Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-05-08
The Oldest Iowa Settler Living
Now q Resident Of Des Moines.

The reporter of the State Register
has dug up the oldest Iowa man, now
living, at Des Moines. The folio W ing
is his history:
His name is Chas. I. Olmstead, and
he is now y years of age. He was
the first white man now living that
ever ate meal of victuals on Iowa
soil, He started from Buffalo, N. Y,
in the spring of 1926, in company with
several others who were seeking
homes in the Far West. They went
to Detroit, Mich, and from that place,
then only small trading station, they
took the "Lady Of the Lake," COM
manded by Capt. Walker, and went
to Green Bay, Wisconsin. Here they
bought bark canoe of the Indians
and started up the Fox river for the
Red Mines, where Fort Winnebago
used to stand. They carried the ca.
noe over land and set it in the Wis
consin river. Going back after the
goods, they placed them again in the
canoe and went down the Wisconsin
river to the Mississippi, which stream
they followed until they came to the
place now known as Dubuque. This
was in the spring of 1926. When
they landed in their bark canoe al
Dubuque they found but three white
men-Abram p. Van Meter, David
Bates and Jessie Shull. These men
were smelling lead ore ON little
island opposite the site where now
stands the Julien House. They are
long since dead, together with those
Of the expedition named above, leav-
ing Mr.. Olmstead the oldest pioneer
now alive.
HISTORICAL FACTS.
Mr.. Olmstead says the first post
master in that section of inhabited
country, comprising the present cities
Of Dubuque and Galena, and sur.
rounding country, was Mr.. David
Bates, who kept the postofiice in the
top story of large tell-crowned hat
which limited quarters he maintained
for three years. The mail was mol
very extensive, and Mr.. Bates found
NO trouble in carrying it all in the tor
Of his everyday hat.
The first newspaper published in
the Northwest was the Miner, called
by some the "eight by ten." 1t wa
published by Mr.. John Turney, q
Galena. The first preacher was Z
Presby terian by the name Of Kent
The first three doctors were DIR. Phi
10, Q surgeon, DIR. Crow and DR.. New
bold. The first log school house II
the Northwest was built on Shulls
burg branch, out of ash poles from
six to eight inches in diameter, and i
was In this rude and diminutive struc
ture'that Mr.. Olmstesd first received
schooling in the West-being thel
twenty years of age.
In the following spring-1827-th'
Winnebago war broke out. The In
dians were headed by Red Bird, who
Mr.. Olmstead says, was the mos
stately, symmetrical and majesti
warrior he ever saw. The war wa
of but short duration, and peac
blessed the pioneers until 1882, whel
war was again declared with re
newed and increased desperation
against every white being in the re
gion of country known as Iowa, Iii
nois and Wisconsin. In this war MI
Olmstead was an active and brav
soldier. He was In all the prominen
battles, and was wounded three dii
fel ent times in three different battle
His wounds were very severe, and b
carries an arm now almost useless, th
elbow having been shot away by
bullet from an Indians rifle. He 70
, the gauntlet from Elixabethtown I