The Oskaloosa herald., 1904-09-29
EARLY MAHASKA DAYS
Talley's Ford in Scott Township
Laid Out In 1886.

"a, 1876, and the first log cabin in
town was built by Thissell with log
shed ADDITION One room was for a
residence, the addition for a store
room. Mrs. Malinda Thissell being
the first woman to live in the new
town. To her was given the honor of
naming the town, which she named
Bellefountaine, that being the name
of town in Ohio near where she had
resided before moving to Iowa, This
sell opened UP grocery store, the
first store in log addition. The stock
of goods consisted mostly of sugar and
whiskey, he putting in barrel of
each, besides coffee, tobacco and a
few other necessary articles. This
store was a big boom for the settle
ment, Eddyville having been the clos
est point, sixteen miles, where set
tiers had to go to get groceries and
provisions. All goods were hauled
with teams one hundred and thirty
miles from Keokuk, which was the
nearest point where goods could be
obtained, as roads were bad, having
never been worked. 1t frequently
took from two to three weeks to make
the round trip. Luckily Thissell own
ed a three-horse team of his own and
did all his own hauling, thus he rarely
ever was out of goods that the settlers
were in need of.
In the same year, 1916, Joseph Tai
ley built and put in operation a ferry
boat which did away with the method
necessarily adopted prior to this date,
of swimming the teams across the riv-
er and transporting wagons piece by
piece with skiffs and canoes. The fer
ry boat was operated with oars and
poles, it taking considerable skill, but
the genuine pioneer was equal to the
occasion. William Morris was the
first blacksmith to locate and build a
shop in the town. DR.. Brady was the
first doctor. He soon afterwards
formed partnership with DR.. Bayer,
the firm name being Bayer & Brady,
The first school taught in Scott
township and in the town was sub.
scription school taught by John
Thompson, in a log cabin that Eli Leg.
git built near the river on the east
side of tht1street near west end OF
where the ris,f bridge is now located,
by settlers paying so much per schol
| ar and the teacher boarding around
| with the scholars. Father being Sc
Iected to act as treasurer, Thompson
made out each settlers bill for teach
ing and left it with him for settlers
to pay. give here copy Of the
original bill which have to show the
comparison of the amount paid tc
teachers then in 1S4S and now.
j. E. Utter, DR., to Jacob Dough
man, Ut. .............. -. IS. 0t
John Thompson, for schooling E. 1928
R. Garden for schooling ...-.... 3.91
q 5000
There was only at that time the
three families ina the settlement who
had childrL-. lend to school. BY
| adding up the amount each one owed
| the teacher, it amounted to 5000
Mr.. Thompson taught three months
| for the above amount. He received
| $3.50 2-3 per month and board. In
| the next year, 184S, neighbors dubbed
| together and built nice hewed log
school house with puncheon floor, desks
and seats. A man named Goosemar
| taught the seLond subscription school
| and a good one. He was well quail
tfieG, a fine penman and an expert in
making goose quill pens, they being
the only kind of pens in use. Those
were happy school days, spelling
school once a week, and on Christmas
morning the larger scholars getting
up early would go to the school house
and shut the teacher out, barricadins
the door and would not let him in un
til he agreed to treat to the candy.
The second built in Scott township
was built in the Howard settlement
on the southeast corner OIL william
| Garretson's claim near r. V. Clark's
cabins, called Buzzard Roost schoo
house. Why it was named BuzzarC
Roost school is query to some of us
| old settlers.
There was very pleasant custom
here in early days Of the boys getting
together on Christmas eve and goinG
from house to house serenading, using
our squirrel rifles, tin pans, horse fld
die and dumb-bells. The latter TIVE
instruments were homemade.
you should want to know how the!
are made and what they look like. asl
some old settler, as / have not thu
time or space to spare to give detail.
of the mechanical construction o
either but can youch for their eficien
cy in noise-producing. The neignbor!
always gave us a cordial greeting, in
viting us in and treating us to pi,
and cake.
1