up
and carried back by hand, as teams
could not get to them.
A favorite amusement of the early
settlers along the Davenport and
Iowa City road, was in pulling cmi-
grants out of these sloughs. On one
occasion man was improving farm
and had been to the timber and
hauled IS green oak rails with three
yoke Of oxen. Coming out on the
prairie his wagon went down to the
axletrees, the oxen to their briskets
and the mau-well, about this time a
neighbor who lived about four miles
off, came along the road and shouted:
"You will never get out of there in
this world" The answer went back
81 will in the next then.'' 1t is gen.
orally supposed that he made his es.
cape.
The first settlers in Centerdale,
were John Smith in 1852, and John
and James Ball and Ell Head in
1854. The civil Township was or
ganized in 1858. Formerly all ol
Cedar county on this side the Cedar
river was called Iowa Township
Springdale township, when organized
included two-thirds of what is now
Cover Township and tor some two
years after when Cover was organ
lied. The first officers were Justices
Of the peace-Thos. James and Jos.
Chase; Constable - Levi Coppoc:
Trustees-Moses Varney and Samuel
Macy; Clerk-Emmor Rood; Asses.
sor-J. H. Painter; Supervisors-A
B. Cornwall, John Head, Jos. K
Quaintance, Jas Frame and VIM.
Thompson. This election was held
in April, 1852, at the Springdale Post
Office.
The first mail facilities for this
region was a hack line in 1850, run.
ming from Davenport to Iowa City
operated by George Albin and af-
terwards by Joseph Albin. Thi:
line was run by them for about twen
ty-one years.
There were many pleasant Incl
dents in these early days. Two
brothers came, one a year before
the other. When the second arrived
the other one who came first told
him the first thing be would wan
was cross cut saw and grubbine
hoe; No. 2 purchased them at the
first opportunity that offered. The,
settled out on the prairie many mile.
from timber, and not even a haze
brush to grub. Notwithstanding tht
country was SO new, the sharper'
were here also. An individual cam,
along and proposed to find coal 70
the settlers if they would furnisl
him $25, claiming he had seen indi
cetions that led him strongly to thinl
! there was an abundance Of that val