Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-23

Geo. G. Duffield, close friend of Judge
Wright and other prominent men of
southeastern Iowa. From there we
went six or seven miles east to the
house of William Savage. farmer,
who makes specially of painting
birds in water colors. He has re-
markable collection of 800 to 400 Iowa
birds that seem to me to be as good as
those of John James Audubon. Saw
age is go years old and knows as much
of woodcreft as Thoreau John Bur
roughs. His collection is one the state
certainly ought to own.
From there we went back to the
Des Moines river and visited Aaron w.
Harlan, who lives short distance be-
low the decayed hamlet of Croton.
Harlan is SO years old, and has been
prominent and important character
in that section of Iowa. He was ca
noe man and fatboat man in early
times. He and his friends once loaded
a fiatboat at Keosauqua with pork and
other pioneer products and took it to
New Orleans, sold out, and returned
by steamboat. He never smoked or
drank, though he lived among a rough
population, and his complexion is as
clear as that of achild. He has world
of information on early times, and was
a friend of Judge l.. Wright, Sam
Clark, and men of that kind.
He served in the Mexican and the
civil wars, and is one of the foremost
characters in my opinion that is left in
southeastern Iowa"
Many Characters of Interest.
Mr. Aldrich then told of visiting
Croton on the Des Moines river, on the
border between Iowa and Missouri, and
described scenes of the region of the
famous battle of Athens. From there,
Keosauqua was visited. Mr.. Aldrich
says this locality abounds in interest
ing characters and that it would be
a great field for Octave Thanet. He
stayed one night at the home of Geo,
c. Duffield, one of the builders of the
Iowa Agricultural society, and pho
neer who knew Blackhawk and Keo
kuk we'll
Following this, Mr.. Aldrich and
Messrs. Duffield and Harlan started
for Eldon and passed the old site OF
the decayed town of Iowaville and
hunted up Black Hawks grave. eve
met a young man who has an Interest
in the real estate" said Mr.. Aldrich
land he knew within an acre or two
where the chiefs grave was located
We went to the place and hunted about
for time, and finally found pile o.
stones that unquestionably mark the
spot of the burial Relic hunters have
carried away nearly everything. There
ought to be a permanent monument
erected by the state on this site, and
Mr.. Harlan is undertaking movement
to have this done. The site is just of
the Upper end of the old town of Iowa
vile, and about two and half miles
from Eldon."
Mr.. Aldrich says but two or three
old houses are left of the once flourish
ing river town of Iowaville. He brought
back a collection of relics for the de
partment, including stone axes and {
part of the femur of a mastodon.
Portrait of John B. SayIor.
Charles Saylor, with his father, Wis
| tied the state historical departm ent
yesterday and left with Mr. Aldrich {
| fine portrait of John B. Saylor. TIL
latter came to Iowa in 1886, settle,
near Iowaville, and came to De-
Moines township in 1874. He settle,
| in Saylor township, and lost his ilf
in the civil war. He was the father 0
T. ]. Saylor and the grandfather 0
Charles Saylor.