Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-12-24
Something About Former Move.
ment for Iowa Canal.
Gu EME WAS KILLED BY POLITICS
Extracts From Address Made by Hon.
c. c. Nourse at Philadelphia Cen.
tenniaI in Regard to the Matter
Prominent Men Interested.

MONIES, relative to the establishment
of canal along the course of the Des
Moines river, from Keokuk to Des
Moines, for the purpose of transport
ing goods between these points at a
much lower rate than that furnished
by the railways at present owing to
the fact that the freight rates are
made to apply only to Mississippi river
points.
Never is an enterprise of any kind
fostered but there are some who OPP
pose it and call it impractlcable or
have other argument against it's being
carried out. The Des Moines river
canal scheme is meeting with the
same reception that hundreds of 9th
er plans have met, but has not by any
means been given up.
The movement to construct the ca
nal brings to the minds of many an old
citizen another similar movement that
was started over half century ago
by public spirited Iowans. A refer
ence TO it is pertinent at this time
and will be interesting since the pro-
motors have all since passed away.
From the address delivered by Hon.
c. c. Nourse, at the Philadelphia Cen
tennial exposition, September Z, 1876,
the following extracts are taken:
Some History.
"The most valuable lessons are
those learned in the school of expert
ence. In 1886 congress made grant
to the state of the alternate sections
of land five miles in width on each
side of the Des Moines river, for the
Improvement thereof by means of
slack water from the mouth of Rae
coon Forks. In 1S47 the state organ
lied a board OF public works and pro-
ceeded to sell the lands and let con-
tracts for the building Of locks and
dams. In 1854 but little real progress
had been made in the work, but the
state had sold nearly all or the lands
of the grant below the Raccoon Forks,
and $4,000 acres above it, and had in
Cured an Indebtedness of $4,000 ov-
er and above the proceeds of safes.
In June, 1854, a board of state commits
sioners contracted with the Des
Moines Navigation and Railroad COM
pany, an organization composed prin-
cipally of New York capitalists. to I'M
dertake the work and pay off the
debt, agreeing to convey to the com.
pany lands at sips an acre for all
moneys advanced and expended In
the meantime difficulties arose in re-
gard to the extent of the ground. The
state claimed lands throughout the
whole extent of the river to the north
line of the state. The department of
the interior changed its rulings under
the several administrations. The
commissioner of the general land of
hce certified to the state about 800
600 acres of land below the Raccoon
Fork of the river, and about 100000
acres above it prior to 1857 when he
refused TO certify any more. This led
to settlement and compromise with
the Navigation company, in 1858,
whereby the company took all the land
certified to the state at that date, and
paid the state $4,000 in addition to
what they had already expended,
Cancelled their contract and abandon
ed the work. The general assembly
granted to the Des Moines Valley
Railroad company the remainder of
the grant to the state line, to aid in
building a railroad up and along the
Des Moines valley; and congress in
1862 extended the grant. by express
state.
Board Created.
"On February 5, 1S47, the leg.
islature of Iowa passed an act Great.
ing a board of public works, and pro.
Vlding for the improvement of the Des
Moines river. The board consisted of
president, secretary and treasurer.
who were to be elected by the quail
fled electors Of the state, the presi-
dent to be the active agent of the
work. The officers were required to
commence the work On the MISSISSIPPI
pi. near keokuk, at the !nouth OF Dead
slough, or of the Nassau slough, and
then up the slough tc the river. And
subsequently the work was commenc-
ed by undertaking to dig canal from
the mouth of Nassau slough to St.
Francisville, Mo. the first place on
the river where it was thought practi-
cable to build a dam. About $15OOOO
was expended in the efforts, says an
olu writer, out the attempt proved an
impracticable undertaking. the work
of digging the canal was abandoned.
First President Elected.
Az -lne August eleCtlOn, lS11. Hugh
W. Sample, then accredited to Jeffer-
son county, was elected the first pres
ident. He commenced the wholesale
grocery business in keokuk with the
late A. l.. Connable in 1S45, though he
did not move his family there from
Fairfield until 1S49 Charles Crockery
of Dubuque county was elected secre-
tary and Paul Braton, of Van Buren,
counIy, treasurer. These officers were
qualified and first established their of
fees at Fairfield. Samuel w. Curtis,
then Of Ohio, who afterwards became
a citizen of Keokuk and prominent in
the civil war, was elected by the board
as chief engineer. Very little was
done that season except making sur
veys. The survey having been COM
pleted the work commenced in the
spring of 1S48. The canal and three
dams We're put unuer contract and
about 500 hands were put to work. A
geological survey had been ordered
and party was employed to go up the
Des Moines river and explore it to it's
source. The geologist made flatter-
ing report of the coal fields; indica-
tons that heavy deposits of iron ex-
listed; OF gypsum in abundance, form
alif 4