Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-07-24
Van Bnren's Home-C Coming Week
Will Bring Many Not
able Sons
PIONEERS EASTERN BANkRuPTs
Prominent Families Hit by Panic Of
1887 Came West to Recoup Fortunes
George D. Wright and Other Pio-
neers Have Attained Fame and
Wealth in West.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to es-Republican.
Des Moines, July 24.-Van Buren,
county Is to hold homecoming" on
August IL and 10. In very many re-
spects Van Buren, county stands In its
relation to the state of Iowa much as
the state Of Vermont stood to the en-
tire United States. This relation may
not consist entirely in paraphrase OF
the saying of an eminent statesman
that vermont is a good state to emil
CRATE from provided you emigrate
early enough" but much like Vermont
many Of the greatest men in Iowa and
the west at one time lived in Van Bur
en- county. And what can be said of
Van Buren, county can be said Of Keo-
sauqua tho there were other towns in
the county in those early days that
were striving for the leadership.
When the real history Of the west
is written and written right. Van Bur
en- county will have proper place in
its pages. It was, simply a combna-
ton of circumstances that forced Van
Buren, county to consider its greatness
as a Renaissance rather than a realt-
ty. Part of Van Buren, county's great
ness was due to the panic OF 1887
which bankrupted some Of the bluest
blooded families of the east. In 1882
the government made the BlackhaWk
purchase which was a strip Of land SO
miles wide just west of the Mississippi
in Iowa.
&, Travel In those early days was by
wagon road or by river transportation.
There were but two industries of any
consequence and they were transpor-
tation and agriculture. Down the Ohio
river and UP the Mississippi or the
Missouri was one line of travel by
boat Across the country by well de-
fined wagon roads led to frontier
points. They converged at Rock Island
and Burlington and st. Louis. Yves!
from Rock Island and Burlington they
led thru Van Buren, county.
When the panic of 1887 left the east
ern families bankrupt many Of them
with their sons and daughters pushed
west to get a new start. Coming up
the Mississippi they pushed into Iowa
by going up the Des Moines river. If
the south line of the state of Iowa is
extended east to the Mississippi river
it forms a three cornered, tract which
was known as the half breed track.
The land titles in that tract were very
cloudy and as land ownership was the
main thing the young men pushing
west did not stop there. Van Buren,
county was the next and the first
county in which the land titles were
good and there scores Of young men
of education and ability, descendants
of the best families of the east, To-
Gated. They made Van Buren, county.
They settled there many of them to
await the opening of the rest Of the
western country, and especially the
rest Of the state of Iowa. For while
Van Buren, county was the first coun-
ty in which the land titles were clear
it was also the last on the frontier
that was open for settlement.
The next step in the history of Van
Buren, county was when the rest Of the
state Of Iowa was opened for settle
ment: The great middle section of the
state Of Iowa extending as far west as
Carroll and Ringgold counties and as
far north as Webster and Black Hawk
counties, was ceded to the government
by the Indians in 1912 and the build
ing Of the railroads soon left Van
Buren, county out Of the main line Of
travel. The opening Of the rest Of the
country and the building of the rail-
roads gradually drew the best Of the
young men away from Van Buren,
county. Keosauqua once a famous and
important frontier town which pre-
sumed to be ambitious to be the capt.
tai Of the state. Is now one of the min
or and inconspicuous towns Of the
state.
On those early days there lived in
Van Buren, county George D. Wright
state and afterwards Judge and was
the father of Tom Wright, attorney for
the Rock Island railroad and of Car
roll Wright who 10 now attorney
for the Rock Island. Chauncey G. Dbl
Bile, of Pennington in the same
county was a representative to the
Third general assembly He defeated
Judge Wright for the place and after
wards Judge Wright married his
daughter.
Senator Billy Mason, Of Illinois, and
Ed Mason, of this city, who has been
clerk Of the U. 8. court for thirty-six
years and his brothers lived in that
county. Judge c. c. Nourse one of the
greatest lawyers In the west, Judge p
M. Casady, Charles w. Schram who is
councilman of Des Moines under the
new commission plan and whose father
was in the legislature came from there
with his father. Capt. Twombly, one
time state treasurer; DR.. B. F. Elderly,
who was president of the council which
was the senate in territorial days and
the rest of the Ebert family; Senator
VIM. A. Clarke, Of Montana and his
father who Is buried there now; Judge
John F.. Dillon, one Of the greatest
lawyers of the west: Senator John H
Gear: Sam Clarke, one time editor of
the Gate City and whom history will
accord a place as one of the ablest Of