Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-10-09
Early Times in Richland Township.

at the Old Settlers reunion In
Strawberry Point today:
Fifty-one years ago last June,
when but a boy six years of age, /
crossed the Father of Waters to its
Western shore and commenced my
life work in this great trans-Missis.
sippi region. We came from New
York state, travelling from Buffalo
TO Chicago on a steamboat, and from
Chicago to Delaware county in what
was then called prairie schooner.
My father and his little family
made their first stop in Richland
township, at the home of j. b. Ives,
on Section %. At that time there
were no railroads in Delaware coun-
ty, but on December 10th of the
next year, 1857, the Dubuque and
Sioux City railroad ran its first train
into Earlville, then called Noting
ham, and that place remained the
western terminus of the line for
about two years.
Our first Iowa home was log cab.
in on the outer edge of the little
settlement that clustered about the
Campton postoffice. To the South
and West Of where we lived, a tree
less, uninhabited prairie stretched
away as far as the eye could see.
The race of red men had already
disappeared, leaving only a few
stone arrow heads and their name
upon the county's principal river to
evidence prior occupation. From
the bosom of these rolling prairies
have seen groves of trees stand up,
and farm, and railroads, and towns
leap forth, and so change the face Of
nature that if the Indian lover could
return from his Happy Hunting
Ground, he would be unable to rec.
ognize the land in which he wooed
r and won his dusky maiden.
t As near as I can learn, the history
, of Richland township commenced
January 9th, 1851. On that date
the County commissioners establish
3 ed its boundaries and gave it it
n name. But there were some settler
e in township 80, North of range 6
, West of the 9th P. NJ, prior to 1851
In lS47 William Turner built
saw-mill on the Maquoketa wher
J. Forestville was afterwards located
!. and ] think Mr.. Turner was the frs
settler in the township. In earl
. times there was road establishe
. from Turner's Mill to Collins Grove
IS and in March, 1852, the Count
y Court located a road from Forest
10 vile, by way Of Acersville to Delhi
3. but think Lightning Street wa
;. the best known highway in tn
township for many years. Thi
II thoroughfare commenced at Georg
n Hawley's place in Section 20 an
d extended westward to Wards Coz
n ners, now the thriving town of L;
. mont in Buchanan county. Alon
u, , this street in the early ffties we,
is the homes of George Hawley, w. /
Smith, E. S. Cowles. Mark and A
den Whitney, John Tickner, Hiral
ar Bond, Beeley Ward, and probsbl
=. others whose names | do not no
"a recall. And on the prairie to til
Southwark of this notable thorough
fare were the homes of the kenyon
Smith, Hadley, Carr, Schultz, an
m Preussner families. To the Nortl
8 ward lived the ROSES, the Sheldon
a the Densmores, the Davises an
d others, and taken as whole the
were tolerant, energetic and Law
abing community.
~ s. r. Reynolds was one of the fir
d settlers in the township, and b
le home was the first voting place
81 the township. H. D. Wood settle
H. on Section 26 in lS4S. Mr.. Turn
opened the first store in the tow
" ship in 1850 at Forestville,s and Il
,e first postoffice in the township W
established at that place in lS5
i. with VIM. Turner as postmaster.
"a At the first election in the tow
If ship in 1852, VIM. Turner and S.
fl Reynolds were elected justices of Il
ID peace; John Lee, William Smit
m and George Hart, trustees; Andre
L. Ginger, clerk; and A. L. Cling
and George Hart, constables.
:, In 1852 Daniel Leonard bougl
- Turner's Mill and claim, and cor
- menced to boom the town. TIL
&, e year the first tavern in the tow
~ ~ ship was built at Forestville. An
~. the next year Mr.. Leonard built
:; grist-mill near the saw-mill, and fl
~ a number of years thereafter Fores
=; vile was one Of the thriving tow
of the county.
Well can l remember the terrib
winter of lS57-lS5S. The snow WI
n. deep and covered with thick cru
r. Of ice. That was the winter whe
rs the deer and elk were exterminate
le' in Iowa. The sharp hoofs of the an
IN y, mails cut through the crust, whit
9li was strong enough to hold up Il
~ hunters and their dogs. Under SUE
10 conditions the unfortunate ANNA
OF were helpless. And that was Il
oP winter when Mr.. Schultz and h
gu son were frozen to death Til,
n were visiting at the Preussncr hon
ne a mile east Of their own place, an
go the day was SO mild that the b.
nj did not even have his coat with hir
ne q, Toward evening the storm cor
III menced and they started home, b
lost their way and persisted befo
the searching parties found then
Its The father put his coat on the bc
lst and tried to save the boys life
"a the expense OF his own, but witho
ISIS avail.
I'd M. 0. Walkers stage line fro
Ike Dubuque to St. Paul changed
Is: Eastern terminus to Dyersville