Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-11-16
EARIY IOWA 1NnrANa

IN an interesting historical address
Sunday evening at the Congregational
church In Burlington Rev. DIR. salter
spoke as follows in regard to the early
Iowa Indians:
The Aboriginees, whom the first dis
coverers OF Iowa found here, roamed
about in small and scattered bands and
We're in the lowest stage OF savagery.
Students of Indian history make this
distinction between savagery and bar
bartsm, that savages know nothing OF
h art OF pottery or use Of stone or
adobe In building. That was the condi-
tion OF the aboriginees Of Iowa. Neither
knew they how to construct chimney.
They had no arts or trades. Their only
tools or implements were shells, fish
bones. the bones and sinews OF animals.
and clubs or spears of wood. Their
clothing was OF skins OF animals, which
they decorated with bears claws. The
only skill or genius Of construction they
displayed was In their light and grace
full canoes OF birch bark, which were,
aside from Journeys on foot, their only
mode OF transportation. The rivers
were their highways. They had no
horses. cows, sheep. pigs or chickens.
They knew not the use of milk as food.
They had no wax, oil or iron.
The bands Of Illinois and Missouri
Indians who were found upon the Des
Moines and Mississippi at the time Of
the dtscovery OF Iowa, soon returned
east OF the Mississippi. For $50 years
after Marquette. the country remained
a favorite hunting GROUND for different
tribes. Chief among them were the
Iowas. the Sioux and Mlssouri's, the
Ohios. the Omahaws and the Pawnees.
The Sacs and Foxes came later, after
they had been severely worsted in wars
with the French and other tribes in the
region OF the lakes and OF Green Bay,
when they came in the latter part OF
the eighteenth century to the banks Of
the Mississippi. The idea OF their own
ing Iowa by long hereditary possession
or by right OF conquest is fabulous.
Banda OF them came and established a
few villages because they found the
land deserted OF its previous occupants
and 1t was open before them. The idea
OF a title to land or OF land purchase
was an incongruity foreign to an In
dian mind. To him land was free as
air or sunlight and no more subject to
bargain or sale. When We speak Of In
dams selling their land, Of our people
buying their land, we speak wholly
from the standpoint Of the white man
from the language OF what We call
civilization. and in fact OF what Is the
beginning OF civilization.
BY the treaty OF Paris (1763) this re-
gion fell to Spain. But the Spanish
government neye interferedf with the
Indians who were here. It only
granted licenses to a few traders in
furs and made two small grants OF land
on the banks Of the Mississippi to
traders, one In what Is Lee county, at
Montrose, the other in Clayton county.
With the Louisiana purchase by
President Jefferson In 1908. what ID
Iowa fell to the United States. Lewis
and Clark passed along our western
border in 1904, and Lieut.. Pike along
our eastern border in 1905. In the war
of 1912 with Great Britain the sacs and
Foxes took the Britain side and at
tackled and burned Fort Madison.
which the United States had built in
1908. After the close OF that war the
different Indian tribes in this region
made treaties OF peace and friendship
with the United States, and. tho they
had wars with one another no serious
disturbance with the United States
arose until the Black Hawk Wal OF
1892. Black Hawk was the leader Of
what was known az the British band"
in distinction from the peace party OF
which Keokuk wal chief, The Black
Hawk war terminated In his utter route
and defeat and In q treaty by which q
long strip Of our territory was thrown
open to settlement by the white peo-
Pile on and after the hrst day Of June.
1884. Then began the transformation OF
y soil from III savage w~ildernses to
cultivated nsld1 ana GOLDEN harveSts,
harm bursfinE Win abundanss, Ii
scaioola ia cturches and 70 CIT q
sfatr sea9Wn. 9.. S#s